Spirit Ch 04
- 4 years ago
- 19
- 0
The Koumbi marketplace was a cacophony of excited voices as buyers tried to talk and shout over each other. Then there were the constant bleats, bellows, growls, grunts, and roars from upset camels. I was dealing with one of the wealthy men when it got so quiet that I thought for a second that I’d gone deaf. Only noise from rambunctious camels let me know I hadn’t. Turning to find Izem and ask about the sudden quiet, I found him genuflecting towards my rear, just like the wealthy merchant.
I knew only one thing would cause that, and knelt quickly, then turned slowly so I was aligned with everyone else. Since everyone else was looking up, I did too, only to find King Reba Akmadja trying not to laugh at me. I stood when he motioned for me to rise, and was grateful for the time I spent on the trip learning the Berber language.
“You are the merchant with the worthless bags of salt,” he stated flatly, still barely controlling his mirth.
“I am, and I found people in Oualata to take it,” I answered.
He studied me critically for several seconds. “You seem quite comfortable in my presence,” he commented questioningly.
“The brother of my primary wife is Emperor Clovis of the Frankish Empire. I am a close friend and adviser to him,” I answered.
He nodded, turned, and walked away. “Follow him,” Izem hissed quietly.
“Bring my gifts and the things I wanted to show him,” I whispered back as I hurried after the King. I stayed a respectful several steps behind him, not knowing what was expected. One of his guards nodded to me, motioning me a couple of paces closer.
His pace was brisk, and several minutes later, we passed through the gate of a thick, twenty-foot-high rock wall. A couple more minutes brought us to the steps of what was obviously his palace. He continued up the steps into the palace and the guards motioned for me to follow. Two palace guards followed us deeper into the darker and cooler bowels of the palace where we finally stopped outside of a wooden door. The King knocked twice, then opened the door and stuck his head inside. Satisfied, he opened the door and motioned me inside.
“I understand that you are a healer,” he said.
I thought carefully before answering. “I am able to heal some things better than other healers, but hardly consider myself a healer,” I said.
He nodded his understanding. After all, I was barely twenty. “Our healers have been unable to help my daughter,” he explained, his voice reflecting his concern.
“I will need the bag with my supplies in it,” I said. He motioned to one of the guards who left the room like a bomb was about to go off. “May I be permitted to touch her foot and leg?” I asked after seeing that it was bandaged. He nodded. After unwrapping the cloth bandage from her leg, I could see the problem immediately. A red line had begun tracing its way up the outside of her calf from an infected cut on her ankle. She was feverish, and her eyes were dull and listless.
I had a difficult time conveying the message asking if they had leeches here. Finally, one of their healers came in and understood immediately. He left to get some. Other servants went to boil water and bring clean cloth. My bag arrived with Izem who managed to translate anything I was having difficulty explaining. He could understand me because he was fluent in Latin--as I have become since coming here--as well as Frankish. He conveyed my apologies to everyone concerned when I warned that I had to clean out the wound again and knew it would hurt.
Clean cloth and boiling water arrived. Before giving her two shots of rum, I dropped my needles and tweezers into the boiling water as I lifted the loose flap of skin on her ankle and scrubbed away any pus and dirt I could find. Satisfied, I cut off the loose flap of skin, rinsed the wound with vinegar, dusted it generously with camphor, and wrapped some of a moldy millet cake on top of the wound with a piece of cloth that had been boiled and allowed to cool. I used a leech to suck the blood out of the blood vessel that was red to see if it helped. It didn’t, but made her leg bleed in a different spot so I put more camphor on it and covered it. “I need to check her again tomorrow,” I advised the King.
He nodded his understanding and motioned to the door. “My guard says you have many unusual items that your friend brought here for you,” he said as we walked back the way we came.
“I have some gifts for you, some unique items I hoped you would be interested in buying, and I brought a lot of weapons to sell that we took from some troops we defeated,” I answered. The mention of weapons immediately piqued his interest, so we went out to the castle courtyard where the camel-pullers were busy unloading. I was suddenly nervous, even though Izem had already reviewed everything and told me a price range I could expect to get. Izem, himself, was salivating over some of the weapons.
First, I showed the weapons from Rome and quoted a price. He was surprised that I didn’t try to gouge him and readily agreed. Then I showed him one of the thousand crossbows we’d been making for half a year. These were sturdier, more powerful, easier to aim, and just easier to use than anything currently available. They had a magazine of sorts that held nine bolts in addition to the one ready to release. A lever cocked the bow and dropped the next arrow into the slot ready to shoot.
I figured it was just a matter of time until someone copied our design, though. When it only took him ten minutes to become semi-proficient with it, he was sold. With practice, these would be reasonably accurate beyond two hundred yards, a distance his other archers could only dream of reaching with their current bows, let alone reach accurately.
The demonstration of my two Mongol-style bows left him with his mouth gaping. I warned that none of his archers would be able to draw either bow properly yet, because it took time to strengthen their arms enough to use it. He balked slightly at the price, but when I explained that it took several different men and nearly six months to complete one of the bows, he understood. When he ordered ten thousand of the bows, I warned him that I would only be able to supply two thousand a year because I was still arming the archers for my own Emperor. I gifted him with the ten long bows and the ten short bows I brought to sell, which helped soften the sting.
The two panes of glass had miraculously arrived unscathed and intrigued him. The paper, hemp rope, brass pump, and dried fruit were also a hit. From his reaction when he saw the firkin I gifted him with, I knew he’d already tasted some of the rum I sold in Oualata.
He loved the steel tools, especially the plows, and bought them all and asked for more. They did a lot of work with iron here, but nothing like our tools or the steel we used. The dishes for panning gold made his eyes bug out when I explained how they were used. They could be used to wash away sand from the gold nuggets and gold dust they got from along the river or from the sluices they used.
The telescope left him speechless. At first, he thought it to be some sort of magic. He only relaxed when I showed him the two magnifying lenses I had with me and explained how they were made from glass. When we finished dealing, I’m pretty sure he spent the rest of the day on the castle walls looking over the city with his new toy.
The King insisted that we spend the night at the palace. He offered to let my men bunk with his soldiers, but they stayed in town to guard our goods. I had a large and spacious room; Izem had the slightly smaller room next to mine.
That night, I broached another subject with Izem, asking him how best to proceed. “Are you sure?” he gasped several seconds later. When I nodded, he spent the next hour coaching me in bartering and haggling. By morning, though, I decided to eschew bargaining and just ask what I considered a fair price.
In the morning, we were summoned to breakfast where we were treated like visiting royalty. After breakfast, I went with the King to see Tizemt, his daughter. I could see immediately that she was better. She was sitting up in bed talking nonstop with more than a dozen other women. Conversation stopped immediately once the King and I entered the room, and all but one of the other women left. The resemblance between Tizemt and the remaining woman told me she was the mother, and I could see where Tizemt got her good looks.
Unlike yesterday, Tizemt was freshly bathed and her hair was carefully brushed. The coy, flirtatious looks caught me off guard, though. I figured not acknowledging them could lead to as much trouble as acknowledging them.
“You obviously feel much better today,” I said. “Yesterday, you didn’t even have the energy to be so flirtatious,” I added, causing her dark skin to blush. I breathed again when her father started laughing.
The angry redness and swelling were nearly gone; the red line up her leg had receded and was barely visible now. I warned them again that what I did next would hurt, warning that I would sew some of the skin together. The King had obviously already heard from someone about what I did to my men. Tizemt swallowed two more shots of rum, but eschewed the piece of leather I gave her to bite down on and took the stitches like a trooper. I used the smallest suture needle I had--although it was nothing like the tiny ones doctors use today.
My blacksmiths had laughed at my clumsy attempt to fashion the slender stainless-steel needles. They took pity on me and took over from me, doing a much better job than I could have. It was the first time I showed them how to make stainless-steel. I had them continue making the needles until I had two thousand of them.
They didn’t understand why I didn’t want an eye in the end of the needle though. Rather than explain, I showed them after the needle was formed, curved, hardened, and then tempered. Only then did I glue a foot-long piece of suture material to the back end of the needle, using a teensy bit of a drop of the same glue we used on the bows. Once the glue dried, I packaged each needle in a piece of paper and added a bit of camphor powder, hoping to keep it germ-free. I glued the paper together securely, then wrapped and glued it inside a piece of paper embedded with beeswax to make it waterproof.
The suture material was usually cotton thread that I’d first boiled. I did make some, though, from sheep intestines. Those were in case I had to make sutures beneath the skin, as they would dissolve naturally. I thoroughly sterilized the intestines (several times) before I laboriously cut them into the exceedingly thin strips. Once I glued them to the needle, I boiled them again.
As I stitched, Tizemt stoically remained silent until I finished, and she exhaled a giant breath of relief before wiping away the tears that had formed in the corners of her eyes.
I re-wrapped the wound with another portion of moldy millet cake and cautioned her to stay off her feet as much as possible, and to walk slowly and carefully for the next week so she didn’t tear out her stitches. When I finished, Tizemt took my hand and held it against her cheek while looking at her father. “I believe my daughter is indicating her eagerness to hear your answer to my offer that she become another of your wives,” he chuckled.
You could have knocked me over with a feather. I definitely hadn’t seen that coming. “I would be honored, but I want to make sure she understands that my home is a three-month journey across the desert from here,” I warned. Once Izem translated my caveat, she nodded her understanding, beaming even more than her parents were.
They don’t waste time here. We were hurriedly ushered to a small grove of about fifteen trees inside the castle walls where their priest quickly performed the marriage ceremony. When the ceremony was over, the priest attached a three-inch-wide gold choker-type necklace around her neck. Then he pinned two gold hair combs with a sunburst pattern on them in her hair. A second necklace fashioned out of inch long and half-inch thick tubes of gold went around her neck and draped down into her cleavage. He then wrapped a gold bracelet around each forearm. Each bracelet was shaped like a coiled serpent with a sunburst for the head. Finally, he slipped a gold ring with the sunburst pattern onto her ring finger.
Her father explained the jewelry were symbols now proclaiming her a member of the Royal Family because women weren’t recognized until they married.
Tizemt was beaming even wider now, although I kind of felt sorry for her. That gold had to weigh at least ten pounds. After an emotional hug from both parents, Tizemt eagerly claimed my arm, promptly ignored my earlier admonition to stay off her feet, and dragged me out into the town to show off her new marital status. At least I got her to agree to ride a horse instead of walking.
While we rode, she explained that her father had been growing impatient with her continued refusal to choose one of the constant parade of suitors who came to the palace. All her life she watched the men who came to the palace, and watched the rehearsed way they acted and the airs they put on. Many of the most prestigious and pompous men were rumored to treat their wives poorly.
Even in the condition she was in yesterday, she recognized that I was not trying to make myself out to be more than I was. My comment minimizing my medical ability floored her. Most men would claim to be much better than they were. She also overheard parts of the conversation between her mother and father when he told her what some of the camel pullers told the men he had prowling around Oualata. They heard that my men stood defiantly by my side facing a superior number of bandits and defeated them handily with only two men slightly injured. I’d been personally responsible for the deaths of at least ten of the bandits without suffering so much as a scratch.
Hearing that I gave the injured camels to the pullers who cared for them and gave away the bandits’ weapons and clothing to the pullers, stunned her. Never had she heard of a merchant being so generous.
Seeing or hearing about the new, exciting items I gave her father also surprised her. Most merchants would give the King a gift that wasn’t too exorbitant to gain his favor. Each one of the numerous gifts I gave him was worth much more than what another merchant would give him. She told her father last night that she would accept me as a husband, and then sent her slaves into town last night and the marketplace early this morning to find out everything they could about me. She didn’t learn anything new, but the women were still talking excitedly about me when we got to her room.
Izem was in town purchasing things to take back to sell. I asked him how to go about buying slaves as I hoped to take back a large number. I explained that they would become indentured servants for eight years and would then be free. They would also be free to marry, anytime, if they wanted. Izem’s eyes just kept widening. I planned to have one man and one woman riding each camel on the way back to speed up the caravan.
He explained that we would need a large pavilion style tent for every twenty-five slaves and lots of food and water. Izem said he’d see to it since he was nearly done with his purchasing. When I said something about ivory, Tizemt guided me to a merchant she knew of. She was a whiz at dickering, and I quickly found myself the proud owner of all twenty tusks that he had. He promised to have them delivered to the palace before dark.
At dinner, I made one of my two pitches to the King. He wasn’t sure how to react when I told him that I knew of a gold mining area just as rich as the one they now mined. At first, he was afraid that word about the location of the current gold area where they panned for gold had gotten out. I assured him that it hadn’t, and that I had no idea exactly where they were currently panning gold. I just had a vague idea how much gold they produced each year and knew this new area would produce just as much. “And what do you expect in return?” he asked warily.
I admitted that I had practiced and practiced dickering, but still felt that the system relied on lying to each other, something I didn’t like doing. Instead, I suggested that I would tell him where it was or take him there. The decision to open the gold field or not would be his alone. If he did open it, I felt that a quarter of what it produced was a fair price.
“That’s a very fair offer ... I probably would have agreed to give you a third,” he replied, grinning.
“You’ll need the extra to pay for the rum, sugar, and weapons I bring to sell you,” I retorted.
King Reba broke out in laughter. “You are indeed a wise merchant,” he laughed. Tizemt beamed.
I told him that I would send him three ships he could use to transport people, cargo, or troops up and down the river that flowed from Bamako through their lands to the ocean. I explained how the ships had been sunk trying to attack my city. We pulled them onto the beach and repaired them. Being used to the much smaller craft that plied the river’s waters carrying up to ten people or so, he was surprised to hear each boat would hold over two hundred people. Then I told him we had huge ships that sailed on the ocean and could easily carry more cargo than the caravan. The smallest one might even be able to sail up the river all the way to Bamako.
Tizemt was definitely an enthusiastic lover. She had the most blissful look on her face the next morning, much to the delight of her parents. This morning, all forty-three of King Reba’s wives joined us at breakfast, officially meeting Tizemt’s new husband. I’d already seen many of them peeking at us from around corners. Evidently, Izza, Tizemt’s mother, was the number one wife. I spent the rest of the day preparing for our trip south to the gold field. Tizemt was upset that I was leaving so soon but brightened when I told her she could help Izem procure slaves, as well as food and accommodations for the slaves. King Reba said he would give us five hundred slaves as a wedding gift.
We left on horseback, instead of on camels, thank God. Ten of my men and ten of King Reba’s men accompanied us. I knew immediately that we’d need to bring saddles and alfalfa seeds to sell on the next trip.
It took five days to get to the section of the river where the gold was. I immediately saw the first problem peering at us from just beneath the surface of the water--crocodiles. Five minutes of hunting in the jungle along the river garnered us four animals that looked like little pigs with a set of vicious looking tusks. Throwing the dead body of the first one into about a foot of water brought an immediate, angry, thrashing, response from four large crocodiles. The crocodiles drew an equally immediate response from my archers. An hour later, the fourth little pig’s body floated lazily down the river until it was out of sight. Nineteen dead crocodiles graced the shoreline. I panned for gold under the watchful eyes of my archers and hit pay dirt. We panned for the rest of the day and then the king’s men skinned the crocodiles and prepared steaks from the tails for our dinner. I was surprised at how good the steaks tasted.
For two more days, we made our way upriver until the alluvial gold deposits stopped. The King had asked why I continued looking upstream after locating the goldfield. “To find the source of the gold,” I answered.
“The river isn’t the source?” he asked.
I explained that gold started out as bits of pure ore mixed in the rocks. Rain would wear away the rocks and wash the gold into the river. Since gold was so heavy, it often caught behind rocks or in the sand where the water moved slowly. I was looking for the rocks where the gold originated, hoping to find even more gold. When I asked, he admitted that they never thought to look for the source of the gold at the other goldfield, something I’d already surmised.
I taught two of his men how to search. I explained the process as I leapfrogged my way upriver until there was no more gold, then backtracked to find where the gold first entered the river. At that point, it was a matter of working away from the river--frequently along another river or a stream. If you were searching another river or stream, you would search it like the big river, leapfrogging until the gold nuggets and flakes stopped. Then you began searching inland for the source. Frequently it was white quartz rocks with gold mixed into the rock. Then you mined it like copper, crushing and heating the rock to melt the gold.
I let his two men do the searching after that, keeping one eye on them and the other on the river watching for crocodiles. He sent four of his men to buy horses or camels from a nearby village. We hadn’t planned to carry goods back with us. The horses we had were for carrying our supplies. The men took one of the packhorses with them, carrying the meat from six crocodile tails to sell rather than waste it by letting it spoil.
By the time they got back with six more horses, we’d found the source of the gold. It was up a side river about six miles. The hill seemed to be one large quartz deposit. After making sure the small river was crocodile-free, we panned for gold while waiting for the men to get back with the horses. Even the King got dirty with us laughing as he pulled several nuggets and a lot of gold dust from every pan of sand. We each had five or six pounds of gold by the time the men got back with the horses and we shared it with them.
Adonis growled harshly, though his agony stemmed from something other than pain. He moaned and groaned; his limbs moved heavily with a dead weight. The Greek attire he wore was tattered, torn, and hung from an equally torn body. There was no more blood. Actually, there was no pain either, and it felt very odd. He had yet to acclimate himself, being suspended in the Middle World and the world below it. The Middle World still coursed through his veins, the Under World, through his soul. It was...
Thanks to Jim for editing! I first met James at a Christmas party my parents were throwing. He was the contractor they had hired to put together the new house they were building as an anniversary gift to each other. It would be a lot bigger than the two-storied, three-bedroom house I'd grown up in, which meant that there would be plenty of room for either me or my sister if we needed it, which wasn't something I was about to complain about, considering that at twenty-four, I was about to run...
Jun 6, 2010 Fragmented Pieces Book I Spirit Chapter Two A Special Night Current mood:creative Heavy Metal Thunder Productions Presents… Copyright protected on March 2010. The persons, places, entities, and events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, places, entities, or events is unintentional and purely coincidental. Warning Some stories may contain adult language, explicate violence, adult situations, and some sexual content. These stories are...
Sep 7, 2010 Fragmented Pieces Book I Spirit Chapter Nine A Fresh Assignment Current mood:creative Heavy Metal Thunder Productions Presents… Copyright protected on June 2010. The persons, places, entities, and events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, places, entities, or events is unintentional and purely coincidental. Warning Some stories may contain adult language, explicate violence, adult situations, and some sexual content. These stories are...
It's four a.m. the feel of your soft caress down my back awakens me. I turn over to say I love you and kiss you and no one is beside me. I close my eyes wondering if I was dreaming when I felt your touch. I feel you presence as you arms pull me closer and our lips touch. The intensity of your kiss make my body tremble clear to my soul. I hear our hearts beat in unison as your spirit intertwines my soul. I feel your touch as it sets me afire and you utter, "Kandy, I love you!" I touch...
Aug 30, 2010 Fragmented Pieces Book I Spirit Chapter Eight Prime Suspect Current mood:creative Heavy Metal Thunder Productions Presents… Copyright protected on June 2010. The persons, places, entities, and events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, places, entities, or events is unintentional and purely coincidental. Warning Some stories may contain adult language, explicate violence, adult situations, and some sexual content. These stories are...
Jul 21, 2010 Fragmented Pieces Book I Spirit Chapter Seven Waking Up Current mood:creative Heavy Metal Thunder Productions Presents… Copyright protected on June 2010. The persons, places, entities, and events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, places, entities, or events is unintentional and purely coincidental. Warning Some stories may contain adult language, explicate violence, adult situations, and some sexual content. These stories are intended...
Jul 12, 2010 Fragmented Pieces Book I Spirit Chapter Six ‘Highway Murders’ Current mood:creative Heavy Metal Thunder Productions Presents… Copyright protected on June 2010. The persons, places, entities, and events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, places, entities, or events is unintentional and purely coincidental. Warning Some stories may contain adult language, explicate violence, adult situations, and some sexual content. These stories are...
Jun 6, 2010 Fragmented Pieces Book I Spirit Chapter Three Technicalities Current mood:creative Heavy Metal Thunder Productions Presents… Copyright protected on March 2010. The persons, places, entities, and events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, places, entities, or events is unintentional and purely coincidental. Warning Some stories may contain adult language, explicate violence, adult situations, and some sexual content. These stories are...
Jun 6, 2010 Fragmented Pieces Book I Spirit Chapter One Reflections From a Prison Cell Current mood:creative Heavy Metal Thunder Productions Presents… Copyright protected on March 2010. The persons, places, entities, and events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, places, entities, or events is unintentional and purely coincidental. Warning Some stories may contain adult language, explicate violence, adult situations, and some sexual content. These...
May 24, 2009 Fragmented Pieces Book I Spirit Prologue Current mood:creative Heavy Metal Thunder Productions Presents… Copyright protected on May 2009. The persons, places, entities, and events depicted in this story are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, places, entities, or events is unintentional and purely coincidental. Warning! Some stories may contain adult language, explicate violence, adult situations, and some sexual content. These stories are intended for a mature...
Carmen always had sad eyes, but they had always been sad in a sort of loving way, like a child’s eyes when a beloved pet has passed on. Sad, yes, but always with the basic understanding that everything was fine, that events had happened because they were supposed to. Now, however, they were just sad. They stared blankly out upon the world without really seeing anything . . . least of all, me. But then, it was all because of me that she had that look. All because of that Valentine’s Day night,...
Four years ago "Mmmmm, oh honey, ummm what a nice way to wake me. I thought you got enough last night, stud." When I forced one eye open, I saw the clock read 5:35 A.M.! He was up an hour earlier than usual, really, really UP! Though kneeling between my ankles with his chilly tongue teasing up my thigh, his big sausage sized snake weighed heavily on my calves. Still somnambulant, I enjoyed the cold fire my sweet sweet husband brought me. Only after I came twice was I finally awake enough...
‘Good morning, Mrs. Stewart. It’s good to see you out. How’re doin’ today?’ ‘Oh, you know, Mr. Baxter. Each day just sort of nudges the one before it. It just all sort of goes on—a bit too long, if you ask me.’ Clem Baxter watched Louise Stewart from 12A move arthritically down the walk between the two old, red-brick apartment houses facing each other. Clem had been the super for these buildings for nearly twenty years, and he knew most of the tenants by their apartment numbers, but he’d...
I awoke from the bad nightmare only to find myself lying in tall grass. At first, I didn’t realize that, while the temperature was warm, it was a lot cooler than it should have been for late August, even this early in the morning. I thought that somehow, I had landed clear of the wreckage, and miraculously survived. Having taken extensive first aid training, rather than try to get up, I instead tested each appendage for signs of injury. Fingers and toes seemed pain-free, as did wrists,...
Sixteen weeks later, Drogo and several of our Clovis Class ships arrived in Valencia, returning many of our troops, as well as the deposed emperor, his Palace Guard, the Emperor’s banner for Clovis’ collection, and some surprise guests. We locked up the deposed Emperor and his Palace Guard. Drogo and his surprise guests joined us on the train to Paris. Our “royal railroad coaches” were four passenger cars made specifically for Clovis or me to use when we took the train. One set of two cars...
--- Spirited (MF, mf, Hf, F-solo, Mh, 1st, anal, best, cons, inc, magic, oral, parody, impreg, reluc) by Krosis of the Collective --- 16-year-old Heather fumed in the back seat of her parents' car. This had been their second day of traveling across the American Midwest, heading to their new home, and she was bored stiff. Even worse, it seemed that her dad had gotten them lost trying to find the world's largest ball of twine or something. "I think it's just around the bend," he said...
Spirited Away by Samantha * * * Prologue "There comes a time in the events of humanity when no logic can suffice; when even the greatest proponents of reason are forced to give way to the unexplainable." * * * Chapter 1 I threw my backpack down on my bed, disgustedly. Mr. Grimmer had just given us yet another thirty page paper to write--by Thursday, no less!--and on some stupid Indian book that read as though it had been run through and electronic translator, all the...
Spirited Dominance by Tigger Copyright 1999, All Rights reserved. This is a work of fiction intended for adults. If Female Dominant situations offend you, or do not tickle your erotic bone, please don't read it. May be archived at Fictionmania or Nifty. Any other FREE site will please ask me first. ********** "Na-than!" the sultry, normally soft tones were colored with frustration and a touch of anger. "I loved her, too, but she's been gone for three years. You...
Introduction:Note: The following is purely fictional. Descriptions of Wolf & Bear society, Native American peoples, Alaska, Motorcycle Club culture, Native legend and lore are entirely made up to suit the story. Lastly, depictions of Bestial sex are fantastical and enhanced at best. No part of this should be construed as accurate or true. Chapters:1. Alaskan Cruise of a Lifetime2. Alone in Alaska3. A New Friend4. Savior or Next?5. Second Thoughts6. Sweet Kisses to Understanding7. Dreams of...
16-year-old Heather fumed in the back seat of her parents’ car. This had been their second day of traveling across the American Midwest, heading to their new home, and she was bored stiff. Even worse, it seemed that her dad had gotten them lost trying to find the world’s largest ball of twine or something. “I think it’s just around the bend,” he said for what she estimated was the dozenth time in the last hour. Heather sighed. The dirt road they had been following ended at an old wooden...
You glance at your computer screen, reading over the details about the various in-testing products you had felt were interesting enough to personally oversee: The Juicer At some point it would be given a more elegant name, but for the time being you were rather fond of its nickname. This one you actually came up with yourself when you realized that selling bodily fluids were a largely untouched corner of the market: Blood, semen, vaginal secretions... a lot of the time you ended up with some...
Dominus stood in the flickering torch-lit entryway awaiting the call into his master's presence. He had no way of knowing that at that exact same moment, in a place immeasurably distant, another servant of another, and far brighter lord, was awaiting permission to enter his master's presence. He was, of course, aware of the existence and cunning of his enemies. His hatred of them was unrivaled, even among his compatriots. Dominus never allowed an opportunity to destroy one of them pass...
The next morning found Edward again standing in the presence of his lord. These visits had increased in frequency over the past two months. It was obvious that he was concerned about Edward's little group. He had continuously checked up on their progress throughout their training period, and it was apparent that he would do the same now that they were an active unit. Edward wondered what they would discuss today. He hoped it would be another mission. This time Edward had not been kept...
Edward stood at the top of a hill overlooking the small town of Abington. The town was small and, to the mortal eye, it appeared quiet and peaceful. Edward's eyes, unfortunately, saw beyond the natural. To his eyes the town was a quagmire of evil spirits. Though he could not see the individual spirits from here, he could see the perverse energy that gave the village a ghastly and forlorn aspect. The sorrow of the blind, enslaved souls of Abington's inhabitants was almost a palpable force....
Edward sat alone in his quarters. He was always alone when in his quarters, and had been for longer than he cared to remember. The room was uninteresting, vaguely reminiscent of an earthy monk's cell. I consisted of nothing more than a small bed and a small bedside table with a lamp. An altar stood in the corner. Edward sat upon the bed holding a portrait in an ornate, gold frame. The portrait showed a beautiful young woman. Behind the woman were the discernable soft, white humps of the...
Edward stood before the Lord dejected and confused. He had thought that his army would receive their new assignment today. He'd thought wrong. "Edward, it's just not a good idea for your troops to go out again so soon. Especially not after the losses you sustained yesterday. I am going to transfer some more warriors to your army. They'll be a bit green, so you're going to have to train them." "My lord, I think that we are strong enough to take on any mission. We should strike soon so...
As Edward sped toward his destination, he allowed himself to truly enjoy one of his favorite pastimes, the pure exhilaration of flight. The thrill of the wind in his hair and the excitement of seeing the contours of the Earth below flashing past as though they were a video set on fast forward. The part Edward liked best about flying this way was the way that it helped to calm his spirit. The upcoming battle, the stress over the presence of a traitor in his ranks, and his concerns about his...
Edward stood before a table in a large meeting room. Covering the table was a large-scale model of their target. The captains crowded around as Edward outlined the plan. "Ok, Phase One: Wan, Armand, and myself will lead our squadrons in a direct assault from above. The rest of you, except for Robert, will use your troops to set up a perimeter, at ground level, 100 yards away from the fence. Phase Two: Once our squads start drawing their fighters, those of you on the perimeter attack the...
Edward quickly sped towards the large white structure in the early pre-dawn hours. This time he could not indulge himself in the joys of flight; he had a mission to accomplish. At his sides were two of his captains, Wan and Armand, and right behind the trio flew six hundred of their warriors. Edward and his troops maintained their swift pace as they approached the White House. Part of their plan was to make it appear that they were going to pass the building by on their way to another place....
Хелен с опаской приложила большой палец внизу пергаментного свитка. Раздалось едва уловимое шипение и струйка белёсого дыма устремилась к низкому закопчённому потолку. "Это ваш первый отпуск, мисс Андерсон?", старый, сморщенный клерк взглянул на полупрозрачный силуэт висящий в воздухе по ту сторону стола. "Да, сегодня ровно сто лет с того.. с того случая, как..", нежный, чуть взволнованный голос, явно принадлежащий молодой женщине, казалось звучал из пустоты. "Да-да, мисс Андерсон", перебил её...
Mind Control"Are you going to jump?" Ted almost did. The unexpected voice from behind startled him, his body taking a half step towards the edge of the rock. He caught himself, hands not quite flailing for a safety railing which was not there. The roar of the waterfall filled his ears, the rocks far below suddenly very close. Balance once again regained, he turned. She stood on the dirt path, hands clasped before her. She was not pretty. To him, at least, not that he was influence much by physical...
Sue struggled over which costume to wear to the ADULTS ONLY party for which we were already late. Though she favored a body-paint only getups, there was no way to do it right and dry in seconds. I jokingly suggested she could be ready in two minutes if she went in her long blonde wig and boots, otherwise totally nude, as Lady Godiva. She slapped my arm. "What? This is a great excuse to show off your cute little boobs and great nipples to neighbors and strangers alike. And you KNOW we all love...
I fell back into the chair in the dressing room. This was the 40th -or was it the 45th concert that we had played in as many days. I had four hours before I had to be at the airport. After being in an enormously successful Rock band for a few years, branching out on my own had been good for my career. The downside was being in a different city every night or two, sometimes you can't even remember who you really are. I could hear the activity as the stage was pulled down and packed onto the...
I was still confused and even angry, but I couldn't stand for her to be in tears. I rose up enough to wrap my arms around her and held her to me while she calmed down. The girls came in after a few minutes and Kelly wondered why her mother was upset. Donna told her not to worry about it now and we all would sit down and talk later. We had a nice, if subdued dinner and the women headed toward home with the promise that I would visit there tomorrow. I tried to sleep that night, but the events...
I woke up fairly late in the morning, still dressed in the tracksuit. I had nothing else to wear so I gave my hair and fur a quick brush, it seemingly behaving better since there was lots more of it, then headed down the stairs. Mum sitting doing some work at the kitchen table, "Morning sleepy head," she said, "Want some breakfast?" "I can get it," I said. Grabbing some cereal and munching away. With my new sense of taste my usual cereal was way too sweet. I persevered for a bit with...
I woke up the next day. At least I assumed it was the next day. It was hard to tell in this windowless cellar. I was cold and stiff; I couldn't stretch out properly, so my limbs hurt. I pushed the hurt to the back of my mind and examined my cage more carefully in the hopes of finding some way out of this nightmare. It was made of thick steel sections welded together. The door was secured by a heavy padlock l couldn't quite get at, I had no idea how to pick locks anyway. I was cold and...
I woke the next day barely able to move. The area around one of my eyes was so swollen that I couldn't open it. Every move was torture. My fur hid the damage mostly. I was probably bruised all over but it was only places where they had broken the skin with the fur matted with blood that you could see the damage they had wrought. Sandra came to rub salt in my wounds, with another round of her "training". By the end of the day I had gone from barely able to move to completely unable to...
The bomb shell that my imaginary friend wasn't imaginary at all was something of a shock. "but ... but ... how can I hear you? And for that matter how can you hear me," I thought. I don't know, said Jessica, Oh, It must be telepathy! You're reading my thoughts!? I sent. I guess so, I don't really know. I can't think of any other explanation. I guess, unable to think of a more plausible explanation, me being crazy seemed high up on the list though. I was a little shocked by the...
I woke up feeling a bit stronger than the last few days. I sorted out some breakfast for myself and Jessica and then I told her about my explorations the previous night. I tried to find somewhere I could get help, but I can only just reach the edge of Little Greenvale and I doubt anyone there would help us, I said. Well I did hear the local Doctor was somewhat sympathetic, but his practice is on the other side of the village from here, said Jessica. Maybe you could contact him...
It was a very bright day some number weeks later when things got back to a more normal footing. I had been out of hospital for a while and soon returned to school. I did my best to visit Jessica every day as she spent more time getting well and strong again. She gradually got to a more healthy weight and previously her painfully thin body filled out, becoming more and more beautiful. Thanks to the healing powers of a bio-elemental we both regained our voices and it was a surprise to both of...
Before I returned to Audoflede and the others, Clovis and I established a code of sorts. Using Audoflede’s name at the beginning of a message I sent would indicate that the message was true. Mentioning Gotberga’s name would indicate that an immediate attack against the Romans was necessary. Mentioning neither name would signify danger, probably an imminent attack on Tournai. The women were relieved when I returned from the castle. Audoflede was going stir crazy by the afternoon since she...
A few hours after we finally fell asleep, I managed to extricate myself from the tangle of warm, naked bodies and interwoven appendages without waking them. I grabbed fruit and cheese to eat from the kitchen and headed for the stables, fully armed and ready for whatever I encountered. After saddling my horse and loading two packhorses each with two amphorae of unadulterated wine, I hurried to town. When I was close, I tethered the horses, did my forms to center myself, and jogged the final...
Surprisingly, I wasn’t in as much trouble as I thought I’d be when I got back to the castle. In fact, the women easily forgave me for sneaking off this morning to work. With all the construction we planned, Audoflede suggested sending messengers throughout Clovis’ territory with an offer of work for laborers, hoping to attract craftsmen, too. That way we would have more help available to do all the new things I wanted. Once the new help learned our new ideas and techniques, they could spread...
In addition, by the time our harvest was complete, I had already made a quick trip (for this time period, anyway), sailing from Rouen to Valencia and back. In Valencia, I found an estate I liked and hired a man named Andagus to run it. Andagus was excited about the scope and the enormity of my plan. When I left, fields were already being prepared for crops, and orchards were being planted. The two hundred potted trees we had of each of the two types of orange trees (Valencia and Navel) were...
With so much new help, things started happening quickly. The Valencia quickly took shape, Ragno had several batches of powder finished, and we made rice paper. The extra help let us work on other projects, too. The millrace was nearing completion, with two sawmills and two gristmills well underway. The millrace would redirect about ninety percent of the water unless the river reached flood stage. At that point, the extra water would continue down the old course of the river. I turned my...
Our arrival at Cologne provided us a surprise. Our flags had been flying at towns all along the river. Two miles before reaching the heavily walled city of Cologne, a gathering of people was frantically waving one of our flags at us. Our lookouts reported that our flag wasn’t flying at Cologne, so we stopped to talk with the people. They had the tribute for all of the villages along the river, but the riders said Cologne felt they were safe since their walls were higher and thicker and they...
After tearfully hugging each of my wives and concubines, I hurriedly introduced them to the newest group, and then ran back aboard the Audoflede to go help the Marise. I noticed King Tassimut staring at the sunken fleet after hearing that the citizens of the city did most of the fighting. My troops had remained aboard, figuring that we would head out again once they heard what happened. Once we reloaded food, ammunition for the mortars, and another five hundred archers, we left the Saxon...
I sent a missive to Clovis requesting permission to purchase large tracts of the just conquered Eastern Roman Empire. Along the coast in what would be modern Lebanon I wanted to grow bananas. Along the coast in what would be modern Israel I wanted to grow sugar cane. Along the Nile valley, it would be cotton, sugar cane, and bananas. Land around Constantinople would be for growing a delightful spice as of yet unknown in Europe, Asia, and Africa. My query received a positive...
Another load of goods for Izem sailed at the end of January, along with fifty troops to accompany his caravan to Tissinte and back. Tissinte, the name of my new town at the salt mine, was derived from the Berber word for salt. Ten of the troops who made the first trip were among those to continue helping the rest learn the Berber and Soninke languages. The new troops had been practicing the languages for three months, and even learned to ride camels. We’d brought fifty camels to Valencia to...
Our first group of homing pigeons was finally ready to test. We’d raised hundreds in each capital and cities along the routes to other capitals and then transferred groups to different cities. They’d make their way home to where they were born and raised when released, taking our messages with them. The initial messages asked what time of day the pigeons arrived at each relay station (early morning, mid-morning, noon, etc.), and then each capital. Clovis’s first message, talking about the...
When the train left Valencia to take Clovis and the governors home, Emperor Reba and his wives stayed behind to catch the next ship home. Izem and I planned the attack on the Vandals at Carthage. He was sure he could get 50,000 troops within three months so we set the attack date for September 1. I would provide three thousand ground troops armed with rifles, and two hundred mortar crews. The rifle infantry and mortars would cover the west wall since there was no other way for the people to...
Hi Friends, This is my first story to ISS. As a big fan of ISS, I have read many stories on this site and so I really want to share my experiences about sex with you all. Mai vaise bhi bahot sex ka shokin hu…mai aapke samne mera ek experience share karna chahta hu. Mai Gujarat mai Ahmedabad ka rahene vala hu or single hu. Mujhe 30+ or aged ladies jyada pasand hai or jab bhi unko dekhta hu lund ko kuchh kuchh hone lagta hai. Ye baat un dino ki hai jab mai ek aisi company mai job karta tha jaha...
For Laura Lyn ‘Oops, that was it,’ Lola muttered as she past the dirt road she should have turned left on. She backed up, made the turn, and headed south 2.7 miles according to her directions. The sun was blistering and it hadn’t rained in weeks. Dust fogged the inside of the old ’87 Grand Am she’d driven since she was in high school, making it hard to breathe. She pressed on down the gravel country roads. Naturally the air-conditioning picked this day to be temperamental. ‘It can’t be too...
When Abbie and her husband Mel bought an old Victorian mansion on the outskirts of the city, they did so with two goals. The first was to convert the big, run-down house into a bed-and-breakfast. Their plan was to rent out rooms to businessmen tired of cookie-cutter motels, providing a more home-like atmosphere. They were reasonably close to the city’s financial center and since Mel was an executive with a major insurance company, he had the kind of contacts to make this feasible. Their...
Hi all, my name is Raghu and I am from Hyderabad. I am 28 years old working for an NGO in Hyderabad. I work as the project head for south India. I love contributing something to the society rather than working for Corporates and earning lakhs of rupees where I will not have time to spend that money. So this is my basic intro. I am new to ISS and also to sex life. I come from an orthodox family where my parents were very strict in upbringing me. Please read on ISS. Now coming to the story, this...
Spiritual Wandering by Kevin "Now, everyone, let us clear our minds to reach full enlightenment." Kevin looked around the room at all of his students in his meditation class. They all had their eyes closed, and they were all sitting cross-legged on the floor of the room. About an hour later, all of his student had left the room and he was still sitting. He closed his eyes for his own time of meditation. He cleared his mind of all of his thoughts and sat surrounded in...
I'd like to dream that what happened next was an instant orgy with all three girls cuddling into bed with me. I'd like to, but it sadly wasn't what happened. The fear that Courtney had exhibited managed to put us all completely out of the mood. When sleep came to me finally, it was only in fits and starts, and I found myself feeling the edge of a dream only to have it snatched away by a nervous breath. "I didn't want to hurt her..." The voice was stronger now than it had ever been...