Chapter 20

Dark Secrets

Eliza opened her eyes. The candle was gone, but so were the ghouls. Everything around her was pitch black, save for a dull red glow coming from an evil looking chandelier overhead. The pain inside her had relented, but only enough to let her sense what was going on around her. She was no longer sitting on the ground. Now she was strapped to a table and she could barely move. But before she could ponder what it all meant, the Beast attacked again. The pain began to build and Eliza fought back as hard as she could. She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer as wave after wave of agony crashed down upon her. In the end it was too much for her to bear and she blacked out.

Eliza's suffering continued. As each attack subsided she woke up just enough to sense her surroundings and then as each new attack came she passed out as the pain became unbearable. When she was awake she had strange visions and she didn't know if they were real or just wild imaginings. Once when she awoke she heard an icy voice chanting spells in some ancient language. Once when she awoke she saw a face, all black with a pair of burning eyes, peering down at her. Now she saw a dark figure holding a crystal vial and waving a hand over her wound. Eliza watched, horrified, as a stream of black, viscous fluid laced with white streaks was pulled out of her and into the crystal. But her horror faded away as a feeling of profound relief washed over her and the image faded into darkness. At last all was still, and peaceful.
 

Eliza stretched and turned over onto her back. She found herself laying in a soft bed in a dark and unfamiliar room. She sat up and looked around, seeking something familiar to ground herself. A warm pulsing sensation on her hand drew her thoughts inward. Lynn. She could feel Lynn again. After the seeming eternity of being so distant from her, Eliza's heart soared at the feeling of the restored link.

Another feeling fought for the young woman's attention, a gnawing hunger rumbled in her belly. She began to wonder where she might find something to eat when there came a knock at the door. Hesitantly, she opened it. As she did so her eyes opened wide. She had expected to find a person knocking at her door, instead she found the walking remains of a man who should have long ago taken rest in a grave. The priestess stumbled backwards, away from the undead butler, and cast forth her hand. She reached deep inside and touched the seed of the divine that was her faith in Ezra.

"Stop!", Eliza cried out.

Eliza was surprised, by two things. Firstly, that her ordeal had apparently strengthened her bond with her goddess. She could feel more power then she had ever felt before flow from her gesture and word. Secondly, that in spite of her new strength it didn't seem to have any effect whatsoever on the dead man before her. Eliza felt fear clutch at her chest. She let her hand fall and wander to touch her silver ring. The butler just stood in the hall looking at the girl.

Eliza swallowed and whispered, "What do you want?"

In a droning monotone the butler replied "The lady of the castle requests your presence. Please follow me."

Confused and frightened, Eliza complied and followed after the shuffling corpse. Her trepidation only grew as she was led through the sinister halls and passes of Kendra's castle.

"What is this place?", she wondered to herself. "Why am I here? Where's Lynn?" Eventually, her guide came to a stop before a large set of doors.

"Breakfast is served.", the butler droned before opening the doors and gesturing her inside.

Eliza walked slowly through the massive dining hall. She turned slow circles as she marveled at the sheer size of the room. At the central table, one chair had been pulled out. On that table was arrayed a meal the likes of which Eliza had only seen one other time, the time she had been invited to the retirement banquet of a favored instructor at the boarding school she attended in her youth.

There was enough food before her to feed maybe a dozen people, and Eliza was so hungry that she felt that she could eat it all. The food seemed to call to her aching stomach with a siren's song. She was drawn to the empty chair and began to fill her plate, eating bits as she did. Her reservations gave way to her hunger and she began to eat. All the food smelled great and tasted wonderful. She lost herself in her indulgence. Eliza was surprised by her appetite. She wondered how long she had been asleep. She had many questions but she knew one thing for sure, the thing inside her was gone. She was whole again.

"The goddess is strong inside you.", an icy cold voice spoke from across the table.

Surprised, Eliza looked up and saw the face of the woman from her nightmares. Eliza's fork clattered on her plate. She wanted to leap up and run away. She wanted to find Lynn and curl up in her arms and never let go. She wanted to be as far from the cold and piercing gaze of the woman that was before her as possible. She didn't run, though, because she couldn't. Eliza sat transfixed.

"Ezra.", the dark woman continued. "That is who you serve do you not?"

In a small voice Eliza replied, "Yes. I serve the Guardian in the Mist." Eliza found some measure of courage in that reminder. "Who are you?", she asked.

"I am Kendra.", the dark woman introduced herself. "Your friends brought you here to my castle. I agreed to heal you in exchange for a favor that they are performing as we speak."

"You took that thing out of me?", Eliza asked.

Kendra nodded slowly.

"What 'favor' are my friends performing?", Eliza asked, a little bit angry. She didn't like what she was hearing at all. She knew that Lynn would do anything for her and she was afraid that Lynn may have agreed to a deal that was not worth her life.

Kendra chose her words carefully and spoke deliberately. "Deep in the Mountains of Madness an ancient king named Balican was entombed. Legend has it that his hands had magical powers. Your friends are bringing his hands to me."

Eliza was a little familiar with the legend of Balican. Her friends were plundering the resting place of a great hero on her behalf. They were going to bring holy relics back to a sorceress who would do Goddess knows what with them. Eliza began to feel sick.

"Until they return you are my guest.", Kendra said almost warmly. "Eat well, rest, and before long you and Lynn will be together again."

Kendra had said the magic word. Eliza looked up at her and whispered, "How, how is she? Is she ok?"

"I assure you that she is well.", Kendra spoke, although the words did little to reassure Eliza.

Eliza looked down at her lap. She softly stroked the ring that bound her to her beloved. "Thank you.", she said, but didn't know if she truly meant it.

The dark woman nodded gracefully. "As I said before, Ezra is strong within you.", Kendra began. "She kept you alive for a reason. A holy mission perhaps."

Eliza drew a shuddering breath and smoothed out her priestess' robes. "Perhaps. Whatever she desires of me, I will abide.

"A return to Levkarest?", Kendra said, probing for something that she could use to manipulate the young woman.

"They don't want me there. I was excommunicated because I..." Eliza's voice trailed off.

"They were wrong to do so.", Kendra said sternly. "Ezra has told you so herself."

Tears welled in Eliza's eyes. "I don't understand it. Lynn is a good person and I love her. Shouldn't that be enough? Why should the rest matter to them?"

"They no longer seek to do the goddess' bidding.", Kendra explained. "They seek power. They purge those who disagree. They make their own rules. They aspire to be gods themselves."

"I worry about Marius.", Eliza sobbed. "He's like a father to me. He said he would try and convince them. I worry that they might hurt him."

"They will hurt him.", Kendra said coldly. She had Eliza hooked and she was reeling her in. "They will silence him. They will make him an example."

Eliza looked at her host with pleading eyes. "No, they couldn't do that. They, they..."

Kendra let the silence linger as the image of Marius suffering filled Eliza's mind. Then she spoke again. "How long do you feel the church can stand, straying so far from the goddess' wishes."

"It can't.", Eliza said. "It'll die like a flower taken away from the sun."

"Perhaps that is your mission then.", Kendra said drawing the conclusion she desired. "But then, I cannot speak for a goddess."

"I need to think about this. I need to pray and ask for her guidance.", Eliza said. Her mind was spinning. She needed time to be alone with her thoughts.

Kendra mused. With Meech dead, Drakov was too weak to win a war against the alliance. If word of that got out the alliance would crush him. But a schism in the church of Ezra, that would weaken the alliance and allow a war to rage for years. Kendra smiled. She would then supply magic, and power, to anyone who would pay her price, no matter which side they were on. A war would bring her much.

The dark woman looked at the innocent young woman across the table from her. She was such a delicate creature, yet she had the power to tear the entire world in two. Emotions flowed through Eliza's mind like a raging river. She stared at her plate as she prayed for Lynn's and Marius' safety.

"If I...", Eliza began. But when she turned to look at the dark woman, she was gone.
 

When Weamar and Marinae climbed up into the chapel, they found Lynn kneeling on the floor. Weamar looked around for the thing that killed the soldiers but it was nowhere to be seen. He noticed a bloody streak that climbed one wall and disappeared into the crack in the roof the creature first appeared from. Weamar hoped that he'd seen the last of it. David climbed up from below and rushed to Lynn's side.

"What is it?", David asked. Inside he wondered if the gods were seeking their vengeance.

"She's awake!", Lynn erupted, filled with joy. Then she felt through her ring once more and sensed deep confusion within her soul mate. "We need to get back as soon as we can.", she added.

Lynn gained her feet and hurried past the pews towards the riddle room.  Once in the riddle room she stopped and remembered where she was. Then she drew her purple katana and snuck quietly down the hallway towards the cave, holding her blade behind her like a thief in the night. Jonathan was on her heels and Marinae scampered elf-style after them. David and Weamar brought up the rear quietly. The group made their way back to the underground river that led to the surface without seeing anyone. Then Lynn led them along the ledge until she heard a groan of pain over the sound of the water.

"There's someone out there.", Lynn whispered to Marinae.

"I heard it.", Marinae replied. She directed her light towards the groaning.

At the edge of her light Marinae spotted movement. A man groaned in pain while struggling to crawl along the ledge out of the cave. Lynn moved forward slowly, switching to her old katana and tapping her way along. Soon she was right next to the man. At her feet, lying at the edge of the water, was the lieutenant. His entire front side was soaked with blood and he writhed about in agony. As Marinae looked closer, she realized that the man was not entirely normal. Protruding from the back of his right shoulder was a misshapen hand. From his hip the form of an extra foot stretched his breeches. In his contortions the man rolled onto his back. To Marinae's disgust, she saw the groaning face of another soldier sticking out of his chest.

Lynn gasped in horror and looked away, but Marinae couldn't take her eyes off the sight. The man's skin took on a pallid shade and became laced with bright purple veins. His limbs and head withdrew into his torso, leaving an undulating mound of flesh that gasped and squealed as it breathed.

"Let us be gone!", Marinae shouted. "I do not think we can ease his suffering."

Lynn didn't know what to do. Then she wondered what Eliza would do and drew another blank. Weamar, David, and Jonathan took turns looking around the two women. Their stomachs turned as they viewed the hideous thing.

"Can't say it makes me feel good either.", Weamar added.

"David?", Lynn said, her voice shaking.

David moved closer to Lynn. He looked at the grotesque thing before them. "That's no way to live.", he said, shaking his head.

David reached for the bag at Lynn's waist. He opened the bag and took out Balican's left hand. He looked at Marinae. "I really have no idea what I'm doing.", he admitted.

"My knowledge of such things is limited to what I'm seeing right now.", Marinae confessed.

David held the hand by the severed wrist and carefully approached what remained of the officer. Hoping that it was merely a matter of will, David touched the fingers of the dead hand to the jellied skin of the man.

"Die.", David softly whispered.

From the fingers of the hand, streaks of red light crawled across the poor man. His spasms faded to twitching which slowly ceased. A final, relieved breath escaped the changed Falkovnian's lips as he died. Marinae said a couple of prayers to the Elvish pantheon and added a few to some of the human gods for good measure.

Lynn tried not to think about what just happened. "One step closer to Eliza.", she told herself.

David's hand started to tremble as he turned to put the relic back in the bag. His entire body tensed and his eyes rolled back into his head. Marinae watched him closely and before her eyes she saw David's youthful appearance disappear. What had been a fellow of hardly twenty summers now appeared to have seen more than forty.

"D-David?!", Marinae stuttered in disbelief. She pulled out a scrap of cloth and took the hand from him.

David let Marinae take the hand and he wobbled for a moment. "What was that?", he said, recovering from his daze.

"You need to sit down.", Marinae advised. Weamar peered at David's face and his jaw dropped.

David shook his head. "I'll be fine. What are you looking at?", he asked, puzzled by the confused faces staring at him.

Marinae rummaged around in her knapsack, past Rambis, and found a mirror. She handed it to David.

David stared into the mirror in disbelief. He touched his face. "I guess there is a price.", he said, almost indifferently.

Lynn glanced at David. "Oh no.", she said helplessly.

David shook his head again and passed the mirror back to Marinae. "We should get moving.", he said without a hint of emotion.

The others stared at David harder, wondering how he could take such a thing so nonchalantly. But David felt very little inside. His memories of Lynn had given him hope in his hardest times. Now, with her so close to him, but far beyond his reach, he felt that there was little to live for.

"Maybe we'll be able to use the 'life' hand later.", Marinae said, wondering if it would make him younger. "Though with our luck Lynn might end up being a cradle-robber.", Marinae winked at Lynn, hoping to lighten the mood a little. But no one felt like laughing.

Lynn tied the bag tightly around her and swore to never let anyone touch the hands again. She stepped carefully around the corpse and continued on. Marinae shrugged and fell into step, followed by the others.

It was early evening when they reached the mouth of the cave. David took a seat on a nearby stone and stretched his legs, wincing as he did so.

"I'm sorry.", Lynn said, sitting next to him. "I shouldn't have asked."

David reached out to pat Lynn's hand but stopped just short. He didn't know if his touch would be welcome so he closed his hand and brought it back to rest on his leg. "You couldn't have known.", he consoled her.

"We shouldn't have used them.", Lynn moaned. "They aren't ours. I knew that."

"There's nothing to be done about it now.", David reassured her. "We just need to keep in mind why we're here."

Marinae felt twitchy, as though arrows were aimed at her back. "We're still not safe.", she said.

"Let's find a good place to make camp.", Jonathan suggested.

"Yes.", Marinae replied happily, and gave Jonathan a warm look.

The group climbed to the top of the nearest hill and made camp. David and Lynn rested while Jonathan and Marinae went off to find some place more private. Weamar passed the time examining the coins in the chest that they had recovered. The coins in the chest weren't of any design that Weamar was familiar with but they were all of the same type. Weamar counted them all carefully.
 

Jonathan looked melancholy as he and Marinae searched the nearby area.

"What troubles thee?", Marinae spoke in elvish.

"It's...nothing.", Jonathan said, shaking his head. But something was obviously bothering him.

"It's...something.", Marinae replied quickly. "I know you better than that."

Jonathan started to say something, but just kept walking. Marinae followed him to a quiet place where he sat down and put his head in his hands. Marinae plopped down beside him and held him close.

"Talk. Now.", she commanded.

"I...", Jonathan began. He lifted his head and a tear came to his eye. "When I told you that I asked Kendra if I could go with you. As your reward."

Marinae took a deep breath and held it a moment.

Jonathan fought to get the next part out. "I never actually asked her.", he confessed. "I just ran away."

"Oh.", Marinae said. She began to feel cold. "I gather that she'll be, put out, to put it mildly."

"She's not going to be happy with me.", Jonathan said shaking his head. "She's going to..."

"No, she won't.", Marinae said firmly. "I stand by what I said. Freeing you is my price for going on this… adventure. I'll stand by my part of it, because I was acting in good faith." Marinae was starting to get angry. "Besides, I won't have her threatening my mate."

Jonathan took Marinae's hand. His was shaking. "She won't allow it.", Jonathan moaned. "I knew that all along. I just couldn't let you go. I want you to know that it was all worth it. No matter what she does to me."

Marinae 's brow furrowed. "I stand with thee. No matter what, Jonathan.", Marinae felt a swell of courage. "She will have to kill me first."

"She probably will.", Marinae thought to herself. "She'll probably kill all of us, as soon as she has the hands. But I think we all knew that."

"I...I never thought I'd say that about anyone before.", Marinae confessed.

Jonathan cried a little harder. "Don't.", he pleaded. "She will kill you. And she'll keep me alive. I couldn't bear living, knowing that there was no hope that we could be together."

"If it comes to that, I will kill us both.", Marinae said, filling with righteous anger. "No Elf should suffer slavery or servitude at the hands of one such as her!"

"No.", Jonathan insisted. "Just let me bear all the pain, and the blame. And one day I'll escape."

"I cannot, my love.", Marinae fired back. "If I let her have you and walked away, I could not bear it."

Jonathan opened his mouth to answer but then closed it. He looked down at the ground. "I won't fight you.", he said quietly. "I never could."

"That is wise. You know how us pushy elvish bitches are.", Marinae said, switching to being playful at the drop of a hat. "Let us talk to the others. We might come up with a plan."

"But I don't want to spend my last night with you like that.", Jonathan said, staring into Marinae's eyes. "Anger, hatred, plotting, scheming. That's what they do. I only ever wanted love."

"If you want love, you don't even have to ask.", Marinae said invitingly. She kissed Jonathan and undid his pants.

Jonathan sat quietly as Marinae undressed him. He didn't move at all.

"Would you rather cuddle?", Marinae said as she put her finger under his chin and made him look her in the eye.

Jonathan reached towards Marinae with unsure hands. He shook his head.

"We will work this out, Jonathan. I'm quite ready to skip the castle altogether and keep walking.", Marinae assured him.

Kiri was proud of her grand performance. She knew that this would probably be their last night together and that Kendra would be pulling them back as soon as she knew that they had recovered Balican's hands. So she decided to go for it.

Jonathan looked Marinae in the eye. "I've read books. And they...", he paused. "I want to do everything."

Marinae was taken aback. "We can't do it all in one night, you know.", she said, wondering what he meant by 'everything'.

"Can we try?", Jonathan asked.

"From Page One?", Marinae replied.

Kiri was happy. She marveled at how she was able to get Marinae into a compromising position. Now she wondered how far she could push her.

"We've done that.", Jonathan said, almost smiling. "There's, umm, lie down. You're supposed to like this."

Marinae giggled and let Jonathan drive. Jonathan slowly undressed her. He kissed her deeply and then kissed his way down her body, stopping just before he got between her legs. Marinae sighed in satisfaction.

"Don't you dare stop, you horrible man!", Marinae said with a giggle.

Jonathan spread Marinae's legs apart with his hands and then spread her lips apart with his fingers. He sat still for a moment, unsure of what he wanted to do, and then slowly he started licking and sucking her clitoris. Marinae 's eyes opened and she gasped loudly.

"Oh...my.", Marinae breathed. She resisted the urge to grab Jonathan's ears and pull him closer.

Encouraged, Jonathan kept licking and sucking. He pushed two fingers into Marinae and moved his fingers in and out as he licked her, then he added a third. "Do you like this?", he asked.

"Absolutely!", Marinae gasped and moaned.

Jonathan smiled and went back to work with his tongue. He moved his fingers in and out and around in circles. Marinae got wetter and wetter. Jonathan's tongue felt so good between her legs that she couldn't control herself. He kept licking her until she came as hard as she had ever cum. In the heat of passion Marinae arched her back and moaned so loud that the others gathered around the campsite could hear her cries.

"W-was that Page Two?", Marinae said, shuddering.

"I guess that I'm doing it right.", Jonathan said happily. But there was still sadness in his voice.

Marinae reached down to stroke Jonathan's cheek. "You'll hear no complaints from me!", she said breathlessly. "Now. What's on Page Three?"

Jonathan hesitated. Then he pulled his fingers out of Marinae and placed them against her anus. His tongue slid down into her cunt. Marinae resisted momentarily, then relaxed, trusting him completely.

Jonathan slowly slid his slippery fingers into Marinae's anus. "Do you like this?", he asked quietly.

"I…I've never had anyone try that.", Marinae confessed. "If I get uncomfortable I'll just have to tell you."

"I don't want to hurt you.", Jonathan reassured her. He slowly worked his fingers in and out while licking her cunt and clitoris. "I...I really like this.", he said between licks. "I love to hear you sigh."

"I love how you make me sigh.", Marinae replied. She had to admit that she was enjoying what Jonathan was doing to her.

"I have got to get him away from that bitch.", Marinae thought to herself. Then she thought about how she really, really wanted to get fucked.

"I love how you love how I...", Jonathan smiled. "Roll over, my love."

Marinae was taken aback. "Fingers are fine.", she said curtly. "But I need to be able to sit."

Jonathan nodded. "I won't miss.", he assured her.

Kiri was annoyed. "Fingers are fine?", she thought to herself. "When I'm through you won't be able to sit for a week."

Marinae rolled over and got up on her knees. Jonathan knelt behind Marinae and put his hands gently on her hips. He pressed his large, hard member up against Marinae's cunt and slowly pushed all the way in. Marinae gasped. She still wasn't used to how big he was. Jonathan caressed and massaged Marinae's back as he moved in and out of her.

"You feel so good.", Jonathan said breathlessly.

"Mmmmmmmm.", Marinae moaned. Enjoying every moment.

"Even one night apart, last night...", Jonathans voice faded off. He moved one hand to Marinae's clitoris and with the other slid his fingers back into her anus. Marinae resisted again at first and then allowed his fingers inside her. She felt full, but it felt so good.

Jonathan thrust into her fast and then slow, giving Marinae as much pleasure as he could. "Oh yes.", he sighed. "If this is a dream, don't wake me up."

Marinae closed her eyes to hold back tears, wanting her time with Jonathan to be the only thing that mattered. Strange thoughts began to fill her mind.

"I don't remember seeing anything in Grandmother's books about using magic missiles to commit suicide. I don't even know if it's possible. But that's a last resort.", Marinae thought to herself. Then she wondered why she was thinking it, and why was she thinking it while she was having sex. She shook her head and thought about Jonathan. "I have to be strong for him so he won't give up what little hope he has left."

Then Marinae tucked her problems away in a corner of her mind and swayed back and forth with Jonathan's rhythm. Jonathan quickened his pace, growing more and more excited. Marinae gasped and moaned with pleasure. Then Jonathan slowed and pulled out of her. Gently he placed the tip of his member on her anus.

"I...I must.", he said with a hint of shame.

Marinae turned her head to look up at him.

"If it hurts, I'll stop.", Jonathan said.

"If it hurts, I'll stop you!", Marinae said, her voice filling with both anger and fear. "I don't think I can go through with that, though."

Kiri looked down at the large cock that she had given herself and at Marinae's small elven anus. She knew that it was too big to fit without really hurting. So she adjusted her disguise once more and made herself a little less well hung. Jonathan trembled as he slowly but firmly pushed his cock into Marinae. It hurt, but it didn't hurt quite as much as Marinae thought that it would. Jonathan pushed in half way and stopped.

Marinae dug her nails into the ground. She tried hard to relax. She wanted to let Jonathan have what he desired on his last night with her, but it was so painful that she was afraid that she couldn't do it. Then Jonathan muttered a brief chant softly and Marinae felt a warm feeling move through her anus. She sighed. Now it felt good. She relaxed completely as Jonathan slid the rest of the way in.

"Oh, if the Court could see me now.", Marinae thought to herself.

"Ohhhh.", Jonathan moaned. He stopped. For a long moment he savored the feeling.

Kiri had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. She wanted to reveal herself so badly. She wanted Marinae to know who was fucking her. "No.", Kiri told herself. "Maybe I can get even more."

"I'll escape.", Jonathan said. "I'll escape. Anything to feel you again."

Jonathan began to move in and out of Marinae slowly. His hand moved back down to her clitoris and he stroked it gently.

"Keep that hand moving.", Marinae thought to herself. She didn't care if she could sit or walk tomorrow. Everything felt so wonderful.

"Tell me you won't make her kill you.", Jonathan said as he stroked Marinae. "Please promise me that."

"I have no intention…ahhhh…of letting her…ohhhh…hurt either of us.", Marinae said.

Jonathan moved in and out faster as he stroked Marinae's clitoris quicker. He was getting close to the edge. Marinae braced herself underneath Jonathan as he plunged in and out of her. Marinae was getting close to cumming again and Kiri could sense it. Just to be mean Kiri decided to deny her the pleasure. With one last hard thrust Jonathan moaned loudly.

"Marinae!", he called out as he wrapped his arms around her and came deep inside her.

Marinae gasped and held herself up. She wanted to cum, but Jonathan had moved his hand away from her clitoris. She reached down to do it herself, but Jonathan's spell had worn off and his cock didn't feel so good inside her anymore. She cursed silently. Jonathan pulled out, took a moment to catch his breath, and then rolled Marinae over and covered her with kisses. Marinae smiled up at him. Then Jonathan lay down next to her and stared up at the stars.

"I can die happy now.", Jonathan said calmly. "You've made my dreams come true."

Marinae fought back a wave of despair. "Damn it, now he's getting me depressed!", she thought to herself.

As Jonathan drifted off to sleep, Marinae cleaned herself up, wondering if she had done the right thing.