Raveena, Avenger of Penendrune

He saw the flick of her wrist and jumped just as the dagger whistled past his ribs. He chuckled, and Raveena slashed at him again. Pain shot through her wrist as the large hand closed around it. The grip tightened until she yelped and dropped the dagger.

“Hmmmm, the pretty girl has the quickness of a snake, and is clever as the fox. Perhaps you could avenge your kin against mice and rabbits, but never against warriors. Still, you may be of some assistance, and I will help you get your horse back. Now, we must be off if my plan is to work. The timing is critical.”

Raveena looked in awe at the massive black stallion that burst through the thickets at Kaldor’s whistle. Tanadar was large; this horse was immense. Kaldor simply said “Baldane, my friend:, and leapt easily to the saddle. He offered his hand. She was lifted to the stallions rump as if she had taken wing.

“We must move quickly to be there in time. Hold on.”

The stallion’s canter chewed up the level plain in long gliding strides. Raveena’s legs squeezed the gleaming black horse with all her strength and her arms wrapped tightly around Kaldor’s waist. It was like hugging a tree, she thought, except that trees did not sway and ripple beneath one’s arms. It had proven useless to hold herself away from Kaldor’s back, and now she pressed her breasts into the slabs of tight muscle. With each stride, the stallion’s motion caused her nipples to rub against the her leather shirt. Raveena fought at the sensations; they were as pleasurable as when she caressed herself, but she did not understand the other feelings that holding the large stranger created.

Men had slaughtered her father and mother. She had heard the loud laughs of the Zandalin warriors mixed with the women’s screams of terror and pain. At the age of eighteen, she met the first of the many that had fallen to her sword and dagger. He had chuckled, “Ahh, what have we here? Why, I believe it’s a new sheath for my sword. A young sheath for sure, but all the tighter for it.” Raveena had been brave, but foolish in her inexperience, and allowed the man to come within reach. He had grabbed at the swell on the front of her tunic and squeezed hard. “It’s a nice little tit, and a soft one at that; I’ll like having it under my chest.” Her dagger slipped beneath his ribs just as he extended his other arm to restrain her. He died quickly, but not before leaving purple-black bruises on her shoulder and breast. She had grown since that day, both in experience and in size, and had allowed no other man to touch her. Why did this man cause such confusing feelings?

It was dusk when Kaldor stopped the black stallion. Raveena saw the flickering light of torches in the distance.

“That..., is the fortress of Mallindor, center of the Zandalin realm. If my guess is right, your horse is there. My reason for this ride is also there. I come for the woman who killed my father and robbed me of my birthright.” He spat the name. “Elthirin!”

The name shook Raveena from nose to toe. Elthirin, Queen of Zandalin, the most feared ruler in all the realms.

Elthirin was known throughout the land of Zandalin, as well as in the surrounding kingdoms, as a woman bound to her actions by the ties of lunatic perversion. No act was so gruesome as to cause Elthirin to shy away, and in fact, she took her pleasure from such situations. Not only did she command her warriors to rape and plunder the border cities of her queendom, but she maintained a chamber of terrible implements for the torture of the conquered warriors her commanders spared during the battles. Elthirin lived and breathed the pain of those so unfortunate as to come within her grasp. Some said she also ate of their man-flesh. She spared no life, but would prolong the agony of some hapless lump of flesh to such extent that he would beg for death. Ultimately, Elthirin would grant this plea, but only after the screams and gore had left her gasping in perverted sexual release. It was from this garrison, and under her orders that Pelendrune had been devastated.

“This is your plan, to kill Elthirin? Not only are you a liar, you are a fool. I should have expected nothing more.”

“And why am I a fool, little avenger?”

“Everyone knows there are thousands of warriors in that fortress. Even as big and dumb as you are, you can’t believe you can kill them all. Elthirin will have you on her cutting table before nightfall.”

“Well, there is that possibility, I suppose. But, you see, I happen to know the garrison is being sent to Dillfaly tomorrow morning. Elthirin has used her stock of lambs, and requires more. She has also lost her common sense. She believes twenty guards are enough to protect her.”

“And you have a plan for killing them? Twenty is better than thousands, but twenty is still too many, even for both of us.”

“True again, little avenger, but I know one other secret about Elthirin. She hates men, but has a particular fondness for women in her bedchamber.”

Kaldor eyed Raveena carefully.

“Especially the young ones.”

“Stop calling me little avenger. My name is Raveena!”

She blushed at his beaming smile.

“W-why are you smiling at me?”

“I was just thinking that you might enjoy Elthirin’s ministrations, and I will have gained a woman of two pleasures to share my bed.”

“You have more chance of killing the bitch-queen than of getting me into your bed.”

“We shall see about my bed, but I don’t mean to kill her. I mean to capture and sell her to a slave trader in Goyrona. There is a certain king who wishes her company in his castle.”

“But she’s crazy. Why would anyone want her?”

“It seems she sent his brother back from her dungeon, in pieces, as it were, and he wishes to return the favor. Elthirin will become a harlot in the service of the king’s army. I would not wish her on my worst enemy, but he’s willing to pay a handsome sum, enough to make us both rich.”

“I don’t need to be rich. I need to see the end of the Zandalin warriors.”

“In three days, the Zandalin warriors will be gone. This same king has sent his army to Dillfaly, and they await in ambush. Their number is twice that of the Zandalins.”

The plan was simple; too simple, Raveena thought. They would ride into the garrison in the evening, after the main force had departed. Kaldor would ask to see the queen. When the guards asked what business he had with Elthirin, he would reply that he brought Raveena to the queen as a slave. Raveena’s part was to keep her temper under control and appear to be afraid. If things went well, Raveena would soon be with the queen, and Kaldor would be taking care of the guards. Raveena would carry a small dagger hidden in her boot, and was to overpower the queen, bind, and gag her. After dispatching the guards, Kaldor would find the queen’s bedchamber, and they would be off for Goyrona. By the next night, Elthirin would be a thought of the past, and they would be rich.

“And just why will they let us inside the gates?”

Kaldor chuckled. “Because I have this.” He produced a Zandalin warrior’s tunic from a bag behind the saddle. “There are too many warriors for the guards to know each one. I’ll say I have returned from a foraging party with a gift for my queen.”

“Tell me, if things don’t go according to this plan of yours, what will we do?”

“Well, you said you wanted to kill Zandalins. You’ll get lots of opportunities. That was my plan before I happened on you.”

Horsemen trotted from the garrison gates for several hours. The column formed a long snake of black leather and glittering steel that slithered away toward the horizon. Kaldor and Raveena watched patiently from their hiding place in a thicket until the dust of the last riders fell silently to the earth.

“This time, you ride in front, and I’ll have to tie your hands. That way, you’ll look like a captive.”

“I can’t do much if my hands are tied.”

“I’ll only tie them loosely, so you can free yourself. Just hold your arms apart so the bindings look tight.”

The giant black stallion was almost at the gate when Kaldor reached around her, grasped the lacing of her tunic and ripped it apart. Raveena’s breasts bounced into the night air, and she hissed at Kaldor.

“Why did you do that? It is necessary that I be naked as well as bound?”

Kaldor cupped her breasts in his large hands and squeezed gently. “Don’t talk to me. You’re a slave remember? It needs to look as if you put up a fight.” He chuckled. “Besides, the guards will now be watching these lovelies instead of me.”

Raveena kicked back at him and connected with his shin, but only succeeded in hurting her heel.

“Stop it. Were almost there.”

The stink of burnt, rancid animal fat from the torches assaulted Raveena’s nostrils at the same time the guard’s shout stopped them at the huge gate.

“Halt. What is your business in Mallindor?”

“Look closer and you’ll see I wear the tunic of a warrior. I have returned to join the garrison for their next battle, and have brought a gift for my queen.”

“If you were a warrior, you would know the garrison has already gone.”

“On the last march, three of us left the main column to scavenge for food. The other two were killed by villagers. I dispatched the murderers, and captured this girl thinking that our queen might like a new slave. Let me pass, to stay the night and give the queen my gift. I’ll be on my way to join the others at daylight.”

“And what would Elthirin want with a young girl?”

“Any warrior knows of her fondness for the softer sex to warm her bed, or perhaps you are not so close to our queen as I.”

“Aye, I know of her likes. I also know if you’re lying, you’ll find out about another of her little joys. Enter, and let me see this slave you’ve brought.”

The massive oak gate swung open and Kaldor rode through. Raveena barely heard his whispered warning.

“Remember, you’re my captive and you’re afraid. Don’t move, no matter what happens. Elthirin likes her girls timid.”

The guard stopped them with a brandished pike and a smirking laugh.

“Let me have a look at this girl.”

The guard walked to the side of the horse. Raveena felt a callused hand touch her knee. The hand slowly felt up her leg and under the short leather skirt. Fingers roughly parted the folds of her sex and sought to slip inside. She bit her lip to keep from kicking out at the leering, pock-marked face. The rough fingers poked, prodded and pulled at the soft lips and blond curls. Slowly, the guard withdrew his hand and brought the fingers to his hooked nose. After inhaling deeply, he stuck the middle finger in his mouth and slurped.

“Ahhhh, she’s young and wet and sweet. Maybe I’ll just roust a couple o’ me friends and try her out, before you give her to the queen. Guards never get to go out and find women like the warriors do. We have to settle for those old crones in the tavern.” Raveena felt his hand lift her breast and rub over the nipple. “Yes, wet and sweet, and her jugs are heavy with hard little teats. A pleasing comfort she would be.”

Kaldor’s reply was spoken in a playful manner, but Raveena heard the underlying threat.

“Well, with any other woman, I would happily join you, but that would be a stupid thing with this one. This pretty flower has not yet been picked, and the queen has a particular fondness for unused girls. She would not like it were you to soil her prize.” Kaldor stared calmly at the guard and placed his hand on the pommel of his sword. “Nor would I.”

Raveena caught the flash of fear that shone in the guard’s eyes.

“I-I see what you mean. Still..., but then it wouldn’t do to lose one’s head, so to speak, over a mere girl, would it?”

Kaldor looked at the guard with a flat smile. “No, it wouldn’t...so to speak.”

Finding the palace was not difficult. It was the largest building inside the fortress, and five guards stood at the entrance. Now that Kaldor had managed to enter the garrison, he was just another warrior and no one challenged him. He pulled Raveena from the horse, and carried her into the palace over his shoulder. A frightened looking slave stood just inside the entrance, and Kaldor ordered her to announce his gift to the queen.

Raveena’s eyes were wide in amazement at the sumptuous furnishings. In her home so many years ago, there had been three rough wood chairs, a table, and a sleeping pallet. Since that time, her furniture had been forest logs or boulders, and she slept in trees or on the ground. Everywhere she looked in this room were vases fashioned of gold and silver, rich tapestries, and seats of the finest wood and leather. She was about to comment when a woman’s voice barked a question.

“Who disturbs me at my evening meal? What is this story of the gift of a slave?”

“It is I, one of your humble warriors, my queen. I have brought this young girl to be slave to you. She is untouched by any man, and I believed you might have use for her.”

Raveena cringed at the sight of the woman. The myth lived in the vision before her. Elthirin was dressed in the finest silk, but the splendid fabric could not hide the wildness in her green eyes or the lines in her face. Before the madness changed kindness to torture and love to perversion, she might have been beautiful. The woman who stood before them looked as hard as the weathered granite cliffs outside Belorra, and as bitter as the taste of vinegar. Even the auburn hair reflected her decline into the pits of cruelty. The long tresses were shot through with white.

“She is unworthy, but since you brought her, I will find something for her to do. I would see her naked, to make sure you have not marked her by your rough treatment. If she is pleasing, perhaps I may put her in the wine house. The guards are always grumbling about the women there.”

“Of course, my queen.”

Kaldor drew his dagger and moved between Raveena and the queen. “When she asks you to remove your boots, you must find some way to keep your dagger. It’s the only weapon I can leave with you.” He sliced through Raveena’s tunic and skirt and ripped them from her body. She stood naked in front of the witch.

“See, my queen, I left no marks.”

“Yes, but it looks as if she could do with a bath. Raazan!”

The same timid slave approached from the doorway.

“Take this wench and give her a bath. Then take her to the room next to mine.”

As Raveena left with the slave, the queen turned to Kaldor.

“You thought well to bring me a slave, and your efforts will be well rewarded. I shall send a servant to the tavern with my order. Food, drink, a bed, and the women of your choice shall be yours for the night.”

“I thank you, my queen, but the garrison is on the move. I shall but eat and sleep before leaving to join them.”

Kaldor breathed a sigh of relief when he passed through the palace door. It was going well, but it had been difficult to keep from striking down the woman who killed his father and took his heritage. If he was successful, in two days, everything would be put right again. The tavern would be his first stop, as it figured well into his plan. Drunken men were always easier to subdue than sober ones, and at least half of the guards were sure to be drinking and bedding the whores in their off duty hours. These he would probably not have to kill. The rest, well, his task was to capture Elthirin, but he would kill them if he must....

Raveena had never felt the pleasure of hot water. Peasants did not experience such luxury. The slave girl, Raazan, had taken her to this room and said she should remove her boots and get into the basin. Raveena waited until Raazan turned her back, and slipped the dagger under the water. She stepped into the steaming pool, shrieked, and looked up to see Raazan watching with a smile.

“Is it not wonderful? Before I was taken into slavery, I never dreamed of such things. Sit down, slowly, and you will see.”

Every nerve of her skin tingled as Raveena sank into the depths of the bath. Heat enveloped her, seeped into every fiber of her body, and nibbled away at the stress of the task before her. After secreting the dagger between her thighs, she closed her eyes in the warmth. Small noises told her Raazan was doing something behind her, but Raveena was not prepared to feel the woman join her in the bath. She turned and looked into the smiling face of a very naked Raazan.

“I am to wash you for the queen. Please do not struggle. If I fail, I will be beaten. Besides, I think you will enjoy it.”

Raveena was tense as the young woman’s legs slipped around hers. Since the day her mother was killed, she had never felt another woman’s body. Raazan’s was soft and ripe with the lush curves of womanhood. Breasts pressed into her back as the slave girl slipped the headband from Raveena’s brow and began to sluice water over the long blonde tresses. The scent of sweet fruits wafted into her nostrils. Raazan was pouring something into her hand.

“This is for washing. It will leave you clean with a pleasing scent.”

Raveena’s only thought was that the sensations of Raazan’s hands washing her hair were the most wonderful she had ever experienced. She relaxed completely. All too soon, Raazan was rinsing the lather away.

“Now, I must wash your body. The queen insists that her slaves be very clean.”

Raveena felt small, soft hands gently rubbing her neck and then slipping down over her back. Her whole body tingled again at the velvet touch. The hands moved to her sides and over her arms. Just as she was beginning to enjoy this new feeling, the hands moved over her shoulders and touched the upper surface of her breasts. Raveena stiffened.

“Do not be afraid. I have done this for others, and will give you only feelings of pleasure. Soon, you will learn to enjoy my touch.”

The combination of the satiny palms and the slippery bathing oil was too much to resist. The slave girl gently, but firmly, rubbed the cleansing lotion over the tops of Raveena’s breasts before moving around to the sides. In a moment, the hands cupped both her breasts and slipped over the underside. It was natural that they would slip from the slave girl’s palms, and Raveena gasped when her nipples brushed over slippery fingertips.

“See, I said you would enjoy my touch. The queen will be very pleased with you, I’m sure. You react in much the same way as I at my first time.”

Raveena had no time to consider this comment. The hands were on her belly and moving down. As Raazan reached forward to stroke Raveena’s knees, the slave girl’s taut nipples bored into Raveena’s back. The sensation was new..., and it was exhilarating. Raveena found her body reacting with a familiar tension deep in her belly. A wave of tingles swept through her when Raazan’s fingers found the inside of her thighs and slowly slipped up.

“The Queen demands that you be clean everywhere, even where she can not see. Oh..., what is this?”

Raveena grabbed the slave girl’s wrist tightly, retrieved the dagger, and placed it at Raazan’s throat..

“It is a dagger, you fool. Cry out, and you’ll be the first to feel it’s bite.”

“You mean to kill the queen?”

“No. But I will kill you if you try to warn her.”

“I will not say anything if you take me with you.”

“Take you with me? Take you where? I didn’t say I was going anywhere.”

“You are going to do something and then leave. I will be killed for allowing this without telling the queen.”

“Just tell me what will happen tonight. If you’re true to your word, I’ll take you away from this place when we go.”

“We? Then..., the warrior who brought you...you do this deed together?”

“Just start talking about tonight. You’ll know everything soon enough.”

“After your bath is complete, I am to show you to the room beside the Queen’s. It is a room made for the pleasure of the body. There is a large bed with heavy posts at the corners. On each post is an iron ring. I am to tie your limbs to these rings with heavy straps, hands to the head, and feet to the foot. This is the queen’s way with new women. She will enter the chamber and touch you all over. It is her custom to first pleasure her slave women with her hands and lips. This is why you must be clean. She will soon place her lips on the petals of your flower and begin licking and suckling. I speak with honesty; the feeling is very pleasant. You will begin to feel warm all over, especially inside. Soon, a feeling will overtake your senses, and you will cry out and shake. Afterwards, you will feel very nice. I was about to show you before..., before I found the dagger.”