Raveena, Avenger of Penendrune

“And this is all? What happens next?”

“Next, the queen will expect you to do the same for her. It is not unpleasant. I have grown to enjoy pleasuring her almost as much as when she pleasures me.”

“And how can I do this if I am tied hand and foot?”

“The Queen will sit astride your face that you can reach her flower with your mouth.”

“And then, after I have pleasured her?”

“If she is pleased, she will make you a palace slave, as she did me. If not, you will be sent to the tavern to service the warriors and guards.”

“I think I won’t wait for her decision. If you’ll help me, I’ll spare your life and take you away from here. If not..., I have never taken the life of another woman, but I will do so to save my own.”

“I do not enjoy life as a slave. The Queen treats me well, but can be very harsh. I fear that as I grow older, she may not favor me so much and I will end up as a whore. The other slaves say these women are pawed by the warriors and forced to service their needs with every opening of their bodies. Sometimes they must service three or more at once. I do not wish to become a whore. What must I do?”...

The warriors in the tavern had been an easy conquest. Kaldor had simply bought round after round of wine using the word of the Queen as money. After the seventh, two of the eight guards had slumped to the floor. Three more draughts were required before the last was sleeping soundly in a corner. The seven concubines were overjoyed. At his suggestion, and with a gift of three bottles of the wine master’s best, they retired to their rooms. Only the tavern keeper presented any problem; that problem was soon solved with a stout blow to his jaw.

Kaldor had learned from the drunken guards that two men patrolled each of the two fortress gates, the five he had already seen were all that watched the palace, and that another five were confined to the guard quarters in case of an emergency. He tallied the numbers and cursed the warrior who had surrendered the information and the tunic. Twenty-two guards in all. He would have to accommodate the extra two in some way.

After sloshing wine over his tunic, Kaldor made his way to one of the gates. The guards laughed as he staggered up and offered them a drink. They asked if he had sampled the other wares of the tavern, and he started a slurred story about a brown-haired woman. They were standing close in order to hear, and never saw the quick slash of the fists that turned their world black. Kaldor tied and propped them at their posts, and they appeared to have simply fallen asleep.

The second gate proved easier than the first. This was the gate through which he and Raveena had entered the fortress, and the guard recognized him. His offer of a drink was accepted. While the pock-faced guard tipped the bottle, Kaldor knocked out the other. He barely avoided the sword that whistled past his belly. The pock-faced guard was fast, but not fast enough to sidestep Kaldor’s lunge. He died choking at the broadsword that pierced his throat.

Kaldor counted the guards standing outside the palace entrance. The five were still there. On a good day, he could hope to kill two or three. Five were too many. He would have to think of a way to separate them into smaller groups....

Raveena walked before Raazan to the pleasure room. The large oaken door swung quietly on it’s hinges as they stepped through. Raveena was amazed again, although this time, the implements of lust were the cause. Numerous whips and straps of leather hung from hooks on one wall. The huge bed with it’s iron rings stood against another, and was lit with candles affixed to holders on each side. The bed was remarkable in itself, but her attention was drawn to the table at one side. It was covered with replicas of stiff male organs. Some appeared to be of wood, some of stone, and one in the center was long, thick, and covered with gold.

“The Queen uses these to pleasure her female slaves and herself. This basin of oil is to ease their passage into the body. I have been required to use them on myself, at times, for her pleasure. They are not so nice as the touch of her fingers, but if I close my eyes and think very hard, I can make them feel as if a man is entering me.” Raazan giggled. “At least I imagine it is what a man would feel like. The stone ones are very cold, though. I would think a real man would be much warmer.”

“Let’s get this over with. You remember what we agreed? And you remember that Kaldor or I will kill you if you go back on your word?”

“Yes, I remember, and you need not fear.”

Raveena soon lay on the bed with the appearance of being secured by straps at each arm and leg. In truth, the straps were merely tied with a slender thread. It would take only a small effort for Raveena to get free. The dagger had been hidden in the robe she wore to the room, and was now secreted beneath the coverlet at her right hand. Raazan had been gone only a moment before a door opened and the queen stepped into the room....

The trouble with guards, thought Kaldor, is that they usually fear being alone. All five were clustered about the door to the palace. If there were only some way to split them up. As he sought for a method, the palace door opened and he saw the slave girl. In a moment, one of the guards went inside and the door closed again.

Well, four was better than five, but still too many to overcome quietly. Perhaps...? He went to the stable and returned with the black stallion. He had often ridden on one side or the other, one foot hooked in a strap and the other in the stirrup. It was a way of shielding himself from the arrows of an enemy; it would now serve to shield him from the eyes of the guards. With a whispered command, the stallion walked past the front of the palace. To the guards, he appeared to be a loose horse, and two followed to catch the stray animal and return him to the stable. Kaldor continued to ride until out of the light of the palace torches and in the shadows of another building. He was waiting when the guards rounded the corner. The pommel of his sword sent both into unconsciousness. Now he had only to wait for them to be missed.

He was surprised at how quickly the next one came looking for his comrades. The two seemed to be sleeping against the wall of the building and the searcher shouted for them to wake up. Kaldor was unseen and unheard when he slipped behind the man and bashed his head. Now that they were subdued, it was necessary to keep them so. Kaldor bound all four hand and foot with rope. As a second precaution, each received a leather strap across his mouth.

Were it not for the reserve guards, it would have been a simple matter to mount the stallion and charge the last guard at the palace door. The noise of such a scene would summon the reserve as well as the guard inside, and he could not risk the brash attack. As it was, only a few more minutes would pass before the remaining guard began to question why the others had not returned, and call for reinforcements. The reserve guards must be neutralized, and Kaldor had already formed the plan. He had need of a small army, and the tavern keeper had been kind enough to supply one....

The queen stood beside the bed. Raveena was surprised that so evil a face could belong with such a lush body. Elthirin slipped the silk robe from her shoulders and let it pool on the polished stone floor. Her breasts stood proudly below the sensuous hollow of her throat. The queen’s sleek body tapered to a narrow waist and then swelled into full ripe hips. Every movement of the long, slender legs held the quiet grace of a panther. The fascination was short lived. Raveena saw the mad glint in Elthirin’s eyes, and the cruel smile that was almost a sneer. There was little doubt the woman was insane. Raveena only hoped her movements would be fast enough, and that Raazan would be true to her word.

Elthirin reached out to touch Raveena’s breast. Silk-soft fingers lightly stroked the nipple, then grasped it and pinched hard. Raveena yelped in pain, and nearly drew the dagger at that moment. She bit her lip. Raazan needed more time.

“If you do as I bid, great pleasure shall be yours. If not, you will beg for an end to pain that will not stop.”

Raveena feigned fear and innocence.

“Oh, please, mistress. Do not hurt me. I know not what you wish of me, but I will do my best to please you.”

“Good..., good. The warrior who brought you here said you have not yet been made a woman. Be this true? I will know if you lie.”

“Yes, it is true. Only my own hand has touched me there, and never deeply.”

“Well, we shall begin with a smaller instrument, then, to play a softer tune.”

Elthirin moved to the table, lifted and replaced several of the items, and finally selected one of wood. She dipped it into the basin of oil, and returned to the bedside.

“Be at ease, child. I am about to give you pleasure beyond thought.”

Elthirin gently caressed Raveena’s breasts and then slipped her hand to the small slit between her thighs. The slender fingers parted the folds and rubbed the wood shaft up and down.

“No man will ever make you feel as I do. No man will be so gentle. No man can understand the ways of a woman’s body.” Elthirin leaned over Raveena’s thighs to inhale the scent. “Yes..., the scent of an unsoiled woman is very exciting. I will taste of your pleasures soon, after this shaft brings the flood of your nectar.

Raveena felt the wooden manhood slowly slip between her lips and gently probe deeper. Something inside her was being stretched, and the feeling was one of pain. She cried out.

“Ahhh, so you did not lie. Even the smallest of my instruments is too large for you. This is better than I had hoped. The thought of claiming your innocence excites me, but I shall save your maidenhead for another time. I need to taste of your sweets, and to have you taste of mine. Elthirin tossed the wooden shaft on the bed and used her fingers to separated Raveena’s soft lips.

“Warm and pink, you are, and the nectar is flowing without my tool. You will enjoy my - “ Elthirin felt the needle point of the dagger at her throat. “You are free. But...how?”

“I’m free and that’s enough for you to know. I will gladly slit your throat if you move even a bit. This dagger would taste of your sweet blood, just as you would have of me. Now, stand, but slowly, as I rise with you.” ...

Kaldor gingerly lifted the humming baskets and backed away. He had found the place just where the tavern keeper had said. Row upon row of conical, straw baskets served as homes for honey bees that furnished honey for the queen. Tonight, they would serve as Kaldor’s army, and would enable him to defeat the rest of the guards. He had been stung four times trying to stuff straw plugs into the hive openings, but as soon as he passed from the area, no more bees bothered him. The guard’s living quarters were just ahead.

The five guards were apparently asleep, as no sound came through the walls. After securing a length of rope through the iron handle, Kaldor eased the door open enough to step inside. The sleeping men lay naked in the weak candle light, and snored away on their bed ticks of straw. Kaldor threw one of the hives at the largest guard and was satisfied that it burst in the man’s face. Angry bees boiled from the sodden mass of straw and honey. He threw the second against the wall. The guards screamed, Kaldor stepped back outside the door, and tied the rope to a thick pole he placed across the opening. By the time the guards managed to open the door, they would not feel much like fighting. Their cries already filtered through the log walls.

He quickly moved down the street to the palace. The lone guard was still standing at the door, and appeared to be growing impatient with the absence of the others. Kaldor strode quickly at the man with his broadsword at the ready. It was the man’s good fortune to be a coward at heart. He turned and ran in the direction of the guard house.

Kaldor mounted the long flight of steps by twos and burst through the heavy door. A few more strides brought him to the center of the room. Where would she be? The tavern keeper had known nothing of the inside of the palace. He took a few steps down a hallway before a woman’s voice stopped him.

“Sir, this way, but quickly. I fear the guard is waking up.”

The slave girl led the way up a winding stair and stopped before a door. She knocked three times, then again. The door opened, and Kaldor was relieved to see Raveena standing before him.

“Quickly. Come inside. I have tied the guard and queen. Did you find Tanadar?”

“Don’t worry. The other guards will not bother us for a while. Except for your ugly friend at the gate, they either sleep, or are fighting their own battle. Your friend, I’m afraid, will never taste the charms of another woman. Tanadar is in the stable, and you need to put on some clothes.”

Kaldor sat behind the queen on the black stallion’s broad back. She would be no trouble to them. Raveena had used the collars and straps from the pleasure room to bind the evil woman, and she could do no more than sit naked in the saddle and emit muffled screams from beneath the leather hood. Raveena and Raazan rode Tanadar. Soon, the torches of Mallindor were only a yellow glow behind them.

The sun was high overhead when the buildings of a town pierced the horizon. In two more hours, they rode through the streets of Degnamere amid the gasps of the milling populace. Kaldor stopped in front of a large barn-like structure and dragged Elthirin from the saddle. With one hand on the back of the hood and the other on the strap that passed between her thighs and around her waist, he dragged her to the step. The door opened to his insistent pounding and a fat man appeared.

“Mando, here is the vile wench, just as the king asked. I want my reward.”

The fat man smiled at Kaldor, then to the crowd that had gathered, and softly replied.

“Yes, yes, in due time..., if this is indeed Elthirin.”

A buzz surged through the crowd, and those in front moved closer when Kaldor pulled the hood from Elthirin’s head. She immediately began spitting oaths and threats.

“You son of a puss-dripping sewer rat. I’ll have your manhood roasting on the spit while I feed you your own balls. And that blonde girl. I’ll bind her across a bench, and have her deflowered by a cart horse. You’ll - “

“I’ll put the hood back on if you don’t still this screaming. Elthirin, the son has avenged the father you killed twelve years ago. I shall rule Zandalin, and you shall have another king’s army.” Kaldor chuckled. “Perhaps it would be better put to say a king’s army shall have you. Raveena will have a much nicer fate.” He looked at the slender blonde woman at his side. “She will take your place as my queen if she so desires.”

They arrived in Mallindor the next afternoon. No challenge was given, and the heavy gate swung open at their approach. Two guards saluted as Kaldor and Raveena rode into the fortress.

“How is this? The guards know you as their king, yet we have just two days ago captured Elthirin.”

“Raveena, some of the Zandalin troops were loyal to my father, and remained so after his death. They had no love for Elthirin. They took me to safety in Degnamere, and placed me with the king there. It was from them that I gained knowledge of the attack on Dillfaly. They quietly drifted away from the garrison as it marched to it’s death, and arrived here soon after we departed. You have nothing to fear from any of them. They would defend me, and you, with their very lives.”

Kaldor and Raveena stood in the pleasure room, and Kaldor stared at the leather straps that hung from the walls.

“Elthirin brought you here? This looks more like a torture room than a room for pleasure.” “My lady, your bath is ready.”

Raveena turned at the voice. Raazan stood in the open doorway. She smiled and lowered her face.

“I came ahead, my lady. If it please you, I would stay to serve you and the king.”

Raveena turned back to Kaldor. It was obvious that he had played some part in this.

“Raazan begged to come back. I think she’s quite stricken with her new mistress. It might be nice, having your own personal servant. She tells me she has many talents.”

“I’ll think about it while I have my bath.”

Raveena stepped into the steaming water and slowly lowered herself to the warm stone bottom. The feeling of calm and complete relaxation quickly overtook her. The years since that day in Pelendrune had passed quickly, but their toll had been dear. Now, the past was floating in the mists of her memory, and the future began to blossom in her imagination. She was unsure of becoming a queen, unsure about giving up her free life, and unsure of what might happen with Kaldor. Over the last few days, he had become ever-present in her mind. Feelings foreign to her had surfaced whenever he was near, whenever he touched her, whenever he spoke.

“Would my lady enjoy having her hair washed?”

Raveena smiled at the thought.

“Yes, it’s a most wonderful feeling.”

The sensations were again exquisite. Soft hands gently working the cleansing liquid through her hair. Sensuous touches to her scalp made chills run down her spine. It was strange that Raazan hadn’t joined her, as before, but the hands on her hair were Raveena’s only current concern. She felt water pour over her head as Raazan rinsed away the lather.

Ahh, now she joins me, thought Raveena. The soft plop of Raazan stepping into the bath made her smile. Legs slipped around her hips and cradled her. They were...they were covered with hair. She felt the coarse strands against her skin. Raveena opened her eyes to see Raazan smile and walk out of the room. Large hands began lathering her shoulders and back.

“Raazan isn’t the only one who knows how to give a bath. I’m rather good at the task. There will be other baths with Raazan.”

The feel of his hands on her skin was very different. Raazan’s touch was feather light, and her hands were as soft as goose down. Kaldor’s hands were gentle, but she sensed strength and urgency in his motions. He stroked the fragrant liquid over her back. A wave of tingles swept from Raveena’s shoulders to her hips and she shuddered.

“I think the lady enjoys my hands.”

Never in her life had a man touched her in this way. She fought at the rising feeling she did not understand, but did not want to stop. Raveena closed her eyes again and lay back against the muscled chest.

Kaldor was gentle when he touched her breasts for the first time. He knew Raveena was unused to being touched. His motions were gentle when he stroked the sides of her firm mounds. They were gentle when he lifted them to cleanse the undersides. He did not miss the slight gasp when he stroked over the nipples, nor the fact that they rose as if to press more firmly into his palms. It was pleasant to gently roll them over her chest to work in the lather. To let the rigid nipples slide beneath his palms was unavoidable. Just as unavoidable was the increase in the heart beat he felt beneath the soft, yielding flesh in his hands.

This feels different from when he touched my back. It’s a little like when Raazan touched me. I feel warmth and..., Raveena sought for the words in her mind, and...I feel as if I’m going to burst if I don’t touch him. She let her hand slip over the leg that cradled her hips. More strange tingles raced from her fingertips as she felt the muscles contract beneath the tight skin. Her belly tensed when Kaldor’s hands slipped over her ribs and circled the low mound. Suddenly, as his fingertips glided softly over the satin surface, there was a pulling, deep in her belly. His fingers slipped lower and swirled through the blonde curls. Raveena’s heart raced. The fingertips found her slit and rubbed over her lips. The pulling became almost an ache. She spread her thighs wide to give him more room.