A Long Time from Home Ch. 22

However, there were some things that needed to be fixed.

Alexus still looked shameful when I turned towards him. "Don't you come from a family of carpenters?"

He looked surprised at the question but nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"And can you work with wood?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good." I pointed at the opening where the door had been. "Get Milo from the roof, take the extra door from the forge and put it up as fast as possible. Preferably before the guards arrive."

"I can do that." He said with a smile and walked out to the forge.

The new door was set up, the dead bodies moved to the forge along with the captured mage and I was looking at them, when Varro warned me that he was coming in. A moment later he appeared in the usual dark corner.

"Hey there." He greeted. "All well?"

"Yeah. Anything interesting at the harbour?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. They didn't come by ship. Anyway, I set a watch tower on fire, so don't expect the guard to come running here. They were quite busy when I left and just to top it off, the attacking mage had put a zone of silence around the house, so I doubt that anybody even know that you were attacked."

"Clever of them, and thanks. By the way, did you see who the other mage was?"

"No and nobody would recognize him now." He shrugged and glanced over at the dead warriors and the mage. Then he blinked in surprise. "Oh. My. Goddess." A grin started to spread on his face. "That's Felix Clodius Pulcher!"

I looked over. "Are you sure?"

Varro nodded, still grinning. "Yes. I've met him several times at Schola Magica. Quite intelligent, but his magical abilities are limited, which have made him bitter."

"So basically, a typical member of the Pulcher family." I concluded.

Varro chuckled. "More or less. The real question is what he is doing here."

"I'm about to find out." I said and pointed to the worktable, where Xanthe's magical sword was placed. "Could you take a look at that sword? It's magical and illegal, but I have no idea about what enchantments it has."

"Sure. Do your stuff and I'll do mine."

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Half a glass later, I came out of my trance and looked over at Varro, who was sitting on a barrel, looking at me in return. As soon as he saw me looking, he grimaced. "We have a problem!"

"More than one." I sighed, "But do tell."

"That sword is cursed." He nodded in the direction of Xanthe's sword. "Anyone who uses it for a few years, will become more and more power hungry as time goes by." He sent an angry look at the sword. "But to make it even worse, after a while, the wielder of the sword will also be subject to mind-control by the Pulchers. Basically, they'll become a loyal subject, if the Pulchers declare themselves kings and it doesn't even have to be a Baylon Pulcher. Any half-breed human with Pulcher blood in his or her veins, can do it."

I nodded slowly. "That fits with what I've got from his mind and you're not going to like this."

"What?"

"That is not the only sword. There are twenty-nine more out there." I sighed. "The Pulcher family has spread these swords among the largest warrior-tribes in the Middle Sea area."

"Twenty-nine? That's insane!" Exclaimed Varro. "Sooner or later, that would be discovered and the Pulchers brought to justice."

"Agreed, so there's something we don't know about this. The Pulchers are not that stupid and unfortunately, they're clever enough not to tell people anything they don't need to know." I nodded at Felix Clodius. "I search his memory, but all he knows is that the cursed sword was made as a part of a larger plan and that there are thirty of them. He did however know that the family have four castles in the Middle Sea area and their location."

"Four!" exclaimed Varro. "How the freak did they manage to do that without being discovered?"

"Well, I'm not sure, but because they have so few Power users, nobody on Baylon really think of them as a threat, so nobody keeps an eye on them."

Varro thought it over for a moment and then slowly nodded. "Makes sense... and because they're so limited in The Powers, they don't get affected when they're outside Baylon, so they deal a lot more with the humans than the more powerful families." He stood up. "I need to get him and the sword back to safety on Baylon. This will be one of the most serious trials in centuries."

"You'll need to put a Power restraint on him somehow. Like the others, he will kill himself to save the rest of the family if given the chance." I stood up as well. "And I need to go make a deal with Xanthe about the sword. I don't want to just take it."

Varro's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You're not coming along now?"

"No. The Pulcher family may have agents here and if a merchant they have targeted just disappear along with the group they sent out to retrieve an illegal sword, they might think that someone from Baylon is on to them. If I just stay, chances are that they think we were just better fighters than they expected."

"I hate when you make sense." He said with mock grumpiness, but then smiled. "Go make the trade, then I'll teleport all those ugly corpses to Baylon in the meantime. They're evidence."

"Good. Less work for me."

Making the deal with Xanthe proved to be easier than I had feared, but then again, I offered her two good armors and two superb swords for her newly acquired sword, so it was a good deal for both of us.

As Varro had said, the guards never came around to us, which suited everybody. I wanted to avoid any agents from the Pulcher family and Xanthe wanted to avoid catching the Guards attention more than she already had done, since the city could and would exile any strangers, that became too much trouble.

Another positive happening, was Xanthe. After our first night together, she had proved to be a passionate, eager lover and I thoroughly enjoyed our time together.

Of course, we both knew that it would end as soon as Ligish and the rest came back, but we were doing our best to make use of the time we had. That Toxophone was healing steadily, but spent most of her time sleeping also helped, as it gave Xanthe a lot of free time we could use together.

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One afternoon a couple of weeks later, I was in the forge, when Varro contacted me and after I sent the confirmation that I was alone, he appeared in the corner as usual.

"Hey there." I greeted him. "Any news?

There wasn't a hint of a smile on Varro's face as he said, "Well, you missed one of the biggest military operations in recent history. Not only have all surviving members of the Pulcher family been arrested, but everything they own have been raided... up to and including the four castles outside Baylon itself."

I blinked in surprise. As Varro had said, it was indeed the largest operation in recent history and, short of an attempted coup about a thousand years ago, the only time an entire family have been arrested. A word stuck in my head. "You said 'Surviving members.' How many died in the raid?"

"Few in Baylon, but the ones in the castles died in the raids... many of them by their own powers."

There was silence for a moment, as he paused and I was busy wondering what could be so awful that people would kill themselves rather than stand trial, when he continued. "For some reason, they had been experimenting on both Baylon and Humans and we found a lot of dead people inside those castles. To make it worse, the few survivors we found were insane, sick or both." He shrugged. "We cured the humans as much as we could and then sent our own people home for treatment. Hopefully, some of them will regain their senses and witness in the trial."

"What about the swords?" I asked, adding. "And what do you mean with 'we'?"

"Oh... not me personally, but some members of my family were there, and they gave me a good recount of what happened." He sighed. "They only found nine swords, so there're still twenty of them out there... and with that a potential future problem."

I understood. With most of the Pulcher family dead, there was no way of knowing how many half-breeds there were out there and if just one of them knew the swords secret, we could see a new king, queen or nation come into power soon.

Thoughts and scenarios spun in my head, but they all had one conclusion: This was not the whole plot. There had to be more.

Varro must have seen my expression because he nodded. "I know. As you said last time, we're missing something. If someone became a ruler using Baylon artifacts, we would stomp them into the ground faster than they could blink, leaving the plot to go nowhere and the Pulcher family were aware of that as well."

"Yeah, there're still some pieces in this puzzle that we don't have." I said thoughtfully. "Did the Pulchers in the castles say anything or did they just kill themselves outright?"

"According to my uncle Otho, one of those who did put up a fight was screaming something about it 'being too early.' and that 'they weren't finished yet'." Varro shrugged. "He died before anybody was able to figure out what he was talking about."

There was silence in the room for a moment and I guess we both tried to find some meaning in those words, but with the limited information we had, none of us came up with anything.

"Anyway," said Varro as he looked around in the forge. "Your mission here is done and the Old Man wants you home as soon as possible. You can send the goods you have left with the ships, but I'm to teleport you to Arcem Discendi when you're ready."

Having expected that, I just nodded. The Azzi group would return soon anyway. They were already late for the time frame Ligish had given me.

"I'll contact you, when I'm ready." I promised and a moment later I was alone in the forge again.

With a slight sigh, I reached out with my mind and told the captains of the two merchant ships to come to Wilusa as I had cargo for them. Then I closed the mind link again.

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"Well, if this is one of our last night's together, let's make it epic." Declared Xanthe when I told her, that I had received news that my merchant ship was arriving soon.

Lifting my eyebrows, I looked at her. "Sharing pleasure with you is always epic, so what exactly do you have in mind?"

It wasn't an idle statement. Xanthe was the type of woman, who liked to change positions after each orgasm and we had tried a lot of different positions, since our first night.

She pushed her full lips, as she thought about it. "As much as I would like to try sex outdoors with you, that's not going to happen as long as we're here. Two attacks are enough. I don't want to invite a third."

"Wise." I commented with a chuckle.

"I know." She said with a smile and returned to thinking. "Hmmm... I have an idea, but it will not be possible until tomorrow... if at all. Do you mind if I bring another woman in on it?"

"I'll live." I said drily.

She chuckled. "I imagine." She was silent for a moment, as if pondering how to continue. Then she added. "It's not for me... I don't like women that way... but I find it exciting to watch."

"As long as you find someone reasonable sexy, I'll live."

"I know just the person." She said with a smile. "We meet in the temple when Toxophone was sick and have talked many times."

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As soon as Toxophone had fallen asleep the next evening, Xanthe gave me a wink and whispered, "Undress and go to bed. I'll be back shortly.", before she slipped out of the door.

With a smile, I walked up the stairs and spent some time cleaning myself, pouring wine and relaxed under the furs, waiting for her to return.

I didn't have to wait long before the door opened and Xanthe came in along with another woman.

She was not what I had expected. In many ways, she was Xanthe's opposite. Dark red, slightly curly hair adorned her head, framing a pretty face and a pair of sparkling eyes. She was also of normal height for the people of Wilusa, making her short compared to Xanthe and me, and she had the extra padding typical of someone who lived well, without being fat. Her knee length dress was a simple design, closed in the front with a belt, but it was colourful enough to signal that she came from a family with money.

She turned to say something to Xanthe, and I took a moment to admire her ass, which was magnificent. Somewhat larger than Xanthe's, it looked firm and inviting.

With that exception, she wasn't my preferred type of woman.

Then she looked in my direction and smiled.

For some unknown reason, that simple, dazzling smile, carried a sexual presence, that made my dick stiffen, and suddenly, I understood why Xanthe had wanted her to join us: The woman was extremely sexy.

Xanthe dragged her closer and introduced her as Muza but didn't give a family name. Not that it mattered.

Muza looked at me and said in heavily accented Hittite. "We need to have a few rules."

"Yes?" I said as I sat up.

"You have to give me an orgasm and you don't come inside my pussy." She stated, looking at me like a general delivering an ultimatum to an enemy. "I don't want to get pregnant."

I blinked in surprise and glanced at Xanthe, who looked like she was trying to swallow a laugh. Then I looked at Muza again, keeping my face straight, as I said, "I can manage that."

"Good!" she declared, leaning in close and kissing me. For a woman as commanding as she was, the kiss couldn't have been sweeter and more tender, but as we kissed it became more eager and lust driven.

Muza broke the kiss and took a couple of deep breaths, before looking at Xanthe. "You were right. He's really a good kisser."

Xanthe nodded with a smile as she walked over to us and kissed me. Demanding and lustful at the same time. Her hand sneaked in under the furs and found my stiff dick, giving it a little squeeze.

"I think he's ready."

Another hand found my dick. Touching, feeling it.

Reaching out, I took hold of Muza's neck with one hand and dragged her in for a kiss, while the other hand sought and found her breasts. I gently fondled it, felt the soft flesh under the cloth.

She was very responsive and even with me taking it slowly, it didn't take long before she was moaning with every touch and her kisses became more aggressive.

Her nipple stiffened under the attention and I caught it between two fingers, gently pressing in from both sides through the thin cotton.

"Ohhhhh," she breathed into my mouth, as I caressed the breast without ever letting go of the nipple. Her breast felt wonderful in my hand: Soft and firm at the same time.

Muza moved a hand behind my head and crushed my lips to hers, while the other hand kept feeling up my cock. Instead of trying to give me hand job, her caresses had a gentle touch that stood on sharp contrast to the way she kissed.

Xanthe's hand had left my dick and for a few heartbeats I wondered what she was doing, but then the belt on Muza's dress disappeared, causing the dress to open.

I moved the hand under the open dress and ran my hands over her naked breasts, making her purr with pleasure, and when I brushed over the stiff nipples, the purr turned into a moan.

Closing my fingers around a nipple, I pinched it gently. She bucked and the hand behind my head pressed a bit harder.

Mimicking it, I pulled on the nipple a few times, testing how rough she wanted it, before I settled on a medium. Rough enough to be felt, but not enough to cause real pain.

Testing done, I kept caressing her breasts as we kissed. Rasping the nipples in my palms and stretching them in my fingers, gently rolling them. Each action was rewarded with a moan or a lustful shudder and I could feel the skin under my fingers heating up ever so slightly.

Xanthe must have seen it as well and with surprising lightless, she loosened a few strings in the dress and a moment later, Muza was naked. Then Xanthe walked away, leaving us to kiss and fondle each other.

After a while, Muza broke the kiss, whispering a long "Yesses." as her body started writhing.

That felt so much like an incoming orgasm, that I reached out with my mind in an attempt to find out if that was true. It was true, as her breasts were extraordinary sensitive, and she had been aroused since she had accepted Xanthe's offer of riskless pleasure.

I withdrew from her mind and with the hand on the neck, I made her stand up straight.

Since I was still sitting in the bed with her standing beside it, that brought her breasts to the same level as my head, and she groaned when I closed my lips around one stiff nipple, while stretching the other with my fingers.

"Sweet Goddess." She panted when I kissed my way to her nipple and swirled all around, feeling the small bumps of her aureole with my tongue. Finally, I captured the straining nipple in my lips and ran my tongue over it, playing lightly on the tip.

Muza gasped and her arms came around to press my head at her breast.

I kept kissing her breasts and licking the nipples, while my other hand wandered down her back to grab that tempting ass. Like her breasts, it was both soft and firm at the same time.

I took my time, caressing breasts and ass with my hands, while my mouth and tongue played with her nipples.

Her breathing became a panting as I felt the pleasure building up inside her. Up and up, it climbed until the tension was so great that her body became rigid. Then she stopped panting.

Her body shook and a shudder ran through her. I had expected her to scream as she orgasmed, but she bit it back.

I stopped fondling her breasts, slowing down to a gentle caress instead. Another shudder ran through her and yet one more.

Then she slumped down onto the bed as her body released the tension, smaller shocks still wracking her body.

"That was fast." Remarked Xanthe.

I looked over at her. She was sitting naked on a chair, eyes burning with lust, but otherwise she looked remarkable cool.

"Yes, she's sensitive." I agreed with a smile and looked at the naked panting woman beside me on the bed. "Time to part two."

I didn't wait for Xanthe's response as I reached out and gently turned Muza over.

She sent me a little smile and spread her legs invitingly.

I was pretty sure she expected me to fuck her then and there, but I had other plans and started to caress her legs, working my way along the inner thighs.

Muza looked wondering at me for a moment, but then placed her head back on the bed, purring with pleasure as my hands slid over the smooth skin. Finally, I caressed one side of her pussy, feeling the outer lip radiating heat into my finger, before I teasingly traced it all the way to the other side, avoiding touching the love-pearl as I did so.

Just as she thought that I was still teasing her, I let a finger graze her centre, feeling the wet and slick inner lips from bottom to the top.

"Sweet Goddess!" She exclaimed, taking a hold of the furs one the bed with her hands.

Once at the top, I added another finger as I drew a circle on top of the love-pearl a few times, before going down between her wet inner lips once more.

Then I went upwards again, making sure that her wetness covered my fingers, making them slippery, before I placed one finger on each side of her love-pearl, trapping it between them as I had done with her nipples. Muza grunted and bucked on the bed.

Slowly, I started to move my fingers up and down with the love-pearl stuck between them, getting a slight rubbing each time I moved. Her breath became fast and shallow as she climbed towards another climax. I kept the same rhythm for a while, not wanting her to come yet.

Muza relaxed for a few heartbeats, when I relaxed my grip on the love-pearl and left it alone as the fingers wandered in between her inner lips again. Then she groaned when I didn't stop at the entrance to her hole but slid two fingers inside her. She went wild, bucking her hips so that my finger slid further inside her boiling depths to the sound of a long, drawn-out moan.