Blood of Dragons - The Squire

"Was putting your daughter under a curse a part of that façade as well?"

For the first time, Donna Moonward's veneer of confidence slipped. "What?"

"Whatever rituals you were performing, you brought a befoulment down on Amber!" said Tolas. "Something possessed her, and now the very mention of the Dark Star causes her to lose control of her body and senses!"

"No, that should not have happened!" Lady Moonward grew more consternated. "I never brought Amber into any of this, there is no way that I would have..." her voice trailed off as she sat, head in her hands. "What have I done?"

"You summoned something, a fiend that took possession of Amber," said Tolas, unable to tell what it was about Donna Moonward that made him angrier, her prejudices, or her negligence. "What was it? How do we stop it?"

"I did not summon anything!" came the reply. "I never went that far; I never intended to bring anything that dangerous upon myself, or on Amber!"

"If you have no information about this, then we're wasting time here," said Tolas, turning back to the door of the cell. "Thank you, Sir Eglamore. I should return to the Moonward estate."

"No! Stay away from my daughter, you abomination!" screeched Donna Moonward suddenly. "Let me out of this cell! I need to find a way to save her!"

Sir Eglamore stopped her advance with a raised hand. "You have done more than enough, prisoner," he said. "We shall do all we can to help your daughter, but we will not risk the lives of our citizens with a murderer like you attempting to escape our custody."

"And instead, you risk her life in the company of that thing you call a squire? I was performing a service for this city! You should be calling me a hero!"

Tolas clenched his fists but resisted the urge to swing them at Donna Moonward's face. "You're no hero," he said in a low voice. "You can try to justify your actions all you want, but after all is said and done, you're just a hateful old woman who will answer for her crimes. In the meantime, I'm the one who is going to make sure that your daughter doesn't answer for them too."

As Sir Eglamore locked the cell behind them, Tolas could still hear Donna Moonward's screams of rage and her fists beating on the wooden door. Sir Eglamore put a hand on Tolas' shoulder and could feel him quivering with suppressed fury.

"You did very well not to lose your temper," he said.

"If we didn't need her to talk, I would have wanted to gag her mouth," said Tolas.

"I will confess, I was on the verge of gagging her myself," admitted Sir Eglamore. "No-one should be spoken about like that, least of all my squire."

The way he said, "my squire," made Tolas feel proud. "Thank you, Sir."

Sir Eglamore nodded. "Still, I must bring her words to the attention of the Knight-Commander. If what she is saying about the cult of the Dark Star is true, then we must send word to the garrisons and start rooting out the other chapters. And as for you," he added, "you have duties to perform. I trust you will do so to the standards of the Knighthood."

"As you say, Sir," said Tolas. "I'll find a way to help her whatever it takes."

*******

Tolas returned to the Moonward estate to find Amber outside her mother's study, her arms folded, and her expression disgruntled, though her face softened somewhat when Tolas arrived.

"You're back! Thank the gods," she said.

"Why are you standing out here, my lady?" Tolas asked.

"Your cleric friend won't let me back in the room!" grumbled Amber. "It seems that she cannot concentrate with me around!"

That did not sound like Ilga to Tolas. He entered the study to see Ilga at Lady Moonward's desk, piles of books on the floor with notes and scrolls scattered everywhere. She looked up at the sound of the door opening.

"Ah, you're back! About time!" Ilga said. "I think I may be onto something here." She shuffled a few pages together and flipped through them excitedly. "I've been cross-referencing these notes with the books that Donna Moonward was using, and I might know what -"

"Ilga, why did you make Amber wait outside?" Tolas asked.

"You can't even take a second to appreciate what I've found? Typical," sighed Ilga.

"It could be dangerous to leave her alone like that," said Tolas. "What if something happened to her while you were busy?"

"Oh please, she's got guards all over this estate, she was fine. It's more dangerous for her in here, anyway." Ilga gestured to the pile of notes. "She only had to glance at some of these texts, and your holy symbol started burning her. I know she wanted to help, but hurting herself like that wasn't worth it."

"I could have handled it!" Amber called from the doorway.

"Me having to heal you every five minutes doesn't count as "handling it!" Ilga called back, prompting more wordless grumbles from Amber. Ilga leaned closer to Tolas and grinned. "I like her; she's stubborn in a fun way!"

Tolas rubbed his temples irritably. "You said you had found something?"

"Yes!" Ilga snatched up the pages again and presented them to Tolas, who began to peruse them. There were all sorts of glyphs and symbols, most of which he didn't recognise, and descriptions of rituals of praise and supplication.

"From what I can tell, the you-know-what is an entity from beyond the known universe," said Ilga. "It exists in a place where things shouldn't exist, and it tries to gain any foothold it can in the planes of reality."

"In her sermon, Lady Moonward said that it would consume everything," said Tolas. "She said that it didn't discriminate, that not even the gods could withstand its power."

"I don't know about that, but I can see how one might believe it," said Ilga. "It would consume everything because it can't exist in the same place as everything else. When reality interacts with something from beyond reality, that reality becomes warped."

"Warped?"

"Changed, different," Ilga said. "Whatever is touched by something from the "Beyond" tries to conform to both reality and non-reality at the same time. The result is something unstable and twisted."

"And you think something from the Beyond has possessed Amber?" asked Tolas.

"It's less of a "possession" and more of a "corruption." The you-know-what isn't the only thing that resides in the Beyond; Lady Moonward's rituals wouldn't be enough to set it free, but a minor entity associated with it must have managed to slip through without her noticing. Amber was unlucky enough for it to target her; whatever it was that escaped the Beyond is warping her, and the process is making her mentally unstable."

"So, what can we do?"

"Well, so far, it seems that your holy symbol can keep it suppressed, which means that it responds to our magic like any other entity from another plane. While it's in our reality, it has to conform to our rules at least somewhat," said Ilga, pacing back and forth. "Following that logic, we should be able to use a standard banishment spell to get rid of it; I could perform that with the materials in my pack right now. However," she said as she stopped pacing, "there is a catch."

"What kind of catch?" said Tolas.

"Because it isn't truly possessing Amber, it can't just be exorcised out of her. She's a tether rather than a vessel, which means the entity can only "exist" while it's connected to her."

"What does that mean?" asked Amber, poking her head around the door.

"Putting it simply: it's not "real" enough to banish while suppressed," explained Ilga. "If we want to get rid of it, we need it to manifest properly, to give the banishment something to target. And to have it do that, we have to give it what it wants."

"Which is what, exactly?" Tolas received no answer but became acutely aware of Ilga and Amber looking at him, the latter blushing while the former raised her eyebrows pointedly.

Comprehension dawned. "Are you serious?"

"Are you telling me you didn't notice her throwing herself at you every chance she got under that thing's influence?" said Ilga.

"But why me? What does that mean?" Tolas suddenly felt very self-conscious.

"My best guess, the entity latched on to a subliminal desire inside Amber's mind. With how it's warping her, that desire has become its primary motivation on this plane." Ilga folded her arms and gave Tolas a bemused look. "It means she has the hots for you, dumbass!"

"Ilga!" said Tolas with a start.

"There's n-no need to put it so bluntly!" squeaked Amber.

Tolas turned to her. "So, it's true, my lady?"

"I-I-I mean," Amber stammered. "I mean, I had heard my mother talking about Sir Eglamore's squire, a-and then I saw you a few times at meetings of the nobility, and, and you..." she looked at her toes. "... you intrigued me."

"I... what?"

"It was just a crush!" said Amber quickly. "I knew nothing would come of it. I mean, you wouldn't even be eligible for marriage until you became knighted, and I was too young at the time anyway..."

"But you're of age now!" chimed in Ilga. "Which is fortunate, because we aren't going to get rid of that entity tethered to your brain until you and Tolas get on with it." She shouldered her pack and grabbed the research notes off the desk. "Which bedroom can I use to draw a binding circle on the floor?"

"Ilga, would you just slow down for a moment?" said Tolas. "We barely know each other, and you're asking us to..."

"Indeed!" said Amber. "I am the heir to my house; I cannot just lay with anyone I please!"

"Of course you can, nobles do it all the time," said Ilga. "Besides, if you don't, your mind will continue to warp under that thing's influence; I doubt Tolas' holy symbol will hold it off forever." She swept past the two of them and out the door. "Better find a decent bedroom; I have to draw this circle quite large. Maybe the dining hall would be better..."

Amber and Tolas could only stand and look at each other.

******

"Tolas, are you alright?"

"I... I am -"

"You do not have to be scared, you know."

"I understand, my lady, I just -"

"Amber."

"I'm sorry?"

"I think, given the circumstances, you can just call me Amber."

"A-As you wish, Amber."

"Then, shall we proceed?"

"Very well; I just need a moment to -"

"Oh gods above," groaned Ilga from the corner of the room. "Do either of you have any sense of romance at all? Read a book once in a while!"

"You're not making this any easier, you know!" retorted Tolas. He and Amber sat on a large bed in the master bedroom, a magnificent four-poster piece large enough to accommodate several people but normally reserved for Lady Donna Moonward alone. On the floor around the bed was a detailed chalk circle with glyphs of abjuration and protection inscribed between the crisscrossing patterns within. Ilga stood at the edge of the circle, having checked the details one last time, and was now rolling her eyes at the two young people sitting awkwardly across from each other.

"I get it, experiencing your first time with someone watching is less than ideal, but you need me here to cast the spell at the right time," said Ilga. "Besides, I've volunteered in a healing house; neither of you has anything that I haven't seen before."

Amber fidgeted with the collar of her robe. "I'm ready," she said. "It has to be done; I want to get this thing out of me."

"By putting something else into you," said Ilga with a grin.

"Again, not helping!" cried Tolas.

"L-let's just start simple, shall we?" said Amber, taking Tolas' hand. "Just a kiss, at first; that's easy enough, right?"

"Right, right." Tolas adjusted himself to face Amber directly and nervously leaned forward. For the second time that day, Amber's lips met his, this time gently. The difference made by her lack of aggressiveness was astounding; Tolas could savour the tenderness, feel the soft touch against him, with the just the hint of repressed longing for more.

He pressed forward, giving just a little more of himself to her; Amber responded by parting her lips and letting her tongue slip out. Tolas mimicked her, their tongues brushing against each other, gingerly testing their boundaries before sliding back as the kiss parted.

"That was..." Tolas struggled to find words.

"Yes, it was," said Amber, slightly breathless.

Ilga covered her face with a palm and did her best not to groan again. "Virgins," she muttered. Louder, she said, "Good start, keep it going!"

Amber was the first to lean in this time, eagerly accepting Tolas' kiss and cupping his face in her hands. Instinctively, his arms slipped around Amber and pulled her in close; Tolas could feel her breasts pressing against his chest, her heart racing next to his. The kiss was longer, deeper, and by the time it was over, they were both gasping for air.

"I think we should take our clothes off," whispered Tolas.

"Yes!" Amber whispered back, her hands flying to his belt and fumbling with the buckle. She cast the belt aside and sat back, watching as Tolas pulled his tunic up over his head.

Amber's eyes drank in the view of his bronze-tinted skin, gleaming over fit musculature, toned from years of riding and sword training. Her gaze was drawn to his sides and shoulders, where the smooth outline of his body broke into a rough, raised pattern of golden-brown scales that spread around from his back and trailed off across his torso and biceps.

"You really do have scales," Amber said, entranced.

"Are they, I mean..." Tolas was feeling self-conscious again.

Amber ran a finger along the ridged lattice that trailed down Tolas' arm. "I think they're beautiful," she said. With her other hand, she unfastened the ties on her robe.

The elegant clothing slid from her shoulders; underneath, Amber was completely naked save for Tolas' holy symbol, nestled between the curve of her breasts. Her pale skin was smooth and flawless, save for the red burn at her collarbone where the symbol had marked her. Now in full view, Tolas could see that her sex was neatly trimmed, proper like the rest of her. The slender shape of Amber's body and her demure expression sent a rush of desire through Tolas, swirling in his heart before diving directly to his loins. With so much happening throughout the day, Tolas had not taken a moment to appreciate just how beautiful Amber Moonward was.

"You look..." His voice caught as he gazed upon her. "You look amazing."

Amber smiled and blushed; the cute shyness in the way she averted her eyes only added to the growing flame in Tolas' lower regions.

Amber looked down. "I can tell that you mean it," she said, pointing.

The bulge in Tolas' breeches was plain to see; he instinctively moved to cover it with his hands, but Amber stopped him, gently cupping him though his pants and sending an electric tingle up his spine.

"No point in hiding it," she said. "This is what we're here for." Amber's fingers curled around the hem of the breeches, and she carefully pulled them down, allowing Tolas' manhood to spring free. It was darker in colour, closer to his scales, with ridges running down the length from the large, slightly tapered head. A smattering of smaller scales encircled the base instead of hair, extending onto his scrotum.

Amber licked her lips, her hands shaking as she took Tolas' cock in her hands; it was long and thick enough to almost fill both of them. "You seem ready," she said, trying to keep the nervous waver out of her voice.

"My la - Amber," Tolas said, his voice wavering as well. "I've never..."

"Me neither," Amber replied. She slid her hand down and felt the wetness between her thighs. "But, I think I'm ready too." She shifted her weight and lay down on her back, spreading her legs.

Tolas gulped and looked over at Ilga. "Should we take off the symbol?"

"Not yet," said Ilga. "When the entity takes over, it's not going to hold back; it might end up hurting both of you. Take it slow; once you two are used to each other, we can begin the spell."

Tolas nodded and turned back to Amber. She was running a finger across her clit in slow circles, breathing deeply and looking at him with anticipation. Tolas shuffled forward on his knees and positioned the head of his cock at her wet lips.

"Take it slow," he told himself, under his breath. Lining himself up using one hand, Tolas guided his cock towards Amber. The tightness of her sex refused him entry for the first few attempts, and Amber could see him growing visibly frustrated.

"It's alright," she whispered. "It's alright, I just need to..." She took his cock in her hand and repositioned him, taking a few more deep breaths to allow herself to relax. Slowly and gently, Amber took Tolas inside her. As his head popped through her lips, Amber bit her lip to stop herself from crying out, with only a whimper able to escape.

"Amber?"

"It's alright," she gasped. "You're just... a lot bigger than I thought." She raised her legs further, holding them in place with her hands. "You can... go deeper, if you want."

Tolas leaned forward, placing his hands on either side of Amber, and began to press further into her. With each inch that entered, he stopped and pulled back slightly; the ridges on his cock caused her to quiver. It felt like a long time, but Amber was so wet that his cock was soon buried inside her up to the base. As Tolas bottomed out, Amber gasped again and wrapped her arms around him, clutching at the scales on his back.

"So full..." she hissed into Tolas' ear. "So full, so full, so full..."

It took all of Tolas's concentration not to finish on the spot. He had never felt the kind of warmth that Amber's pussy was giving to him, and he wanted to savour it even though he was meant to be doing this out of necessity. Steeling himself by gripping the bedsheets tight, he raised his head enough to look into Amber's eyes.

"Amber, I'm going to start moving."

"Do it," she said. "Make love to me, Tolas."

Something in Amber's words made Tolas act on impulse; he kissed her again, deep and sensually as his hips began to thrust. Amber moaned into his mouth with each motion, holding him tight and wrapping her legs around his waist. Her grip grew tighter as Tolas picked up his pace; Amber could feel his balls slapping against her buttocks. Tolas was lost in the sensation, his body moving of its own accord.

In the back of his mind, Tolas could hear someone calling his name. That didn't make sense, Amber was kissing him, she couldn't be the one -

"Tolas! She's ready!" shouted Ilga. "Take off the symbol before you finish!"

Tolas snapped out of his daze and broke off the kiss with Amber, gasping for air. He sat up, his cock still inside her, taking a brief second to observe the beautiful young woman writhing in pleasure beneath him. Then he reached down, ripped the holy symbol from her neck, and uttered the words: "Dark Star!"

The effect was immediate. Amber's gaze fixed on Tolas' face, her pupils dilating until her eyes appeared black, and her mouth spread into a sinister, far-too-wide smile.

"Hi, dragon boy," she said, her voice lusty and rasping. Her knees clamped down on Tolas' sides like a vice, and with unnatural strength, Amber rolled herself up on top of Tolas and held down his wrists, pinning him to the bed.

"Are you ready for me to fuck those sexy scales right off your balls?" Amber started to rock her hips back and forth; she quickly picked up speed, moving from a rocking motion into a rotating one that caused Tolas' cock to swirl around inside her, running across the walls of her pussy.

"Yesssss." Amber's voice sounded more like a reverberating growl in her throat. "I've been waiting to fill my cunt with dragon dick all day!" Her breasts bounced up and down inches from Tolas' face; he screwed his eyes up tight and tried to focus on holding out until the spell was cast. He could hear Ilga chanting across the room; Amber seemed too lost in their copulation to notice.