Brian's Adventures Ch. 13

Chapter Thirteen: Band on the Run

I looked up into the blue eyes of the cloaked figure that hovered over me and waited for her to make her move. I could see that an inner mask had been sewn into the hood of the cloak that she wore. That mask covered the upper part of the face of the young woman, hiding her identity. Her red, lips were swollen almost as if she was always puckering her lips in order to kiss someone. Those lips were pressed close together and she looked at me with beautiful eyes that should be smiling instead of glaring as they were now. I recognized the cloak and mask as that of a 'Disciple of The Mistress' as The Mistress had called them. I had not seen the rest of the outfit to confirm my suspicions but from the hood it was a safe guess.

"What does The Mistress want of me?" I whispered with the blade not moving from my throat.

"Our Mistress wishes you to return to her care." The Disciple spoke finally. She had a sweet voice that otherwise I would love to hear for hours on end. Knowing who she was or rather who she was speaking for I didn't care for that otherwise pleasant voice. "Our Mistress has been worried about you since you've strayed from her." The Disciple said with genuine concern and a slightly hurt look on her face.

"I care not for The Mistress, I am only going to my home and live a quiet life." I whispered as loud as I dared, hoping not to wake Jealile. I didn't want to risk her life if at all possible even though at that moment she was cuddled, up holding me in her sleep.

"Where you go, you cannot go! For what you were given was not theirs' to give. What you think you own, you do not!" The Disciple replied in a hissing whisper so close to my face that she almost kissed me. Her eyes danced all over my face as she spoke and her breathing became a little deeper as she waited for my response.

"I only go to claim Kincaid, farm it, raise a family and live a quiet life until I die. Why does that anger The Mistress so?" I asked curiously and quietly.

"Do not interfere with things that don't concern you. Return to our Mistresses care and your past sins will be forgiven, our Mistress has told me so." The Disciple said with a warmer whisper as she stroked my hair away from my face in a tender gesture. I almost had to remind myself that this seemingly tender woman still held the blade to my throat.

"What past sins? What does she want of me if not to go to Kincaid? I have to live somewhere. I must make a living somehow? Will she provide for my family and children?" I asked with a sarcastic snort.

"I see that you still have the gift our Mistress gave you. Serve our Mistress well and you will be rewarded with everything you deserve and desire." The Disciple said with sweetness and warmth as she openly ran her fingers through my hair in a delightful way. "Disobey our Mistress and you will find only pain and death!" She finished with a tone of warning while she pressed the blade a little harder against my throat and grabbed a clump of my hair and pulled.

"What do you want with me?" I said a little calmer and respectfully. It was so odd and strange to be scared of and aroused by this woman at the same time.

"Remain here and our Mistress will come for you shortly and let you know how to serve her." The Disciple said plainly yet sternly. "You are lucky that our Mistress has need of you. Our Mistress is gracious and is giving you this last chance to come back to her. Swear your allegiance and faithfulness to our Mistress whom you've hurt with your betrayal and all is forgiven." The Disciple said with a pained look, almost as if she felt the pain of the 'betrayal' and had to look away for a brief moment to control her emotions.

"And if I don't?" I asked the curious question, half knowing the answer.

"You would not live a quiet day in the short life you'd have left, nor will you ever set foot on Kincaid!" The Disciple snarled and again pressed the blade harder against my throat.

"Then you leave me little choice." I said calmly, hoping to fool this one into letting me live.

"Remain and serve our Mistress well and you will live and prosper. Do not seek to steal that which does not belong to you. Do not seek to disobey our Mistress again. For as gracious and forgiving as our Mistress is, our Mistress cannot allow you to disobey her again!" The Disciple said firmly while looking deep in my eyes for a fleeting moment I thought she might kiss me. The Disciple then stood up while pointing her sword at me that had been held to my throat seconds before.

I looked over her body and found that she was indeed a tall, beautiful woman dressed like Treabilla was when I first met her. The Disciple had a tall and slender, athletic body, whose breasts were a little on the small side. She was quite desirable and beautiful all the same, her muscles were more toned and bulged slightly more than the average woman's. Clearly she looked like a woman of action and stood proud and tall over me with that short sword that she pointed at me with ease of skill.

The Disciple then reached into a pouch at her waist and brought out a pinch of powder and let it spill into her upturned hand. The last thing I saw was her blowing the substance in my direction, a cloud overcame me and a moment later it was morning.

When I awoke I jumped up with a start and reached for my throat to see if it was uncut and I was relieved to find it so. I looked around to see if The Disciple was still around but of course she was not. The sun had already risen but just barely and yet the loft was well lit. Yeoline had returned to the place where she was when the group went to sleep. Everyone was asleep and at first I thought it was all a vivid dream, a nightmare of my fears.

"Oh Heavens above!" I shouted out when my eyes fell on the dagger stuck in the floor and I started to tremble.

All of my terror and fear that I felt but was hidden while the blade was at my throat came back to me in one fell swoop. It was not a nightmare as I had first thought, it was real, it really happened. A Disciple of The Mistress had really come to me while I slept and held a sword to my throat. I was overcome with emotion, as my eyes could not look away from that dagger that was stuck so close to my head last night.

"What is it?" Jealile shouted as she woke up with a start while I continued to babble for a moment. I still had not gotten a hold of myself just yet and could not say anything coherent. "Get up everyone! Something's wrong!" Jealile shouted as she stood up and held me tight and tried to calm me but I still vibrated with shock and terror.

With that, everyone started to stir and wake up each with a jolt and mild muddle of their own. After a moment I was able to calm down enough to speak. Jealile still held onto me and was greatly concerned for me and was slightly panicked herself. I guess I gave her quite a start with my antics that morning, I didn't mean to but I guess you can understand why, can't you.

"It's alright Sweetheart." Jealile said in a soothing tone as she held my head and looked deep into my eyes. "Just tell us what's wrong." Jealile finished and released her grip on my head but still held me in her arms.

"I was visited last night." I said with quick breaths and my heart still racing.

"What?" Jealile said in shock and the others also looked concerned. "In a dream? Were you visited by a bad dream?" Jealile said hopefully, doubting that she could have missed an intruder.

"No." I said shaking my head. "I was visited by a Disciple of The Mistress." I said as I pointed to the dagger that was still stuck in the floor.

Everyone looked at it and stepped away from it and fell silent. It was then that I noticed a piece of paper stuck to it. I knelt down and removed the paper from around the dagger and read it to myself.

"It says, Serve Our Mistress and live." I said and then fell silent.

I then handed the paper to Jealile and after she read it, it was passed around for everyone to read. I then told them everything that The Disciple said, leaving out no detail. Everyone was silent and pondered the words for a moment before someone started the discussion.

"But what exactly does she want with you?" Shelea asked curiously "Why did you serve her before?" She asked in confusion with distress on her face.

"I didn't!" I snapped.

"But she said . . ." Shelea started out but was cut off.

"The Mistress believes that everyone serves her and so her Disciples also believe." Treabilla said with an uncomfortable manner as if she was reluctantly relating a piece of news that she didn't want to admit that she knew.

"I've heard of this Mistress character and from what I hear she's bad news. If you didn't work for her, how do you know her? What was that gift she was talking about? None of this makes any sense if you ask me." Rialtige said scratching his head with a generally perplexed look on his face.

"When I first arrived, I was imprisoned. The Mistress came to me to get some information from me." I said curtly and fell silent. I hopped that answer would suffice and satisfy Rialtige's curiosity.

"But what about the gift? What gift was she talking about? Was it some sort of bribe? Payment for the information she got?" Rialtige asked and Shelea was equally curious evident by the look on her face.

"The gift is not important. The Mistress wants me to stay here and play some part in her evil plans, that's just what we are not going to do!" I said firmly and picked up the dagger and tucked it inside my boot.

"I agree with that sure enough, but what about the gift? If we are all truly members in this Band of Misfits of yours than all our lives are in peril! Nothing should be kept from each other that might be useful." Rialtige said with a frustrated sigh. "I ask you again, what was the gift she gave you and why do you not wish to talk about it?" Rialtige said now sounding a bit perturbed and his manner told me that he would not drop this line of questioning.

I had so wanted to keep Treabilla's secret and not have her past spread out for everyone to see. I wanted it to remain under wraps for Treabilla to share it with only those she chose to reveal it to. It was her private business and not for everyone to know who demanded such information.

"Me." Treabilla said as she walked over to the nearest hay pile and sat on it. "I was the gift." She said as she held her head in her hands. Yeoline walked over and sat down beside her and put her arms around her friend and lover in a comforting gesture.

"Satisfied?" I said in a quietly angry tone.

"I don't understand! How can you be the gift? How can you give a person? Unless . . ." Rialtige started out and fell silent and his face was filled with shock, sorrow and compassion as he looked Treabilla over.

"I was a Disciple of The Mistress." Treabilla said without looking up. "Brian saved me and taught me what it was to be a person again. That is what she calls the gift, she let me go, so in her eyes I was a gift!" Treabilla said with a teary voice.

"I never knew. I knew she was bad news but I never knew she went around enslaving people!" Rialtige said as he knelt in front of Treabilla.

"That's over now." I said as I sat on the other side of Treabilla and put my arm around her. "You are free of her and are among friends who love you." I said as I calmly stroked her back.

"But it's not over! Not entirely, I still see her in my dreams! I still bear the mark! For me it will never truly be over until she is dead!" Treabilla said with rage and vibrated as she spoke.

"We'll get her for what she did to you and other's like you." Jealile said to Treabilla as she knelt beside Rialtige and tried to comfort her friend.

"What mark?" Shelea asked curiously.

I too had wanted the answer to that question, although I already guessed the answer to it. I however would have waited for a more suitable time to ask it though. Treabilla looked around at the curious faces and sighed in shame. It was clear that she didn't want to reveal this. I felt for her and tried to save her the further shame and humiliation of revealing it.

"Perhaps you can just tell us what it looks like, you don't need to show us it dear." I said comfortingly and soothingly continued to stroke her back. She remained silent for a moment before she spoke once again.

"No, I need to show you, you all need to know what it looks like and where it is found." Treabilla said as she looked up at the group once more in a calmer tone. "The Mistress is vein and likes to mark everything that is hers clearly. That will be her undoing! For every Disciple of The Mistress bears the same mark in the same place. The trick is to see it and identify it." Treabilla finished and then raised her but up and pulled her pants down to her ankles revealing her body from the waist down. She spread her legs and pointed to the tattoo that I had seen on her that first night we were together. "There it is, that is the mark of The Mistress and every last one of her Disciple's has it in the same spot." Treabilla said and everyone leaned in to take a good look at it before Treabilla pulled her pants back up.

"Everyone?" I asked, my face went pale as I remembered where else I had seen it.

"Every last Disciple." Treabilla reaffirmed as she looked me over and looked concerned. "What is it Brian?" Treabilla said as she now put her arm around me.

"I've seen that before." I said, still in shock.

"We have been intimate Brian, there is little on my body you haven't seen or touched." Treabilla said with a light chuckle. It was her way of lightening the mood; I knew that but it did little to ease my mood at the moment.

"I know dear but I have seen it before on someone else." I said in the same dry, drained expression.

"Who?" Jealile asked as she moved closer and tried to comfort me.

I sat there for a moment and tears welled up in my eyes as I thought of Felleona and our times that we shared. I cared for her and thought of her as a friend, a lover and possibly someday a wife. As I sat there I felt as if someone had run a dagger through my heart at that moment and I was unable to speak from the pain. How could she be one of The Mistresses Disciples? She was so strong in body and spirit? How could she have fallen under the spell of that evil woman? I didn't understand but the evidence was irrefutable.

"Felleona." I said at long last, but my response was just barely audible. "I saw that mark on Felleona." I repeated a little louder but with no lighter heart, comforted spirit or drier eyes.

"Felleona! The Captain?" Jealile shouted in shock and she too was as shocked and hurt as I was.

"Captain? What Captain?" Rialtige asked now confused and not quite up to speed.

"The Captain of the Guards." Yeoline repeated who was also in a state of shock.

"HOLD IT!" Rialtige said as he stood up and looked shocked and panicked. "Do you mean to tell me that not only does is this Mistress power-hungry, vein, likes to enslave people and mark them up. Not only that, but she now has the Captain of the Guards under her control?" Rialtige said as he understood our shock and concern. "What can stop her from taking over Tania?" He asked with a hollow voice of pain.

"We can! We must!" I said with firm conviction, as I looked into the eyes of all the people surrounding me. Each one looked me back and with equal determination nodded their agreement.

"How are we going to do that?" Shelea asked curiously.

"I don't know, nobody knows what she looks like or who she really is." Yeoline sighed. "Otherwise she would have been caught by now." Yeoline said and fell silent looking quite worried and frustrated.

"Before we go on, I will have no doubts as to loyalty in this Band of Misfits." I said authoritatively as I stood up. "Everyone up!" I said and we all stood up and in a circle. "We have already seen the mark on Treabilla but I will vouch for her loyalty. Everyone else must also prove that they are not Disciples in like fashion." I said as I dropped my pants to my knees revealing my unmarked thighs.

I got an odd look from the others but one by one they all followed suit and revealed their thighs and no mark was found on anyone else in the group. With a nod we covered ourselves up and sat back down to discuss what we needed to discuss.

"With that out of the way, what do we do?" I asked to everyone in general. "There is something at Kincaid that The Mistress does not want anyone to see, that much is clear. To me that means that we need to see it more then ever! We could go there to begin our search for The Mistress and the answers we seek." I said, thinking out loud and paused to gather my thoughts.

"I say we just go after her! Catch her first and then go to Kincaid. Kincaid will keep; this is far more important don't you think!" Treabilla said with anger and gritted teeth.

"Agreed but we don't know where she is! Nobody does." I said back trying to calm Treabilla down so she could make constructive comments and the group fell silent in thought for a moment.

"But we know where she's gonna be." Rialtige said with a smile on his face and one by one each of us knew what he was talking about. "How well do you know the Commander of the local Guards here Jealile?" He asked with a curious sparkle in his eye, it was clear that he had an idea.

"I have served with her on a few occasions. I cannot say for certain but I do not believe she is a Disciple. Why do you ask?" Jealile replied curiously.

"I have an idea but we will need the Guards' help." Rialtige smiled wickedly. "Lets set a trap for her when she comes to meet with Brian." Rialtige said with an evil grin.

"I like it, lets talk to her." Jealile said nodding to Rialtige with a conspiratory grin.

"Bring her here alone, say nothing to her until she is here in the group." I said to Jealile with a knowing glance.

"Me?" Jealile said with surprise.

"You said you know her, she should trust you." I said with a smile and put my hand on her shoulder. "It will be fine love. We have a real chance to catch The Mistress and we must take advantage of that." I said warmly and Jealile nodded after a moment of looking in my eyes.

With no further discussion we waited while Jealile slipped over to the local Barracks to fetch the Commander. We waited and I paced back and forth, worried about my wife all the while she was gone. I knew that if The Mistress could control the Captain she could control more Guards as well. Officers seemed to be the natural place to start if you wanted to control the Guards and I knew that. This Commander might already be under the control of The Mistress. Talking to the Commander was a risk, but a risk we needed to take. About half and hour later Jealile returned and the Commander with her.

The woman that was with Jealile was about Jealile's height and her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She wore armour similar to what all the Guards wore, but on her armour a stylized C in gold could be seen. On her helmet there was also the same stylized C. She seemed fit and athletic as you would expect a Guard to be, even more so from a leader of women. Her green eyes shrewdly examined the room and everyone in it before moving from her spot a few paces away from the ladder.

"Alright Jealile, you asked me here, what's this all about?" The Commander asked as she looked back at her friend who was my wife.

"We will tell you everything, but first of all we need to see your thighs." Jealile said respectfully as she swallowed hard after making the odd sounding demand.

"What? Get serious! Tell me why you called me here this instant!" The Commander replied indignantly.

It was clear that she was in no mood for these antics and I could see that her patience was wearing thin. She looked at each of us and huffed, shaking her head and turned to leave. We were afraid of this reaction, we were prepared for it but we hoped it didn't come to this. Yeoline and I grabbed her, one from each side and held her in place. Rialtige and Shelea grabbed her feet and held them a few feet apart. Treabilla gagged her with some cloth. Jealile pulled the Commander's pants down and looked for the mark but no tattoo was found. I could see Jealile's eyes stray up to the woman's panty covered groin. Jealile even drew a shallow breath through her nose as she wavered in the direction of the Commander. A tiny wet spot on those panties started to form during Jealile's examination of the woman's lower regions.