Caught in Darkness Ch. 09

To be a General of Zecair, one had to attain Master Elite status as a warrior, the rank of Tactical Commander of the army, be anointed by the Council of Nobles, and have a vote of no contest from the other generals. A General was entrusted with the security of Zecair. They defended their territory, and spearheaded attacks into their enemies.

For a General, a quintessential hero of Zecair, The Alluring found The Unkillable's taste in companions disturbing. She stood inside the General's home accompanied by distasteful creatures. Guarding her were three Coszai Behemoths, hairy hulking, savage brutes that ate their enemies after battle. They were impossibly strong and could rip soldiers in half with their hands. A single blow of one of those long arms could kill the heartiest of men. For all their savagery, they were a superstitious people. Across the room stood a Veldain Chameleon, a treacherous lizard man that could mimic the shape of any creature it could see. They changed sides in battle as quickly as they changed their skin. It stood with its lizard eyes on her, and she wondered if it was memorizing her appearance right now. But what disturbed her more, was the lack of Zecair soldiers she had seen. Multi-racial slaves and servants were common, but households were only guarded by trusted, pureblooded Zecairans.

For a General, his choice of décor also had much to be desired. There were no trophies lining the walls or works of Zecair art. The waiting room she stood in was purely functional -- bare of anything but her guards. This was more a stronghold than a household. The Alluring wondered how deep The Unkillable's treachery lied. Shrewd, tactical assignations weren't uncommon -- always appearing as accidents -- but he brazenly blamed his own attempt on a murdered Lord. That was unheard of. She pulled the slipping strap of her bedraggled dress up over her shoulder and smoothed the skirt. Her role was to appear whole and well, but desperate. She needed to convince The Unkillable that she had value. But as she looked around, she wondered if he even valued a Zecairan life.

Boot falls echoed down the hallway and the guards stood up at immediate attention. It was an odd thing for her to see a Coszai standing up straight instead of its usual hunched posture. The Alluring took a similar posture, folding her hands before her, and looking to the floor instead of the hallway. The first thing The Unkillable needed to know was that she was submissive. As he approached, the smell of blood approached with him. She couldn't help but look up. He was wearing the same striped leather pants and brown riding boots, but wore no shirt. His scarred, heavily muscled chest was covered in blood spray and splatter. The sight made her heart skip; she hoped with all her heart it wasn't her sister's.

The General entered the room but didn't say anything. She met his gaze and saw the look of disbelief and confusion on his face. He took a moment to inspect her, as if determining if she was real. He glanced once to his Chameleon and then folded his arms over his chest.

"What were the last words we shared?" He asked her in a stern voice. She understood he had to test her, the reason why was standing right next to him.

"You commanded me to see for myself that the Majestic was still alive." She replied meekly. "And I've come to report, by no hand of mine, that she does still live. She was saved by her slaves, most of which died to the Screech Beetle." She watched his face, she was expecting fear or anger. Yet, The Unkillable laughed.

"I see, so she will face the slavers." He stroked his mustache and contemplated the news. "I wonder how much of a price she would fetch on the slaver's market. I would love to take her." He grinned as he paced, letting the daydream expand in his mind. "Oh, the look on all those Lord's faces when The Majestic goes up for sale on the block only to be outbid by a General." He laughed heartily.

"This is good news!" He grinned and approached The Alluring. "Now, what to do with you..." He placed a hand on her barely covered breast and squeezed it; his fingers congregated to her nipple and pinched painfully it through the fabric. She didn't protest.

"I am to understand that my sister now serves My Lord?" The Alluring said as evenly as possible despite the sharp pain. "I wish to serve with her then." She bowed her head in submission.

"That is good to hear!" He grinned and released her tit. "She could use your help in dealing with a problem. It seems the pale devil was too much for her. See to her, and then resume the interrogation. I've softened the bitch up for you." As quickly as he came, The Unkillable left. The Alluring breathed a sigh of relief; that had gone suspiciously easy. But it was his last comment that made sense -- if her sister had failed him, then their combined power would make up for it. He had a need for her now; that is why he had been so welcoming.

The Chameleon stood forward and waved her on. She watched as it changed suddenly to look as a Zecair houseguard in tight leather. A feeling of disgust and horror crept up her throat at the sight. It changed shape with such ease she wondered how many of these creatures were actually being used? Perhaps the Coszai Behemoths were just more Chameleons, perhaps The General was... Those thoughts plagued her until a faint odor tickled her nose, and she smirked. Veldain Chameleons could imitate a creature physically without flaw, and the best ones could learn their habits and traits as well. But the one thing all Veldain's did that lead to their subjugation, was give off a musky order when they got excited. Zecairan's could detect this faint scent.

Her escort led her to a bedroom and waited outside with the door shut. Inside she found her sister lying on the bed sleeping. That uneasy feeling in the back of her throat quickly melted away. The Deliquescent didn't seem to have any injuries, and wore a plain servant's dress. She went to her, and sat down on the bed beside her. Her hand softly caressed a cheek until The Deliquescent stirred awake. Their eyes met, and for a silent moment they took stock of the other. It was The Alluring that moved first.

She kissed her sister softly on the lips. Her body hovered over her sister -- one hand held her cheek, the other propped her up. She breathed into the waiting mouth and cast the spell of sharing essences. It was a warm, invigorating wave of energy and presence of mind that awoke the recuperating sorceress.

"Dear One, are you well?" the silent voice said as their souls joined.

"Alya, I thought he had killed you."

"He tried. Shush and share." She soothed the consciousness, and opened up her memories to that horrible scene as she fell to the Arena floor. The Deliquescent relived the whole event over with her sister -- the fall, the limping to safety, watching that slave save The Majestic from the Screech Beetles, his touch on her body as he ebbed the pain away, and even his lewd interrogation.

When it was over, the twin spirits merely existed as one, sharing in each other's presence and comfort for a time. Eventually it was The Deliquescent that opened up to share her time with The Unkillable and his plans for the Eltharian. She was slow to share in the elf woman's memories. Methodically she opened them up to her sister one by one and then closed them and waited. It was a skilled transition from one essence to another that help keep boundaries between the identities of the souls being shared.

"What is on your mind sister?" The Alluring said first.

"This human, Mule, is more a demon than this Riyarra. His skill is terrifying. The Majestic has a powerful slave. She could rival The Unkillable. Yet it looks to me as though The Majestic is not the holder of his leash. What is his purpose? Why did he want you to come for me? Why did he want us to speak against The Majestic to the council?"

"Good questions all." The Alluring admitted. "We need more answers before we act. For now let us do as promised, and take them from Riyarra."

"Be careful, Alya. Mule values Riyarra." The Deliquescent's voice gave The Alluring a sudden doubt.

"I have other doubts. The General associates with too many lesser species. He attacked his own kind, and openly. If we side with him, we go against The Majestic's monster. If we do not, the General will kill us."

"He is a dying dragon." The Deliquescent put a perfect name to the feeling they both shared. The paranoia, the open display of violence against perceived enemies, the association with dumb brutes over his own kind -- all similar to the violent paranoia of a dragon that knows its death is coming.

"Then what shall we do? I am afraid, Mila." The Alluring admitted, and sought solace in her sister.

"We will speak with Riyarra, as promised." The Deliquescent said with conviction. She wanted a rematch against the elf.

****

A quick snap. A gurgle of disbelief. A spasm of released muscle tension. They all died the same.

Mule dropped the sentry's body and watched this Zecarin solder slowly change into the bare, scaly, opalescent hide of a Veldain Chameleon. That made six chameleons where there should have been six under elves. He paused and reflected on the corpse. He had left the others out in the open; should a guard come by they would question a dead slave less than a dead Zecarin -- unless there were no real Zecarins in this compound. But then again, if they were all Chameleons, and they were finding their comrades' bodies, they would look to their master for an explanation. This could work to Mule's advantage.

A bad smell wafted up the hallway along with the loud thumping of something massive. The hallway was barely lit, only a few glow lanterns were hanging from their wall posts. The creature that was coming from the darkness ahead was large and lumbering. Mule faced it as two beady red eyes shown like pinpoints in the black beyond. They locked in on him and the creature charged.

Mule bent down and picked up the sentry's spear, bracing it against his foot. The perfect scapegoat for his executions just presented itself.

****

The Twins stood side by side. Each had an arm wrapped around the other's waist for support. They wore matching brown servant's dresses, and had their white and black hair hanging straight down. Their elongated ears poked out between the strands. They looked identical with matching rich amber eyes. They stood at the entrance to a steel barred cell with the chained Eltharian; the guards had stepped outside the cellblock by The Unkillable's order. If this elf got the better of them, they would be on their own to defend themselves. The elf knew this as well.

Riyarra dangled with her arms stretched outward by the chains. She watched them through her one good eye. The other had been taken by her torturer. The socket had bled badly, leaving a trail down her cheek and down her bare body. She was covered in hundreds of rough abrasive gashes all over her limbs and torso. They had been very cruel with her.

The Deliquescent swallowed hard as she met that steeled, one-eyed gaze. The girl she knew before was gone. This creature was not in a diplomatic mood, there would be no posturing, no pleading, no deceiving, no reasoning -- all of that had died along with her sanity during the torture. This creature that glared at them silently with a tight, broken lip could barely be called sentient now; her mind had shattered and her most basic instincts were rampaging inside her. Feral, violent, brutal, she had become what they had done to her. The twins were ladies of stature, proper and cunning, they fought with words and reason. But this beast required sheer strength of will to subdue.

"I can't." The Deliquescent murmured and nuzzled her cheek against her sister's.

"She expects us to take from her." The Alluring whispered back. She was also taken aback by the state the Eltharian elf was in. She was no stranger to the horrors of torture, but even this was too much. But as she looked at the elf it was revulsion she felt, not pity. "We will give back to her what she has lost. We'll make her feel loved."

They approached arm in arm, with the opposite hand outstretched to touch the elf lady's face. With each step, the chained creature tensed more. Her nostrils flared and that one eye radiated hate through it at both of them. It wanted them to get closer, it had something in store for them, and they could sense it as well. With their hands inches from her face, the twins paused and regarded the Eltharian.

"First, let's clean up this mess." The Alluring said. She called the magical energy into her hand just as she had done so many times before. Healing was a basic use of magic, almost every sorcerer knew it; it was the first lesson because it was the least dangerous to the magic user. The Deliquescent mirrored her actions, and together they touched both cheeks of Riyarra's face. The effect was immediate; the bruises disappeared, the cuts and scrapes vanished, her missing eye started to grow back, even her roughly shorn head was rapidly growing her long blond hair back. When they finished, the Zecarin twins stepped back and let the prisoner recover.

Re-growing an eye was an uncomfortable sensation; there was no pain from the sister's magic, but the nerve endings inside the socket could feel motion as something grew and made connections with them. She blinked rapidly, and the side of her face twitched from the discomfort. But when it finished she opened it and let it adjust to the light in the room. Then it focused on the Zecarin sorceresses that stood smugly staring at her. They were impressed with their work.

"There now, much better." The Alluring commented. "Now, will you speak with us? You surprised my dear sister, but together you will find us more formidable." The Deliquescent remained silent, she had fallen into her old role of letting her sister take the lead. Riyarra stared at them defiantly; she was done letting Zecarins interrogate her. There was a look in The Alluring's face she didn't like -- arrogance. It wasn't that she knew she could win by forcing their combined will on hers, but that she had something else to use, some secret or trick.

"I want to share with you a memory. It is of your lover, Mule." She lifted her hand and her sister did the same. Together they touched both of the prisoner's temples, and invaded her mind in an instance. There was no contest, no delicate intrusion, no resistance; the twin's power was overwhelming and the elf was forced to relive the attack on the Arena pavilion through the eyes of The Alluring. She felt the fear as the Zecarin fell, the pain of breaking her leg, and the desperate limp to safety behind the kennel gates. From there she watched in horror struck curiosity as this faceless slave bare handedly slew a screech beetle, a fluke surely, until he did it again with equal ease. Awe and fear claimed her as he approached carrying the Majestic's body, but when he removed that hood she was speechless. It was her first encounter with a human, and he left an unforgettable impression. The Alluring awoke a second later to find herself bound and gagged, powerless to the interrogation of this human. He knew exactly how to use leverage against her, threatening the one thing she needed more than life -- hope of her life returning, but also the fear of it returning corrupted. That image faded away, and the sorceresses withdrew from the elf. Riyarra winced and shook her head violently as she tried to force the memory out of her mind. The twins stood back and waited.

"He is more than you think." The Alluring said. "My sister saw your memories, and she believes Mule is unique among humans, because even you were surprised by his prowess." Riyarra didn't respond she just stared at the floor trying to shake the disorienting cloud from her mind. It had jarred her consciousness to the surface to beat down her savage instincts. "Are humans a threat to the Eltharian?" Riyarra looked up with a quizzical scowl. "This one has an interest in you, are you safe from him? What is his plan for you when you are free? We believe he can do this - free you. He has the power to simply fight his way out past our army. So why doesn't he? What does he want from us and you?" That was it. That was her trump card. She asked the hard questions that had been building in the back of Riyarra's mind. The elf's quizzical scowl subtly changed to a doubtful one.

"Just kill me." She growled. "I am ready." It was The Deliquescent that moved first this time. She touched the elf's cheek and felt her tense up. Half expecting another mind probe, half repulsed out of anger.

"Riyarra." The Deliquescent spoke soothingly. "You know me. We shared essences. I am not a killer."

"Coward." The elf sneered. "You will just sate your sick desires with my mind, just like your soldiers did with my body." Her barb hit the mark, and The Deliquescent recoiled. She wasn't oblivious that these two were different, she saw the pity in their faces when they first looked upon her. But they were just a different type of torturer, they flaunted their kindness at her hoping to instill hope within her. Perhaps she would believe them, and hope they would help her -- if she only cooperated. These two Zecarians were no different from the others, they did things differently yet were just as cruel.

"Is Zecair in danger from the humans? How do you kill one?" The Alluring spoke up now. Now she had the heart of it, they were afraid for their own security now. Mule had given them another problem to fear.

"Stick one with a sword last I heard." Riyarra snorted. There was a noise at the door, and it opened. The guard outside stepped into the cellblock and was walking their way. The twins looked to one another briefly before turning around to face him; they broke hands from the other as The Aluring went to meet him.

The soldier never had a chance as The Alluring raised her hand open palmed, hissed a guttural sound, and closed her hand suddenly. The guard gasped and clutched his chest as the bones inside crunched loudly. He dropped to the ground instantly dead. At the same time The Deliquescent gestured with a sweeping motion at the round stone door and it rolled shut. All this didn't bother Riyarra, she didn't care what they did with their minions, she wasn't about to let them get to her mind again. She bit her tongue sharply and grinded her teeth into it. A cry of pain hissed through her teeth as the muscle tore and blood started to flow. The twins didn't miss it and quickly joined hands together. They were on her in an instant with their hands pressed to her temples. There was a blinding light before her eyes, and Riyarra was dragged into the soulstresm of shared consciousness. Then she was out of it again, her tongue was whole but the mind fog was back again.

There was a presence in front and behind her. Soft, delicate hands ran down her back and sides, caressing her. One of the sisters was in front of her, holding her chin up to look into her eyes. She touched their lips together, and Riyarra prepared her mind to resist the spell that would conjoin their spirits. But it didn't come. The Alluring simply kissed her. Her lips were soft and gentle. It caught Riyarra off guard.

"Calm your spirit. We aren't going to hurt you." The Aluring said, her amber eyes look deeply into Riyarra's bright green ones. She let her intentions be read; she wanted this elf to know exactly what she meant to do to her. This was a different kind of interrogation, one of passion. Another pair of hands drifted up the back of her body and gathered Riyarra's hair together -- she had forgotten about the Deliquescent. It pulled it back behind her head and started to braid it. The Alluring stepped back and turned to the dead guard. She removed one of the straps that held a dagger to his arm -- it was just the right length.