Conquistadora

"A new boy!" said one of them, in my language. "There's a new boy, everyone! Come on, sit down."

I looked over to Catalina, who gave me a curt nod, and I sat gently down between two of the boys.

"My name is Alfonso," said the boy to my left, speaking in a shoreline accent. "And this is Gustavo. What does your mistress call you?"

"Valentlino," I said. "That's what she calls me."

"That's lovely!" said Alfonso. "How are you feeling? Are you scared?"

Catalina folded her arms, smiling warmly, and said, "Make my boy feel welcome, Alfonso. I have something to attend to."

With that, she turned and left.

"Take care, Catalina!" said Alfonso. "Now, Val, you should tell us something about yourself."

For the next hour, I told the others my story. The, for a few more hours, I heard theirs. Some had been taken by the conquistadoras, others had come willingly, and still others had been given as gifts to these strange armored women. The boys all looked and acted healthy, and they told of the love and protection their new mistresses lavished on them.

The night wore on. Just as the stars grew hazy from the approaching sun, I heard something behind me. Hands clamped around my mouth, and strong arms pulled me to my feet. Beside me, I could see other boys being yanked and restrained by shadowy, feminine figures.

I tried to look up, hoping against hope that I would see Catalina, but the hands held my head where it was, forbidding me to look closely. As soon as we had all been seized, one of the women said something in the conquistadora language, and they carried us down to the edge of the camp, away from the four-legged beasts, the fires and the other women.

In a dip between two sand dunes, the women let us go, sending us tumbling into a hot, painful heap. We disentangled ourselves, and I looked up at the dozen women on the crest of the dune, all in thin outfits of leather and wool.

"Who are these?" I whimpered. "Where's Catalina?"

"This..." said Alfonso. "I thought we were done with this."

"What?"

"Just do what they say. Please, don't cry out, or they'll punish us."

I looked to Alfonso, then back to the women, and my heart sank. Now I knew exactly what to expect.

The tallest woman advanced and put her hands on her hips, sweeping her eyes across the gaggle of men who cowered beneath her. Licking her lips, she took one by the wrist, hoisted him up and dumped him back down on the sand. Before he could regain his bearings, she was on top of him.

I turned just quickly enough to see a short, rugged-looking black-haired woman bearing down on me. Her arms wrapped around my bare chest, and she forced a kiss, mashing and sucking on me with irresistible force. Her hands found their way beneath my loincloth, and eager fingers grabbed at my rear, grasping and kneading my flesh, pulling body against hers. My cock hardened through the cloth, and I knew she could feel it. A little moan transferred through her lips, and she stopped the kiss.

Her predatory brown eyes bored holes in me. She flashed a carnivorous grin.

She pushed, and I fell back, my body unfurling in the soft sand. I felt the air tickle my balls as she lifted away my only clothing. Her hands were everywhere, pumping the shaft, palming my balls and running up and down the gentle grooves of my stomach muscles. Lips touched my stomach, running slowly up my chest, her tongue lapping at my skin. Teeth closed around my nipples, and I yelped, clutching fistfuls of sand.

The woman let out a hearty, breathy laugh and straddled my chest. Hot liquid ran down my skin, and she sighed as she scooted herself up my body. Planting her palms on the ground, she hosted her womanhood up to my lips, seized my hair and pressed me into her.

I knew what she wanted me to do, and I also knew that I didn't have a choice. I flicked my tongue out, barely touching her hot membrane, and she squealed. Her hands pulled my head in, burying me into her, and I could feel her legs shaking with tension. I could scarcely breathe, and moisture and musk filled the air around me.

I flicked my tongue out again, making a long pass over one of her walls, and she pushed harder. I stuck my tongue as far in as it would go, wiggling it back and forth, then swept upward. The tip of my tongue grazed her clitoris, and she shook, almost crushing me.

She lifted away and grinned at me, staring down her whole body at my prone, defenseless form. Her palm pressed onto my collarbone, mashing me into the sand, and she shifted back, straddling my pelvis. Her hand reached down and grabbed my organ, pumping a few more times.

I braced myself.

"Deténgase!" cried a voice.

The black-haired woman froze and looked up. She hastily dismounted me, her foot smashing into my hip. She stood up along with the rest of the women, leaving us men as hot, wet wrecks on the sand.

I dreaded to imagine what it was that scared her. Gathering myself, I pulled my loincloth back on. I turned and looked.

Catalina was there, bleary-eyed and wearing only a simple cloth tunic that covered her torso and upper legs, leaving her arms and neck bare. She stood beside another, armored Conquistadora. In front of them, a woman in black robes stood imperiously on the dune crest, her brown hair hanging well past her stomach. Her right hand held a box with a strange symbol on it, and the left one curled into a fist.

"Pecadoras," she frothed, "Exclpiquen este. Se he advertido dos veces ahora. Esos hombres no son sus. Han roto las escrituras una vez demasiada."

The woman who had just been straddling me now trembled. Her companions gathered behind their frightened leader.

"Conmigo," said the robed woman. "Todos. Dejen los hombres. María, encuentren las esposas. Catalina, vigílenlos."

I watched, amazed, as the women who had been smothering us mere seconds ago stood up and carefully donned their clothes, peeking fearfully at the robed one, who led them away, seething with cold indignation. The armored Conquistadora sprinted off, leaving Catalina.

Catalina rushed down into the pit. I reached up for her, and she clasped me. Instantly, I felt safe.

"I'm sorry, Valentino," she said to me. "I am so sorry. I didn't think this would happen again."

"Who were those?" I asked.

"I'll explain. Wait a moment."

Catalina stood still and watched the camp until a few armored women came marching for us, their faces full of concern.

"There," said Catalina, "now, to get you cleaned up."

Gently, she released me, then took my hand and led me back to the camp. She sat me on a log in front of a fire and dipped her hands in a wooden bucket full of water. She placed her hands on my chest and started rubbing, and I could feel sweat and dirt falling away. The cold water should have made me bristle, but, under her careful touch, I only felt warmth. When she reached my cheeks, she daubed carefully around my eyes, cleaned under my hair without pulling on it and even used her blade to shave my facial hairs, all without hurting me. When she finished, her fingers curled softly around my chin and pulled me up to her. Our lips met with a gentle press and a flood of warmth. Her hands fell over my shoulders like shrouds, and I allowed myself to be held as we savored each other. We separated, and I snuggled against her, feeling her warmth and strength all around me. For minutes- hours, maybe- we sat under the stars, with nothing but each other and the fire.

At last, Catalina spoke up.

"Those women who took you," she began. "They were sinners. A sinner is one who breaks the laws of Queen."

"Queen?"

She looked at me for a moment, shock marring her peaceful visage.

"The other boys didn't tell you, did they?" she said. "Queen is Goddess, creator of all things. She looks after the world and all womenkind."

"Who looks after mankind?"

"Women do. Queen has set four laws that every woman must obey. First: never lay down two coals where one will suffice. Second: always measure before you pick an apple. Third: never lay a hand on your own family, unless it is for their own safety."

"What does that mean? And what's an apple?"

Catalina giggled and said, "It means you never take more of something than you need, always think before you act, and never act in anger around someone you love."

I curled up tighter in her arms and said, "I like that last one."

"You've been hurt before, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"Where is your home?"

"A little west. Its name won't mean anything to you."

"We're going west tomorrow. Our next target is a little village across the desert."

My face went slack.

"That's your home, isn't it?"

I thought on this for a long moment. Catalina stroked my hair gently, waiting for a reply.

"I have no home," I said at last. "We have a saying in my village, 'a seed grows where it is planted.' And I can never go back to where I was planted."

"And that makes you homeless? In my land, we say, 'home is where the heart is.'"

I stopped a moment, processing this idea. She was suggesting that I could decide where my home was, not the other way around. She was saying that my home could change.

"Yes," I said. "Yes... that's it. My heart left that place when the women stopped treating me like a friend. A little before I married, something changed. I was no longer someone to be protected. I was only a possession, a means to an end and something to fight over. If my heart is anywhere, it's here, Catalina."

"That's a big thing to say after just one night."

"I have to trust my heart to someone. Please, be gentle with it."

Her hand found mine and clasped it.

"You have to know what you are getting into," she said. "You must realize that we are invaders. Doña Hernánda won't let us stop until she finds the city of gold she seeks."

"You can take my village. Just treat the others as well as you're treating me. That's all I ask."

"I will do what I can."

A pause.

"A city of gold?" I said. "You'll be searching in this land for a long time."

"I know," she sighed. "Such is the life of an adventurer."

"Come, rest with me."

Unfurling myself from her touch, I stepped over to her cot by the fire and set myself on one side of it. I looked up at her expectantly. Her stare grew sultry, and I knew I had her interest.

To my delight, she got down and stretched herself alongside me, her strong, soft blue eyes staring straight into mine.

I fell asleep under the spell of those eyes.

* * *

"Levántate, Catalina. Es el día grande."

My eyes shot open, and, for one awful moment, I didn't know where I was. I saw Catalina, and my nerves cooled. The events of last night came marching back to me, one at a time.

Beside me, Catalina stretched, groaning noisily. She gathered herself and sat up.

"Uno momentito," she said. "Valentino, we march today. Can you walk far?"

"Yes."

"Good. Come with me to breakfast."

At breakfast, the conquistadoras ate fruits, meats and vegetables that I had never lain eyes on before, plus a few local morsels, which they generously shared with me.

"Valentino," said Catalina, "I want you to stay here while we attack the village. If you got hurt in the fighting, I would never forgive myself. And... I'm not sure you want to watch us take the village."

"What?" I said. "You can't leave me. Don't you remember what happened last time?"

Catalina stopped eating and thought for a moment, frowning.

"It's true," she said, "there would be women who stayed behind here, and they could be a danger to you. But to come with us... you realize what you are asking for, don't you? You could witness a battle."

"I know," I said. "I don't know what I am getting into, but I know what I am getting out of. I need you protecting me, Catalina. What happened last night... that's what I came here to get away from."

Catalina sighed, her eyes emanating concern, and said, "So be it. You can come with me. But please, in Queen's name, keep yourself safe."

"Don't worry. I have no illusions about my usefulness in combat, and I know a thing or two about concealment."

An hour later, we marched across the desert, going the back the way I had come. The conquistadoras carried most of their burdens, but also loaded some onto the strange hoofed animals that walked with them. Their men carried the rest.

My village appeared, looking foreign as a silhouette in the distance. Quickly, Catalina donned her armor, shutting herself in beneath hard, shiny plates.

She sent me one more worried glance.

"Don't worry about me," I said to her. "I'm not a fighter, but I'm not a fool either."

We reached the village, and the conquistadoras lined up in front of it, the men and boys filtering back. If I had had any sense, I would have hung back with the other boys, but I stayed close behind Catalina. I couldn't leave her just yet."

Up ahead, the women of the village formed an opposing line, some already carrying their weapons. The chieftain stepped up to the front, forgoing the servant-borne litter that most chiefs used. She stood up straight and approached the conquistadora, only to be elbowed aside by Nemamauhtilo, the representative of the Itecotlaca empire.

"Hey!" shrilled a loud voice, "That's him!"

I looked, and a shudder passed all the way up my spine; that was Maccuahuitl, armed and war-painted as always. She was staring straight at me.

Everyone- even the leaders- looked to the two of us. Catalina looked back, seeing my terrified expression, and looked back to Maccuahuitl. Immediately, she understood.

"You may have chosen him," said Catalina, throwing an arm around me, "but he chose me."

"You stole him!" cried Maccuahuitl. "Damn you, you stole my husband! I'll fight you for him!"

"There is no need for that," boomed a new voice.

The rest of the crowd and I looked over to the leader of the conquistadoras. She sat astride one of the four-legged animals, stable as a tree. She looked down at Nemamauhtilo.

"We will settle this with a duel," the leader continued. "Our best warrior against yours."

"The best?" shrieked Maccuahuitl. "You're looking at her!"

It was true. Maccuahuitl was far from the wisest, but she was among the mightiest and easily the quickest.

"I will allow this," said Nemamauhtilo.

My jaw dropped. I had never seen such authority granted to anyone, let alone to Maccuahuitl.

"Let us begin, then," said the lead conquistadora. "Catalina?"

Catalina cracked her knuckles loudly and turned back to me with an expression of stony determination. When she saw my distress, her face warmed.

"Do not fear, Valentino," she said, putting her hands on my shoulders. "I have seen many battles, and I will win this one. I promise you, that woman will not take you."

I reached for her. Her hand cradled my head, and her soft lips pressed onto mine. I closed my eyes. All too soon, she pulled away.

She turned and walked towards the village, drawing a long, thin, shiny weapon that glinted in the sunlight, keeping her footsteps soft. Maccuahuitl stalked up to meet her, hunching over her obsidian-bladed club and snarling.

I wanted to shut out this horrible sight, but I couldn't. My eyes were glued to Catalina as she lunged forward and jabbed with her blade, only for Maccuahuitl to duck away from the blow, elbowing the Conquistadora between the shoulder blades.

Catalina recovered herself quickly, and Maccuahuitl faced her, circling her and glaring with deadly eyes. Suddenly, Maccuahuitl broke away and ran straight for me.

I froze.

In an instant, she was all over me. Those oppressive arms braced in front of my throat, and I felt her body on my back. The blades of her club glinted inches from my face.

"Put that weapon down!" she barked, "or I kill him!"

Catalina stopped. She stood up straight, stiff with horror. Everyone else- especially the women of the village- gaped at her.

"Put it down!" she said again, "or I'll cut him open!"

Catalina thought for a moment, straining visibly to keep calm, and said, "You can't destroy your own husband."

"You want to test that?"

With a quick flourish, Catalina slid her weapon into her sheath. She undid a buckle around her waist, and the sheath fell to the sand, making a little pit where it landed.

"Now release him," she commanded.

The arms came away from my throat, and I kicked myself away from Maccuahuitl, sprinting off toward the other villagers. As soon as I realized what I was doing, I slid to a stop, kicking up a wave of sand, and started for the line of conquistadoras. But there would be no one there to receive me.

I stood in between, realizing that I now had no one to run to. I had abandoned my village, and Catalina had not yet won me. I looked back to the fight, full of hope.

Maccuahuitl rushed at Catalina, swinging her club with blinding speed. The club glanced against Catalina's armor, drawing sparks, and Catalina staggered back. Maccuahuitl lunged again, striking upward, but Catalina had already given that ground, and the weapon whooshed harmlessly through the air. Before Maccuahuitl could recover, Catalina's hand darted out and seized her wrist, and, with the other hand, shoved her back, knocking her off balance.

Maccuahuitl landed flat on her back, grunting, and Catalina was instantly on her, pinning her down. For a moment, Maccuahuitl reached for her fallen club, trying and failing to break the conquistadora's hold. She ceased her efforts with a huff.

"I yield," she growled.

Catalina stood up, wiping sweat and dirt from her face. Maccuahuitl bolted to her feet and retreated into the village, leaving her weapon behind.

The conquistadoras raised a cheer, and the men joined in. I cracked a smile, then a grin, laughing with elation as I realized what I had just seen. I pumped my fist and added to the fanfare, then rushed into Catalina's arms. She swept me up, swinging me around her, then finally set me down and planted her lips on mine.

"You did it!" I gasped. "You defeated her! Oh, thank you, Catalina!"

"Thank you for staying with me," she returned. "I'm only glad there wasn't any bloodshed. Now hold still..."

Catalina brought up a knife, holding it between her thumb and forefinger, and slid it carefully beneath my collar. The next moment, I felt the tough leather band falling away.

Words failed me, and I pressed myself deeper into her.

I looked over her shoulder, watching as Nemauhmautilo backed away. The conquistadoras marched on the village, weapons sheathed, and the village women slowly parted to let them through.

"There's a grotto to the northwest," I told Catalina. "Meet me there this evening. I've got something special for you."

Catalina smiled, showing just a hint of blush, and said, "I'll be there."

* * *

A little rocky cliff rose on the far side of the grotto, crawling with vines and topped with palm trees, hiding me from the horizon beyond.

Above, a sliver of moon shone through the clouds, painting a pure white arc on the surface of the water. Little ripples rose and fell against the ferns at the water's edge, and insects fluttered peacefully across the leaves.

I knelt by the shore opposite the rocks, clearing a patch of soil for Catalina.

I heard rustling behind me, and I perked up. I turned around, grinning with excitement.

Catalina emerged from the foliage, wearing her hair in a single golden braid that flowed down her shoulders. Upon seeing me, she unbuckled a knife from her belt and discarded it.

"Good evening, Valentino," she said, in a low, husky purr.

"Good evening, Catalina. I've got something to show you. But first, would you like to bathe?"

Catalina grinned widely and curled her fingers under the hem of her shirt. Slowly, she pulled the garment away, revealing smooth muscles and soft, even skin. The shirt came up over her chest, exposing small but unmistakable mounds capped by firm pink points.