Queen Yavara Ch. 26

"Assassins then, Your Highness?"

"Did I ask you to talk?!" I snapped at the knight, "Your job is to break bones and throw people out of windows, not to fucking brainstorm!" I whirled on Glendian, "When is your next meeting with Ternias?"

"In three days." He mumbled.

I drew my thumb along the gash I'd made in his cheek. "Heal this, compose yourself, and go to him. Bring Elena with you."

"What?!" Elena gasped.

I stepped to her until we were a whisper apart. "Is Glendian telling the truth?" I asked so that only she could hear, "Did he promise your mother's safety in exchange for my death?"

"He said Lord Ternias would make it so. I didn't believe him."

"Why would you trust me over him after everything I'd done to you?"

"You were the devil I knew."

"Was that all?" I smiled.

Elena touched my face gently. "No, but I blame everything else on hormones."

I snorted. "Yes, you must be a disaster of estrogen and testosterone in this body." I looked into her azure eyes, "But you trusted me then. Can I trust you now?"

"Why would Ternias let me get near him?"

"Glendian has told him you are no agent of mine. He thinks he's privy to exclusive information, and will try to use you as a weapon against me."

"Perhaps he'll succeed; you know where my true allegiances lie."

"What difference does it make now?" I hissed, "That army is going to crush Yavara no matter who rules the Highlands! Do you think Ternias will help her? He was one of the greatest proponents for war! Deal with the devil you know, Elena."

"Maybe I should get to know Lord Ternias."

"I couldn't stop you. I wouldn't know you betrayed me until the knife was in my back." I rested my forehead on her chest, "I thought I knew how the board was set, but Ternias has changed the game. I dare not make another move until I know who else plays it. Find out who they are."

Elena took my head between her hands. "What will you give me in return?"

"What do you want?" I whispered.

"What Ternias has already promised me."

"No."

"No?!"

"Ternias will promise the sun and the moon to you, then kill you the moment you've filled your purpose. I have always been honest with you Elena, so I will not lie to you now. I will never let you go."

She looked like she'd scream at me for a moment. Then she took one breath, then another, and brought our forehead together. "We had a deal, Leveria. I'm not doing a fucking thing until I see her."

ADRIANNA

Yavara let me wear a sword. I wondered if she thought it was amusing. There were ample opportunities when she turned her back on me, leaving a wide-open shot with only a few paces between us. Sometimes she'd look over her shoulder and smirk, daring me to try. A better man would've done it. A better man. I scoffed, A better woman would've done it too. I latched the trunk, and dragged it to the edge of the hole that centered the tower of Castle Thorum. It was heavier than I remembered; a lot heavier. I wiped the sweat from my brow, then tore my sword from its scabbard, and slashed at the woman behind me. The blade imbedded into the wood, creating a fractal crack into the glass it framed. I'd attacked a mirror. I hadn't recognized the woman in it. She was beautiful for an abomination. Though her old uniform hung loosely from her, it did little to hide the magnificent swell of her breasts, the tantalizing jut of her hips, and the alluring bulge of her ass. I blinked at my reflection, not comprehending what I was seeing. My features were fair and elegant; my broad nose now narrow and pointed, my sunken eyes now big and expressive, my thin lips now full and luscious. The forty years of lines that once marred my complexion were smoothed over with radiant bronze skin, its rich hue a contrast to the nearly white hair above it, and the piercing blue of my sapphire irises. But it wasn't just the way I looked, for my motions were fluid and graceful, the aggression and militarism gone from them. Indeed, I had to think to walk like a man, or my hips would swing lasciviously, an advertisement of my fertility. Oh yes, there was that too. Desires I could not explain that somehow needed no explanation. The pulling in my loins was now an aching in my nethers, the throbbing in my tip was now a pulse in my pearl, the frothing of cum was now a wetting of my lower lips. And what brought about these desires? I was certainly still attracted to women, yes, but there was a deeper attraction, one that stirred something ancient within me. Something I could not fight for long.

I balled my hands and smashed my fists against the tabletop. Stubborn. Yes, I was certainly that. Stubborn to cling to the man I was no longer, stubborn to grasp for pride where I could not find it. If Brock Terdini had lumbered over to me with his hard cock still stinking of April's ruined shithole, would I have wrenched my face away in disgust, or licked my lips and dropped to my knees? The thought made my stomach turn. And my nethers moisten. My mind went unbidden to fantasies of April writhing between the bodies of orcs, all her holes ravaged, that possessed look in her eyes. Bliss. Such a sweet surrender to abandon pride and become a whore of the moment, a prisoner to the flesh, a slave to perverse desires and even more craven emotions. It aroused me to see her violation. It aroused me even more to imagine it were me.

"Goddamn it!" I hissed against the table. No, it wasn't pride that kept me stubborn. It was pure hatred.

"Commander?" A familiar voice asked.

I looked up at my reflection. It had changed slightly, the features becoming more angular, the eyes more azure than sapphire. Elena. "Hey Tiger." I croaked, wiping the tears from my eyes.

Elena blinked twice, her mouth hanging agape.

"It's good to see you still alive." I smiled ruefully, "I thought you would've bit the poison by now."

"Commander, you're a-"

"I am. I guess you probably think I got what I deserved."

"I don't know what you deserve."

I ran my fingers through my hair. "Neither do I. I know that April didn't get what she deserved. Do you know what Yavara did to her?"

"I saw," Elena shifted uneasily, "the mirror doesn't turn off on this end."

"Of course it doesn't." I snorted, "So, what does the voyeuristic queen of the Highlands have you doing all preened up and in one piece?"

"She's using me as a political tool." Elena cracked a smile. "Among other things."

"That'a girl." I smiled back.

She gave me a furtive look. "I'm sure Yavara has made good use of you, Commander."

"Once, but I can no longer fill that role. I can't fill anything anymore."

She raised her brows. "That's... intriguing."

"Intriguing." I laughed, "Yes, I'm quite the curiosity. When I was commander of the vaunted Ranger Corps, I didn't get half as much attention as I do now for simply having d-cups."

"D-cups? Lucky you."

"Lucky me."

"You have my empathy, but not my sympathy."

"We're in rather the same situation, aren't we?" I smiled bitterly, "How has she made you betray yourself?"

Elena frowned. "I'm a political prisoner, not a slave."

"She tortured you for days."

"And now she lets me roam free."

"Little freedoms keep a slave better than chains. They make you docile."

"Leveria respects the distinction; that's why I'm alone right now, and she's anxiously pressing her ear to the door trying to overhear me."

There was a yelp, then a scuffle, and Elena giggled over her shoulder as embarrassed footsteps sounded down the hallway. She bit down on a private smile, then looked back at me. "Where is Yavara?"

"Getting ready to massacre the rest of the rangers."

Elena opened her mouth, then closed it. She shook her head.

"You don't believe me? After what you saw her do to April?"

"Her blood was hot. I can't justify what she did, but she wasn't herself when she did it."

I leaned toward the mirror until my nose almost touched it. "Do you know how many rangers survived the attack on Castle Thorum?" I whispered. "Seventy-three. Do you know how many are left now?" I held up one finger, "She fed the rest to the vampires. She even ate one herself."

"Liar."

"Am I?" I hissed, "Does hot-blooded rage make someone systematically torture an innocent girl until her mind is broken? She made me watch them take April; she raped me while they did it." I grabbed a fistful of my shirt, and tore it open, my breasts bursting from their constraints, "That's how she changed me!" I snarled, "But she's not done, no! She's ordering that I go with her on her little hunt so that I can watch the last of my legacy die on the forest floor! Those were your brothers and sisters, Tiger, and she's going to cut them down like dear at a tree line!"

"It's war, Commander!" Elena growled back, "There's an army marching right for the Tundra, and when they get there, do you think they're going to make the distinction between women, children, and soldiers?"

"No." My grin was like a grimace, "They're going to do what we rangers should've done a long time ago, and slaughter the animals."

"You don't believe that."

"Don't I?" I growled, "Where did all my compassion get me? Did they return the favor? You know, it was Zander who picked me to be head-ranger; why do you think he chose me?" I gestured to the room, "This castle stood for a thousand years, and I let it fall to the very enemy it was built to stop! The Highlands has grown soft under the stewardship of weak men. We need a strong queen to finally end the millennium-old mistake of mercy."

Elena stared coldly at me. "I looked up to you once. You were like a father to me when I had no one else. I admired you, I tried to emulate you, I tried to make you proud. What a waste of my time that was."

"It was all a waste of time, Tiger." I muttered, resting my head in my hands, "I thought the rangers were peacekeepers, but we were just placeholders for war."

"Let me talk to Yavara."

"You know I won't."

Elena's face twisted. "Please, Commander. She needs to know I'm okay."

I sighed. "I know there's probably nothing you could tell her that would change anything, or Queen Tiadoa wouldn't let you do this, but I still can't take that risk." I grabbed the mirror, "And besides that, Tiger, I want her to think you're slowly being cut to pieces in a dark cell beneath Bentius. Her suffering is the only thing keeping me sane right now."

"Commander!"

"I'm not your commander anymore." I said, walking toward the hole, "We're just traitors now, the both of us, but you're much worse than me."

"What?"

"Oh Tiger," I smiled sadly, "you couldn't hide it if you tried." I tossed the mirror into the hole, and watched it flip end-over-end into darkness. "Goodbye kiddo." I whispered, then kicked my trunk after her. I watched as all my possessions, all my memories and promises tumbled away. A boom sounded from deep below, and I felt some of the weight lift from my shoulders. A small smile cracked my lips, and a little giggle followed after.

"Goodbye, Thomas Adarian." I whispered to myself, "Hello, Adrianna."

YAVARA

The company of rangers moved silently along the forest floor. They looked up at the canopy and peered cautiously around boulders and into hovels, their bows in hand, their arrows nocked against the lax strings. They made it to the clearing, then the captain held up his hand, and the company halted. For a moment, there was only the ambiance of the forest; the chirp of birds, the whistle of wind, the creak of spruce and maple trees. Then there was a soft patter. The patter became the pounding of sprinting feet, and a young man burst into the clearing.

"Hold!" The leader hissed as bowstrings drew and arrows were aimed. The young ranger who had entered the clearing caught his breath, his hands on his knees. He was without his overcoat, and I wondered if he had been the scout from earlier.

"They're gone!" The scout gasped, "The castle's been abandoned!"

"How can you be sure?"

He pointed an unsteady finger to the west. "I ran to the bridge, and nothing happened. Then I ran across it, and nothing happened. Then I ran right up to the gate! There's no one there, Captain! They must've moved north soon after the orcs left!"

I could see the relief move through the company like a wave. Their heads rose, their shoulders relaxed, and they eased out of their crouching stances. One by one, they quivered their arrows, and shouldered their bows. That was when the nymphs removed their camouflage, and materialized from the brush like arboreal phantoms. They circled the clearing with wooden weapons in hand, each one honed to a killing point. I loosed the arrow I'd trained on the scout, and he fell gurgling before the stunned faces of his comrades, clutching at the haft in his neck. Then, chaos. The nymphs charged the encircled rangers and crashed into the column. They shrieked manically as they brought their weapons down again and again, viciously piercing through leather and flesh, sounding the discordant cacophony of screams and cries from the falling elves. The roiling mass of battle enclosed on itself until the circle was nearly filled. When I was satisfied with death, I jumped to the forest floor with a crash. The nymphs ceased their attack, pulling back to reveal seven rangers huddled together in the center, surrounded by their dead and dying. When they saw me, all color drained from their faces. The reaction excited me.

"Gentlemen, ladies," I said, smiling to the three men and four women, "I have an interesting proposition for you."

One of the women brandished a knife and rushed me, screaming with bulging eyes. I let the blade come to within an inch of my chest, then froze the poor fool in place, disarmed and disrobed her, and tossed her bodily before her comrades, naked and terrified. She scrambled to her feet and cowered behind the other rangers.

"...as I was saying," I continued without breaking my smile, "I'm willing to make a deal for your lives. Since it's clear there is some distrust between you and I, I brought someone you all trust to vouch for me. Adrianna!"

Adrianna stepped solemnly from the crowd of nymphs, not meeting my eyes. "Captain Dafian," she said to one of the men, "you've served your country well, and upheld the highest standards of the ranger corps. It's time to lay down your arms and spare the lives of your remaining soldiers."

"And just who the fuck are you?" Captain Dafian snarled, his sword poised to strike.

Adrianna stepped into killing range. "The last time we spoke, you asked me to send a bouquet of tulips to your mother, Rosiana."

Dafian's snarl affixed his face, but his eyes widened. His sword lowered a fraction. "Commander?" He whispered. The other rangers dropped their jaws in shock, looking from their captain, to their old commander.

"Not anymore." Adrianna said with a sad smile, "Now I'm just an old friend asking you to live."

"What did she do to you?!"

"She spared my life at the cost of my gender and race. She is offering you the same terms."

"And you thought I would accept?!" Captain Dafian roared. He turned toward me, his sword pointed at my chest, "I don't care who you trot out, you traitorous whore, I'd rather die than become like you!"

The ground shook, the trees groaned, and the nymphs retreated to the edge of the clearing. The rangers formed a tight perimeter, their gazes flitting frantically. Thick roots sprouted from the soil and wrapped about the fallen elves. Those unfortunates who hadn't yet died were constricted by the woody appendages like a boa's victim, and dragged screaming beneath the black earth. The tilled soil churned like a combative ocean, then calmed when Arbor's bare feet touched the ground beside me. A bed of tulips sprouted in a ring about the seven rangers, one flower for each fallen elf.

"You mistake me, Captain." I said, stepping toward the huddled rangers, "I am not offering you a choice."

"Death is always a choice." He hissed with a shaking voice.

"But it's such a boring one." I hooked my thumbs into the lacing of my corset and grinned. "Wouldn't you rather fuck me?" I sang, undoing the lacing and letting the garment fall to the forest floor. "Haven't you been curious," I asked sultrily, strutting to the captain, "about what it would be like to lay with the Dark Queen?" I ran my finger along the blade of his sword, my eyes daring him to swing it. "Surely, you've heard tales of my escapades;" I stepped into his guard, and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, "there's nothing I won't do to please a man." I whispered, and planted a kiss on his neck. I finished the embrace by pressing into him; my bronze breasts squishing against his chest, my crotch fixing against his groin. His mind was open to me, and I tasted his thoughts. Mortal fear, murderous hatred, and unrestrained wrath; a concoction like fine wine on a palate such as mine. I caressed his mind with my fantasies, my depthless perversions that treated such emotions as flavors to be tasted in the heat of lust. Eat, sleep, fuck, kill; even before my transformation, the extremes of life and sensation had mingled in my excitement. Now I whispered them into all their minds, and stoked the primal flame within their loins.

I slid my hands into his pants. "What are your desires, Captain?" I hissed, my seeking fingers finding their prize, wrapping coolly about his growing member. The heat of it sent a shiver through me, and cast my eyes into half-lidded expectancy. I stared into his warped gaze, seeing that delectable concoction of emotion. "I'm yours, Captain." I moaned breathily against his lips, "You can do whatever you want to me. Beat me, humiliate me, choke me and punish me." I licked his chin, "I'm not your queen," I felt him get hard in my hand, "I'm your begging whore."

"Please..." He hissed, such confusion in his face, "Don't do this!"

"You'll thank me when it's over." I whispered, my lips hovering just in front of his, my eyes staring lustfully into his own. "Nothing can compare to the pleasure a woman feels when a cock is inside of her. Will you put your cock inside of me, Captain? Or do I have to make you do it?" I watched his mind working behind the lens of his irises, and saw his fear, hatred and wrath corrupt with my desire. It wasn't indoctrination, but coercion, something done easily to someone who's backed into a corner with no choice. His face became hard and cold.

"Get on your knees." He hissed. I obeyed, but not quickly enough. He grabbed a fistful of my ebony hair, pulled out his stinking, fat cock, and rammed it into my throat. I took him easily, wrapping my lips around him and running my tongue along his delicious underside, tasting the salt of him, the rich tang of sweat and hormones. He smashed my face into his loins over and over, forcing my esophagus to stretch wide, sounding a symphony of gurgles from the stretched seal of my sucking lips. I could feel his rage; oh I could taste it. I gave him pleading, vulnerable eyes and whimpers of pain to encourage his sadism, to willow under his overbearing cruelty and succumb to his lust as he succumbed to mine.

The other two males undressed and came up behind me. One of them roughly pulled down my thong and pressed his cock against my puckered aperture.

Oh, fuck my ass!

He drove in hard, pushing my body forward, forcing my face to press against Dafian's crotch, my nose squishing, my nostrils flaring to take in the miasma of his loins. I screamed a muffled cry of pleasure around Dafian's cock, staring up with eyes full of arousal. I shifted my hips backwards against the man, clenching my sphincter around him as it slid the length of him, my rectum sucking him deeper into my vile depths, embracing his invasion. I reached back and spread my leaking cunt with my index and middle finger, moaning for the other man to fill me. The man in my ass pulled out and waited for a second. I almost turned around and yelled at him to put it back in, but I soon found out the cause of the delay. The other man pushed his cock atop his comrade's and they both rammed into my asshole as one. Oh, the pain was exquisite. I squealed in unfettered agony as I felt my rim stretch to a ruinous oval, giving Dafian the satisfaction of my genuine suffering.