Sisters of the Mists Ch. 04

Edna stood to follow the girls and keep an eye on them. "Go get Marlena, and then come to the girls' side of the manor once the dishes are done. Bring your family books. Between the four of them, and what all of you remember, maybe we can figure out what sort of demons you'll be up against out there in the desert."

"I probably know more about Rexxus than anyone, so I can tell you much about him and his powers," Ashley revealed. "I couldn't find the other demons, though."

"You shouldn't have run off on your own without telling me," Edna chided. "They may be in my book, and I could have helped you. With two more tomes to look through, odds are we'll find all three."

"I'll go get Marlena, then," Danica said, and then groaned as she got up, her full belly protesting the action.

"And we'll get started on the dishes," Andrea added.

Clearing her mind, Danica focused on the image of Blackhawk Hall's teleportation pattern as everyone else went to their tasks. Danica vanished on the wings of magic a few moments later, to reappear in the faraway keep.

Stepping out of the portal room, Danica nearly collided with a young man who was coming into the room. "I'm sorry," she apologized, and almost immediately heard his mind racing.

Wow, look at those boobs! They're huge! I wonder if she'll be staying overnight? Maybe she'll go to the bath and I can sneak a look at those tits and her pussy.

Christi walked up behind her son, bopping him on top of the head. "Stop staring. You're going to be late for sword practice if you don't hurry up. Your father will run you into the ground if you aren't down in the courtyard on time."

"Okay, Mom," he replied, taking one last, longing glance at Danica's chest, before running past his mother, out into the hall.

Christi sighed, "He's getting to be a chore. I'll be glad when he goes through his adulthood recognition ceremony this winter, so I can work on getting him married off. I've already had to warn every female in the keep, and I'm thinking I may have to warn the whole city soon. That's my oldest, Matthias."

"He's that age," Danica chuckled.

"Cerebus said he just needs to get it out of his system, so his brain will work again, and then we can explain that he needs to be careful. We don't need any unexpected heirs turning up." Glancing back over her shoulder at the retreating young man, she added, "I'm going to have Cerebus go ahead and take him down to the city, and let him work off all that pent up lust at one of the better bawdy houses. It will do him some good, and give one of the girls some bragging rights to drum up extra business."

"Sounds like you have it worked out," Danica laughed. "Has Marlena been up and about yet?"

A crooked grin spreading across her face, the Duchess replied, "Up, yes. The only about she's gotten around to is going to the bath, though. They went at it like rabbits all night, and started right back in this morning. Brandon is down in the courtyard with Cerebus, so at least she won't be wasting that bath. The men will be down there for hours drilling Matthias. How have you been?"

"We're all doing fine," Danica replied. She laughed then, and added, "Not as well as it sounds like Marlena has been doing the last two days, but well, all the same."

Gesturing for Danica to follow, Christi turned and started down the hall. "I've been meaning to see if I could get someone to contact all of you. We've been getting all sorts of disturbing reports from our spies, and I thought all of you might be able to shed some light on some of them."

Danica asked, "Zoraster's people?"

Christi nodded. "We think so, anyway. Things are going to come to a head quickly if it keeps up like this. Draxnog and Ferrartene have stopped searching for volunteers and have started conscripting. Despite everything we've shown them, we can't get Freeland or anyone else to make any overt counter-moves, either."

Danica followed Christi into a room and over to a desk while the Duchess continued. "We're preparing for war, and the others are taking steps, but if they don't start taking this deadly serious, we're all going to be in trouble." Picking up a stack of papers, Christi said, "These are the ones I wanted you to look at."

Accepting the documents, Danica leafed through them. Her brow furrowed as she saw several things that absolutely reeked of Zoraster's style. "I'll take them back with me and let you know what we think. You're right, though, Zoraster's people have their hands in a lot of this. Even dead, he's still a threat."

"I appreciate it," the Duchess responded. "If Draxnog moves, he's going to try to run over us first. Any information we have will help."

"Mom, the lady in the bath says she needs a towel," rang out a voice from the doorway.

"You know where they are, don't you, Jennica?" Christi asked, looking down at the little blonde girl.

"Uh huh," Jennica replied, nodding her head.

"Then go get one for Marlena," Christi said slowly, with obvious amusement in her voice. Then her brow furrowed, and she asked, "Who's watching Dax?"

Jennica spun back around, as she had already started out the door to fetch a towel. "Kronk's giving him a piggy back ride."

"Okay, take Marlena a towel, and tell her Danica is here with me."

"'K, Mom," Jennica said, and skipped out of the room.

Turning back to Danica, Christi said, "She's eleven. She'll be as much trouble as Matthias, soon. She's already started flirting with the guards. Dax is five, and he's like a whirlwind, leaving disaster in his wake everywhere he goes."

"At least you don't have a dozen, some of whom are starting to develop powers," Danica laughed.

"Gods forbid," Christi laughed, sitting down in a nearby chair. "Ashtar is supposed to be coming this evening." Christi paused for a moment, letting a sly smile spread across her face. "You could stay overnight and catch up with him. I know you're old friends. I have the perfect place for you to sleep tonight."

The Duchess knew of Danica's powers, and quite purposely let her thoughts turn to Danica. Those thoughts were very erotic, and very tempting. Danica shivered, letting out a little purr. "I'd love to, but there's something we need to do. That's why I'm here to get Marlena so early."

"Consider the invitation to stand until you can accept it. Cerebus and I nearly broke the bed, fantasizing about sharing it with you, after we both met you."

"If you don't stop that, I'm gong to forget why I'm here," Danica responded, with a twitch of her eyebrows.

"That wouldn't bother me at all," Christi said, and punctuated it with a laugh. She then stood up and said, "Care for some wine while we wait for Marlena to get here? It's good, but I have to warn you that it's Vladamir's vintage, so it kicks like a mule."

Danica playfully admonished, "Are you trying to get me drunk, now?"

Throwing Danica a coquettish look over her shoulder, Christi said, "If I was, I wouldn't have warned you about how strong it is."

They both laughed and settled in with their wine to await Marlena's emergence from the bath.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

"Well, well -- two of you this time, I see," Ebonar mused, watching Danica chat with the Duchess in one mirror, and Marlena lathering her breasts in the other. He chuckled, finding both amusement and arousal in the suggestive banter between the Duchess and Danica.

Ebonar suddenly stiffened, his eyes locking -- unseeing. When his muscles relaxed again, a wide smile spread across his lips.

In a flash of light, he vanished, to set things in motion.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

"You're relentless," Danica laughed, as Christi once again managed to connect their conversation to the two of them climbing into bed.

"Cerebus and I have been too busy to find company for our bed, lately. I figure the perfect way to fix that is to combine business with pleasure."

"I think I'm going to have to come back here -- very soon," Danica said, letting her desire creep into her voice. Though Danica was determined to fight the urges that the Awakening caused in her, there seemed to be little point in resisting the Duchess. There were no deeper expectations in Christi's mind, beyond the chance to share Danica with her husband. What concerned Danica most was when her desires caused others to react in ways contrary to their nature. It was obvious that Christi's heated passion was her norm.

"That's what I wanted to hear," Christi laughed. "I'll ease up a little, now."

"Marlena probably has the right idea, anyhow," Danica remarked, and shrugged. We all should probably get out a bit, or we'll start getting on each other's nerves."

"She should be out..." Christi bit off the last word, replacing it with a curse as she jumped up out of her chair.

Danica noticed the flash of light as well, and saw exactly what Christi did, a woodland troll appearing in the room. Another popped into existence a few feet away, hot on the heels of the first.

Lashing out instinctively with her telekinetic powers, Danica slammed the first creature into the ceiling. The pitiful monster didn't even have time to realize what had happened to it before the rap of its head on the ceiling stole its wits, and the fall to the floor stole its life, breaking the troll's neck.

Christi rolled under a table, away from the trolls, and came up with a sword in her hand, pulled from its hiding place below the table. Though there was no outward display, the Duchess had to assume Danica was responsible when the second woodland troll sailed across the room to hit the wall. Another flash of light right next to her drew Christi's attention a moment later.

Danica heard two screams. The first sounded like a little girl, and the second sounded like Marlena. "Marlena," she gasped.

"Jennica!" Christi screamed, and slashed the troll in front of her. The lightning quick strikes severed the creature's manhood and opened its throat. The monster didn't even have time to realize it was dead before Christi kicked it out of the way and sprinted out into the hall.

Danica followed, immediately speaking the words of a spell, when she saw one of the trolls with its claws dug into a serving woman's arm. Her magic missiles thudded into the creature's arm, stealing its strength, and allowed the servant to pull free.

A thunderous bellow caused Danica to turn, and she breathed a sigh of relief, which the Duchess echoed. A huge man stood over Jennica, and a small boy that Danica assumed must be Dax. He snatched up a troll in one huge hand, gripping the monster's face, and slammed it into the wall next to him. The troll's head burst open, and it fell atop a second corpse already lying on the ground.

A loud rumble, accompanied by a bright flash of light, echoed from behind a closed door, a little past the half-ogre and the children.

Christi shouted, "Stay with Kronk. Jennica, get the daggers out of his boots."

"Okay, Momma," Jennica replied, with a quaver of fear in her voice. She moved to obey, however, and pulled two daggers from the big man's boot sheathes. Kronk pulled a long knife from a sheathe at his waist at the same time.

Danica spun back around, having seen the edges of another flash. Yet another woodland troll hurtled down the hall, to bounce hard off the wall at the other end.

Christi gestured at the door down the hall and growled, "The baths."

Danica nodded, and followed the Duchess down the hall. Christi tried the door handle, but it was locked.

"Stand back," Danica warned.

Christi danced back out of the way, and Danica concentrated, blowing the door open with her powers. Both women dashed into the room to see a smoking troll lying on the ground. Beyond that, they saw Marlena, leaning against the huge bathing pool, nursing claw slashes running from her shoulder down to her bare right breast.

"Are you okay?" Danica asked, quickly moving toward her friend.

Marlena weakly nodded.

Another troll appeared, right next to Christi, and she stabbed it in the chest. Quickly pulling the sword free, she slashed the monster's throat for good measure.

Danica grabbed a washcloth and quickly -- but carefully -- washed Marlena's wound. All the while, her eyes darted, looking for more monsters.

Christi let her guard down when the sounds of fighting ceased, and no more creatures appeared. "I can't believe somebody is pulling this -- again," she snarled. She spun around, hearing footsteps, but relaxed when she saw Kronk and her two children.

"Ma Ma," Dax cried, and ran to her.

Christi held out her free arm and pulled the boy close when he reached her. "It's okay, Dax. All the filthy, stinking trolls are gone now."

"It doesn't look too bad. Let me get you a healing potion," Danica said to Marlena.

"Take a look at this," Kronk said to Christi, nodding down at Jennica.

Christi looked, and a wide smile spread across her lips. One of the daggers Jennica held had a smear of troll blood on it.

"It come up behind me. The little wildcat cut its hamstring before I could turn," Kronk laughed, and tussled Jennica's hair.

"That's my girl," Christi beamed.

By the time Marlena lowered the potion bottle, her wounds were healed. She accepted her robe from Danica and said, "Thank you."

"The hell are these things?" Christi said, and picked up a crude, wooden amulet from the floor, next to the last troll she had killed. The strike that had cut the monster's throat had also severed the crude thong attached to the amulet. "This thing is making my skin crawl."

Danica walked over while Marlena dressed, but didn't recognize the rough carving on the wood. She slipped into the second sight, and said, "It's blessed -- or rather cursed -- by a dark god."

"A woodland troll -- with a blessed amulet?" Christi scoffed.

Danica turned to look at the other smoldering troll. "That one has one too."

"Everybody alright?" A gruff voice called from the doorway.

Danica looked back to see the Duke, who had spoken, standing in the doorway with Brandon and Matthias. They all had swords in hand, and none of the blades were clean.

"We're fine," Christi replied.

"Fucking Draxnog," Mindblind growled.

"He doesn't learn any new tricks, does he?" Christi agreed. She smiled then, and pointed at her daughter. "Jennica got a good slash in. Hamstrung one of the filthy things."

"Ha! That's my girl," the Duke grunted. He swung an elbow into Matthias' ribs, and added, "The boy got a little bit more practice today than we expected. He got two of 'em."

Danica asked, "I take it this has happened before?"

"Years ago, before Matthias was even born," Christi answered. "Thanks for the help. Nice power you've got there."

"More worthwhile than mine," Marlena sighed. "It ignored my illusions. That's how it got to me."

"It didn't ignore that lightning bolt, though," Danica responded, nodding toward the blackened troll.

"It was a near thing," Marlena argued.

Danica immediately countered Marlena's self-depreciation, "You were naked. Unless you had an amber rod and some fur stashed somewhere, you cast that bolt without them."

Marlena's eyes widened, and she smiled. "I didn't even think about it."

"I know I didn't manage that on my third attempt. So quit putting yourself down, or I'll have to spank you," Danica playfully warned.

"I do that a lot, don't I?" Marlena said, apologetically.

"Matthias, why don't you take Dax," Christi suggested.

"Okay, Mother. Come here, Dax, you little terror," Matthias called.

The boy ran to his brother, and the two of them walked out of the room.

Christi walked over to Danica and said, "We've got to get this mess cleaned up, and get everybody organized, so we'll be ready if it happens again."

Nodding her understanding, Danica said, "We should get back, too. Everyone is expecting us. I'll get back with you about those reports you gave me."

"Going to deliver the news yourself?" Christi asked, with a twitch of her eyebrows.

"Maybe," Danica replied, and then laughed when she couldn't keep a straight face.

"We should find out what we can about those amulets," Christi suggested, nodding toward the one she'd dropped to the floor.

"A cleric or priest should be able to tell which god blessed it," Danica advised.

Inclining her head in acknowledgment Christi said, "We'll do that, then. See you soon."

"I'll stop by and say hello when I have more time, Brandon," Danica said, taking Marlena's hand.

"I was starting to think you didn't like me anymore," Brandon teased. Turning to the other redhead, he winked and added, "Nice lightning bolt, Marlena. You cooked that sucker good. All he needs is an apple in his mouth."

"I'd better get you out of here, before that rogue really turns on his charm," Danica remarked, giving Marlena's hand a little squeeze. Sending her thoughts immediately afterward, Danica added, Your face is going to ache if you keep smiling like that. Are you falling for him?

"No," Marlena answered aloud, color rising in her cheeks.

"No, what?" Brandon asked.

"Got to go," Danica declared with a mischievous grin. The words of a teleport spell rolled off her lips immediately afterward, and she vanished with Marlena, from the room.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

Ebonar growled and dismissed the image in the mirror. He had hoped that Danica would take one of the amulets with her. Through that link to Blorcasir, it might have been possible to trace her and discover her hiding place. The inspiration for the idea had not been his, of course, but the plan had.

"We will discover her den, soon enough," Ebonar heard a voice behind him say.

Ebonar immediately spun, dropping to one knee as he did so. "Master."

Stepping from the shadows, Zoraster Arias commanded, "Rise, Ebonar. We have much to do."

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

I hope you're enjoying Book II in Danica's trilogy. Please take a moment to vote/comment — it's what keeps us writing! Individual chapter votes can tell me a lot, so do vote on every chapter if you wish.

Big thanks to Roust Writer for his editing. I don't know how I got along without his keen eye, quick wit, and insight.