Squire Adela Ch. 02-04

"What were you doing on our land?" The woman asked. Obviously, speaking was a condition of eating.

"I am not in the habit of speaking to my captors," Marcus said.

"Think of this as a chance at redemption," the woman said. "Not a kidnapping."

"Can I at least see you?" Marcus asked. There seemed to be a quiet debate, though Marcus sensed no one else she could be talking to. He felt his blindfold being hesitantly removed. Before him was a woman beautiful, but underfed. Irrationally, he felt a surge of protectiveness towards the woman. She appeared fragile, and scared. It was difficult to imagine such a delicate woman killing four grown men. Let alone making an entire village full of people disappear.

"What is your name?" Marcus asked.

"You are our captive," the woman said, sounding like a child playing a game. "We removed your blindfold, now speak."

Inquisitive, Marcus began to talk, "I am a Knight looking into what happened in a nearby village."

Words began to spill out of the woman, "My name is Iola, and I did not mean for it to happen," she said. "I was to be their sacrificial virgin."

"Sacrificial virgin?" Marcus asked. "Human sacrifice is banned."

"They did not care," Iola laughed without mirth. "Our village was in deep debt, and the ones responsible only cared about themselves. Someone came to them with an offer, and they decided I was the perfect lamb."

"What went wrong?"

"The god," Iola said. "It would be easier to just show you." Marcus flinched as she placed her hands on his temples. His mind lurched, and then he saw it all.

***

The Spring day was full of promise. Iola was weeding her garden, and dreaming of future harvests when they took her. Four men made quick work of her starved strength, and the villagers did not come to her aid. Iola struggled the entire way, and cried out to the people she had known all her life. The baker stood in his doorway, his imposing form leading the way to his cellar. The flour and food had been pushed out of the way. Candles and symbols lined the walls. A book, worth more gold than the village would see in nine generations, was open on the ground. A matching dagger was in the hands of the blacksmith. Iola started screaming, and they plugged her mouth with a dirty rag.

A few of the men held her down, and the rest created a circle around her. They started chanting, and burning strange herbs. Iola's eyes went white with fear as they plunged the dagger into her heart. For a moment, or an eternity, Iola knew she would die. She felt a pop as something rushed from the dagger, and into her.

A painful heat filled her body, and Iola realized it was the warmth of her own blood."What do you want?"A voice asked her."Ah yes, I should have known."The voice said."So it shall be."

Iola opened her eyes, and the men were gone. She stood, unharmed, and walked back out of the baker's house. The villagers were oddly silent, gathered around the center of the village. Iola pushed past the people, to the town hall. There on the floor were the seven men.

"Dear people,"the god spoke through her."You are aching, and betrayed. You are poor, and starving. That ends now."The villagers stared, mute, unwilling to fall for more false hope. Those who had loved the men had tears streaming down their faces, but seemed unable to move.

"Follow me,"the god said,"and you shall live lives of abundance. No more will you suffer the greedy hearts, or the selfish, to live among you. Gather all you need, we will find a land suited to our needs."

The villagers collectively sighed. A frenzy ensued. They each ransacked their own houses, gathering all they would need to start a new life. Iola was not in control of her own body, and watched her friends and family with dread. They seemed puppets. Yet, at the same time, Iola could understand the appeal. Not having to worry about food, or greedy hierophants, would be a great relief. Iola could only feel foreboding, as she felt the god filling part of her body and essence she had never known were empty.

The woods healed behind the villagers as they trampled through. No trace was left of where they had been, and Iola did not know where they were headed. They stopped at a clearing no different from any other, and declared it their new home. They built a temple around her, and the work felt easy. Game came to them, and berries were always within reach. Iola spent her days curled up on a bed of the nicest rags the villagers had. No one from her family came to visit her.

Three days after the event, the god came back."You need to go,"the god whispered to Iola."There is someone looking for our village. You must protect it."

"Why me?" Iola asked. "I am not a hero, I am not brave."

"If your village leaders had read my book properly," the god said."We would not have that problem. But I will use what I receive."

Iola set out that night, and the land blurred under her. She found herself moving more quickly than she ever could have. The god led her right to Marcus. The Squire's horse threw her, and the Knight's horse ran away. Iola kept pace with the horse, and when Marcus slumped from his mount, she was there to catch him. She did not stop to think about how she ordinarily could not have carried his weight, or about what she would do with him. The god would have the answers.

Iola found the perfect cave to sleep in, and set down to have a conversation with the god. "Why did I have to capture him?" Iola asked.

"Someone is trying to use me,"the god said."And he is part of the plot."

***

"So you see," Iola said. "That is what happened. You can return to your King, and let him know we are no threat. We just want to be left in peace."

"You are no threat Iola," Marcus said. "But gods that demand human sacrifice were banned for a reason."

Iola sat quietly for a moment, and seemed to be speaking to herself. Now he knew she was speaking to her god. "You are right," Iola said. "My god is more powerful than humans should feel comfortable trusting. They demand a high price for their high rewards. Yet, you must wonder why my god was unleashed if you were just meant to bottle it back up again. The gods do not live their lives free of destiny the way humans do."

"My Squire would have had an answer for you," Marcus said. "The workings of gods are more than I can fathom."

Chapter Four

Adela woke the next morning to rain dripping on her from the trees above.

"We fell asleep in the moss," Lynn said.

"I feel surprisingly refreshed," Adela groggily said. They had fallen asleep curled together, and sometime in the night, Lynn had pulled his wool cloak over them. Adela reveled in his warmth pressed against her. She could feel his nakedness and his desire.

"Even with the rain," Lynn said," I could stay here forever. However, we need to get back to camp."

In damp clothes, they readied themselves for their "reconnaissance mission." Clarell gave them alook,and they knew she had noticed their absence. The Squires treated Lynn professionally, and did not look at him askance. Adela was impressed; Marcus treated her like a sister, while Lynn treated his Squires with respect.

Clarell, already in her natural Dragon form, took up half a clearing. Some of Lynn's Squires were looking at her with awe as they saddled their horses. Adela noticed all of the Squires were younger than her. They seemed children, and she hoped they were not being led to the slaughter.

***

After her story, Iola untied Marcus.

"The god says you will give me no trouble," she said. Marcus stared suspiciously. "Your curiosity, and need to complete your mission means you will not leave me."

Marcus grudgingly nodded. "I do not understand who your god thinks is using me."

"Someone who loves war," Iola said. "We do not know more than that."

"I know of very few people who love war," Marcus said. "Most of us Knights see it as a necessary evil."

"Those who love war are those who have something to gain from it,"Iola seemed to say. "Now, would you like to see our village?"

Iola picked Marcus up, like a child, and they were quickly on their way. Her unnatural speed and strength unnerved him. If Marcus had needed a reminder she was no longer human, this was the best one yet. It was very little time before they came to her new village, and Marcus could never have found his way back to the cave.

The village was less than a week old, and yet it seemed nearly complete, in a rustic sort of way. They had no smith or modern amenities, but the houses looked sturdy, and the people seemed to be stuffing their larders full to overflowing. Everywhere Marcus looked, the villagers had baskets of foraged fruit, and carcasses of game. He could see they were prepping for winter.

"I have never seen people work together like this before," Marcus said quietly.

"Everyone has been very amiable since we moved here," Iola said. She swallowed down the urge to tell him about the few people who had not been. "I will take you to the temple now."

"Why are you showing me all of this?" Marcus asked, once they were in the temple. "I am your enemy."

"I do not know the god plans for you," Iola replied. "But I like you, and know you will cause no one here harm."

Marcus looked around, "Where is your family?" He asked.

Iola looked wan. "They consider me a vessel or priestess now, and not their family. They supported me being sacrificed." Marcus stared at her in shocked horror, then reached out to pull the trembling woman into his arms. After a moment, Iola whispered. "You are the first person to talk to me like a human since all of this happened."

"I cannot imagine anyone supporting someone as sweet as you being sacrificed," Marcus said, running his fingers through her long hair. Iola caught her breath, and turned her face up to his.

"No one has ever called me sweet before," she said. "I was born under an unfortunate moon."

"No one believes in unfortunate moons anymore," Marcus said.

"They do in this village," Iola gave a weak laugh. "Or they did in the old one."

"Well I do not believe touching you will curse me," Marcus said. "The wizards have explained that eclipses are only our planets aligning so the god can convene."

Iola was now laughing in his arms. "Thank you Knight."

"Marcus," he said. "My name is Marcus."

***

Their search was proving less than fruitful. Clarell, in the air, was too high to feel the cleansed essence, and the effects were starting to fade. The group got to the spot where Adela had been unhorsed, and not far from there they found Marcus's skittish horse. They cared for the beast, and debated the best route.

Days were strange. Adella, used to constantly being by Marcus's side, felt lost. Lynn had his own Squires to look after him, and when they were around him he was completely professional. He worked just as hard as they did.

Adela watched with interest at how the Squires split their work. The youngest did the dirtiest work, while the oldest scouted ahead and did the most dangerous. It reminded Adela of the war, and the Knight she had served before Marcus. Lynn's Squires worked well together, and it felt like there was little for her to do. She spent the days riding beside Lynn, watching as he gave his Squires tasks. She felt powerless in this search for her master.

"Squire Costaine," one of the Squires said, startling Adela from her thoughts.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Does this fabric look familiar?" The Squire asked, holding up a scrap.

"Clarell," Adela yelled in excitement. The Dragon descended from the air, landing in her human form. "Does this smell of Marcus?"

The Dragon sniffed the scrap, and nodded. "His saliva is all over this."

Invigored, they continued to a slow cautious search of the forest. It was not far from there they found a fire, and knew they were on the right path.

***

In his days with Iola, Marcus had grown to enjoy the innocent young woman. Her view of the world was naive, and even though she was beautiful, none of the superstitious villagers had courted her. Neither of them left her temple. Both prisoners of her god, they stayed on her comfortable dais of pillows and fine fabrics. She often cuddled against him in her sleep. However, that did not mean he wanted to be her first lover.

"I am not in the habit of deflowering virgins," Marcus said.

"It is worth the chance the god could no longer use me," Iola argued. "I need to at least try."

"I thought you liked your god," Marcus said.

"I do," Iola said. "I just don't like itinme."

"I don't like to take people who do not desire me,"

Iola paused, blushing. "I do desire you," she whispered, stepping close to him. "You are the first man to look at me without fear of being cursed."

"That is not true desire," Marcus snorted.

"You are also very pretty," she said, turning bright red. "I want you to be my first."

Marcus had to admit she was desirable, her naive seduction was almost working. Iola pressed herself closer to him, and placed a hesitant kiss on his lips. Marcus's hands seemed to move of their own volition, and he felt her small curves under her light shift. He deepened the kiss, pulling her hips closer to his own. Iola gasped, when she felt his desire against her. She had seen animals coupling, and knew what it meant.

"Damn my insatiable desire," he muttered. Marcus took his time seducing her body. They kissed for an eternity, as his hands explored her virgin flesh.

"I have heard it hurts the first time," she said with apprehension.

"Not when done right," Marcus grinned wolfishly.

He picked up the small woman, and laid her in her bed of fancy rags. Marcus placed his head between her thighs, and kissed her button. His tongue slowly worked her slit, while he ran his hands up and down her body. He gently nibbled her, tugging on her nipples. He moved his hands down her body. Iola writhed as his fingers slowly entered her virgin flesh. Marcus took his time, stretching her out, holding her on the edge of release.

"I have never felt anything like this!" Iola gasped out, trying to scoot away from the intensity of her pleasure. It was almost more than she could handle, pure euphoria rippled through her untried body.

"Have you never brought yourself to release?" Marcus asked. Iola could only shake her head no, and moan.

"Please!" She cried.

"What do you want?" Marcus asked.

"I--you," she tried to say.

"Say it," Marcus growled.

"I want," Iola stuttered, "I want you to take me."

"Not until you come," he said. "I want you writhing around my fingers." He punctuated this by sliding another of his fingers into her. She was nearly ready to take him. Once she could accommodate his fingers, he let her tumble over the edge.

Iola jerked in an inexperienced way, moving around his hand, as Marcus sucked on her clit. He held her hips down to keep her from bucking him off, and kept sucking, prolonging her orgasm.

Marcus undid his breeches. Iola gasped as he pressed his cock against her opening. He slid in slowly, savoring being the first person to ever take this woman. Her legs wrapped around him, and she trembled. He went slowly at first, allowing her to adjust to the feel of his cock inside of her.

"Please take me," she begged him, and Marcus began in earnest.

Iola had never felt such wonderful sensations as Marcus brought her. Living with her family, there had been no room to pleasure herself. She thought she could go mad with the joy of her pleasure. As she trembled around him, Marcus felt his release nearing.

It was as he came that everything went wrong. He came into her, and something went into him.

"You tricked me!" Marcus bellowed.

"Yes,"the god said."I needed someone stronger than a slip of a girl."

Marcus looked down at the girl in horror, and saw that a red stain was blossoming from where the cursed dagger had originally released the god into her.

"Iola!" Marcus cried, pressing his hands against the wound in vain.

"I could save her, you know,"the god said."Her death can feed me, but she could still live."

"Do it," Marcus growled, watching Iola's face turn gray.

~To be Continued~

I hope you appreciate my first story, and please let me know what you think by commenting, and voting. Your words/votes (positive and negative) are the only motivation and reward I get from this. I have plans for where it's going, but maybe, if you beg real hard, I'll consider heading it in another direction.

Love, SillenceDances.