Sufferance Ch. 09

"Hhherrr, too...?" I heard one whisper. "Wwe gett herrr?"

Wilsirathon made a gesture and the excited whispers quieted. She was waiting on me, I realized.

I bowed without taking me eyes off her. "Greetings, Priestess. I am reporting for my assignment, protecting your body for the next five cycles."

Her body, but I had no ability or obligation for protecting her mind. That would be coming from another source, D'Shea had said.

The Priestess nodded once, slowly. "Greetings, Red Sister. What is your name?"

"Sirana, Priestess. And yours?"

Her mouth twitched just slightly. "I am Wilisirathon. You shall call me Priestess while you serve. What is your House name, Sirana?"

I shook my head once. "I am of no House, Priestess."

"No longer," she corrected. "But once."

"You used the present tense, Priestess. I answered that."

"So I did, and so you did. I shall have to be careful how I word my questions to you, won't I?" She smiled, pretending to relax.

She was lying, of course. She'd worded her question deliberately. It was a simple disciplinary slip, but one that she could report to the Red Sister Prime if she liked. On that one account, she could demand another bodyguard as a vote of no confidence, and I'd be sent back to face the Prime's wrath for still embracing any connection to my past. It was one way for a spiteful Priestess to make trouble for me...but also the fastest way to get rid of me. Somehow I didn't think that was her intent; she may have only held onto the slip until a better time and kept me anyway.

"You will have a lot of questions, then, Priestess?" I asked.

She chuckled. "Of course. Won't you?"

"I have one, now you mention it."

"Oh? Ask it."

"What is your favorite entertainment? And is it more physical or spectating?"

She did not blink or betray any surprise or confusion at the question, but she also did not answer immediately.

"I believe you will find out."

"As a participant or observer? The Red Sister Prime set certain parameters, I believe."

A tiny crease showed in between her white eyebrows. "As I said, you will find out."

"Ah, but you never answered my first question, Priestess."

"I don't have to, child."

"Even when you granted me the asking? It does not guarantee an answer?"

"Correct."

"Duly noted, Priestess."

I let the silence settle a moment, having set my piece for a possible pay-off later, but I didn't need to use it now.

Wilsirathon watched me thoughtfully, her spider headpiece latticed over her gold-streaked hair. As she shifted, my eyes were briefly drawn to her silver heirloom belt shimmering around her well-curved waist in the ghostly light of the chamber.

"You are being rather antagonistic," she commented. "Would you rather be elsewhere? I heard you are not fond of those who are called to study clerical ambitions. Something about a... familial strain?"

The Draegloth around me hissed and chuckled in the dark.

"I serve as the Sisterhood bids, Priestess. All is well within our cloister, thank you for asking. And how is Kerse?" I asked. "I heard you—"

"Bite your tongue," she snapped, her elegant face twisting to a much harsher expression for just a moment before she caught herself and exhaled.

I went silent but smiled without showing my teeth.

"I have never been impressed by the Red Sisters insisting they no longer have families but for each other," she said. "It is a false shield they hide behind. One can't erase a century or more of upbringing and one *certainly* can't erase shared blood."

"Thank you for your valued opinion, Priestess."

She stared at me...or perhaps at my expression. "If you would laugh at me, Sirana, go ahead and do it."

"You first."

"I find nothing funny about you."

"A pity, Priestess, truly dismays me to no end. But I meant, enjoy a laugh at yourself just this once. It might give you an edge. We are competing for that edge, aren't we? Or we wouldn't be standing in a shadowy room throbbing with male heartbeats beholden more to you but their noses twitching and tongues drooling more for me, engaged in a lengthy conversation constantly sidestepping the real reason you asked for my service and generally spending all our valuable time shifting our weight instead of traveling. Where are we going, by the way?"

Her anger was no longer visible and there was no rising emotion I could detect as I kept talking. Instead of an increase in tension between us, I could sense that she was mentally stepping back from our confrontation, but not in retreat. She was reevaluating.

And she did smile. Then she chuckled.

Very interesting. I was going to bet what she would stubbornly refuse. She was nothing like Qivni, then.

"I'm delighted to have entertained, Priestess."

"I was thinking of something else, Sister. But I believe I will be." She took a few steps closer to me, and the copper-red of her eyes became more visible on the odd light. "I was not present when my son tested you, but I now believe the story actually has some weight. What did you think of him, then, Sirana?"

I shrugged. "I do not know him, Priestess. It was only the one short engagement during my trials, many cycles ago."

"But a memorable one."

I nodded a yes, suppressing my excitement and guarding my thoughts, just in case. She may have answered a question for me: had she set up my run-in with Kerse at the worship ball? Not likely, unless she simply was that good at hiding her thoughts. Based on the heated response when I said Kerse's name...I'd guess she was not.

"Well, then, Red Sister? If memorable, what was your impression?"

"He's smart, Priestess. And well-endowed."

Wilsirathon smiled more easily this time, but it was wry. "And it was as I've been told, truly consensual? You willingly accepted him and you both climaxed."

"Yes, Priestess. Given the circumstances, it was better to play the game than simply endure."

"Any animal can 'play,' Sirana. How did that imply he was 'smart' to you?"

I shrugged. "He hunted and fought well, he understood what I said to him...and he spoke to me. Given what little I knew about Draegloth before, I was impressed."

The Priestess's mouth tightened a bit. "Yes. He certainly knows your name."

"I never told him, Priestess. I'd always assumed he got it from my superiors, overheard it from them. I imagine you first heard my name from your son, then?"

Wilsirathon nodded, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Shortly after he was returned to me."

So the Sisterhood did not casually give the names of those being recruited or tested, even when asking for resources from the Priestesses. Very good to know.

"I trust you were not bewildered for long?"

Wilsirathon shook her head. "I found your name in the genealogy archives quickly enough." She smiled slowly, eyes never leaving mine. "I paid a visit to House Thalluen. One's birth mother can provide many insights into a child who sets herself apart."

I maintained eye-contact but kept my reaction and my smile light. "Really? I set myself apart by enjoying an energetic fuck? Come, now, surely I'm not the only Drow to orgasm having sex with a Draegloth. You'd understand better than most, don't you, Priestess?"

One of her bejeweled hands closed into a loose fist and she took the remaining steps necessary to close the distance between us. Now I could smell her clearly; not as many floral or soapy scents as I might've expected. She smelled of incense, powdered fungus and herbs, and sweat.

I didn't move from my spot and let the heat of our bodies blend in the space between us. We were of a height; neither one of us needed to look up to the other.

"You flip between being direct and indirect," she commented. Her breath smelled of a recent, potent tea. "Your method is not focused. I would rethink it."

"The web calling the tapestry woven, Priestess."

"Hm," she smirked. "What possessed you to come in with this attitude?"

I looked confused. "Attitude? Even Lolth laughs, Priestess, and it's always a pleasure to see the Priestesses still need us."

I began to wonder whether Wilsirathon had ever visited my mother at all; or if she did, then my Matron had been very...obtuse...in answering any questions. The Priestess certainly hadn't seemed to glean that many insights into my personality.

"Indeed."

She walked past, her purple silk barely brushing me and the floor, distracting me, and when I looked up, one of the Draegloth had dissolved silently from the shadows and was leaping right for me.

Again, I had D'Shea to thank for the correct response to this. I could not stop myself from taking a defensive stance, but I forced my hands to stay away from the hilts of my daggers, my hands open. It took by far more energy to hold that position than it would have taken to roll to the side and bite deep with a weapon.

Claws dug hard into the stone floor as the half-breed stopped nearly on a coin in front of me, breathing in my face. I think I would have preferred the scent of tea I'd detected from Wilsira's mouth.

"He's got a rotting tooth, Priestess," I commented while still holding my gaze with the Draegloth's yellow eyes. "That, or he needs to chew on some sweetmoss or something."

Wilsirathon was silent behind me. I hated not being able to see her, but could not turn my back to this beast. I'd already found out what happened when I did that. This one wasn't Kerse, but D'Shea had described it being a general, expected response. They could hardly help but chase when something turned to go the other direction. And if a Priestess of some will didn't direct them otherwise...?

The Draegloth champed teeth at me and growled, and his hand movement down below highly suggested he didn't have a loincloth. I didn't look down to confirm, though; I didn't need to. His male scent wafted up briefly as he rearranged and caressed himself.

As I stood in that face-off, two more Draegloth appeared in my peripheral vision, flanking me on both sides as they crouched down, ratcheting up the tension as it became much more difficult for me to stand still.

Wilsirathon behind me, her pet beasts on the other three sides, and no escape.

In any other circumstance, I'd have done several things quite differently by now.

"Rather cruel to tease them, isn't it?" I asked.

The Priestess chuckled softly. "How do you know I am? What would you do if they attacked, Sirana?"

"If you were going to find out, you'd have already set them on me."

"Tempting. Wouldn't a hypothetical discussion be better than a true test?"

"It's not worth much. Such discussions never account for every factor."

"Indulge me, Sirana."

I smiled, still looking at the Draegloth in front of me, coughing delicately at his next smelly breath. "I'd send the costs of magical components needed to repair and clean my uniform to you personally."

She didn't really appreciate my answer; she forced a bit of a laugh. "Making the assumption, of course, of violence and victory."

"No, a much more basic assumption of contact, Priestess. And what purpose is there to imagine defeat?"

"Would you kill them?"

"No."

My true answer was, "Only if necessary," but I already knew Wilsirathon as sensitive to that particular subject. Something about the death of a Draegloth negatively affected his blood-mother, D'Shea had said, even if she paid little attention to him. The smarter Priestesses took some precautions to protect them, because they were protecting themselves.

The Draegloth to my left reached out and caressed three claws very lightly down my thigh; I actually didn't know if that was his initiative or the Priestess's direction. I didn't think she could instruct the demonbred motion-by-motion, like so many puppets, but...

When I didn't move—he hadn't even snagged my leather, after all—he shifted his path to curve long fingers around my hamstring toward my inner thigh. I was already as tense as I could be, legs spread in a stable stance that I could hold for a long time, but it was agony being so vulnerable—not so much due to his copping a feel as it was that a deep gouge at that large muscle would cripple me.

D'Shea had said she'd test my nerves; I believed that, but neither of us knew how far that would go. I may have to decide if I'd engage in a group fuck or a fight; I hadn't thought Wilsirathon would push it that far immediately upon meeting, but—

His control was too thin and his desire too greedy to resist pressing his fingers into the crotch of my leathers soon after exploring my thigh. Adrenalin entered my bloodstream, as did a sudden influx if arousal that both surprised me and seemed to give me some relief from all this tension. The touch was firm but less clumsy than I would have expected, and he purred low in his chest.

The rustles in the room increased and the Draegloth to my right grew bold enough to copy his brother, reaching to stroke my other leg and more gingerly play with my backside. The Draegloth in front of me finally broke our lasting gaze first, looking down to watch the entertainment, his nostrils flaring. With his gaze went even more of the tension and I sighed quietly. I admitted to myself that I was getting aroused by the attention. It was markedly better than having to stand still and staring.

The left-side creature withdrew his hand to sniff it, and his brother immediately replaced him, stroking my sex through my pants before also withdrawing to inhale my scent as well. The one in front of me rumbled and nodded, licking his lips and reaching to touch himself again with one hand while his other took its own sliding swipe along my cunt. All three touches were different and fanned the rising heat between my legs, long and slow.

It occurred to me that Wilsirathon couldn't see all the naughty detail; my cloak obstructed her view even though she certainly knew where they were touching. She may or may not know that the Draegloth facing me was openly masturbating; certainly she could hear it, though.

"Nice," I breathed, breaking the overall quiet and causing all three Draegloth to pause briefly before they returned their focus to everything below my waist. "Are they often this docile, Priestess?"

"Not often," she murmured. She sounded almost fascinated. "They would not remain so if I weren't here. They may not, even now."

"Mmm."

I took the risk to reach up and gently stroke my fingers through the mane of the one on the left who'd reached to touch me first. He flinched, but after a moment glancing up at me, returned his focus to sharing my nether region with his flanking partner. My gloves shushed through the coarse hair along his spine.

The Draegloth in front churred at the sight and leaned down to nuzzle my crotch directly with his nose, snuffling as I felt his hot breath seep through the material. Meanwhile, the one on the right clicked in his throat as he started tugging at the leather ties on my right hip, clearly wishing the garment gone.

There was a distinct lack of fear on my part, as it ultimately had been with Kerse during my trials. I'd decided now that I would let them take down my pants. There was no way I wasn't climaxing from whatever they wanted to do, although I didn't think about what might happen after I pleasured myself with these three.

I supposed I'd just send the cleaning bill to the Priestess, as promised.

"Enough, stand back," Wilsirathon said.

I blinked, realizing my focus had softened significantly and at first I wasn't sure who she was talking to.

"STAND BACK!" she barked louder, clapping her hands and causing a deep report in the chamber.

The three Draegloth jerked to look at her, taking their hands away and shifting back from me, hissing in deep resentment at the interruption. I was briefly irritated as well; we were all going to be left frustrated.

I breathed out slowly, however, making eye contact with the one who'd been in front of me, and smiled; it was possible he tentatively smiled back before he recalled that he wouldn't be given the length to finish.

I sympathized, but at least I had a balm: I'd just won the stand-off with both Priestess and beast.

The Abyssal creatures continued to back up as I heard Wilsirathon stepping toward me, melting back into the shadows and unhappy with their pleasure outlet being blocked. The Priestess came up on my right side and only when she was next to me did I take my eyes from the half-breeds and look at her.

Her face was mostly contemplative, though her mouth was still tense as it stretched into a smile. "You'd have allowed them to mount you, just now. Isn't that right?"

I shrugged. "More than that, I'd have straddled them myself, Priestess. The foreplay was surprisingly good. Did you and your matronly sisters teach them that?"

She huffed softly and didn't answer the question. "We leave now. I have other matters to tend to."

By the shush of dismay that rolled through the deep shadows in between the glow, it was unanimous that the Priestess this time was a cruel and teasing slit.

****

Wilsirathon's quarters were only a floor down, on the eleventh, and they were easily the most spacious I'd seen; three times that of D'Shea's, which was three times that of the one I shared with Gaelan.

It contained an ornate bedframe with posts and white, breezy veils forming a canopy. Both a wash basin and a tub were visible at one end of the room, with a built-in wardrobe nearby for however many ritual garments she owned. A vanity overflowed with jewelry and beautifying compounds, and candles protected by drafts by open domes of clear glass were evenly spread throughout the room. She possessed a small bookshelf as well, although it did not have the musty scent of age that D'Shea's did.

"Varessa coached you well," Wilsira said, and I blinked.

Oh, yes. Varessa D'Shea. I'd nearly forgotten my Elder's given name. I used my obvious confusion to my advantage; why not sow a bit of doubt?

"Of course." I was quiet after that, and the Priestess looked appropriately suspicious.

"What else did she tell you to expect?"

"Expect? What have I expected thus far, Priestess?"

"Non-lethal responses to the Draegloth, for one."

I shook my head. "I learned that through normal talk and gossip, Priestess. I have been in the Sisterhood for over a year now."

"And holding perfectly still when one lunged at you? Not drawing any weapons? What about letting them touch you so intimately?"

Again I shook my head. "Instinct and deduction, Priestess. You were comfortable in that chamber, so it had to be because you had enough control. I trusted you to control them, and I've heard how powerful you are and that they are your specialty." I grinned. "Were you instructing them somehow on how to pleasure me?"

"That was more instinct and conditioning on their part," she said, her eyes gliding down me once. "You showed no fear. You acted more as they are used to seeing a Priestess act. Though yes, I did want to see what you did when they laid hands on you."

Meaning, yes, the Priestesses had taught their half-breeds how to touch a female body. I couldn't be happier with all the information I was getting and how well I was doing.

Wilsira waved the subject away with her hand and she spoke casually. She did not seem to be putting on as much of a show as she had been on the Abyssal floor. "In any regard, we shall be preparing for my journey. As you are my physical guardian, you must also meet my magical guardian. You will be working together. That one will be here soon."

Working with one who was not a Red Sister. That would no doubt be annoying.

It was tedious to watch a Priestess carefully select her items and place them one-by-one in a many-pocketed trunk, so I was glad when there was a knock on the door.

"Ah." Wilisira smiled. "Enter!"

I watched with renewed interest as male drow in dark blue robes entered and bowed.