Tales of Fabulous Namu Pt. 02

"She doesn't want me," Zhura said. "She wants you, Ngo."

They passed through the gate that divided Gigiri, where Kaj and Amina's little compound was, and Gold City. Gold City District capped the hill upon which much of Namu was built. There, House San and the other great Houses maintained sprawling palaces.

Goldshields looked the two adventurers over and waved them through white-washed walls. The city guard prohibited commoners from carrying most types of weapons within the affluent areas of Namu, so while Zhura carried her staff, Ngo had only a sheathed long knife. As ever, when they were alone together, they spoke in their home language of Sung.

"But she looks up to you. Bayati is a traditional woman. She courts me because I am a chief's son, and that's who traditional women want to marry. But it is you she admires."

Gold City was unlike anything Zhura had seen in the other parts of Namu, or the towns she'd visited. Its wide avenues were lined with date palms and manicured shrubs. Compounds sat comfortably back from the walkways, their outer walls whitewashed or gaily painted in pastels. Symbols for jewelers, money changers and scriptoriums hung in arched gateways.

"Traditional women don't desire other women."

"Until you kindle that flame," Ngo grinned. "Then..." clawing his fingers, he growled like a panther.

Ikanjans strolled by, covered neck to sandal in airy, rippling gowns and cloaks dyed in vermillion and indigo. Men sported wide-brimmed, bell-shaped hats, while women wore fluid headscarves. Even servants and laborers were covered, though in duller cloth.

Zhura felt practically naked by comparison. Her navel and shoulders were bare, and her shortened kanga wrap opened up to her loincloth when she walked.

But somehow, her spare garments made her feel more honest. Ngo, another denizen of the forest, had opted for a cloak and trousers, leaving his dark torso exposed to the subtle gaze of Zhura, and many female passersby.

The commercial area gave way to a wooded expanse, where pale-barked, copal and panga panga trees towered over the street. Shrub-lined paths wound away from the street, under flowering lianas that draped the boughs. Peering through the shaded garden, Zhura could catch glimpses of the domed citadel the Ikanjans called the Magisterium.

"You are like no one I have ever known, Zhura. I look at you, and I see doe-eyed virtue. And yet you control an infernal, and spark the desires of men and women alike."

Even though she doubted anyone nearby understood their tongue, unease that someone might overhear nagged at Zhura. She carried the summoning stone in her shoulder bag, always close to her person.

She had banished Mili before they returned from the marsh. Now that they had helped Hani get back to her home in the Hazard, and they were within the city warding stones, Zhura was eager to summon the demon again. As much as she loved rutting Kaj and Amina, the surge of power she felt from demonic cum was like nothing else.

They entered the grounds of the San House palace, passing between pairs of massive pillars sculpted like elephant tusks. House banners of black and green chased with gold hung from the caps.

A low wall surrounded the holdings, manned by guards in San colors with plumed headdresses. After a short wait, Zhura and Ngo were escorted inside.

Before coming to the city of Namu, Zhura had seen few buildings more than one story high. The city teemed with them, and the palatial homes of the Great Houses were most extravagant of all. The San manor boasted porticos with lush gardens and domed towers. Any of the countless outbuildings that surrounded it would have dwarfed Kaj and Amina's compound. Servants hustled everywhere, and even the guards wore brilliant cloaks of black and green.

Barasa San met them at one of the outdoor pools on a terrace lined with potted palms. As he had every time she had met him, the noble wore a golden mask that covered his entire face. Framed by a cowl, robe and cloak, the mask hid any hint of San's age or appearance. The House was ruled by a single family, but Zhura had never had as much as a conversation with any of the other members. She guessed that Barasa was a prince of some sort, not the patriarch. His tone always betrayed both the ambition and condescending pride of immaturity.

"The smuggler Bluejar was beheaded by the Goldshields in Dugong Marsh yesterday," San announced without preamble. "You were to turn him over to us."

"You demanded a demon. Bluejar was not a demon." Zhura pulled the slaver's mask from her sack. "I brought his mask. But he was only a man, nothing more."

The noble waved away the offer. "How did you determine that he was not an infernal?"

"He didn't move like a demon. He didn't look like one. He didn't know anything about demons."

"And you do?"

"I know more than he did," Zhura replied.

San paced along one edge of the pool. Tiny silver and gold fish flitted about under the pads that floated on the surface.

"We trained and equipped you and your companions because we believed you had knowledge of demons and would capture them for us. We underwrote your lodging. We even provided you with information on Bluejar. Yet it has been nearly a year, and you have produced nothing."

"We caught a notorious slaver and rescued eight people the other night," Ngo pointed out. "One of us was hurt."

"Then perhaps the Goldshields will support you," San replied smoothly.

"Every great House and even some lesser ones are studying demons and means of defense against the deadly threat they pose to the Empire," the noble went on. "They compile scholarly writings, fund expeditions, and dissect the creatures to contribute to our accumulated knowledge. House San has... you."

Zhura wondered how much any of the Houses actually knew about the creatures they hunted. "I will search the Hazard. It is more likely that demons near the city are in more populated areas."

"Explore the Hazard as you wish. I have a more immediate solution. Ranthaman told us that you have a stone that summons demons, and that a demon serves you. We have asked you for this stone before. You have refused. We ask no longer."

Zhura eyed the warriors posted around the pool, still as statues, with their spear butts and shield resting on the flagstones. Just like the gold-masked San, they displayed no emotion. There was so much power here. So little humanity.

"I cannot give you the stone."

"Tell me, Zhura. An upstart scholar at House Oko claims that demons can easily be brought within a warded perimeter. Is this true? Can a stone like yours do this?"

"It is possible," Zhura admitted.

"Then," said San, "we must have it."

*

"They're going to take away our home?" Bayati asked, taking food from their pot with her left hand, sparing her bandaged arm.

The five companions sat on a spread of mats near the firepit in the inner yard of Kaj and Amina's compound. Before she'd gone home for the night, the girl Amina hired had prepared a supper of coconut rice, stewed greens and braised fish, and they shared the common pot with jars of palm wine. It was the first proper meal the three of them had shared since returning from the marsh.

Zhura wondered if it would be the last.

"They're forcing us to pay back what we borrowed."

"Some of it is the cost of the home," Kaj said. "Some is the cost of materials for the bloomeries, to get the smithy to full capacity."

"Add to that the cost of training and supplies. What San told us," Ngo sighed, "is that we have ten days."

"How much?"

All eyes turned to Amina.

"About five hundred gold shujaa," the market-woman's daughter said.

"Is that a lot?"

"It is what I had planned to pay them back over two years. With only one working bloomery, I'd have trouble paying twenty-five shujaa in the next ten days."

Zhura picked at her food, decidedly without appetite. "House San wants a demon. They want the summoning stone. If I don't find them a demon, or turn it over, we must pay."

"And if we don't pay, we lose our home."

"That," Zhura said, "and probably have an unfriendly encounter with the Goldshields."

"There are other noble Houses," Kaj said. "They need tools and weapons. I will go to them, see if they will sponsor us."

"I could go through our expenses, to see what we can save," Amina offered. "But given how much we need, in ten days it won't make much difference."

"This stone controls your pet demon," Bayati guessed. "The one that saved you in Kichinka, and the other night on the beach. Can't you just... show it to them?"

"They want a demon to dissect," said Zhura. "A bauble to compete with the other Houses."

"I don't understand," Bayati said, looking at each of them. "Kaj and Amina have a baby coming. They need a home. We need a home. Give San the stone."

"I would agree," Ngo said. "The creature served us well. But when all has been said, it is still an infernal."

Zhura exchanged a glance with Amina. Her friend's expression was one of sympathy.

"My mother," her friend said, "used to say that in her home village, women would give birth while sowing crops in the yam fields. They would cut the cord, sling the baby on their back, and keep working. I will have this child, with or without a home. None of us would be here without Zhura. So I say it is her decision."

Zhura took another bite, loath to continue the discussion, but knowing she must. "Hani said that there could be demons in the Hazard. We have ten days. I will see if I can find House San something that will satisfy them."

She knew that Ngo and Bayati wanted explanation. But Zhura said no more while they ate. Instead, she offered them more palm wine.

When everyone was done with the meal, Zhura reached into her sack and drew out the large clay phallus. Its surface was smoothly polished, but etched with jagged lines and depictions of humans mating with demons. She examined it in the firelight and handed it to Bayati.

"You have risked your lives for me. It is only fair that you know what I have tried to keep from others. If you choose to walk away, I have no ill will towards either of you," Zhura said.

Bayati flushed as she handled the summoning stone. It was too thick for her slender hand to close around. "I didn't see it so closely, that night with the witch." Shyly, she passed it to Ngo, who chuckled.

"We were all taught that infernals are the enemies of mankind." Zhura regarded the bangles on her wrist. She wondered, from her encounters with Mili and the bull demon, if they provided any protection at all.

"When I first learned that there could be demons in my ancestry, I thought that meant I was a monster too, and that I belonged with the witch Ntoza. You all brought me to realize that -- no matter my blood -- I am capable of love, and deserve to be loved."

Ngo handed the summoning stone to Amina.

"But who I am and where I come from are still a mystery. The stone, and the demon that is bonded to it, are the only clues I have to my demonic heritage. Mili is not evil. That creature may have saved all of us, more than once. It faced another demon in service to me. As much as I love all of you, I will not abandon it. Unless I must."

Zhura went on to tell the rest of her story -- that she was the bastard of a Hill King, Ntoza's revelation that Zhura's grandparent was an infernal, and how her power came from sex.

Even now, with her friendships hanging in the balance, Zhura felt a twinge of shameful lust. It had been a full day since she'd bedded Amina and Kaj. In the swamps she had only satisfied her need by slipping away from their camp at night to meet the sanju demon. Looking upon the faces of the people she loved, she felt both the intense need to reveal her secrets, and the fear that they would be repulsed by her. She shifted on the mat, rubbing her thighs together.

"It seems that we will need the demon now," Amina suggested softly.

"What do you mean?" Zhura asked. She glanced at the others. Bayati seemed remarkably calm. Ngo displayed an avid interest.

"It can move about unseen and protect our home while we sleep," Amina said. "Let us see it up close, Zhura. Show us everything."

Zhura stared at her friend for a moment. Amina was casting oil over a flame. But she was also wise. Zhura nodded.

Amina smiled gently. She crawled towards Zhura, bare belly under her halter almost brushing the mats. Amina set down the stone. She brushed Zhura's long braids away from her face. Then she drew Zhura into a long, tender kiss.

Zhura's hand trembled. Amina's hand slid over it, warm and embracing.

Amina caressed Zhura's breasts as they kissed. Zhura felt her nipples stiffen under the fabric of her thin top. Her legs spread of their own accord, displaying her loincloth covered mound to Bayati. Dimly, she was aware of Ngo edging towards the Kichinka woman.

Zhura kissed her friend, tasting coconut and spice. She lifted her butt from the soft hides underneath them. She tugged her loincloth over broad hips, around her knees and off her feet. Her fingers, soon joined by Amina's fingers, began to toy with her hungry slit. The two friends had become so familiar, it was as if they shared one body.

Zhura pushed Amina's halter up, baring her small breasts, the areolae almost invisible on her dark skin. She played with her friends' nipples between thumb and forefinger, feeling Amina's moans through their kiss as much as she heard them.

Ngo and Bayati were kissing. Kaj scooted over behind his wife, massaging her midriff, loosening the skirt around her hips. Zhura's splayed thighs began to tremble, just from Amina's rhythmic strokes over the hood of her nub. Her own fingers danced up and down her slick nether lips.

Amina picked up the stone. She paused as Kaj pulled her halter over her head, baring her from the waist up. She pursed her lips. Her saliva dribbled onto the ceramic shaft. Then, with both hands, she rubbed it against Zhura's pleasure nub.

The touch was magical. The cool, damp stone slid, ever so slightly abrasive on Zhura's most sensitive organ, the shaft descending to spread her nether lips wide. As Zhura began to lie back, she saw Bayati and Ngo lying down, kissing passionately. The skirt dropped from Amina's hips. She rarely wore anything underneath. Tonight was no exception.

Zhura thrust her mound against the phallus, intensifying the delicious friction. Fears forgotten, she surrendered to the waves of bliss crashing through her body. She cried out as she came on the summoning stone.

Oily smoke curled off of the clay cock. It swirled in a cloud next to Zhura, and condensed into the crouching Miliki'tiki. The demon tensed. Its masked head swiveled about, taking in the others, and then returning to Zhura.

"These are my friends," Zhura said, though the creature always seemed to know who her friends were.

Amina spun, presenting her naked, glistening cleft to the demon. She had always loved being rutted by that huge cock.

"By the ancestors," Bayati breathed. She had seen the demon at some distance before. But she hadn't seen the swelling appendage that now jutted out from under the reedy bristles at its waist. The shaft looked impossibly large for such a stunted creature.

Ngo sat up next to the Kichinka woman. "So this is what you three were doing in the caravan camp every night?" He watched, in awe, as the infernal capered over to Amina's lovely dark rear.

"Sanju mate!" it announced, running its immense cock up between Amina's ass cheeks.

"It is rather single-minded," Zhura admitted.

The demon began rubbing the head of its cock along Amina's shaven slit. She groaned loudly, as it slowly drove its member into her greedy cunt.

"How do you ever get it to fight?" Ngo said. He caressed Bayati's shoulders as he spoke, hands dipping down into the front of her tunic.

"It won't turn down an opportunity to rut, but if I am in danger it will help. I've never seen it hurt anyone -- except the bull demon in Kichinka. It likes to spook people instead."

Mili was now rutting deeply into Amina. She lay her head on the mats, eyes half-closed, bracing herself against its energetic thrusts.

"I know this is a lot to take in," Zhura said. "I didn't want any more secrets between us."

Ngo nodded, and glanced at Bayati.

"I guess," she said, flushed, "we should keep the stone, at least until our ten days are up." She leaned in to kiss Ngo.

Zhura turned to Kaj. The trousers he had worn were discarded, and his tunic barely covered his waist. She crooked a finger at him. He rose to his feet and sauntered around his wife as she was rutted into a state of bliss. Kaj's thick cock bobbed in front of him. He smelled like a hard day's work at his forge, of fresh sweat and hot metal. Zhura eagerly engulfed his manhood and began sucking.

The little space in the yard was soon replete with moans and the wet sounds of sucking, slapping flesh. Amina wailed as she came. But the demon kept rutting her, its clawed hands hauling her hips on and off its cock.

As she stroked and sucked Kaj, Zhura eyed Bayati and Ngo. They had stripped their clothes off. Like any village woman, Bayati's hands and feet were callused and worn, but the rest of her was flawless, rich brown skin. The toned muscles of her shoulders and back gave clear evidence of months of weapons training. Ngo lay on his back, and Bayati straddled his lithe, sculpted body.

Zhura looked up at Kaj, content as she bobbed on his cock. He smiled down at her, resting a hand on her braids, fingers massaging her scalp as she pleasured him. Zhura stroked his foreskin, her cheeks hollowing as she tried to suck the creamy spend from him.

But Kaj had other ideas. He eased Zhura's head from his cock and turned her around. Eagerly, she lay her head down and wiggled her round ass at him. Her slit was still wet and ready from her first orgasm.

Kaj yanked her short skirt off her, leaving her naked from the belly down. He grasped her hips and plunged into her drooling cunt.

"Yes!" Zhura gasped, as she felt his thickness open her up. At this angle, she knew he would make her cum soon. She lifted her head slightly, to see Bayati bouncing up and down on Ngo's shaft. Amina's foot flexed close to where Zhura lay her head. The pale sole contrasted with her dark skin.

It was all going so well. Zhura had been afraid that she would lose Bayati or Ngo, and yet it seemed like now they were becoming closer than ever. In her relief, surrounded by the sounds of wanton rutting, Zhura shuddered and came. Her cunt gripped at Kaj as it contracted, and he groaned in pleasure, quickening his pace.

Ngo also seemed to be close. Bayati stood up and crouched beside him, stroking his straining cock with her good hand, and dipping her head to lick the mushroom-cap of its tip.

Amina's eyes were rolled up in her head. She seemed aware of nothing other than the sensation of the sanju demon's plunging cock.

Kaj roared and shot his seed deep within Zhura's cunt, his hips continuing to ram into the fleshy cheeks of her ass. Her inner muscles squeezed him, milking every drop. Then she pulled forward and rolled onto her back, dipping her fingers into her cleft for a treat.

After she'd had a taste, she crawled over to Bayati and Ngo. She bent to kiss him, driving her tongue into his mouth as he moaned. She felt the shiver of his body as it reached its peak. He moaned and spurted his seed all over his belly and Bayati's hand.

"Thank you," Zhura said to Bayati, as her strokes gently coaxed a few more dribbles of cum from Ngo.

"For...?" Bayati, eyes wide, seemed dazed but pleased.

"For understanding," Zhura said. She reached for Bayati's jaw and drew the other woman into a deep kiss.

"I will give you blood-seed tea, so you don't have to fear unwanted pregnancy." Zhura whispered.