The Duchess of Lust Ch. 04

And yet if the woman came to Neryth on her own, the captain wouldn't dream of turning her down.

***

As the afternoon sun burned bright in the sky, Sarya and her escort of knights rode into Lucan's camp. The duchess kept her head held high, a triumphant smile on her lips, for she was quite proud of all she'd accomplished.

Without the drakesong, Duchess Chera had quickly returned to lucidity, but hadn't caught on to the source of her ailment. Upon Davik's reluctant advice, she had commanded her barons to add their numbers to Sarya's host. Roughly half the knights of Wolfgate would be marching at her side, nearly doubling the size of the allied host.

She smiled down at the sentries, then dismounted with the help of one of them.

"I'll inform Duke Lucan that you've arrived, my lady," a young squire said. "I'm sure he'll be eager to hear your report." He sprinted off, and her eyes glowed with anticipation, for she was looking forward to giving Lucan more than just a mere report.

As she headed into the camp, she spotted Ketrik among a band of barbarians who were looking over a cart filled with weapons. The shaman grinned, approached and bowed.

"How did you fare, my lady?"

"Oh, not bad. I just increased the size of our army by a few thousand men, toppled a false ruler who ruled from the shadows, and ensured the safe passage and supplying of our army through Wolfgate," she deadpanned.

His eyes widened.

"You left out the bit about you kidnapping someone," he said, after recovering from his surprise. "Neryth returned with a pretty blonde woman in tow."

"Aye. A long story, my friend. I'll relate it to you another time."

Perhaps once she'd had a bit of fun with the duke, she could do so with the shaman. She'd only been away from her lovers for barely a day, but already her hunger and need were rising.

He caught the look in her eye, and returned it with a brief, hungry grin of his own.

The breathless squire returned and bowed.

"This way, my lady. I'll show you to the duke."

She gave Ketrik another smile, then turned and followed after the squire, and swayed her hips a little, for the shaman's benefit. She heard him faintly laugh, then she quickened her pace.

The squire showed her to a large tent towards the center of the camp. She slipped inside as the boy scurried away, then suddenly squeaked with shock as firm hands reached out, seemingly from nowhere. One arm wrapped firmly about her waist, and a hand clasped over her mouth.

"Quiet, duchess," Lucan's heated voice whispered fiercely into her ear. "Don't want you to alarm my men."

She trembled, still a bit shaken by that sudden shock, and also by the implication in that hungry tone. Sarya let out a muffled sound of affirmation, then nodded.

He pulled his hand away from her mouth.

"So you succeeded?" he murmured, even as his hands reached down, undoing the buttons and laces on the back of her dress.

"Yes," she murmured. "Four thousand knights and soldiers will be at your command soon, my lord."

"At our command, not just mine," he reminded her. She smiled a bit at that, then reached back, brushing her fingers over his neck.

Lucan leaned down and bit at those fingers.

"No more tender affection, my pet. Not now."

She took a few deep breaths, steeling herself for the rough treatment to come. She leaned back, her backside brushing against his groin.

Lucan growled, yanked away the last of the buttons, then shoved against her back, forcing her to the ground. She laid there, breathless and trembling on her hands and knees, eagerly awaiting his next move.

Instead of kneeling down to immediately ravish her, instead he first kicked a pillow towards her.

"To bite down on," he growled. "Need you to keep quiet."

Gods, the thought of being fucked in the camp, so close to his soldiers and officers was unbearably wicked. Many likely suspected the truth of their relationship, especially after she'd gone into his tent, but she didn't dare let herself scream and moan as loudly as usual. So Sarya nodded and rested her head against the pillow, ready to muffle her cries once he set to work.

Within moments, he had knelt behind her and lowered her trousers. Without further teasing or preamble, he reached down and tugged her panties down over her thighs, then plunged his cock deep inside her.

Feeling a bit too exhausted to be defiant or petulant, she obediently bit down on the pillow to muffle her first moan, then laid there and let him use her. But even as her body shook with the force of his savage thrusts, she knew that in truth, she was using him as well. She was his toy, and he was hers.

And gods, it felt perfect.

One hand gripped her hair, just the way she liked it, while the other reached between her legs, finding her clit within moments.

Soft cries echoed against the pillow as he ravished her, and she allowed the sensations to carry her away, again and again. The minutes dragged on, her first climax stretched into her another, her juices soaking his cock and dripping down her thighs, and the pillow was soaked with her drool.

The duke was nearly silent as he used her, save for a few soft gasps and quiet grunts and whispered growls. At one point he leaned down, biting against the back of her neck.

She whimpered at the sharp sensation, then again as his cock pulsed within her. He filled her with his seed a moment later, and the sensation of that and his fingers sent her into another short, trembling orgasm that left her limp and numb. Her hair was splayed out over the pillow, her dress was in a rumpled mess about her waist, but she still bore a smug, satisfied grin.

He remained inside her, still twitching, and she pulled her head up from the pillow.

"What a wondrous reunion," she purred.

"Indeed. Gods only know how fierce I'd fuck you if we were parted for more than a day," he laughed. He gave her rear a gentle slap, then slipped out of her.

Lucan flopped down onto the bedroll beside her.

"I might have even been tempted to pursue that Velwen woman, to sate my needs," the duke teased.

In retaliation, she reached down and ran her fingers over his glistening shaft, which was still quite hard. He twitched and grunted, then she brought her fingers to her lips, licking them clean of the mixture of her moisture and his seed. Lucan groaned at the sight, then she elbowed him playfully in the side.

"You would abandon me for the first silly thing who comes across your path?" she asked, feigning a pout.

"Do not pretend that you wouldn't do otherwise. If I was gone from your side for a time, surely you'd wriggle your way into Ketrik's tent." He pinched her ass and she gave him a playful glare, then leaned in and bit gently at his neck.

"Maybe I would," she admitted, then gave him another bite. "So what?"

He laughed and pinched her again, then sighed.

"So...now for your full report on what happened in Wolfgate."

Her fingers idly traced over his muscles as she relayed what had happened: Davik's scheme to control Chera, the poison he used, the tower where he'd kept his daughter, the daring rescue of her by Neryth, and Sarya's subsequent success in blackmailing Davik into aiding them.

"Impressive."

"There is still the matter of recruiting other allies," she said. "We'll need a few thousand more men, I think, before we can take on the Iron Blades."

"Numbers are not everything. If we move swiftly, we can retain the element of surprise. They are, after all, still bound by their pledge not to attack the city. Their guard will be down: they'll be busy dueling and drinking and feasting."

"Are you willing to take that risk? To strike when outnumbered against a larger force of fierce warriors?"

"If we have to."

Sarya's free hand brushed the hair out of her face.

"We still have nearly four weeks left in the truce. We should use as much of that time as we can, to recruit other soldiers, and to find ways to draw Ulrik's warriors away. We can send messages into their camp, with offers of gold or land. Some of Rathgar's men could infiltrate the horde and spread dissent and encourage desertion and defection."

Lucan smiled, but she continued on, her mind still racing with possible avenues to victory.

"And with my own garrison, several thousand strong inside the city...we could have a chance. Another few weeks to gather allies and to weaken Ulrik's army, and we could have the upper hand before our force even comes within sight of Fellhaven."

"Gods, you have quite the strategic mind. I'm glad we're on the same side," he said.

"Me too." She kissed his shoulder, then frowned a bit. The talk of Ulrik and his warriors had sent her mind spinning towards her memories of that wild night and the ritual where they'd so brutually and delightfully used her body. Her frown deepened as she felt a sudden pang of guilt.

The duke noticed it and cocked his head.

"Something wrong?"

"Not necessarily something wrong. Just something you should know. You might have heard about this from Neryth, Rathgar, Ketrik or someone else...but there is a reason behind the truce."

"Yes," he nodded. "I heard. Secondhand talk and rumors from Rathgar's men about your 'negotiations.'"

Sarya was not ashamed of that act, since it had felt delightful, and had spared her city an immediate assault. But she blushed all the same.

"And you think that I would judge you for that?" Lucan asked. "You think I would think less of you for doing something before we even met? Before you even knew who I was?" He snorted. "Gods, Sarya...you feel shame for fucking a few barbarians for the sake of your city, but do you have any idea the things I have done for my own duchy, for my own men? The blood I have spilled, the lives I have taken?"

He let out a long sigh.

"We do what we must for our people. And what you had to do was...almost trivial compared to the things other dukes and duchesses have to do."

Her blush faded and her smile returned, and she leaned up to kiss him gently on the lips.

"As long as you promise not to judge me for my own trysts and indiscretions before we met," he said, giving her lower lip a quick bite.

Lucan sighed and glared at the tent flap.

"I suppose I should get back to work. We'll need to prepare for the next phase of the march." She sighed as well, then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"And I should get to work on writing letters to have sent to the other duchies, to implore them for aid."

"Someday, when this war is won, I expect to have you in my arms for more than just a few minutes at a time," the duke grumbled, even as he rose to his feet. She laughed and beamed up at him, staring at his firm backside as he got dressed.

"I look forward to it, my lord."

She leaned forward and gave his thigh a quick lick before he covered himself. Rather than rise immediately, she simply relaxed and watched, then fluttered her lashes at him as he slipped out of the tent. After giving herself a few more minutes to recover, she rose, dressed, then stepped back out into the camp to get to work.

***

The following morning, the army resumed its march, crossing the border into Wolfgate. Once across the border, scouts from Wolfgate's army met them, to help guide them along the way and to meet the forces that would be assembling on the far side of the duchy.

For three days they marched, their numbers swelling each time they camped. Soldiers of various barons came to add to the cause, along with mercenaries, glory-seeking peasants, and even a few fighting men of the priesthood, who were eager to put foreign heathens to the sword.

They hadn't even united with Wolfgate's full army yet, and already nearly two thousand had joined them. Sarya's heart swelled as the army grew, and she welcomed each band of volunteers with a beaming smile and her heartfelt gratitude. She swore to herself, again and again, that all those who survived would be rewarded for their service. Even though she knew not their names, she owed every one of them a great debt.

Whenever they stopped to camp, Sarya wrote dozens of letters, to give to Lucan's riders, who would then convey them to the other nearby duchies. Some rode for the nearby duchy of Jadewall, while others rode for Redlake: a smaller duchy that bordered both Wolfgate and Jadewall. With luck, both duchies could commit a few thousand men to the march, or at least allow their own local mercenaries to volunteer for the cause.

Things were far too busy and hectic for her to spend much time getting up to mischief, but she was still aware of the growing bond between the captain and the High Priest's daughter. The two were nearly inseparable, with the blonde following Neryth about, gawking wide-eyed at the barbarians, the growing camp, and the countryside that she had not been allowed to witness for years. Sarya's heart ached for the young woman for being held captive for so long, but knew there was little she could do to erase those years in chains.

One evening, as the columns of soldiers split apart to make camp for the night, Sarya caught Neryth's gaze at a moment when Velwen was nowhere to be seen.

"Made a new friend, I see," the duchess smiled.

"Aye," Neryth said. "And before you accuse me of anything untoward, my lady, I haven't lain a finger on her."

"Consider me quite shocked, captain."

"Don't think she's much interested in me, anyway, not in that regard." Neryth smirked. "But the barbarians, though. She can't keep her eyes off them."

"I don't blame her." A little tremble of hunger grew deep within Sarya. The exhaustion from the march had made it difficult to have enough time to steal away with either Ketrik or Lucan.

"So what do you think?" Sarya asked. "Is she going to steal herself a barbarian lover or two? Or three?" Sarya giggled at that, as did the captain.

"Maybe. Seems a bit too shy to approach any of the warriors on her own." Neryth grinned. "Might have to make the arrangements myself."

"My, that's very charitable of you."

"Feel like I owe her something. I dragged her out of captivity, I can't just let her flounder on her own." She shrugged and her grin turned quite wicked. "Besides, it'd be fun to watch."

Sarya wondered if she'd be able to get away with witnessing such debauchery, but she doubted it.

"Perhaps before we make the final segment of the march to Fellhaven. Would make for a nice way for her and the warriors to relax a bit before the battle."

"Aye. Nothing better than a good hard fuck before a battle...and nothing better than a good hard fuck after a battle, too."

'After the battle.' Those words of Neryth's echoed in her mind. Gods, she had been so focused on getting home and raising an army that she'd barely put any thought into what would come next. They'd have to rebuild, if Fellhaven ended up being damaged in the fighting, then they'd have to guide back all the refugees who had fled before the encirclement. Rewards and loot would have to be divided up, and she'd have to face greedy dukes and duchesses trying to swoop in if they sensed she was vulnerable.

And there was the matter of a potential marriage to finalize any alliances...

It was enough to make her head spin.

"Are you all right, my lady?" the captain asked.

"Just...thinking. I get lost in my thoughts sometimes."

"So does the duke. Perhaps you two should...distract yourselves."

"Yes," Sarya said with a sigh, a grin returning to her face. "Perhaps we should."

***

Thank you for reading! The next chapter will feature some more debauchery, a bit more intrigue, and the recruiting of a few more allies for the coming battle.