The Gorgon

The two waited in silence for a signal or sign that never came. After a few moments, Yharin uncoiled and exhaled deeply. She motioned for Elias to continue to follow her though she offered no explanation for what had just happened. At every mention of it, she simply shut him down. He felt vulnerable in the dark of the passage but could do little about it. Instead, he sheathed his sword and continued onwards, keeping a closer eye on Yharin.

Chapter 7 Finally, after some walking, they reached the secret entrance to the prison Elias had used to sneak inside. Yharin moved aside to let him unlock it and already, Elias started with a number of assurances about what the world would be like on the surface. He turned the lock and heaved to pull back the ancient door when Yharin tackled him aside. They crashed into the corner of the room, the door ajar and Elias hurt and angry at being accosted. Yharin had gripped her side. There had been a bolt fired as soon as the door had opened and it would have struck Elias had he not been shoved.

Elias told her to take cover and drew his sword. He drew near to the doorway and tried to spy a glance at their unknown assailant. He inched his way to the door frame and peeked. He heard the sound of someone straining in the dark to reload a crossbow. The assailant, whoever they were, was not as practised with their weapon as they ought to have been. Elias listened carefully, mindful of Yharin in the corner, coiled up and clutching her side, beneath the rags now stained with a dark red.

He realised he had a single chance to overtake his attacker and had to even the odds. He removed his shoe and carefully, slowly, stuck it out from the corner of the doorway. Elias knew the ruse worked when he heard the thunk of a crossbow loose. He dropped the shoe and bolted into the doorway, sword in hand. His attacker cursed and dropped the crossbow and tried to draw their own sword, just in time to throw aside the thrust Elias had aimed at their gut.

With the element of surprise lost, Elias and the assailant began a deadly duel in the dark of the tunnel. Elias, with his long rapier, kept the assailant at bay, but the length of the weapon made closing to an attack risky. The attacker, armed with a much shorter, stockier sword, more of a long knife, would make quick work of Elias if they closed the gap. The two fought on. The attacker would parry a flurry of thrusts from Elias only to force him back or risk being disarmed.

Elias, knowing that time was only against him and thinking of Yharin, switched his tactic. He made as if to lunge again, but at the last second switched his grip on his sword to wield it like a club. So held, he brought it swiftly smashing against the attacker's head, who, completely surprised, made no defence. The heavy pommel of the rapier smashed into their skull like the head of a mace, sending the assailant flying into the wall. Elias heard a satisfying crack as they crumbled to the floor, a pool of blood now forming. Content with his victory, he rushed back to see to Yharin.

Yharin lay in the dark, clutching her side, her breathing slowed. She heard the contest of arms end with a sickly crack and assumed Elias must have lost. He's a courtier, not a knight, she reasoned and prepared to deal with the assassin herself. She heard the footsteps of someone approach and coiled her tail to strike them. She almost did, forcing Elias to duck back into the passageway before he exclaimed that he had come back to help. She felt relieved and collapsed back.

"Luckily for you, I'm not half bad a swordsman," he said, leaning down to inspect the wound.

"Oh, so you didn't talk him to death?" she retorted. Elias wanted to move some of her rags to inspect the wound but she proved unwilling.

"Now's not the time for modesty Yharin. I need to see the wound to tend to it."

Yharin wanted to resist but she relented, feeling more faint. She let Elias pull back her raggedy clothing to inspect the wound. He was deeply surprised to see that, the flesh above the serpentine tail was soft and pliant, much like a human. The salacious thoughts left his mind when he saw the bolt sticking out of her side. The wound was not too deep, but he had no way of telling what sort of head it had, and the damage it might do if he removed it. A thought raced in his mind and Elias knew what to do. He helped Yharin stand back up, and half carrying, half supporting her, they walked from the prison into the light of day.

Chapter 8 The secret entrance was aptly named even in the bustle of the Old Marketplace; no one noticed Elias helping Yharin crawl out of the prison. She almost recoiled as the sensory experience of light and the city greeted her. Elias waited a moment for her to acclimate but time was not on their side. They kept to the dark alleys of the market district as they headed off to an unknown location. They almost had a few close calls, stumbling into a crowd here and there but luckily, between the time of day and the crowd of people, they were able to avoid any further incidents.

To Yharin, the sensation of sunlight and the rancour of the crowd overwhelmed her senses; she was barely conscious when Elias nudged a door open with his foot and helped her inside a run-down townhouse. He brought her to a cot and eased her into it before saying something and heading out the door. She drifted off but before too long woke up again, although very weak from blood loss, as two figures walked into the room.

"Elias, I was expecting to be handling a dalliance; this is something else!"

"It's not like that Katarina; we were attacked. She took a bolt to save me. I know it's unusual, but you've got to help."

"I shouldn't have brought the black hellebore then...Damn. Okay help me with the rags."

It was a touch and go operation. Luckily Yharin had passed out. The bolt was a simple spike. Removing it and stabilising the wound took some time but the bolt had missed any internal organs and the wound would prove non-fatal. When they were finished, and Katarina was cleaning up, Elias came to her after checking on Yharin.

"Thanks Kat; what do I owe you?"

"Double the normal fee. These were new shoes Eli and now they're covered in lamia blood."

Elias gave the money, though he did note a look of concern in her eyes as he did.

"Don't worry Kat. It's just another day at court."

With that, she gave him one last worried look before pocketing the money leaving an also bloodied Elias alone with the sleeping lamia.

Chapter 9 Yharin woke with a fright, bolting to attention and wincing in pain. She reached for her side, expecting the bolt but found only some recently changed bandages. Her rags were gone, and instead she wore some kind of large shawl that draped over her. She looked around the room to find it empty. Except for some old furniture and the cot she lay in, the room was empty. A pale blue light came in from the singular window; the moon was out.

She crawled out of bed looking for Elias or someone to explain what had happened. A pile of bloody clothes was piled up in a corner of the room, some of it the rags Yharin had worn and others the garb of Elias. She felt stiff from sleep, and possibly some medicine, judging by the various vials that stood on a small table. She froze up upon hearing some movement from outside of the room. Someone was walking up to the door.

"I hope you're hungry because I brought some...Yharin, you're awake! You shouldn't be up; lay down!"

Elias wanted to put down the tray he carried and help her back into the bed but she was already up and barraging him with questions. There was no time to answer them all so he walked to the bed and set down the tray and broke off a piece of bread to give to her.

The barrage of questions halted when she noticed the food and practically snatched the piece before hungrily devouring it. Elias looked on with a satisfied grin as she continued to eat, reaching for more of the food that he had prepared. Only when she finished did he even start to say anything.

"You lost a lot of blood taking that bolt for me. Doc Katarina patched you up pretty well though. All things considered, I've had worse prison breaks," he said, punctuating that last comment with a laugh. The moonlight streaking into the room cast him in a strange aspect. He seemed almost ethereal standing in the shadow. Between the two of them, it was Yharin who broke the silence first.

"Why did that man try to kill us?"

Elias shrugged and walked over to the bed. Underneath the bed, hidden from view was the crossbow that almost ended her life. It seemed even more menacing in the light of the moon, the cold metal shining in the dark.

"Can't say I rightly know. I thought this would have some answers but it's proved...as barren as a tree in winter. What I do know, is that whoever wanted me dead, was very thorough."

He looked at her. Even though her body dominated the bed, with her tail mostly laying on the floor, she seemed anxious, vulnerable even. It was a far cry from the creature that had almost crushed him to death a day ago.

How things change, he thought. A yawn passed over him and it was at that moment he realised he had not slept properly since they had escaped the prison. The bed was inviting but far too small to fit them both, so Elias got up to leave, thinking he could set up a makeshift bed in the other room. Parsimony in buying the safe house had come back to bite him and that made him smile inwardly.

As he moved, Yharin reached out to grab his hand. She didn't say anything, although she wanted to, and they looked at each other. Elias gave her a smile and leaned down to reassure her with a hug. Even post-recovery, he was deeply surprised by how strong she could hug, and before too long tiredness had won out and he collapsed in the bed, Yharin coiling around him.

Chapter 10 Elias felt warm when he awoke. His fuzzy mind wanted to pull at the blanket that had so enveloped him but his hands felt no fabric. Instead, he felt the hard scales that traced a gentle curve near what must have felt like a hip. Awareness came to him and he realised that Yharin had wrapped herself around him as he slept. His head rested on her gentle bosom and in her protective embrace he had fallen asleep.

Moving proved a little bit too difficult in his current predicament so he merely lay back and enjoyed the strange sensation of soft flesh and hard scale rubbing against himself. The events of the past few days had been difficult so he let himself just relax, but before too long, he felt his arm stiffen. Somehow, it had become trapped under the backside of Yharin's tail.

To counteract this, Elias tried to wiggle his hand free but he quickly realised this would be a fruitless endeavour. There some leeway to be made but the battle would be uphill. Yharin's body was a strange mix of powerful muscle and supple flesh and Elias' hand had the misfortune to be pinned under the scaly part. That is of, course, until his fingers felt a change in texture. The tough, hard scales of her tail were giving way to a softer and more supple flesh. Elias was sure that his hand was nowhere near her abdomen until a blushing realisation came over him. It seemed reasonable that his hand had wandered near her vagina, or so he thought. There was a certain curiosity that entered into his mind about what sort of sex a lamia might possess, and he felt his hand probe with slightly more purpose, but he stopped himself out of habit. There was another way to do this.

"Yharin, Yharin, wake up..." he whispered gently, hoping she could hear him and be roused from her slumber. A couple more attempts and the tail that had enveloped him started to stir and move and within a few moments, Elias found a bright pair of green eyes staring at him.

"Good morning to you, too," he said, smiling. To enhance the effect he even raised an eyebrow which was something the newly awoken Yharin was probably too groggy to appreciate. Her face turned a bright shade of red when she saw just how intimate they were. Locked together as they were, Elias had been given an intimate tactile tour of the contours of her body. She looked at him, not knowing what to do or how to react. In reply, he smiled and said, "I was wondering if perhaps, I could return the favour..." He looked down, tapping with his hand as he did and Yharin blushed doubly.

"Oh...well...if you...want to."

"Do me a favour love and scoot up. My hand's a bit trapped."

She did as he asked and lifted her tail. The bedposts, already taxed by the weight of man and lamia, did not appreciate the strain and groaned in protest. Elias, realising that the bed would perhaps not last, wisely chose to extract himself and bade Yharin to lay back in a reclining posture. The shawl which had been purchased specifically to provide her some modesty proved an obstacle in the exercise so Elias asked her to remove it. There was some hesitance on her part, so Elias removed his shirt to help her feel comfortable.

She could see that he wasn't as weak as she imagined. Underneath the shirt, behind the layers of charm and persona, was a lean body that was used to hardship. She disrobed and reclined as instructed. To Elias this was an exhilarating experience. A part of his mind reeled at how taboo it was and another was slowly becoming enchanted by the woman who only days prior almost killed him.

He marvelled at her body; though worn from the hardship of prison and the recent attack, it was a tremendous sight. The snake tail which had been so prominent terminated at a pair of wide hips. He knelt down to give himself access to her vagina. It was similar enough to a human's that he imagined it would react similarly... and curiously, instead of hair there were differently textured scales that grew around it. These felt much softer to the touch in contrast to the harder scales that made up the rest of her tail. He probed the area with his fingers, gently, seeing how she would react to the sensation first before committing to something deeper.

It was a few slow and gentle strokes before he slipped two fingers into her moistening vagina. The flesh inside felt slightly rough but not unpleasantly so. As his one hand kept probing, looking for the best pleasure response, his other hand went to massage a breast. It found a plump and firm breast and he massaged it, paying attention the nipple. She said nothing, except to let out a soft moan whenever his actions were having their desired effect. He was mindful of her tail, which, as she writhed, moved back and forth. The temptation grew and failing to resist it, he leaned in and started to kiss her body. Gently, moving from her belly up to her neck, it brought out the desired response and she started moan deeply, and request he go faster. Only happy to oblige, he sped up his ministrations and bent slightly to suck on one of her nipples. This was the final straw and he could feel a wetness on his hand and the convulsions of powerful cords of muscle in her body as she climaxed.

This brought a smile to his face and she moaned, "Kiss me...please." So, he did. It was a deep kiss, and so emotive that Elias felt her tail wrap around his body in appreciation. The sensation drove him wild and he broke the kiss. He was about to remove his pants when he heard a knock at the door; it sounded urgent and used the secret code he had put in place. He cursed and got up, angry at being interrupted during the lovemaking but anxious about what could have happened. Yharin collapsed back into the bed, luxuriating in the post-climax sensations.

Chapter 11 Elias had no time to put his shirt back on, but as he walked to the door, sword in hand, he called out to Yharin to hide herself in the room. He heard some shuffling as he reached the door. The door had a peephole and through it Elias could see a cloaked figure glancing around in the empty street.

That's not suspicious at all, Elias thought as he reached for the handle.

"Elias, isn't it a little bit early to be entertaining company?"

"Well you know Lady Alandra, I do get bored rather easily."

Elias was careful not to open the door until he was sure that Yharin had hide herself. Right now trust was a commodity neither of them could afford much. Besides Yharin, who for obvious reasons was out of any conspiracies, Elias could not afford to trust the wrong person.

"Are you going to let me in? It's cold out here for a crone like me."

"Well, there's a matter of modesty. The room is rather small to be entertaining two women. Why are you here?"

"Did you find the Gorgon? Was the myth true?" She seemed eager in her questioning though not at all hostile. To Elias she seemed genuinely curious about the errand she had sent him on though he found this to be unsettling all the same. He considered his answer momentarily and then replied.

"Sadly no. Your errand proved fruitless. The Gorgon is simply a myth, nothing but an empty cell. Consider your quest fulfilled."

Alandra narrowed her eyes and rubbed her chin, considering her own position for a moment.

"I was sure the myths had some grain of truth. Curious, but you may consider your debt to me paid. There is another matter. Jobel...he's making some wild claims at court about you."

"Can we do anything about that? Jobel won't stop his scheming as long as I am around."

"Well, mayhap. Meet at the usual spot. Say eight? We can talk later." With that, she turned around and walked out into the street. Elias blinked once or twice and could have sworn she disappeared but he dismissed it as a trick of the light. Swiftly he closed the door and went back to Yharin. She peeked out from the corner of the room which was only partially able to cover her. He nodded the all clear and she exhaled. They would have a lot to talk about before tonight.

Chapter 12 The wind was beginning to blow fiercely as Elias walked up the cold stone steps to the meeting point. He was, even by his own time, not early but preparations with Yharin had taken priority. As he walked he cast occasional glances into the now shadowy corners created in the stonework. It made him nervous and he grasped onto the hilt of his sword for relief. It had been with him for many an encounter and he hope the surety of its steel would see him through this one.

The meeting place was the usual one that Alandra and Elias had used in the past. It was, by design, a disused corridor in the eastern wing of the castle complex. Few servants would be around at that hour and fewer visitors would have sought for it on purpose. The corridor overlooked a magnificent view of the city though from the commanding height of the castle, scant details could be made out.

He got into his usual position, trying to shield himself from the wind by drawing his cloak nearer and he stood waiting for Alandra to approach from her side as she had before. The minutes seemed to drag on as he waited, hoping that Alandra would appear and dispel his fears. He heard the sound of boots and turned around.

"Well, if it isn't the wayward dove?" came an unctuous voice. Elias turned to face the interloper and saw Jobel. He was dressed rather much like a peacock with an ornate and feathered cape. Flanking him were two large and clearly armed men, each with a thick bladed falchion and from their postures, Elias suspected they knew how to use them. Neither had a visible ranged weapon though and with his long rapier, and the tightness of the corridor, Elias reckoned the odds were still very much even.

"Says the grand toadie. What in the blazes are you doing Jobel?" Jobel laughed and stepped forward, though he made sure his guards walked ahead of him. He brought up his hands, ringing with the sound of jewellery, to a scholar's cradle and smirked.