The Healer Pt. 09

Their day continues the same way; each woman that Coral meets with refuses to give any information about or name her attackers. Each of them is clearly terrified of the centaurs, giving Quell an especially wide berth. When they reach the last town in the late afternoon, there are two women to speak to, both of which were attacked almost a year ago.

The first woman is older than Coral; she gives the centaurs wary looks but doesn't otherwise exhibit any fear or panic and is just as unhelpful as the others. The last woman, however, provides them with some interesting information, though it is not what they seek.

She is almost Vadim's age, with mousy brown hair and eyes and a rail thin frame from the hardships of living in a struggling village. Despite it all, she offers a curtsey to the centaurs before inviting Vadim and Coral into her home. She presents them with tea before joining the pair of them by her fireplace.

"I am sorry, Lady Coral," she starts, staring off into the fire, "I know you visit in hopes that I will name my attacker. If I knew that you could stop them, I would tell you, but I don't believe anyone can. My life was threatened if I spoke out against him and had you come a year ago when I wished for death I would have told you but since then, I have moved on. I have healed and I have even taken a mate; I just wish to put all of this behind me."

Sipping the tea, Coral looks over the woman, "I understand. May I ask how you have managed to heal? You seem to be in a better place than these other women; if there is anything I can do to help them move on as you have, I would gladly."

Turning her gaze away from the fire, she offers a half smile, "As a true healer, you will find doubt in it, but there is a witch who lives in the mountains to the north of the Centurion castle. It took me a long time to save up enough for payment but once I did she came to my house. I do not know what spell she casted on me, but she spent a week here while she was at it. By the time she finished, my fear no longer controlled me; I was able to be around a centaur and not cower in terror."

Coral does find doubt in the woman's statement but can see that whatever the woman believed the witch capable of, has affected her for good and she cannot dismiss the results, "Thank you for sharing that with me and thank you for the tea. Before we leave—do you have need of my services?"

"My mate is centaur, my lady. He has thrush in his front hoof that has been plaguing him for a while now; I would appreciate any advice you have on this, as I cannot offer payment for medicine."

Smiling, she replies, "I have no need for payment." She rises and walks to her medicine case, crouching beside it while she digs through the contents, "You will need to make sure he keeps the hoof clean and dry—any dead parts must be cut out. Pack it with a mixture of sugar and iodine at night time when he goes to bed; you best wrap it at that point so he doesn't stain anything." Coral manages to find a bottle of iodine in the bottom, though she accidentally knocks several pouches and vials out of the case in the process. Shifting through some more items, she pulls out some clean bandages and gives them to the woman before hastily stuffing everything back inside the case and latching it.

"Thank you, my lady," the woman says sincerely.

"Of course," Coral replies.

Vadim goes to lift up the case when he spots a blue vial on the floor, "I think you missed one, sister." He picks it up and hands it to her.

Hastily, Coral shoves the vial into her dress pocket, speaking to Vadim as they walk out, "I should probably straighten it up tonight."

Having met with the last woman in their planned route for the day, Quell leads them a little further west down the road instead of heading directly back to the castle. The walk is short and the trees are few; a cold breeze blows in their faces, Coral shocked to discover the saltiness of the air. When the road opens up into a wide sandy beach, the rolling blue green waves just beyond, a genuine smile crosses her lips for the first time all day. Near the shore, she dismounts her horse before Vadim; hastily, she unlaces her boots, kicking them off and gathers up her dress, tying it into a knot by her knee. Her bare feet sink into the cold wet sand just before the small wave of water crashes against her shins, the cold temperature of it making her yip with a startled laugh. She looks out towards the horizon, the flat ocean stretching as far as she can see. The entire sight is thrillingly beautiful, like nothing she has ever seen before. Vadim slowly walks to her, slipping his hand in hers as they share in the moment of their first view of the sea.

Quell's arms wrap around Coral, his face nuzzling into her hair, "Out there, underneath the water there is a living rock which the fishermen on the western sea call coral. All of the ones I have seen are a color very similar to your hair. Perhaps, during the next Atonement, we can visit the western sea together and I can show it to you. Then, you can introduce me to your family."

She turns her head, smiling adoringly up at him, but when she returns her gaze to the sea, her smile fades as the thought of having a family to call her own tears at her heart.

...

Their seating arrangements are the same as before. While Coral picks at the food on her plate, Quell and Vadim share their disappointing lack of information with the King. Though they speculate that there are only two, perhaps three centaurs involved in all of the attacks, none of the victims were willing to speak out and identify them.

Callen offers suggestions for places to visit the next day, Yulnar remaining somewhat quiet during the meal. Towards the end, when all have eaten, he says to Quell, "Well, nephew, we were able to find a pair willing to test your elixir." He waves his hand to a guard standing at the door, who opens it for the couple to enter. The younger centaur and his mate look barely of age. He is tall and slender for a half breed, lean muscles on his bare chest, his chestnut red, shaggy hide contrasting his dark black hair and tail. The young woman, dull brown hair and eyes, looks terrified.

Quell looks at them, before turning back to his Yulnar, "It is imperative that they both want to be together."

He waves his hand, "By all means, ask them yourself."

Glancing at Coral, he ne nods to her. She slides out of her seat, walking to the woman and ushering her to a far corner of the room to speak in private. When they stop, the woman curtseys, "I am Dorna, my lady."

"Why are you doing this?" Coral out right asks her.

The woman doesn't maintain eye contact but looks down at the ground, "Frent heard that they were looking for a couple to volunteer to...to be mated, in front of the King. They said there was a potion that would ease the pain of it."

Coral senses the girl's apprehension and nervousness, "So this was his idea? What if I told you the potion was a fake?"

The woman looks up frantically before looking away again, "He suggested it." When she doesn't get another question, she continues, "My parents have arranged for me to be mated with an older centaur—he is not a very nice man. I want someone my own age—someone who will be kind to me, who can care for me. Frent is a good centaur, he is gentle and he has always been nice to me. If the potion is a fake, then so be it, I will still do this. I will be Frent's mate, or otherwise I will have to be..." she trails off, shaking.

Drawing in a deep breath, Coral reaches out and squeeze's the woman's shoulders, "All right, calm down. I know this is probably not the way you envisioned your first time to be. Just do your best to focus solely on Frent, pretend no one else is here."

She looks up, trying to get a hold of her nerves, "Is—is the potion a fake?"

Offering a gentle smile, Coral says, "No. It is real."

There is still doubt in the woman's eyes when Coral leaves her and walks to Quell. He now stands with the rest of the dinner party, forming a half circle around a mounting stand that was brought in. When Coral gives him a nod, he walks to Frent, handing him the vial and speaking to him briefly.

Frent stands there awkwardly, Dorna in front of him. Neither are sure how to start it, but it is Yulnar who pushes them with his somewhat exasperated tone, "Remove your clothes girl."

Dorna's hands start to shake as she loosens the tie on her dress. She stares at the floor, tears falling down her face. Frent walks to her, cupping her cheeks in his hands, speaking softly and kissing her gently on the lips. He wipes her tears away and helps her remove her dress first, followed by her shift.

Unconsciously Dorna covers her breasts with her arms. Frent tries to ease her anxiety, smoothing her hair back and kissing her softly; though she kisses him back, she still trembles. Resigning himself to the fact that it will be difficult for her with voyeurs watching no matter what he does, he takes her hand into his and leads her to the mounting stand. Reluctantly, she leans herself over it, her hands grasping the sides so tightly her knuckles are white. When Frent locks the bar into place behind her thighs, Dorna's backside is spread open wide, her cunt visible to everyone.

Frent pours a good amount of the liquid into his shaking hand, he now too, nervous about performing in front of a group. When his trembling fingers reach out and start to rub the elixir into Dorna's maidenhood, she flinches initially. But as he works it around her flesh, a surprising moan escapes her mouth, her body starting to visibly relax and she even leans her weight backwards towards Frent, indicating her desire for more.

Coral can hear the slightly heavy breathing of all of the centaurs around her; she doesn't need to look, because she can see the growing and dropping cocks from the sides of her vision. Even Quell is aroused, though he stands with his arms crossed over his chest and a slight frown on his face. Feeling uneasy, she finds the room a dangerous place to be with so many wanton centaurs, especially with a majority having obtained their women by force. Coral places her hand on Quell's fur covered back, whispering quietly, "I should not be here."

He looks down at her, the haze of lust over his eyes; it takes him a few moments to process what she says, before he nods in agreement.

"I will take her back to our room," Vadim offers, shifting just as uncomfortably next to Coral.

Quell nods at his brother, watching them leave the room before returning his attention to the pair, just as Frent positions himself to mount Dorna.

In the hallway, Coral feels on edge; the smell of the elixir, combined with the visual stimulus of seeing the naked pair interact and the coursing adrenaline of fear in her body, she is almost shaking with anxiety.

"Thank you for leaving with me, Vadim," Coral says quietly.

"Of course, sister. That was...erotic, to say the least. None the less, I did not feel comfortable with you remaining around a group of highly aroused centaurs. The elixir seemed even to overcome Quell a bit."

They round the corner leading to the suite that all of them share.

"It was a rather provocative, yet savage way to provide proof. Prince Callen could have just as easily used some with his mate," there is some anger in her voice.

"Very true. The King should be able to take the word of his son—" Vadim is cut off, a cry coming from his mouth, a sickening sound of something hitting him over the head following it.

Shocked, confused, Coral instinctively starts to crouch beside him to see if he is all right. Large, bare arms wrap around her waist, yanking her off of the ground. Instantly she starts kicking, trying to push the arms off of her. When she opens her mouth, a hand clamps down over it, pinching her nose shut. Frantic now, not being able to draw in a breath, she struggles harder, though in vain as the unrelenting grip of her attacker holds her tight to his chest, several inches in the air. Her heart pounds fast as she flails, yet darkness creeps in on the edge of her vision. Though she tries, her body slowly goes limp, catching one last glimpse of Vadim, unconscious on the ground before everything goes black.