The Khan Ch. 01: A Payment of Weregild

Waves broke over rocky shoals. A gull cried out.

The young woman tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and looked ahead. There was a road leading from the beach up the face of a steep bluff. She couldn't see the top, lost as it was behind the tree line, but she knew from the ancient texts that there had once been a castle overlooking the sea.

Many years ago, the island of Knossos had been the capital of a great civilization. But those days were long passed. Now the ruins of great palaces and crumbling roads were all that remained on this distant island.

There was no future for the young woman back in the city state of Tyre. Her destiny was ahead, on this island.

She turned and gave one last look at the retreating galley. The ship was a tiny speck on the horizon. They would return in two years. That is the time she had given herself. If her quest wasn't fulfilled by then, she would have to return empty handed. And that was simply not an option. Not for her. Not for the sake of her ambition.

She adjusted her gauntlets and greaves. Then she strapped her sword belt over her fine chain armor. She hefted her pack of supplies and set out down the broken road.

*

Jun'ai was winded. The march from the beach was longer than she had anticipated. She stopped often and drank from her water skin.

The road followed a grassy ledge that led steadily upward. Rounding a bend, she came to an abrupt stop. The sight before her was appalling.

She stood in front of a row of severed heads. There were seven in all, mounted atop spears that were wedged between the broken stones of the roadway. The message was clear: stay out.

She studied the heads, each one in turn. The shafts of the spears ran up through the brain cavity and stuck out through an eye socket or punched through the top of the skull. Most of the heads were picked clean of flesh. The bone bleached from the sun and wind. One had the suture lines traced with ink. Another had strange writing.

The head on the far right however was mostly intact. It was the newest addition to this ghastly effigy. The flesh was spongy and sallow. Blood had drained down the length of the wooden spear and dried. The eyes had been picked from the sockets by carrion birds. But the face was still recognizable.

Ariakas.

Tears blurred her vision. She blinked. Her legs suddenly weak. Until now she didn't know what had happened to him. Only that he hadn't returned.

For a moment she doubted her resolve. Doubted her mission. This was a fool's errand and would only get her killed. Her own head mounted here to rot in ignominy.

And then she thought about her life in Tyre. About the senate and the army and her future ambitions and the moment passed. Her resolve solidified. She knew she had to see this through. Not for herself. But for her house.

She leaned over and gave that head a gentle kiss on the lips. Gently she pried it from the spear, taking care to hold the skull together. She walked off into the brush beside the road and dug a hole and put the head inside. Then she buried the head under a thin layer of topsoil, making sure to place rocks atop the grave in order to keep animals from digging it up and dragging it off.

The she closed her eyes and said a short prayer over the shallow grave. She lingered a long time, before collecting herself and pressed on.

*

When she reached the top of the bluff, Jun'ai despaired.

Castle Kairatos was in ruins. The moat was a dried crevice in the land. Most of the banks had eroded away. And the outer walls were in complete disrepair. More sections were missing than were intact. The rubble strewn across the plateau.

The only structure that stood was the central keep. And even that was teetering. The first story was mostly intact. The rag-stone walls were thick and had withstood the wear of time. The vaulted ceiling held. But the second story, which would have been supported by wooden beam, had completely crumbled.

Jun'ai walked through the rubble of the outer wall and entered the courtyard. There were remains of barracks and stables, smiths and bakeries. An entire community wiped away by the passage of time.

The keep loomed before her. Dark and foreboding. The narrow archer slits and the open gate made the structure resemble a skull. She entered through the front, doors open after the wood had rotted away.

Inside was an entrance hall, a dining room and a throne room. Dust covered everything. The pale stucco walls were decorated with murals of gryphons and bulls. Most were faded.

There was a firepit on the floor in the center of the dining hall. Ash and a ring of stones. It appeared to have recently been used. In the throne room were other signs of life. There were wood chips scattered across the floor. Next to the dais was a scattering of flint and husks from some vegetable.

Behind the throne room was a stairwell. The stairs that once lead to the second floor ended abruptly in a jagged break just above her head. The stairs down, however, were intact and the path unblocked.

She knew what she sought lay in the chambers beneath the palace. Her breath was quick and shallow. Her heart raced. Adrenaline pumped. Nerves frayed.

She lit a torch, adjusted her sword belt, and started her descent.

*

Below the castle was total darkness. It was thick and cloying. There was a heavy musk of testosterone and unwashed fur.

The area directly below the surface had been used for storage. There were small rooms off the main corridor that would have held the food and material necessary to maintain a civilized life in the castle. All the rooms were empty except for scattered debris. Broken pottery. Bits of discarded tools.

At the end of the passageway there was another set of stairs leading further down.

Below that was the crypt. A circular room with fluted marble columns supporting the ceiling. Brick sarcophagi lay in alcoves along the walls, statues of lords and kings adorned each one.

Across the chamber there was a second light source.

Jun'ai got her first look at the monster. A hulking brute wreathed in shadows and flickering torch light. Enormous in height and girth. A full head taller than the tallest man in Tyre, and he was broad shouldered with tree trunk legs and bulging biceps. Hair covered his forearms, down his chest and back. Below the knees were recurve legs that ended in cloven hooves.

Between the creature's legs was a sheath of flesh. The beast's member and balls were pulled up inside.

But it was the beasts head that attracted all the attention. His head was a massive bull's head. Horns protruded from the sides, his eyes were small, black orbs, glistening with malice. They stared at her. An unreadable expression on his unhuman face.

A minotaur. That is what they were called, although no one had seen one for a thousand years, not since their species was driven from the continent to the outer marches.

This was the monster that had killed Ariakas. This was the monster that had killed her husband.

"What insolence is this?" The minotaur said. His baritone voice carried in the cavernous room.

"My name is Jun'ai, and I'm here seeking justice." Her voice held steady.

The minotaur said nothing. Stared at her with a flat expression.

She continued. "A month ago a man named Ariakas came here. He was a hero to our people. He came here to slay you."

"He was a fool."

"He was my husband," Jun'ai said. Her anger flared. The defiance in her voice was true. "And you fought him, and you killed him. Leaving me a widow." Her strength faltered. She suddenly felt like the young woman that she was, and her idea to come here suddenly felt so foolish.

"And so you came here seeking revenge?" The beast looked at the slender rapier. It was scarcely more than a kitchen knife to the beast.

She set her resolve. "I came here for justice." She was committed now, had been since she first set foot on this rock.

"How do you propose to do that, little one?" The minotaur sneered. It was an exaggerated expression on his snout.

"You took my husband's life. Now you owe me a life."

The minotaur laughed. "And you intend to kill me with that?"

She shook her head. "I'm not here to kill you. A life for a life. Then we are even."

"Sounds like you intend to kill me." The humor had gone out of his voice. He was suddenly weary of this wisp of a creature.

"You owe me a payment of weregild. Compensation for my loss. And I ask for a life." She sheathed her sword, tossed the scabbard aside. She walked across the rough stone floor. It was a slow walk. She wanted him to see her shapely figure.

When she came up beside the towering brute, she stood barely to his breastbone. And she had always considered herself a tall woman. She looked up at him. Large liquid eyes shining. Her hand, so slender and delicate, reached out. It rested on his solid arm.

The beast stared down at her.

Her voice dropped to a sultry purr. "You will pay me with a son. A son that is as strong as you. A son that can cleave a man in half with a single swing. A son that will be feared by all and can be the hero that was stolen from us."

His hand gripped her waist. Vice like and strong.

She flinched. There was no backing out now, even if she wanted to.

She felt a surge of true fear for the first time since stepping foot on this godforsaken island. No matter how he chose to answer her request, this was going to hurt.

His fingers flexed, gripping her flesh. Bruising her. She could smell the musky odor of dander and sweat and fur. His member extended from the hairy sheath between his not quite human legs. It was large and hot and pressed against the inside of her thigh.

She trembled in fear.

"Are you giving yourself to me?" The minotaur spoke in a hushed tone.

"Yes," Jun'ai breathed. She hated this beast. This beast that had killed her husband and left her without a child, without status, and without any hopes of advancement.

Yet she needed him too. If it had been a human that had killed her husband, that man would have compensated her family and she would be taken care of. But being a monster, she was left without the means to take care of herself.

His hand reached under her chain shirt. The calloused fingers stroking her smooth flesh. Her head rolled back. Neck exposed. He pressed his body against hers. She felt the hairy chest and arms engulf her.

Fingers pushed beneath her bra. Fondled her breasts. Her nipples grew hard. She moaned.

He pulled off her chain shirt. Her gauntlets and greaves. Her boots. Her leather trousers. It was erotic in a way to have him undress her. She neither helped nor tried to stop him. When she was naked, he pushed her down to the hard stone floor. She hated this monster, but she went willingly.

On hands and knees. He moved into position behind her.

She felt his member press against her ass. It was like a spear against her flesh.

Then he slid inside her. She cried out. The intensity of it shocked her. It was thick and it filled her.

He worked it in and out. Slowly. Each time pulling it almost out, before forcing it in again. Deeper and deeper.

She cried. Tears trickled down her cheeks. The pain was excruciating. She thought briefly of Ariakas. Of his manhood inside her. Of the many nights spent by the pool, laying in one another's arms.

The minotuar's hand gripped the back of her skull and shoved it against the floor. Her cheek ground against the rough stone. The pressure was intense. His other hand held her waist. Holding her body steady while he slammed into her again and again.

Then he went faster. The length inside her deeper than her husband had ever been. Deeper than any man she had ever had.

Jun'ai was crushed beneath an avalanche of muscle. Thick thighs. Strong hands. Bulging biceps. He rubbed her body, her smooth flesh, drenched with sweat.

She screamed.

And then he exploded inside her. He clamped down on her waist. He slammed it in again. One last epic thrust. Then he rubbed it slowly back and forth, letting the final lingering orgasm please him.

His hands released her. She squirmed free. Lay gasping on the cold floor.

He lay on his back. She lay alone on the filthy floor for some time, crying, thinking about her dead husband and about this creature that had killed him.

At last she gathered her wits and her emotions and moved over to curled up beside him. Hand on his chest. Aching all over from the experience.

*

Jun'ai lay coiled beside the massive man. They spoke some. She learned his name was Hakkon and that he had been living on this island for several years. But the details were elusive. He was not open about his past.

She traced the white scar across his chest with the tip of her finger. "How did you come by this scar?"

The minotaur turned and looked at her. His expression was as unreadable as before, but she would have sworn he looked startled by the question. "Are you asking me for a personal story?"

Jun'ai smiled. "Of course I am. Why shouldn't I?"

Hakkon was silent a long time. She doubted he was going to answer her, then at last he began speaking. "I was a young bull at the time. It was my first time taking part in the Great Games. It was a great honor for me." Jun'ai ran her fingers through the coarse fur on his chest.

He continued, "I was headstrong, sure of myself, like so many youths, even though I had not earned the right. But I had won my first three matches. I felt unstoppable. I knew I was going to place in the top four. It was going to be my destiny. To think, my first time in the Games, and winning a Braid."

She had no idea what that meant. But when he spoke she could feel the strength of his soul.

"But then, in my fourth round I was pitted against a nasty old rock, Tandahl. He wasn't much bigger than me. I thought I had him beat. He was too cautious. He stayed back. But fuck, he was the wind. I couldn't catch him. He vanished whenever I got close."

He fell silent. Jun'ai realized this was more words than he had strung together at one time since she had met him. She found she enjoyed the deep melody of his voice. It was oddly soothing.

"Tendahl's plan was to wear me out. My steps grew sluggish and he went on the attack. He charged. His first run caught me in the chest. Tore this gash with his horn. I went numb on that side. I was out of the match. I knew it. I couldn't recover from that. So, I dropped."

"There was no sense in hurting yourself for just some trophy."

He looked at her. This time she could read the shock on his face very well. "I'm surprised to hear a woman say that."

"Why?" She shrugged.

"Because we compete for mates. The higher we place, the better the female we get to mate with afterwards."

Jun'ai blinked. "And the braids you mentioned-"

"Those are the only four women in the gathered tribes who get to braid their hair. To win a night with one of them is a great accomplishment. Most minotaurs go their whole life and never bed one."

Jun'ai grinned. "And you were planning on taking one your first time in the games?"

Hakkon returned the smile. "I told you, I was sure of myself."

A moment passed in silence. Jun'ai was feeling more and more comfortable with Hakkon. "Would you like to ask me something?"

He gave a start and almost pulled away from her.

"What's wrong?" She tightened her grip on his arm.

He relaxed almost immediately. But the hair on his neck and shoulders rose. "I just wasn't expecting you to make such a request."

She was guarded now. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Telling stories connects us to the world. It is the primary way by which we learn." He looked at her. "Telling stories about our culture connects members of society." Then in a lower tone of voice. "Telling personal stories connects people in intimate ways."

She thought a moment before answering. "I want you to put a child in me. We're already as close as we can be."

Hakkon lowered his head. It was a solemn expression. Then, "I would be honored to hear any story you wish to share, my dear chrysanthemum."

She felt a sudden pang, as if betraying Ariakas's memory by getting closer to this monster. She shook off the unwelcomed feeling.

She thought long and hard about what story she wanted to share. This was a bigger decision than she had anticipated. His culture valued stories, so choosing the right one would be crucial to how he sees her going forward. But there was really only one story to tell. It was an obvious choice.

"It was during his twelfth winter. Brutal cold that year. Snow blanketed the ground." It was obvious who she was talking about. "His masters cast him out into the wilderness for his coming of age trial. There was little doubt among the teachers he would make it. He was one of the strongest, one of the fastest with blade and bow."

"He was near the base of the great mountains north of the city. It was rocky landscape. Of little worth to farmers, but great for hunters. There he found a dire wolf. The beast was black as midnight. Eyes glowed gold in the pale moonlight."

"The boy was skilled. He knew the animal had an advantage in size and speed and strength. But it didn't have his wits. He found the high ground. Then, when it leaped at him, his spear took it in the heart."

"That kill kept him alive. He ate the meat. He fashioned a cloak from the pelt to stay warm and to survive the rest of the month in the mountains."

Jun'ai didn't look at the minotaur when she finished the story. She spoke mostly to herself. "When he returned, triumphant, he gifted me with the cloak. He told me that it had protected him, kept him warm, kept him alive during his trial. He said that its comforting presence reminded him of me."

"Ariakas?" Hakkon asked, though he knew the answer.

"Yes. We were married a few years later. He served in the army and was preparing to run for the Senate. His mission here to slay a minotaur and protect our southern seas from your danger was part of his campaign."

Hakkon said nothing.

"And now I'm left with a small villa and a soldier's pension and no child." A pause. "I can't serve in the army. I can't serve in the Senate. But my male heir can. He could fulfill the dream and make our family strong."

She was hungry for power and wealth. She knew what she wanted, and she was ready to take it for herself.

Hakkon was laying on his back. She reached a hand down between his hairy legs. She stroked the leathery skin, coaxing his manhood out.

The minotaur groaned. It was the first love noise he had made. His member grew hard. It was thick and pulsing. She stroked the shaft. The sensitivity of the skin made Hakkon shudder.

Jun'ai smiled. She reached a hand down and rubbed her own crotch, opening herself up. Making herself wet. Then she mounted him. Straddling his massive torso. Lowered herself onto his manhood.

It slid in. A tight fit. She cried out. He grunted.

She controlled the action. She lifted and lowered herself at her own speed. It was excruciatingly tight. She went slow at first.

His hands came to her waist. Held her in a loose grip. Not wanting to spoil her rhythm. He watched her breasts bounce in his face.

Her hands gripped his horns. She used it for leverage, rocking back and forth. She knew she was powerless in his arms. He was so strong. She a mere human. But she rode the beast.

She went faster now. Up and down. Letting him enter her as deep as possible. She gasped. She cried out. She felt her climax coming.

His hands ran across her ass and down the length of her thigh. The touch was light, a lover's caress, not the brutality it had been their first time. She was enjoying this.

Then the orgasm crashed over her. She screamed. Her whole body tensed. Wracked with convulsions. She collapsed on his chest. She flexed her hips in quick thrusts. She came down from her high.