The Kingdom Pt. 01

After a few minutes of Kendric tossing and turning, he grudgingly says maybe he should have asked to take the bed, as the floor is beginning to bother his back thanks to sleeping on the hard surface all last night. I insist that it's no big deal, and switch with him. It's cooler on the floor, but I decide it's still too warm, so I remove my trousers.

Quite a while later, when I'm just about to nod off, someone enters the cabin. I barely register as they carefully tiptoe past me, remove their clothing and climb into the bed. Likewise, I hardly notice Kendric's shallow breathing of sleep change as bodies move around getting comfortable.

A few minutes later, I sense someone else enter then quietly close the door. They make their way to where I'm lying on the floor. They also remove clothing, but this person lays down next to me. I sleepily lift the blanket. A warm, naked body snuggles close to me. I place my arm around her, then relax, struggling towards sleep again.

She reaches her hand up, finds my face and turns it towards hers to kiss me. Her kiss is sweet, then more probing as she simultaneously rubs my chest. Now more awake, I lightly run my fingers along her hip, but she moves my hand up to squeeze her breast. Tweaking her nipple causes her to moan into my mouth. Her hand moves down to find my balls, which she brushes lightly with her fingertips. I quickly become hard, and she moves her head down to suck on my cock.

Turning her body further, she throws her leg over me, lowering her pussy down against my face. I lap at her nectar hungrily and bury a finger inside her.

Meanwhile, she seems to be intent on trying to swallow all nine inches of my cock.

Eventually she's had enough though and crawls around to straddle me. Easing her opening over my cock, she slides up and down my shaft while I massage her breasts. Her nipples are so stiff and so long I have an overwhelming urge to suck them, so I sit up and take one in my mouth. She alternates between panting and moaning quietly as I move back and forth from one nipple to the other, flicking them with my tongue and nibbling them with my teeth.

After a time, she pulls my face up to kiss me long and hard, wrapping her arms around my neck. She rides me for a while, then I pull her close to my chest and flip her over on her back.

I hook my arms under her knees, then fold her backwards, in half. I slam all nine inches inside her, over and over. She begins moaning uncontrollably, "Oooooh... Oooooh... Oooooh... Oooooh..."

"Mmmm... Mmmm... Mmmm... Mmmm..." I suddenly hear, quietly, as though it's being muffled by a blanket. But the noise is coming from the bed directly in front of me. I chuckle to myself as I continue burying my cock to the hilt.

"Mmmm," comes from the bed again.

That one was louder. And strangely enough, I'd swear that sounded like Micaelah.

"Mmmm!" I hear again, louder.

That was definitely Micaelah. Confused, I adjust my balance to one arm so I can continue thrusting, while I carefully reach out to where the candle is. As I lift the cover off and set it down, warm light bathes the room in its glow, giving me a clear view of the bed.

Micaelah is lying on her back with her head hanging over the edge, facing me, upside down, with a corner of the blanket between her teeth. She is naked, folded in half, and having her brains fucked out by Kendric, who hasn't noticed the light yet. His cock, as big as mine, slides in and out of Micaelah's tight little pussy. And she's obviously enjoying it.

"Mmmm... Mmmm... Mmmm..." Micaelah moans.

"Oooooh... Oooooh... Oooooh..." Jolie coos beneath me.

Slowing my thrusts, I look down between Jolie's ankles, except I don't see Jolie. I see Corinne.

Still moaning, she's watching Kendric pound Micaelah from her own upside down point of view, and trying to process it.

"Mmmm... Mmmm... Mmmm..." Micaelah moans.

Corinne looks up at me.

"Oooooh! Quillion? Oooooh!" she pants out between coos.

"Corinne?" I reply, panting. I look over at Micaelah.

Micaelah hears my voice and looks at me, upside down of course, then looks up. She spits the blanket out of her mouth.

"Oooooh! Kendric? Oooooh!" she pants out between gasps. Kendric keeps thrusting but opens his eyes. Squinting, he looks down at Micaelah.

"Oooooh! Oooooh! Oooooh!" she cries out, looking back at him.

Then Kendric looks over at me, pounding Corinne.

"Oooooh! Oooooh! Oooooh!" Corinne coos, meeting Kendric's gaze.

He slows his pace as he looks back down at Micaelah, then further down, taking in her firm little breasts and stiff, pink nipples, then further down where his cock continues to slowly bury itself inside her.

He stops thrusting, still inside Micaelah, and looks back over at Corinne. His lips move, but nothing comes out.

"Well... this is... awkward," Micaelah pants breathlessly, understating the obvious.

We all look at each other, waiting for someone else to say something that will burst the bubble and point the way out of this predicament.

Micaelah looks at Corinne pleadingly, "I'm so close to having an orgasm. Is it okay if Kendric keeps going?"

I stop on the upthrust, my cock barely inside Corinne. She looks up at me. She looks back at Kendric, who's frozen in place, waiting for Corinne to tell him what to do. She looks at Micaelah.

"Please?" Micaelah pants.

As I slowly push all nine inches inside Corinne, her eyes close and her mouth opens. "Ohhhhhh..."

She licks her lips, then replies, "Sure Micaelah... that's fine."

"Kendric, keep going," Micaelah urges him.

He slowly begins pumping her again. Both Corinne and I watch Kendric fuck Micaelah, while they in turn both watch me fuck Corinne.

Less than a minute later, Micaelah has her orgasm; Corinne follows shortly after. Their excitement brings mine soon after that. I pull out and lean back on my knees, stroking. Corinne scrambles to hers and takes over, engulfing my cock with her mouth. Spurt after spurt of my jizz coats her throat as she milks me with one hand and massages my balls with the other, swallowing each load as it fills up her mouth.

Finally spent, I sit down, just in time to see Kendric reach his orgasm. He pulls out and straddles Micaelah's chest, laying the head of his cock on her bottom lip, stroking hard. A huge stream of cum shoots out and hits the roof of her mouth. As he continues to stroke, his second load goes somewhat awry. Most of it lands on her tongue, but some lands on her chin and cheek.

She grabs his cock and takes over, stroking and pulling his cock into her mouth so she can suck on it. Corinne crawls over to watch as more of Kendric's jizz fills Micaelah's mouth, which seems about to burst.

Corinne tells her, laughing, "You'd better swallow that or it's going to be everywhere."

So Micaelah does. Pursing her lips, she swallows it all in one big gulp, then takes Kendric's cock in her mouth again and continues to milk him.

"Good job," Corinne compliments her, now on her knees looking down at Micaelah. "Is this your first time doing that?"

"Yeah," Micaelah says proudly, relaxing her head back down on the bed, still hanging over the edge, looking at Corinne upside down.

"You know, I had fun when Kendric and I were sparring with daggers, but this kind of sparring with him was even more fun!"

Corinne laughs. "I have to agree."

Kendric collapses on the bed. Corinne reaches out with her finger to wipe the jizz off Micaelah's chin, then holds it up for Micaelah to see. "You missed some."

Micaelah looks at it, then pulls Corinne's finger into her mouth to suck it clean. "There!" she says, smiling.

Corinne licks her lips, then uses the same finger to wipe the jizz off Micaelah's cheek. She puts it in Micaelah's mouth again. Micaelah sucks that off too. Corinne looks ready to swoon.

"You have nice boobs Corinne," Micaelah suddenly tells her, reaching up with both hands to cup them.

"Thank you," Corinne replies breathlessly. Dragging her fingers lightly across one of Michaela's breasts, she adds, "So do you."

"We should do this again sometime. On purpose, of course," Micaelah says.

Corinne glances up at Kendric, smirks, then responds, "Maybe we will."

§ 21 ~ Abnegation

"Jolie wanted to sleep outside with Teritha, so I said I'd sleep in the cabin," Micaelah explains as the two of us walk hand in hand. "She said you had the bed."

"Kendric asked me to switch with him because of his back," I tell her, keeping an eye out for any signs of life as the group continues to follow the creek.

After leaving the isolated and tranquil paradise that was the cabin by the pond, everyone felt well rested and in good spirits. Last night was spent on the fringe of the forest next to where the creek entered this ever sloping downward terrain, passing between low hills.

"Oh, I'm not complaining," Micaelah assures me. "Kendric was fun. Corinne looks fun too."

"She is definitely that," I say, amused.

"Yeah," she says thoughtfully. "I suppose you'd know." She pauses, then adds, "I really like being with you Quill, but I want all four of us to do it again. Hopefully soon. What did you call it? A foursome?"

Later that afternoon, Micaelah goes to walk with Corinne for a while, so Kendric takes the opportunity to consult with Teritha on the group's location. The overcast sky has made navigating somewhat of a challenge, especially since the creek is winding back and forth a lot.

Being in the rear of the pack by myself, I'm able to practice with the throwing knives, using anything and everything as a target. By the time evening rolls around, I'm able to hit my target, near and far, nine times out of ten.

It's still warm when Teritha calls a halt for the night, and there's still enough food, so everyone settles in without a fire being lit. Micaelah asks to sleep by Corinne. Kendric doesn't protest. Jolie and Lisbeth have been particularly chatty much of the day, so Teritha asks if I want to sleep near her. I nod.

When full darkness finally arrives, Teritha quietly moves next to me. I open my arms and pull her close. She places her head on my chest and hugs me.

"I've missed this," she whispers.

"I've missed you," I reply.

She turns her face towards mine. We kiss tenderly, then she lays her head back down.

When I wake up the next morning, Teritha is still sleeping next to me. I kiss the top of her head, then get up in the early dawn light to go find a suitable bush where I can relieve myself. When I return, the rest of the group is moving around, some already beginning to pack up. After freshening up in the stream and a meager breakfast consisting of the remaining venison, the trek east, or maybe south, continues.

"It appears we're much further south than I thought we would be," Teritha says later that afternoon.

Kendric looks again at the cluster of houses ahead along the creek. "I agree. If I'm not mistaken, that's the village of Prakarta, and the East road passes through it only a league or so north of Beryl."

"We've made good time then, despite our respite at the cabin," Teritha adds, pleased. "Let's see if we can secure some transportation from the local folk to hasten our journey."

As we approach the village from the north, following the East road, Kendric holds his hand up to stop everyone.

"Something doesn't seem right," he says. "It's too quiet. Where is everyone? It's the middle of the day. Someone should be making some kind of noise."

I see what he means. There are a few sheep in the pasture nearby, but no one is watching them. And surely this town is big enough for a blacksmith, but I hear no sound of hammering.

"There's no smoke coming from any of the chimneys," Lisbeth points out. "No one is cooking or baking anything?"

"Everyone ready yourselves. Keep a sharp eye," Teritha says.

Kendric has Corinne and Jolie move to the front and take out their bows. Lisbeth and Micaelah rest their hands on their daggers. Teritha and I ready our throwing knives. She hasn't had as much time as me to practice with them, but even if she misses, it will force an attacker to dodge and buy us time.

Primarily shielding Teritha, Kendric always seems ready to draw his sword.

Cautiously following the road, we pass the first house in town a few minutes later. The window shutters are still closed and yesterday's wash is still hanging out to dry.

Kendric quietly tells me, "Quillion, go see if anyone is home."

I nod and walk slowly towards the door, listening for any sound that may be coming from inside the house, but all I hear is silence. Maybe ten feet from the door, I stop as the first hint of a very unpleasant smell reaches my nostrils. The smell grows stronger as I get closer, and when I finally open it, the scent of decay is overwhelming.

The main room looks peaceful, as though nothing were out of the ordinary. I put my throwing knives away and draw one of my daggers. With the other hand, I cover my mouth and nose with the bottom of my tunic, brace myself, then go inside to look around.

Everything looks as one would expect, until I enter the lone bedroom to discover a horde of flies feasting on two corpses, their necks slit, the straw-filled mattress below soaked in blood. They appear to have been murdered in their sleep.

Turning to leave, I notice a crude ladder against the wall. My gaze follows it up to a shallow loft area. Fearing the worst, I sheathe my dagger, then keeping the bottom of my face covered, I climb up one-handed.

My heart breaks as my fears are confirmed. Two small bodies sharing a sleeping pallet are in much the same condition as their parents. Grieved beyond comprehension, I descend and leave the house. By the time I reach the door, I'm weeping openly.

"They're all dead," I croak as I walk towards the others. "An entire family murdered."

Micaelah reacts first. Running to me and throwing her arms around my neck, she holds me tightly as she sheds tears of empathy, whispering in my ear, "I'm here Quill. I'm here."

Kendric asks Corinne and Jolie to stay and keep watch as he heads for the door to the house. Teritha follows him despite his protestations. Lisbeth joins Micaelah, placing her arms around the both of us.

A minute later, Kendric and Teritha emerge, somehow looking both angry and sorrowful at the same time.

"Let's keep moving," he says. "Stay alert."

Lisbeth steps back as Teritha walks up to us. She places her hand on my shoulder and says, with tears in her eyes, "We'll find out who did this Quillion, and make them answer for it. Let's keep moving now and see if we can find any survivors. Maybe they'll be able to tell us what happened."

Her practicality makes sense and gives me a spark of hope, if not for life, then at least for justice. I nod and relax my hold on Micaelah. She wipes both our tears away, then kisses my cheek and gives my hand a squeeze. Pulling myself together, I ready one of my throwing knives and follow the group through the town.

The next few houses reveal much the same scenario, families murdered in their sleep. After that, the scenes begin to change. Signs of struggle and resistance appear. Whoever committed this atrocity apparently came in stealth at first, then was noticed by someone who raised cries of alarm that must have been heard.

We stop looking through every house, especially the ones that reek of decay before we even get close. A few houses turn out to be empty of bodies or any sign of struggle. These must belong to those who were able to flee, hopefully in time.

Most shops have been ransacked; others were left alone. Eventually, in what must be the town square, we discover the body of someone who tried to fight back, a gaping hole in his chest. A rusty sword lays on the ground nearby.

"That was caused by a lance," Kendric points out. His gaze takes in the wide open space, then examines the ground closely. "Looks like a small group of cavalry came through here, at least fifteen or twenty of them."

"Going which direction?" Teritha asks.

Kendric looks up at her, worry evident on his face. "Towards Beryl."

"Who could have done this?" I ask.

Teritha sighs. "I fear a war may have already begun," she says resignedly. "Let's quicken our pace, but stay vigilant."

Just a few minutes later we find the answers we're looking for. One of the townsfolk succeeded in fighting back.

"That man is from the Dutchy of Carnelia," Jolie says without emotion, looking down at a soldier wearing her family's crest, a sword wound in his side. "My father ordered this massacre."

Teritha moves to place her hand on Jolie's shoulder, but Jolie stops her with a gesture. She looks around at each of our faces, one by one, then turns to face Teritha.

"When I first helped you escape, I thought I was doing the right thing," Jolie tells her.

Now it's me who begins moving towards Jolie, wanting to somehow let her know she did do the right thing, but Teritha stops me with her own gesture, thankfully before I open my mouth.

Jolie continues, "By the time we made it to the Grove, I questioned my loyalty and my motives, wondering if I'd made a mistake.

"When I heard from your page that you'd injured one of our guardsmen and he'd killed another, I convinced myself it was my fault it happened, because you wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for me."

She pauses and takes a deep breath. All our eyes are fixed on hers as we listen to her confession.

"Things had gone too far by that point though, and I didn't want there to be any more bloodshed. I knew if they caught you, any of you, you would have been killed on the spot. They wouldn't have taken you to any dungeon.

"Something inside me told me I couldn't let them capture you. So I helped get you out of the city.

"I knew I was leaving my life behind, and yet, in the back of my mind, I knew I could have still claimed to be taken hostage."

She laughs, but her laugh is filled with hopelessness instead of mirth.

"And then down the river, and through the forest, and by the pond, it was all a grand adventure! I could pretend I was someone else, someone other than the Lady of Carnelia, and that none of that other stuff happened."

I look at Teritha, not knowing what her reaction will be hearing all this, but all I see on her face is compassion.

"And then..." Jolie begins, choking up, but pressing through it, getting out what she needs to say. "And then..." Her arm sweeps around to indicate the little town. "We find this."

Tears are now streaming down her face. "And this," she says, looking down at the fallen Carnelian soldier.

She carefully slings her bow over her shoulder then draws her short sword.

"I wish you were still alive," she tells the dead man. "And I wish you were my father."

Pulling her arm back, she violently shoves the blade through the dead man's heart, all the way to the hilt.

Then she falls to her knees and begins to wail.

§ 22 ~ Lamentation

The relative darkness hides the anguish on Jolie's face, but I still hear her sobbing, off and on, as Teritha holds Jolie's head in her lap, gently stroking her hair.

Micaelah and I sit across from them in the small room, our backs leaning against the wall. Micaelah's head rests on my shoulder as she holds my hand. I can hear Kendric and Corinne outside, talking quietly. Lisbeth is busying herself in the kitchen of this little house we found to spend the night in.

My nose tells me that dinner is ready, but my stomach isn't interested. Not after today. And yet, I thank Lisbeth when she hands me a bowl of food.

I eat without tasting it. My mind is filled with questions, such as "Who's house is this? Did they survive? When will they be home?" By the time I look down and discover the bowl is empty, I still haven't found any answers.

We never found any survivors. We did find more slain Carnelian soldiers, but not many. All the town's horses had been taken, the stables empty. At the end of our search, all we were left with was a decision to make.