The Queen of the She-Wolves

By nightfall, the rain had stopped, giving the forest a jarring stillness, like a deep cave.

Eventually, they came to a river, and it started thin but soon widened and swallowed the trees, until suddenly they were on the bank of the lake. It was an expansive lake. No waves rippled through it, giving it a mirror finish. The blood moon appeared above, and its twin reflected below.

"Well done, Red," said Kyra.

Once accustomed to the absence of the trees, Red spotted the island in the moonlight. The island was vacant, just as he remembered.

"See, no palace," Red said.

Kyra did not respond.

She went to the smooth shoreline and followed it, studying the landscape, searching for something that she had not made known to Red. Patiently, he followed behind. They walked along with it for an hour before she found what she was searching for.

"Ah, there it is," she said and pointed.

A pair of stone pillars appeared eroded enough to look natural. Still, they were aligned so that they looked placed there purposefully by beings.

"Here we are. The sunken bridge," Kyra proclaimed.

"The sunken bridge?"

"Yes. Because --"

"It is sunken."

"Precisely."

Red walked over, stood between the pillars, and looked down into the water. The stone bridge beneath the surface was there, extending out towards the island. The same bridge from his dream.

"Kyra, I should confess that I have a bad feeling about this."

"I do not."

She sat down on a mossy rock and removed her boots and socks. Red looked around uncertainly, then did the same. They tied their socks and the laces of their boots and draped them around their shoulders and walked out onto the bridge.

The water bit them with chilling cold as they waded. The bridge was slippery with algae, so it was slow going.

The blood moon sailed above them between fast-moving silver clouds. The shapes of the clouds glimmered in the rippling lake, and the image of the moon rippled as if to dance.

He felt a presence behind him, so he swung around, and there she was, the wolf, standing regally on the riverbank, watching them in stoic silence.

"Hello again, friend," Red muttered.

Kyra glanced at Red. "Do you know this wolf?"

Red nodded.

"There's more to this wolf than meets the eyes," he said.

"The same can be said of you. Of me."

Kyra went to stand next to Red, and they watched the wolf together, waiting in silence as if to await instructions.

The wolf sat on her haunches and howled a long howl that echoed across the lake. In the howl was a powerful energy that shook Red's bones.

As soon as the wolf finished her howl, slinking shapes emerged behind her from the dark tree line. About a dozen wolves emerged one by one out onto the lakeshore to stand there shoulder to shoulder.

"An odd pack," Red observed. He glanced at Kyra. She smiled. Her eyes glinted with excitement. Something about her reaction suggested that she expected the wolves to show up.

The wolves marched onto the bridge, waded slowly across in a line formation, towards the waiting pair. As they approached, Red thought it would be a suitable time to share what he knew about the wolves with Kyra.

"I must confess something. That one in the front -- the silver one -- I dreamt of her, Kyra. In my dream, she turned into a woman and led me to the palace. And in the night before the dream, the night you nearly died, two other wolves showed me the way to the nightshade that saved your life."

"A premonition, if I ever heard one," Kyra remarked. She did not seem surprised or bothered by this story.

"How were you expecting to find the palace, Kyra? If you did not know of the wolves?"

Kyra shrugged.

"You are familiar with these wolves. I can sense it," Red said to her.

"Wolves are children of Ouksenn as much as men are. In that sense I'm familiar with all wolves."

"And these wolves in particular?"

"I know that they are the residents of the palace. Guardians of its treasures."

"Are they a danger to us?"

"Only if we take that diadem."

"Do we not intend to take it?"

"Of course, we intend to take it."

Red nodded. He held his breath as they approached and encircled him and Kyra. He held a dirk steadily with one hand and the other hand hovering above the handle of the one that was still sheathed.

The leader, the silver one, looked at them both with studious eyes. Red felt no danger for the moment, so he sheathed his dirk.

Kyra bowed to the wolf. Following her lead bowed, Red bowed as well, and the wolf bowed back.

The wolves, once on the island, formed an arc facing inward. The moon again came into view from behind a passing cloud. It seemed much more prominent than Red had noticed before, and it pulsed with dark energy.

Then, in front of their eyes, the leader transformed. A brilliant blue glow, and within seconds, she had grown up from where she sat into a beautiful woman with fair naked skin. Covering her body was a thin grey veil, but it hardly served to cover her nakedness.

On her silver head shimmered a delicate crown.

Kyra whispered in Red's ear, "Look there! The diadem!"

The woman smiled at them but said nothing. Kyra and Red bowed again. The woman bowed again in kind, then turned to the island's center, held out her hands and sang the chant that Red knew from his dream. The moon above seemed to groan in response, and the palace began to take shape before them. First, the spires reached into the clouds, then the crenelated towers, then the main keep. Each window was lit with warm orange light.

Kyra patted Red's shoulder.

"See, what did I tell you."

The woman walked past them, giving them a welcoming glance as if beckoning them to follow her but said nothing. The wolves too, filed past.

The main doors opened, and the woman and the wolves disappeared through it.

Kyra and Red glanced knowingly at each other then proceeded to follow them. Before entering, Red grabbed Kyra by the hand to stop her going and said, "Whatever happens in there, we stick together, right?"

Kyra nodded and grunted.

Not satisfied with the meek response, he squeezed her hand harder.

"Right?" He asked again harshly.

"Ow! Yes, of course. We're in this together. What are you worried about?"

"You leaving me for the wolves if it comes to it, for starters."

Kyra snorted. "You saved my life, remember? I owe you. On my honor, I will not leave you to the wolves."

"So, we'll finally test the honor of the Witch Thief."

***

The grand foyer of the keep glistened like polished marble. There were no wolves there, only dozens of beautiful, scantily clad women, lounging in luxury on soft chaise. Beside them, tables blushing with fruits and full crystal carafes of dark red wine.

One woman played skillfully at a lute, and another sang a beautiful song. Several were playfully teasing each other, chasing each other around the room, pawing at each other, giggling profusely. At a glance, this place was a hedonistic fever dream on par with the best harems on the continent.

The more he studied the room, the more he found hedonism displayed uninhibited. Two women leaned against the column were kissing each other messily. Then there was another pair in the shadows. It was hard to see what they were doing besides writhing, but they made noises of hot pleasure. Some of the women paused from their pleasures to watch Red and Kyra. Some, Red could feel, looked upon them with hunger. He knew the look of hunger well. They were hungry. But what were they hungry for?

At the very back of the room, elevated in a high throne, sat the silver-haired woman. She sat with regal laziness -- proper and tall but relaxed. Her diadem glittered in the torchlights and the flickering shadows of the room. Her eyes followed Red and Kyra as they approached.

"Let me do the talking," Kyra muttered to Red under her breath.

"By all means," Red muttered back.

"Your grace, we are humbled to be in your presence," Kyra said.

The woman smiled. She stood from her seat and bowed her head slightly, then came down to meet them.

She stood closely, looked them each up and down.

"You must be tired from your journey," she said.

"Indeed, we are. Many days we traveled. And many dangers we have faced."

The woman nodded with compassion.

Red tried his absolute best at keeping a straight face. He tried not to cringe at the terribly rendered highborn tenor Kyra had put on.

"Do you know where you are?" asked the regal woman.

"The palace of Ouksenn, of course. Apologies for our intrusion."

The woman bowed her head graciously and replied,

"You do not intrude here. We welcome all who come in peace. I am Ophelia. Guardian of Greywood. Stewardess of the palace of Ouksenn. Queen of the She-Wolves."

Kyra bowed again. "Your grace, it is an honor. I am Kyra, a sorceress of Portoa. And this is -"

Kyra paused to allow Red to introduce himself.

"I'm um..."

"I know who you are, Ranger of the Eastern Realm," interrupted Ophelia. Her eyes gleamed.

"And I know you, Kyra of Portoa. Witch Thief."

She put a hint of mocking in her intonation of 'Witch Thief.' She took her diadem off and placed it at her arm rest and played with it knowingly with her fingers. Ophelia laughed and covered her mouth for politeness. It was a gleeful laugh that shook her shoulders.

"Your grace," Kyra tried but appeared at a loss for words.

Ophelia held a hand up and said, "Do not worry. We mean you no harm. You are here on a mission. But allow me to be so bold to suggest there is another reason you are here."

The room had grown quiet, so that the only noise beyond the echoing of his words were the crackling of the flames in the braziers. Then Red blurted,

"You mean to say the diadem was a trap. You lured us here."

Ophelia looked at him amusingly. Kyra frowned at him.

"Red!" She rasped.

Red retorted, "Oh please, Kyra. You're not that naïve."

He held his hands close to his dirks, ready to unsheathe them at the slightest sign of danger. He could feel the eyes of the wolfwomen around the room bearing down on him and Kyra, and their silence felt menacing.

"Red, shush!" Kyra muttered through gritted teeth. For shushing him, he glared at her.

"Let's go, Kyra," he replied.

"You are welcome to leave," Ophelia said. "You are by no means, prisoners."

"We shall take our leave, then," Red answered.

He motioned for Kyra to come with him, but she stayed planted, flustered that he would give up the job so easily.

"Of course," Ophelia added, "but please accept our invitation to stay at least for the night. You journeyed long and hard to arrive here. I would be remiss if you left here in your rough condition when there is an opportunity for you to regain your wellness."

Kyra gave Red a begging look to accept the offer.

Red sighed. "Fine. We'll stay for the night."

Ophelia made a motion with her hand to two women that stood at the side nearby. They bowed their heads and came to either side of the Red and Kyra and led them by their arms away from the main chamber.

As they were ushered out, Kyra shouted back,

"Lovely to meet you, your Grace!"

The two women that led them were quiet and shy. They were both young and fair, with firm, youthful bodies and were nearly identical, except for the color of their eyes. One had green eyes, and the other blue, just like the wolves from the other night.

"Where are we going?" Red asked them with less than usual courtesy, which wasn't much.

With her arm wrapped in Red's, the woman said, "First to a bath."

"Ok..."

"Be grateful, Red," Kyra said. "You really need it."

The two women giggled.

Red scowled. Kyra scowled back.

"Don't you look at me that way? Why don't you just relax? You of all people, I would think would be absolutely delighted by a flock of young, beautiful women."

"I of all people," Red repeated in indignation. "I'll have you know, Kyra -- I of all people can recognize a honey trap when I'm stepping in one. And it's a pack Kyra. A pack, not a flock."

"Flock, pack, what does it matter? Anyways, if this is a honey trap, I'm sure lacking for honey," Kyra retorted.

One of the escorts started, "If you would like honey, we'll be happy to-"

"Oh hush, darling. You're ruining my point."

Red huffed. He had to admit, there was nothing yet to suggest they were in any danger. This was what made him so suspicious. Admittedly, there were more mysteries within these palace walls than there were signs of danger and he was tempted to unravel those mysteries. Of course, the biggest of those mysteries was why they were lured here under false pretense.

The woman at his arm squeezed gently and said, "Do not worry ranger. You will find that we are pleasant, and might I suggest pleasurable company."

Kyra guffawed at that.

"I don't like the way she said that," Red muttered.

Kyra rolled her eyes. "Oh, why don't you let your cock do the thinking for you, for once?"

They reached the end of the hall, where there were a pair of massive oak doors. The women each went to one and pushed the doors open together to reveal a wondrous, sprawling garden full of lush, flowering trees. Most prominent in the garden was a large, steaming hot spring of turquoise blue water. In it were a dozen naked women, vivacious and playful. Some were splashing each other, giggling like children. Others lounged at the sides of the pool among the ferns, drinking wine and eating fruits. Crickets sang among the cattails, and the spring water gurgled agreeably.

Red's jaw dropped. Kyra lifted it back up with a finger.

"You see, Red? There's nothing to worry about."

Kyra then dropped her fur coat. Her escort grabbed it and folded it, placing it on a stone, while Kyra peeled off the rest of her outfit until she was fully nude like the rest of them.

"Good evening, ladies," She sang as she unhesitatingly entered the hot spring.

The women all sang a chorus greeting in response and swarmed around Kyra like kittens. The two escorts turned to Red and began to undress him. When he resisted, they pouted.

"If you want to get in, you have to take those off!" they insisted.

Kyra urged him to acquiesce. Reluctantly he peeled off his clothes.

Kyra watched him with brazen eyes as he entered the water and commented, "My, my. Aren't you a strapping sight for sore eyes?"

The women giggled in demure agreement.

Red splashed her as he submerged himself in the pleasantly hot water. The hot spring was certainly a welcome reprieve from days of tramping through the cold, wet forest, and it did wonders for his sore muscles. He let out a sigh as he sunk into a seat at the edge of the pool.

At once, he found a full glass of wine by his side, brought to him by one of the escorts, who then dropped her silk gown and slid herself into the pool beside him.

She rested a hand on Red's thigh and inched close enough that a breast brushed against his arm. His cock throbbed to life. He put a hand over it to hide it from the dozens of women that were all around him.

"Let me know if you need anything else," she whispered into his ear.

"How about a name I can call you by, for a start?"

"Lillian," she responded.

"Nice to meet you, Lillian."

Lillian giggled. She had a pleasant, childlike giggle. Her face was striking and flawless. Her hair was angelic blonde. She wasn't necessarily more beautiful than any other woman he had met, yet there was an attractiveness to her that was more than just her physical appearance. He couldn't quite put a finger on it, but he saw hints of it in her eyes. There was a worldly depth to them.

"May I ask you anything, Lillian? Even if it may be personal?"

"Yes, of course."

She smiled innocently.

"How old are you?"

She shook her head. "That I do not know."

"You do not know how old you are?"

"Older than the grass. Younger than the mountains."

She snickered proudly at her quip.

Though it was innocent enough a quip, and if this were just a brothel in Giltan's Port, he would be happy to play along with her sly evasion of the question, but here, now, Red was uncomfortable with that answer. He glanced around at the other girls. They were invariably beautiful in the same way that Lillian was beautiful. And then there was something else, another observation that he was surprised he didn't notice earlier.

"Where are the men?"

"There's one right here." She tapped his nose and snickered again.

"We're conversing in riddles, are we?"

"If that is your desire."

She bit her lower lip. Excitement grew on her face and in her vivid blue eyes. She pressed her body more tightly against him so that her hard nipple raked against his skin. He sat up, pulled himself away from her. Coolly, he sipped the wine and refilled the cup to the brim from the carafe.

"I'd prefer if we talked straight. Where are the men?"

"There are no men."

"Why is that?"

"Men are forbidden from living here."

"They get too much in the way of womanly things?"

Lillian cocked her head, unsure of what he meant by that. Nevertheless, a sly smile crept onto her face, and she replied,

"We have no use for men."

"None at all?"

"Well, they can be nice. They can be fun. But men are not allowed to linger here. They are too dangerous, so says the queen."

"I see... I hope I can convince you that I'm not so dangerous."

"Not now, you aren't." She giggled and kissed him on the cheek and added, "But I see your soul. You are a savage."

Her hand had snuck up his thigh and curled around his cock. He winced and thought of resisting. But it had been so long since he's felt a sensual touch of a woman that the resistance in him melted away like heated candle wax. She stroked his cock slowly. She gazed at him intently with sparkling eyes. He relaxed. Sighed deeply.

Red glanced over and saw that the other woman that had escorted them here was now rubbing Kyra's shoulders sensually while Kyra mouthing silent moans. Another woman brought a wine cup to Kyra's mouth, and she took a long sip. Kyra had let her guards down fully. Not an ounce of trepidation ever stayed with her, as if this spa had always been what they had trekked for days through a wild and dangerous forest to find.

"Would you like a shoulder rub as well?" asked Lillian.

"No. This is fine," Red breathed as her hand moved slowly and gingerly up and down his shaft.

"I know just what you need," she said.

Before he could give a response, Lillian sunk her head beneath the water, and he felt a warm shock on the tip of his cock as she wrapped her mouth around it.

"Oh fuck," he groaned. His eyes rolled into the back of his head. He sunk into his seat and rested his head on the edge of the pool and clasped his hands around Lillian's bobbing head. "Fuck, that's good," he muttered.

Kyra gave him a wink, then turned her head and kissed the other girl.

***

Lillian, and Kyra's escort, who Red learned was Calliope, brought them to their bedchamber.

"This is where you sleep," Lillian said.

"There's only one bed in here," Red commented.

"Of course," Lillian replied. "Oh, sorry for the misunderstanding, we thought -- "

Kyra waved her hand at Lillian.

"Don't worry about it, Lillian. It's fine. We'll share the bed. It's big enough," she said.

Lillian and Calliope bowed their heads and left after stating they would return with their clothes for dinner. Kyra smiled dreamily at Red.

"You having fun?" He asked.

She nodded. "Aren't you?"

She plopped herself onto the bed and curled up in the blankets.

"My gods, this is the softest bed I had ever been in. Red, you must feel this cotton!" She cried out. She patted the bed for Red to join her. He sat at the foot of it.