The Rescuer Ch. 02

The Rescuer

Not Exactly What He Had in Mind!

Chapter 02

by TheRescuer

©2007 ©2008 ©2009 ©2010 ©2011 ©2012 ©2020 ©2021 ©2022

All rights reserved.

Warning: This is Chapter 02 of a full length novel told in a unique world-building style! This series is designed to be read in order and there are no recaps or reminders of past chapters included. Spoilers abound everywhere if you peek ahead! Critical information may not be repeated if you skip over a chapter!

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Please note!

This novel eventually contains sex from almost every possible allowable category and combinations of people. The types of scenes change depending upon which characters are in them. The story is purposefully written so that you will not miss key plot details, if you should choose to either entirely skip over, or only glance thru some of the sexual acts.

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Dozens and dozens of characters eventually help carry the story line. They all grow and change as the plot unfolds. Readers get to look through all of their eyes, and learn the differences between what they are telling others, and what is actually going on in their minds and hearts. The type and intensity of the sex varies depending on the actors in the scene, and at what point in their journey you happen to find them.

The plot does jump backwards and forwards in time, for good and very essential reasons.

By necessity, and intent, this is not a quick read.

It will take some time to properly set the foundation of the story but it will also let you as a reader enjoy trying to solve the same mystery the other characters are trying to unravel. This is a participatory kind of novel, where some clues are laid out well in advance, if only you can tell them apart from the lies some of the actors tell even themselves!

Everything on the page is there for a purpose. Answers to your questions do come, most often in the very next scene. The story is built of layers and layers, showing how the huge cast of characters interconnect and interact. The plot winds and twists thru time and takes you to places you will become very familiar with, maybe even love.

As you start to follow the actors thru their distant and recent pasts, you can better understand how the journey complicated each of their lives.

Told in a true world building style, the scope and reason for the creation of the "Trust" unfolds slowly, as you watch in the opening scene the man that was driven to create it begin to lose more than just his grip on reality.

There are no pure heroes and no absolute villains here. No entirely selfless or selfish acts. Just challenges to long cherished hopes and dreams that must be overcome.

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This chapter immediately follows the scene where the last one left off. It might be a good idea for even the most astute readers to go back to the previous chapter and reread the last page before starting this one, especially the poem Keeley recites near the end.

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I will give out one very important bit of information in advance though. Honesty between reader and author is important to me. Because of the climatic scene that is building, there is not a true sex scene in all of the following pages.

In my previous books I always tried to include at least one passage of sexual activity. As a rule, that worked well, but this chapter is an exception. There is plenty of other action and so many new actors being introduced such material felt wrong to add, no matter how hard and many times I tried to.

So instead, I suggest that readers study all the characters carefully, and imagine just who will be hooking up with who! For some actors you might even have a long list of partners and need to decide in what order they will tackle their planned conquests. But either way, just approach this chapter as an old school adventure novel and try to enjoy the ride! Plenty of sex will come after the actors leave this particular stage! For everyone!

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Another idea to keep in mind is a strange but helpful one?

Where do YOU personally like to sit at an event, play or movie theater? Where are YOU the most comfortable and why? Do you sit up in the front row, so you can't miss any of the action? Do you sit in the back, so you can observe the audience and the performance? Maybe you like the end of the row, so you could leave early if decide to? To you go alone, to be with your own ideas? Or go with friends to share the experience? Do you get there early, to be able to relax and enjoy yourself? Or do you sit down at the last second, to immediately be immersed in the action?

What would happen to you, if you couldn't be were you had planned to sit? And things began to go wrong? Very, very wrong?

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Keeley knew that she had just made a fool of herself.

Twice.

But the kind porter helped ease them all thru her shame, and the awkwardness they were all feeling now.

"I think I remember some of the poem now, but why does this place mean so much to you? It's not just the animals on the gates, or the way the bridge seems to connect two different realms. What were the old stories really about? No one here in our corporate office seems to have a clue, especially since this area has been off limits, since the stone arches and gates were put in. Can you tell us?"

The dark eyes seemed to know that talking would help her push most of the bad memories away.

"... it's an old tale, of two rival f-families, that are still at odds today. When she first started college in London, the author was d-doing genealogy research, and discovered that she was distantly related to one of the two groups. So when she found out about all the old legends, she expanded the little rhymes for each of the twenty-eight 'pairs' of little animals, into entire chapters for her first book. But she made the mistake of using the historical names of the real people involved, even though they were almost lost in the past. The other modern day descendents who still bore those surnames, on both sides, sued her for her publishing a book about them. No one wants to think their ancestors were either crazed murderers, or in the habit of hunting down and forcing themselves onto helpless young women... "

The dark eyes smiled back at her as he helped her get seated again, and tried to encourage her to say just a little bit more. But it was his own words that eventually prompted her in the right direction.

"That's what I remember! The lawsuits! Rather famous people in Great Britain, from what I heard! Both sides, claiming that their two diametrically opposed versions of the original tale was the real one, and that the other side's descendents were still the true villains? Am I right?"

Keeley nodded carefully, and although the debilitating emotions were slowly fading, she was still feeling a bit ill as she replied.

"This WHOLE place is special! The buildings must have been carefully aligned to true and not magnetic north. See, the fountain side is east, the maze side is west. The gate we came in is south, and the other one is north. The walkway between the two buildings represents the natural stone bridge, over a deep fast running river, separating the two families lands. It all fits the old legends! Everything here does!"

This time, it was Shelly who seemed absolutely shocked and terrified for some reason.

"You mean that from the very b-beginning, when s-someone redesigned the original layout of this p-place, they had planned to put the g-gates up here? From the very start? How is that even possible? What's the rest of the legend?"

Keeley knew that her voice was getting a little hoarse, and she still wasn't feeling all that well, and from more than just all the champagne and food. But the intense blue eyes of her friend seemed to really want, at least the short version, of the old tales her grandmother's cousin had told her as a child.

They were all so much darker than the worst of the scariest fairy tales most children grew up with.

"... Two powerful families lived together in one of the wilder untamed ancient forests of Britain, long before the Romans came. One group slowly grew more and more powerful, choosing to raid into their neighbor's lands, to cut down their trees instead of ruining their half of the ancient forest they both worshipped in. The legends say, that as long as the more powerful family left the Forest Hall alone, and honored the old gods, that they would be allowed to rule there forever. For generations, at the heart of the oldest part of the forest, they began building walls around the place of their power. Tall dark stones, topped by iron chains, meant to protect the animals that represented the living essence of the deities they had sworn themselves to. They put in the Dawn and Dusk arches, made of stone, cut from an altar even older than Stonehenge. The gates were added later, but the spirit animals made them swear never to lock them. Each of the families had to be allowed to continue to come and worship them. The weaker clan crossed the river bridge and came in the dusk gate, while the more powerful family just walked out of their homes, went a little way, and used the dawn gate. The two sides had plenty of room in the huge walled in section of forest, and never had to meet while they worshipped... "

Keeley forced herself to take a deep breath, and put the palm of her right hand on her stomach to try and settle it down. With helpful nods, at least from Shelly and the porter, she did her best to ignore Seth's scowls and continue.

"For years, the animals helped manage an uneasy peace. Then another war happened, and the losing poorer family was permanently banished to one side of the river, and kept away from the Hall! They couldn't come to worship anymore, and turned to darker paths in their misery and loneliness. A great castle went under construction, right outside the Dawn Gate, so the ruling family would eventually be able to look down on the last bit of truly wild forest left in their own kingdom. Once the castle was finished, everything began to change. Even though the gates remained unlocked, no one was allowed to enter and worship anymore. They were guarded by cruel and viscous men, who took pleasure in seeing the pain and heart break of the people they turned away. All the people of the forest, on both sides of the river, were suddenly told that only the ruler had the right to enjoy the forest anymore! Twice a day, only the Lord of the Keep came to worship, all alone inside the walls. He would go at twilight, and learn everything going on within his lands, from the powerful animals that would come to him. A different creature, one for each morning and each evening, for each day of the month. That's who's images have all been portrayed and pictured on these gates!... "

Her boyfriend rudely scoffed at her, almost breaking the mood of her story for the Porter and Shelly.

"Some calendar! There aren't even enough days on it to make sense!"

Shelly quipped back at his rudeness, before Keeley could even make herself draw a tired breath to argue. The blue eyes seemed both fascinated, yet strangely worried for some reason, and clearly wanted her to finish before they had to leave. Keeley had no trouble gesturing for the blonde to take and enjoy her own untouched souffle. Especially after her roommate finished cutting her boyfriend back down to size.

"It's a Lunar calendar, you idiot! Twenty eight days! Didn't you notice the number of tables matched the number of the animals on the gate?"

Keeley knew that her voice was sounding a little rougher and scratchy, as she pressed on as quickly as she could. She did her best to use just the good memories, but the bad ones kept trying to leap out at her. Her only defense was to just get the story out all in one rush.

"... from the animals, the Lord of the powerful family learned when his ancient enemy would be the weakest, and crossed the river bridge to go to war again. This time he wanted to try and steal all of their land, so he took a princess captive, and brought her back to the new castle. He threw her in a dark dungeon, forbidding her all light, even the stars. The very heavens shook in outrage, and an eclipse happened the next day. But the very moment the eclipse started, the Lord went mad, and dragged the princess out into the darkness that was now outside, too. When the sun and moon were fully aligned, the Lord took the princess into the Forest Hall, locked both of the gates, and cruelly and violently forced himself on her. He left her bloody, broken and battered body on the altar, declaring that he would keep taking her, until her people surrendered to only his will. Not their old gods or their new perverted ways. For the next month, he came to the Hall only when either the moon or the sun was high in the sky, keeping the Twilight Gods safely at bay. Twice a day, he hunted the princess down, and took her again. More cruelly and more painfully, each and every time. With the gates securely locked at twilight, each morning and evening, the magic of the stone, chains and metal gates kept everyone and everything from getting either in or out of the Forest Hall. But magic couldn't destroy all hope or pity. After every visit from the Lord, a different animal came to the princess to comfort her. They brought her food, and tried to show her a different place in the magic bordered forest to try and hide from the Lord. But each time the Hunt was successful, and the princess was left bleeding on the altar. Finally, on the evening of the twenty-eighth day of her torture, the princess resolved to kill herself. But the last animal, the most powerful one, convinced her to try something else. Her last protector guided her to the center of the maze-like forest, to a pool she had never been to before. There the princess waited, and welcomed the Lord instead of fighting him. She took him into her arms, and inside of herself, willingly. Pleasing him beyond all measure, again and again, the Lord lost all track of time. His unquenchable lust was finally sated, but surrounded by the darkness, he never knew that the New Moon had set. Only when the princess began laughing maniacally, did realize he was about meet his end. The animal that had promised the princess release, came out of the shadows where it had been watching, and tore the throat of the Lord wide open with it's teeth. The blood seeping into the nearby pool, summoned all the other animals at the same time, and a new pact was made between them all. The princess took both keys and flung open the gates, reconnecting both lands to the Forest Hall. The animals by the virtue of the royal blood sacrifice staining the pool, were finally able to work all at the same time, and magically took and hid the Gates from mankind, forever. The princess escaped out the Dusk Arch and went north, and with the last animal helping and guiding her, she went back over the river bridge and disappeared."

Seth scoffed again, and downed his last glass of champagne to show his annoyance.

"And they all lived happily ever after, I bet!"

The porter he had forgotten all about spoke up this time, startling him again, even worse than before.

"No. I can remember more of this myself now, from all the news articles. Depending on which House's version you believe, reopening the Gates was the bitter end for both families. One by one, all of the magical animals began vanishing, vowing to return only when they would be honored and kept safe again. The princess did escape back to her people, but was with child, and shunned and driven from both sides of the river. Supposedly for her horrible crime of being a victim, and not killing herself after the first night of her torture. Her own father accused her of bringing their Doom upon them, and utterly disowned her, and the unborn child. So the princess left, taking the last one of the magical animals with her, the "Cat who lived in the Shadows". Without even one of their forest gods left to protect them, the Romans came thru and scattered them all, to the farthest reaches of the island. It would be centuries, before either House regained any real power of their own again. Rumors have it, that the Lord's surviving descendents never stopped hunting and capturing young woman at night. As the centuries passed, they began taking the ruling families daughters from the castles they sacked in battle, and married them to legally take their lands. No matter how old or young they were."

Keeley couldn't deny that she was getting sick any longer, and had to quickly say something to make an excuse for herself, no matter how embarrassed it would make her feel.

"That's exactly right! One side's version was just that! The other family's tale swore that the women of the poorer tribe practiced foul magic! That they had only gone to war to take the original princess captive, to end that cruel witch's hold on the people living on both sides of the river! But in their version, the stolen princess cursed them all, after she slaughtered the Lord in his bed that very first night! They said that it was actually only the loss of their tribe's war chief, that led them all to being vulnerable when the Romans came. How in the HELL have you two not needed to go to the bathroom all this time!"

Seth snickered, and rudely shot back.

"We both went to the bathroom at that dress shop, while you were trying to charm that weird old man playing at being a train conductor!"

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Lowell stopped Keeley just a few feet short of where the camera would pick them up at the far end of the bridge.

It was hard not to think of this gate's many other names right now. In the histories it had been called the Death Gate, the Bloody Gate, the Winter Gate, and by dozens of other titles. So many generations of Britain's had their own take on the curse that was said to have been attached to this half of the pair of gates.

Whether or not he subscribed to the theory that this was the original portal, or merely a tribute to the legend made only six hundred years ago, didn't matter to him any more. It was old, and felt every bit the part the stories said that it had played. Right after the gates and arches were installed, the lights on just this side kept going out, and the electricians still didn't have a single clue why. When the smokers were still stealing up here to the bridge, time and time again he'd watched videos of both men and women deliberately crossing the sky bridge on the fifth floor, to go over to the Dawn gate instead of breaking the rules in this particular spot.

Even though it was so much closer to their desks, hardly anyone that worked on the sixth and seventh floors ever came to this side of the locked gates more than once.

When Keeley looked down at him, as if to wonder why he wasn't using his second key, she blushed when he looked over at her right thigh.

"Sorry. I sort of forgot, even though this key is scratching me more than the other one would have. It's got berries and thorns on it's vines, instead of flowers and leaves. You've been so nice to Shelly, and me. Why don't you get the key yourself? I'll even help you."

Not showing the slightest bit of shyness, worry or self consciousness about it... the amazing redhead grabbed the front edge of her green silk skirt... and even lifted the hem up a few inches higher than before.

From the center of the bridge, everything would have looked normal. Keeley still studied the fierce cat on top of the left gate. Since she had climbed up to see it, she no longer seemed to have that urge inside of her to get closer to it anymore. Once had been enough.