The Succubae Seduction Bk. 02: The Twins Ch. 27

Captured by the Paladonic Knights, Eldon and his loved ones have little hope of making it out alive. Especially since their enemy knows everything about them.

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Chapter 27

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Knightfall

Eldon stared at the blood dripping from Megan's chin. His mind focused like a laser on the runnel as it pumped from the small cut, traveled down her smooth neck, and stained her shirt. He knew he should be more worried about the Paladonic Knights that managed to not only track the Orange Bubble but actually attack it. But his mind couldn't fasten onto something he thought was impossible.

It was better than admitting that he knew the voice of the female calling out to them. The voice he knew almost as well as his mother's commanding tones. The voice that taught him magic and healed his scrapes after a tough weapons training stint.

The voice of a woman who was supposed to be dead.

No. It was much better to worry about the tiny scrape to Megan's pretty chin. His mind refused to think about that other subject.

"Is that..." Shlee started to ask, looking around at the ashen faces around her.

Don't say it! Eldon thought, afraid that saying it would make it any truer than he already knew it was.

"You can't hide in your magic car forever, Lyden!" Becky's voice rang out before three pounding knocks sounded against the door that was still above them.

Everything in the car looked odd since it was on its side. One door was under them, half covered by the mattress and bed frame. Thankfully no one was on it when they were attacked.

He glanced at his father, wondering how the stoic and robust Lyden Snow was handling the fact that his dead wife was demanding they leave the safety of the Orange Bubble.

"I don't think they can get in here," Lyden said, his voice hard as he glanced up at the door. "If they could, they would have stormed in and taken us already."

"But how did they attack in the first place?" Eldon asked. "I thought the Orange Bubble was invincible to everything."

Lyden grimaced as he met his son's gaze. "It's impregnable to any mundane forces," he said, his voice growing even harder. He dropped into a squat and ran his hand lovingly over the wall-turned-floor. His voice dropped to soothing timber as he continued speaking. "She has a portion of Angela's soul in her, from before she became the Pillar of Fire. She should be as well hidden as any succubus when she doesn't want to be noticed." He glanced up as more pounding sounded from outside. "But if a friend were to come calling, she would respond."

The last of his statement sent a shiver down Eldon's spine. Antarctica would seem warm and hospitable by comparison. He watched his father stand, eyes locked on the door above them, shoulders rigid and back straight.

"Best not to keep her waiting," Lyden said, though his voice managed a fine line between soft and hard. "Becky had the biggest heart of any of my wives, but it was always best not to make her wait."

"Dad—" Eldon tried to argue with him, but Lyden held up one hand to forestall him.

"That can't be my dead wife out there, Son," Lyden said as he nodded to Mei, who had taken up position below the door. "I don't know what's going on, but I'm not going to wait in here and let them hurt my car anymore."

Eldon considered arguing that they were better off waiting for help to arrive, or for the Orange Bubble to right itself and get them out of there. Instead, he watched in silence as mei flew up and gripped the handle. Who knew how long it would take before help arrived? And if the car could have gotten them out of there, it would have by then.

Mei met everyone's eyes, took a quick breath, and released the latch. The door flew up and off its hinges. Bright lights flooded the interior, blinding them a second before Eldon heard a pop, followed by a fizzing sound. Eldon shielded his eyes as best he could, and saw multiple smoke grenades spewing noxious gas. Mei, who had remained silent throughout the turmoil, disappearing into the smoke.

He opened his mouth to warn the others not to breathe but hesitated. Something about the way the gas swirled made him smile. He couldn't tell what it was but soon found himself chuckling as soldiers in dark uniforms and gas masks dropped inside the car. When he saw Becky float down and give them all a glare, he outright guffawed.

The woman looked much as she had before dying in the White House bombing. Her greying hair might have been a little tighter as it swept back into a bun atop her head, and her eyes held more disdain and disgust than he could remember, but it was her. Her stomach was larger than he recalled and remembered that while it wasn't that long that he was in the other world, months had passed here.

His joyous hysteria didn't appear to be lessening despite the danger he knew they were in. His knees buckled as he doubled over from laughing. He was laughing too hard... He tried to breathe through the giggles, but they were stronger than him. As darkness began a slow creep in around his vision, Eldon wondered why Becky didn't need a mask. His unasked question was answered as she bent over her husband, and he saw the gas swirl around, but not touch her pregnant form.

"We have the betrayer of Humanity," Becky's grin split her lips, hard and cruel. "Take him and his ilk to the van."

"This one is human," a muffled voice responded as they examined Megan with some sort of machine. "What should we do with her?"

Becky glanced at the redhead as Megan gasped for air. The woman didn't miss how Megan reached out for Eldon, as though he could do anything for her.

"She appears to be under their spell," Becky said. "Take her. We'll break her of their hold as they did for me."

Eldon felt a boot impact his lower back, right at his kidney. He would have laughed at the whole absurd situation, but darkness finally claimed him.

* * * *

A dwarf and a minotaur shared Eldon's skull, using it like a drum, pounding out a throbbing rhythm and making him groan. Eldon would have laughed, knowing that the two races didn't particularly like one another, but he didn't know if he could ever laugh again. Instead, a slow groan escaped him as he rolled onto his back. His chest hurt, his head throbbed, his throat felt raw and swollen, and his mouth was dry enough to make the Pillar of Fire's domain jealous.

"He's awake," a rough voice he didn't recognize said nearby.

Eldon opened his eyes and saw Shlee leaning over him, her muscular arms squeezing and running across his body. Her arm appeared to have healed already. Werewolves had excellent healing capabilities.

I Guess she won't be singing anytime soon if her mouth and throat feel anything like mine, he thought and groaned as she helped him sit up.

"What... Where?" He tried to speak, but his mouth wouldn't cooperate.

"Drink this," Shlee commanded. Something pressed against his lips, and tepid liquid filled his mouth. The water tasted awful, but he couldn't stop himself from gulping as best he could. He didn't get nearly enough before it ran out.

"That's all the water we have," Lyden said nearby.

Hearing that, he worried about Brock and Brooke. Those two needed water to survive more than the rest of them. Especially Brock, who had to be at least partially submerged. Looking around, he didn't see his half-sibling, nor did he see Mei, Brooke or Oberon. They were all in the car when they were attacked, weren't they?

His throbbing head made him doubt his own memories.

"They're fine for now," Lyden answered his unasked question. "We talked in my Menz Mundi earlier. They're being treated harshly, but by the Knight's standards, they're rolling out the red carpet."

Something in the look his dad gave him told him not to ask any more questions.

"You were the last to wake up," Shlee informed him, still fussing over his injuries. Her voice grew even rougher with her emotions. He wished he could heal as fast as he once could, but those days were behind him. "Your father couldn't bring you into his shared dream. I was so worried that... That... He pulled me in before I even woke up here. But when he said he couldn't reach you, I didn't know what to think."

"I love you, too," Eldon said, grabbing her wrists and pulling her in for a quick kiss.

"Idiot!" she accused, but then wrapped him in a hug that told him his body was in worse condition than he'd thought. "Don't make me worry like that again. Your body isn't permanent anymore... and—and I was terrified of losing you."

"Not today," Eldon told her, seriously.

"Heh," Shlee chuckled into his neck. "That's what we say to death."

"What?" Eldon asked, confused.

"It's..." She trailed off and shook her head. "Never mind. I'm just glad you're okay."

Eldon got to his feet with a little help from Shlee and looked around their cell. They appeared to be underground, two walls, the floor, and ceiling were all solid stone. Megan sat in the back, knees tucked to her chest and head resting on her arms. The area was triangle-shaped with an acute angle towards the back. Bright bars of metal blocked the front of the cell, keeping them locked in.

"Those are silver," Shlee said with a shudder. Her voice was still rough but seemed to be smoothing out the more she spoke. "I can't do anything to get us past them."

Eldon nodded and stepped up to the bars. As far as he could tell, no one was out there, but the whole area was dim and hard to see through.

"Stand back," he ordered, preparing to change forms. Silver or not, the ogre would make quick work of them, and they could begin their escape.

Shlee went to Lyden, and the two moved further towards the rear of their cage by Megan. Eldon concentrated on remembering that the others weren't food as he focused his will on changing forms.

Nothing happened. Blinking and looking around, Eldon knew he was still in his actual body. He'd never failed to change before. Even after Areth sacrificed herself for him, he could shift forms. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried again. And again, he failed.

"I... Something's wrong," he said, turning around to face the others.

"That's because I'm blocking your ability," Becky's mocking voice sounded from outside. "You won't be using your evil magics so long as my spell holds."

Eldon turned to face the woman. Despite knowing what he'd see, part of him still hoped he was wrong. Perhaps this was a sister they didn't know about. Or someone who just so happened to talk and sound like her... And walk like her... And even tuck a strand of graying-brown hair over her right ear in an exact manner that Becky did when she was faced with something distasteful.

His inner voice cried that it could all be an elaborate illusion, but he knew better. The Orange Bubble wouldn't be fooled by an illusion, no matter how accurate. For some reason beyond anything he could imagine, Becky switched sides and now worked for the enemy.

Why is she blocking me from changing forms, but not Dad's mental ability? Or is that why he couldn't pull me in? He wondered but knew better than to ask. A million other questions rushed through his mind, but the words that came out weren't planned.

"I've missed you, Becky. I'm so glad you're okay."

Her eyes narrowed as she regarded him in the dim light. "Missed me?" She scoffed. "Okay? You think I'm okay after all the sexual abuse that man put me through? The filth he subjected me to, and made me suffer? He brainwashed me, and... and..." she stumbled to a halt, rubbing her temples, before giving her head a violent shake. "I will never be able to forget the things he tricked me into doing, but I can say with all sincerity that I haven't missed any of you. It makes me sick that I even have to carry his unholy child." Her left hand dropped to rub her slightly rounded stomach.

Eldon stared at her in shock. Becky was always kind-hearted and open-minded. To hear her accuse his father of any of that went against everything he knew about his father and his wives. Sheila was the closest that ever came to being forced to do anything, but Eldon knew his mother got off on that behavior. While he couldn't claim to know everything about his father's sex life, he knew more than he cared to and knew that the accusations weren't adding up.

"Son," Lyden said, getting his son's attention before shaking his head. He noted for the first time that the illusion making his father look old was gone. He backed away from the barrier separating him from one of his step-mothers. He was missing something and feared that they were in a much worse position than he initially thought.

"What do we owe to this visit?" Lyden asked next, an edge to his tone as he faced his pregnant wife. Eldon couldn't imagine what must be going through his father's head. His dead and pregnant wife was alive, but working for their enemy.

Becky regarded them all for a moment before speaking. "Curiosity," she said when Eldon began to think she was going to ignore the question. "I know you better than I care to, Lyden Snow. You should be demanding to know why I'm working with the Holy Paladonic Knights. You should be raging at what you perceive to be my betrayal. Instead, you're calm. This tells me that you have a plan or a hope for escape. There is no hope, by the way. You will die down here very soon. The world will be rid of your filth, and getting rid of your so-called Lydonese will get easier with you out of the way."

The barest smile curled Lyden's lips before he said, "My wife died in that bomb, set by the Kights. You are nothing more than a shadow of her memory. But you still haven't said why you're here."

If his words affected her, she didn't show it. "The woman you thought was your wife died, yes. Or to be more accurate, I woke up." She paused to examine the back of her hand before placing it back on her belly. "I was deep undercover when we met. A Daughter of Respite. Somehow you seduced me and made me forget my purpose. I'll forever hate you for that. That bomb allowed the Knights to recover me and strip away your foul magic."

"That's so interesting," Shlee broke in, ignoring Lyden's glare. She approached the silver bars but kept her distance from the metal that was anathema to her kind. Her voice held the slightest mocking edge to it. "The Daughters of Respite are all but immune to magic. And they are also the kidnapped girls of magical beings. How did he manage to not only cast a spell on you but change you into a full human?"

Becky stared at the werewolf for a long moment, blinking as she tried to reason her way out of that logic. Knowing that Shlee's Aunt was once a Daughter of Respite gave weight to her arguments in Eldon's mind.

"Are you sure that the Knights aren't the ones who did the brainwashing?" Eldon piped up, stepping next to his girlfriend. "That makes a lot more sense, doesn't it? I mean, it doesn't add up that my dad could have made a magically immune Daughter of Respite forget how much she hates magic. In fact, I've seen the way you used to look at him. The love you held not only for him but for his kids as well. You taught us magic. You helped raise us. I can't believe that an agent of them could ever behave like that. And why keep the child? I mean—"

"That's enough," Lyden cut him off, just as he started building up steam. "My wife is dead. This woman isn't the Becky that I miss so dearly. She is nothing more than some trick or illusion. I'll not give them the satisfaction of breaking my standards for the memory of my wife."

Eldon opened his mouth to argue but shut it as Lyden's glare intensified.

Silence fell as they regarded one another. Eldon didn't understand what was wrong with his father. Why wasn't he trying to convince Becky of the truth? To remind her of who she truly is?

"I'll be happy to see your heads rolling across the ground tomorrow," Becky cut in, a sadistic giggle sounded from the once-caring woman. "That was the other reason for me to suffer your presence. Tomorrow at noon, you three will be executed."

"What about Brock and Brooke?" Eldon asked, his heart sinking.

"The mermaid is a beautiful woman, despite what she is," Becky grimaced and shook her head. "She's being kept alive to service some of the Knight's baser needs. As for the changeling, its ability to switch genders has our scientist's curiosity piqued. Experiments will begin after they witness your deaths."

She turned to go, but Eldon asked one last question. "Why isn't my ability to change going to be studied?"

"Do you want to be tortured?" Shlee elbowed him. "Because that's how you get tortured."

Becky paused for a moment but didn't speak before she walked into the darkness.

"You two almost ruined that," Lyden said, right behind them.

Eldon spun on his father, sudden anger, and a need to lash out overwhelming him. "We almost had her convinced! Why did you stop me?"

"You're wrong," Lyden said, his voice calm and even. "All you were doing was reinforcing her beliefs."

Eldon opened his mouth to argue, but Shlee placed a hand against his chest and shook her head. "He's right. I could smell her growing more stubborn as we talked. There's no convincing her with words."

"That doesn't make sense," Eldon ground his teeth in frustration. "None of what she claimed makes sense. Surely she has to see that!"

"There's this phenomenon that happens to people who are obsessed with conspiracies," Lyden said. "The more evidence you present to them to prove them wrong, the deeper they believe in the stupidity they have in their heads. Whatever magic the Knights used to brainwash her doubles down on that. I've seen it before with some of their victims after they were liberated. It's also how the Daughters of Respite keep their members from learning the truth of what they are. The Knights expect people to try and convince them of the truth, and so their spells are woven to reinforce the delusions instead of dispelling them. They're so successful that they don't even need to keep the spells active once completed."

"I don't understand how you can stay so calm, then, Dad?" Eldon pressed as tears of frustration threatened to leak from his eyes. Brainwashing so thorough that the truth makes it stronger? How much more evil can the damned PK's be?

"He's not calm," Shlee said next to him, folding him in her arms and offering the comfort he wanted to reject but couldn't. "He's furious, but he hides it well."

Eldon knew she must be using her nose to read his father. Would he ever have that kind of control over his emotions?

"There is more going on than I can explain right now," Lyden told them with a significant look at the ceiling. No doubt, every word they said was being recorded. On the one hand, Eldon felt comforted that his father had some sort of plan. On the other, it drove him nuts that he couldn't know what the plan was. His inability to shift forms meant that if any fighting were required, he would have to do it in this body. It likely meant that Shlee was in the same boat. And while Megan could fight, he remembered that cut she'd received in the crash and noted how silent she was staying now.

He pulled Shlee tight against his body as he tried to figure out what he could do, and contingency plans, just in case. It was an exercise in futility, though, as he had no idea what to expect. He almost wished he could fall back to sleep, but his body denied him, despite the comfort of holding Shlee.

Then he realized that Oberon was never mentioned during the exchange, nor was Mei. Where were the vulgar little faery and his half-dragon sister?

* * * *

Damn those sneaky, mother-fucking, pig-sucking, whoresons! Oberon cursed as he hid in a dim corner while a group of three white-clad cake-sniffers walked by underneath him. He'd promised the person he loved to watch what he said out loud, but that didn't stop him from using his extensive vocabulary in his head. What is that stuffy old man's problem with colorful language, anyway?