War of the Races Ch. 15

Ra'Shaal knelt down and took his grandmum from him as he stared at her. When his hands were free he reached out and caressed Ra'Shaal's cheek, and she responded by leaning over and kissing him tenderly on the mouth. Once she pulled back he watched her mouth as she spoke words he couldn't hear but knew them for what she was trying to say, "Go!"

Standing up he hugged Sulabha quickly and pecked her on the lips, and then took Forelain's hand and nearly drug her down the hallway as he ran as fast as he could...

——(!)——

Several twists and turns later Sinaan slid to a halt as two priestesses, each attired in silver underwires that followed the curves of their breasts but left them completely bared, bicep bands with large spider's with ruby abdomens, diaphanous linen sarongs died red and sewn to silver chains that hooked just tight enough to ride on their hips, and leather slippers, stood before Hela Abendroth. Both brandished maces and shields as they fended off attacks from a humanoid shape of nothingness outlined with green Fairy Fire. Behind them Hela cast devining spells, bolstering spells on her guards, and then healed their wounds. As Sinaan ran up the assassin saw that it was overwhelmed and no longer had any chance against two battle clerics, a high priestess, whatever type of fighter Sinaan was, and another priestess, and darted off down the hallway.

Hela looked up from her prayer, her worried eyes brightened as she saw her reinforcements and called out, "Sinaan!"

Her expression became puzzled when she saw him dragging Matron Forelain behind him, their hands clasped, and their body language familiar, and then she saw Forelain's very pregnant state and her eyes cut back at Sinaan in outrage, "What is this, Sinaan!"

"Later mother," He answered in a rush as he released Forelain's hand and chased after the assassin as he called back, "Please protect her until I return!"

She gasped at him and shook her head, but kept silent lest she appear a fool yelling after a man. Turning to Forelain, her expression stony, she growled, "And what of you Matron of House Faline, what business could I, or my son, possibly have with you?"

Forelain gasped and heaved for breath before bending over to put her hands on her knees as she tried to regulate herself. Her belly tightened and she hissed and rubbed her abdomen to relieve contractions as the babies inside shifted and kicked her in her ribs, lungs, and danced on her bladder. With a sigh of relief the contractions halted and while still rubbing her belly she straightened up and smiled as she put on as confident an air as she could as she gave a small curtsey, "My Lady, Matron Hela Abendroth..."

——(!)——

Sinaan ran and ran and ran, and the cloaked assassin wreathed in Fairy Fire seemed to always be just out of reach. Reaching down inside himself he felt his Well of Power its ebb and flow and knew the cost would be not only his ability but desire for sex but also any ability to procreate for at least a week or two. With a self confirming nod he chanted the spell of enhanced speed.

In a surge he moved faster than ever and within a few strides reached out and grabbed the faintly glowing cloak, and yanked back hard, snatching the assassin backwards and the cloak off. It was just in the nick of time, as the assassin appeared the Fairy Fire dissipated.

"Please!" Shrieked the panicked Disciple of the Temple of Arachne, "Please don't kill me! Please!" She begged as she quickly jumped to her feet with a dagger in each hand, while looking at him sweetly, a broad smile curving her plump lips and showing her bright white teeth while her eyes were opened wide with panic, "They're making me do this. I don't want to, but I can't control myself!"

Sinaan sneered and shook his head, "I know that girl's soul is no longer in her body. Whoever you are, you're a murderer. You've killed my aunts, cousins, my grandmum, and you even tried to kill my mother. There is nowhere for you to run that I won't hunt you down and kill you!"

"You would really kill this innocent little girl," The assassin sneered, her expression changing when she realized her deception would not work.

"She was dead the moment Sulabha pulled her soul from it and put you inside," He retorted.

"Fine," She growled, "I will just kill you and take back my cloak, and then I will wait for that long lonely moment. Maybe it will be while your mother is sleeping, or while she relaxes in her bath, or maybe while she is hiding in the commode trying to relieve herself, but make no mistake I will slit your mother's throat from ear to ear and then I will take my time and will disembowel her and hang her up for all of your House to see!"

Sinaan felt his anger rise until he was seeing red, and then he took a breath and calmed himself. She was trying to rile him up so that he would make a mistake. She smiled nastily at him, but as he took a deep cleansing breath it fell and her expression became focused as she looked for openings or weaknesses. Not finding any, she hissed in aggravation and launched her attack thrusting her right dagger while slashing with the other. Sinaan parried her daggers and kicked at her knee only for her to dodge and dance away.

"So you are no novice," She purred.

"No," He answered with a shake of his head.

"Good," She growled, "I didn't want this to be boring."

For the next several minutes they were a dancing, striking, flurry of knives, knees, and feet as they jumped and twirled and flipped around each other. Daggers sought out and found Sinaan's skin as often as they did the assassin's and by the time they broke away from each other they were both gasping for air as blood coursed down from cuts across arms, thighs, cheeks. A particularly deep gash across Sinaan's ribs had him favoring his right side while an equally deep laceration from the buxom assassin's right buttock down and across her thigh had her limping as blood coursed down to her knee before dribbling onto the floor.

Launching their next attack, they flew at each other, their knives pointed at each other's throats...

"That is enough!" Sulabha shouted as she seemingly appeared from nowhere with a long crimson sickle in her hands. With an easy fluid motion she swung the weapon, flipping the blade in front of the assassin and pulled backwards as the blade cut across her throat and yet didn't cut it open, rather it passed through her body.

The assassin went rigid, her eyes wide open in fear before they glazed over and she fell limp to the floor as a struggling crimson shadow was wrenched out. As soon as it was free of the body the shadow wailed loudly as it disappeared and a single black pearl dropped to the floor.

"There, it is all over," Sulabha purred as her sickle disappeared and she swooped down and picked up the pearl and held it up to look up at it before tossing it into her mouth and swallowing. For a moment her crimson magic swirled around her and beams of golden light shot out of the cracks of her eyelids between the stitches, and then her magic settled down.

Ra'Shaal was the next to arrive and when Sulabha saw her she turned to Sinaan and said, "That body will die soon if another spirit is not put inside it soon. Would you mind if I try something new?"

Sinaan shook his head that he didn't mind at all, but then pointed to his mother as she came walking up with her guard and Forelain, "You will have to ask my mother first."

Turning to Hela Abendroth, Sulabha curtsied deeply and with her head down asked, "Matron Hela Abendroth, the assassin is destroyed leaving behind this perfect, young, female body with no soul. It will die within the day if a soul is not put inside it. With your permission I would like to try and experiment."

"What is it you plan to do," Hela asked.

Sulabha stood up and looked at Ra'Shaal, but then opened her hand and conjured a black soul pearl as she explained, "I am able to extract the Well of Soul, Power, and Spirit from the body. I, while under duress and held captive by my brothers, was made to make this assassin by extracting this girl's Spirit and Soul, or mind and bodily endurance. Then I was forced to insert the Spirit and Soul of another into her body, a friendly or familiar face. The perfect assassin. Now, I could of course put this girl's spirit and soul back inside her body, or, with your permission, I will see if Ra'Shaal can slip inside that body and use it as her own?"

Hela looked from the pearl in Sulabha's hand to Ra'Shaal and thought about it before she asked, "What will happen to that girl's Spirit and Soul?"

"If this doesn't work then I will put the girl back into her body," Sulabha answered.

"What if it does work," Hela asked.

"Then I will give Ra'Shaal the choice. If she wants the body, she can keep it and I will hold on to this girl and find something else for her," She answered.

Hela nodded, "Then let us see if what you propose is possible, and then go from there."

Sinaan walked over and stood with his mother on right and Forelain on his left. The two battle clerics braised themselves and raised their shields, and Sulabha turned to the body on the floor and knelt down. Placing her hand on its temples she gathered her magic and let it swirl around her and the body before she looked up and whispered to Ra'Shaal, "Okay, lay down on the body and see if you can synchronize with it."

Ra'Shaal nodded and did as she was told, and as they watched she seemed to become ephemeral and sank down into the body beneath her. There was a sudden inhalation, and then the young priestess eye's popped open and fluttered as she raised her arms to her throat and patted it searching for a wound that wasn't there.

"I," Ra'Shaal gasped and cried, "I'm alive!"

"Good," Hela said suddenly, "I will retreat to my chambers for an hour. Pu'Naeth and Gamamaed, gather the other priestess and heal our wounded and set the Disciples to cleaning up the blood, then assign someone to remove Ra'Shaal's body and prepare it for disposal."

"Yes Matron," Her guards answered and trotted off.

"Sinaan, see that rooms are assigned to your guests," Hela continued, and then looked at Forelain and amended, "Make sure they are rooms worthy of such a distinguished personage as the Matron of House Faline."

"Yes mother," He answered with a solute.

She looked from Forelain to him and then back, and then finished, "The dawn of the new day is in a few hours. Get some sleep. I will call you and Matron Forelain before the morning bell."

"Yes mother," He answered again, this time with a deep bow.

Forelain followed her betrothed's direction and curtsied with bent head and hissed at Sulabha when she didn't follow suit quickly enough. Even Ra'Shaal curtsied in her new body as Hela gazed at all four of them long and hard before turning and marching back down the hallway towards the entrance.

"Well," Sinaan laughed, "That went better than I expected." Turning to regard Forelain he held out his arm for her to take before he offered, "Please let me take you to your room?"

"Thank you," She returned with a warm smile, "That would be most appreciated."