Prophecy Ch. 06

Helena was taken to a healer. She was an older woman who did not share a common language with Helena. She ran her hands over Helena's skin and the warmth that came from the aged hands took the aches from her muscles. Once the healer was done she was taken to a wagon and stripped of her dress. The shame of standing nude while people walked by brought a blush to her face that had made Elaine chuckle.

"Do not feel so ashamed Helena," the woman had said, "Nudity is common among us and you will see more then your share of it."

This was not a comforting thought, even as she was lead into a wagon out of sight where she was laid on her stomach on a bed and the Queen used oils to massage her sore muscles. Helena wanted so much to pull away from her hands but she couldn't help but sink into the bed. She was just starting to fall into sleep when the door to the wagon opened and the woman that followed the queen around stuck her head in.

"The King is ready to see her," she said.

The Queen stopped the massage and stood. The two of them together dressed the half awake Prophet and then lead her with the giant of a man as a guard towards a large tint light by fires inside and out.

By the time they reached the tent Helena was fully aware of everything around her. There were small tents of various sizes all through the woods with fires burning in the center of each group. Men sat around the fires and walked between the small groupings. There was the sound of drums off in the distance and a man nearby started to sing a tune that had the others laughing and hollering. Helena had no idea what the man said but from the nature of the sounds his companions made, it was most likely lewd.

At one point she was shocked to see a small man with pants of a translucent material around his knees pressed with his chest against a tree. His eyes were closed in bliss as another man, partially clothed in the leather armor of the other warriors grunted and slammed into him. She turned away in shock and embarrassment.

"Does such a sight bother you Helena," the Queen asked, her amusement at Helena's embarrassment showed plain in her eyes.

Helena nodded and kept her eyes on the ground as they passed the two, "Men lay with men here?"

Elaine laughed and nodded, "And woman with woman." She motioned to the tents spread out through the forest, "We have traveled many moons to get here and still have farther to go. The men get restless and require an outlet to their frustration. It is normally not done as openly as what you saw there but it is not uncommon for people to show affection in our society. The newest trends of clothing are even see through so one can share the beauty of their body with those they meet."

Helena almost glanced back and stopped herself, "Like that man's breeches?"

Elaine shook her head, "No. That man was wearing the material reserved for pleasure slaves. It is more of a mesh material and softer to the touch. They are not allowed to wear anything else until they have earned their freedom or taken a different station."

Helena tried to take this all in stride but her mind was reeling. No one seemed at all concerned that she had been taken against her will. Was it so common place for these things to happen among the people of Balek? Was the man back there against the tree like her, someone that had been taken against their will?

By the time they reached the large tent with its guards she was filled with a resolve to not let this place and its people overwhelm her. That resolve faltered as she was lead into the tent.

The tent was large and shaped like three individual long tents attached in the center like a three sided star with high ceilings and a raised hole in the center for smoke to escape from. Near the fire was a long wooden table and the two section of the tent that split off were dark and separated by a flap with a cut down the middle for one to pass through. Standing over the table was the King, no longer in his golden armor. Instead he wore black breeches and no shirt. His long hair was unbraided and combed out so it lay smooth against his back. Other men stood around him and they spoke in hushed voices, but heated tons.

Looking up the King suddenly smiled and motioned to the men around him, "Leave us. All of you."

The men left though they seemed unhappy about it as they moved away from the table and towards the flap. They all walked past Helena with a long glance at her. One of the men with dark black hair cut very short to his head nearly snarled at her. He had been the one speaking when they were interrupted.

Helena backed away as they passed and fought to not cower before them. She could not appear weak and broken and she knew this. Once they were all gone she looked back to the King who moved towards them.

"Does that include me brother," Elaine asked with a smile.

Draven chuckled and took his sisters hands, "Yes. I am sorry and thank you for tending to her but something has come up and I need her talents sooner then I had suspected."

Helena gasped and took an involuntary step back. When the words came spewing from her mouth she just could not seem to stop them, "Please no. I beg you. Don't cut me."

The three of them in the tent all turned to look at her curiously. Elaine gave her brothers hands a quick squeeze and lead her student out of the tent without a word. Helena stood helpless and wanted to follow her but she was too terrified to move.

"Why do you think I am going to cut you Prophet?" His voice was curious and his eyes thoughtful. Something about the way he acted seemed pleased at her fear and what she had said.

"Because you cut me in my visions," she answered honestly, her arms holding herself as though cold as he took a step towards her.

"Do I cut you in all of your visions," he asked. He stopped advancing on her a few steps back and she felt relief that he would not press her yet.

"Yes my Lord."

"Am I your Lord," he asked with an amused grin. He was so handsome and her body frightened her as she felt warmth between her legs. A tightness started there that had a throbbing sensation to it and made her heart pick up pace a bit. She felt the flush to her cheeks and hated it and the anger of her own reaction gave her some of her resolve back.

"No and my name is Helena, not Prophet." She was surprised to hear the defiance in her own voice and went still, waiting to see if he would be angry at her.

He surprised her by laughing and turning back towards the table, "Have you ever heard of a Seer, Helena?"

This sudden change of direction caused her to mentally stumble a moment. The silence stretched out until he looked back at her questioningly and she shook her head in answer.

"Where I come from every Prophet has a Seer. I have heard of your peoples Spirits and I believe that a Seer is a physical version of them. We help to guide a Prophet through their visions using our own magic." He went to a table against one of the tent walls and picked up a pitcher, "Are you hungry or thirsty?"

Helena was surprised to hear the rumble that came from her stomach when he mentioned food. Her mouth suddenly felt parched and she realized that through all of her tending she had not been given food or water. She took a step towards him before she realized it and he smiled, holding a cup of water out towards her.

"Take it and I will have food brought to you." She hesitated only a moment more before she went forward and took the cup of water from his hands with both of hers. She could no longer hide her shaking as she put the glass to her mouth. "Take it carefully Helena or it will make you sick. There is plenty more."

He ushered her to a chair and went to stick his head out of the tent flap. She could hear him speaking in his native language as she looked around. She caught the glimpse of movement out of the corner of her eye and turned just in time to see the flap to one of the side rooms begin to settle. They were not alone.

She looked down at her cup so that she could see out of the corner of her vision if someone looked through the flap again and took another drink of her water. She did not see anything by the time the King returned and sat in the chair near her, "Food will be here soon. Now where was I? Oh yes, a Seer has their own magic. I am one of these people. It was the Prophet who travels with me who told me of you. She saw you and told me where to find you. Tell me, can you bring on a full vision on your own Helena?"

Helena shook her head as she lowered the cup to her lap. The warmth of the fire felt good and she was starting to feel a little tired again, "No. I can only catch glimpses when I look on my own. It is like watching events in sudden flashes from start to finish. But there are tricks to bring on visions but they take a lot of work and concentration." Her words sounded almost slurred to her and she looked down at the cup in her hand in confusion.

Her mind was running too slow to pull away when he took the cup from her hand and pulled her up by her hands. His hand went around her throat and she looked at him with fear as he pushed her back onto the table. The drugs had worked quickly in her weakened state and would make her more receptive. He did not wish to frighten her but he needed the vision and his own Prophet, Lauren, had seen nothing.

He leaned over her, pressing his body down against hers and his hair falling around them. His hand on her throat was still gentle but held the promise of something else. He nuzzled his nose against her ear and whispered, "Do not be frightened Helena. I promise I will be as gentle with you as I can. I know this is new to you and not common for your people but I promise you that you have been denied great power. The way of your people is flawed and limits you. I am going to show you what you are capable of."

While he said all of this his hands were busy. Helena was so entranced by his voice and the drugs he had given her that she didn't fight him as he pulled her arms up and attached straps to them that were affixed at strategic locations to the table. His war table served two purposes. Once her hands were bound he lifted up from her to look at her eyes. He was surprised to see they were already growing filmy as a vision threatened to overtake her and he growled. Her spirits were trying to take her before he could.

The blade shining above her face caused the darkness that was starting to descent on her to flee from her vision. Her vision became clear and she felt a bit of fear trying to break through the drugs he had given her. His face came into view above her as the blade lowered and began to cut open the gown she had been given.

"If you behave yourself I will not be forced to cut you. But if you allow your Spirits to draw you away from this I will be forced to pull you from them and it will not be pleasant. I suggest you keep your attention here." He stood up again and cut her dress free with one long rip. The knife was very sharp and he had owned and used it for so long it was simply an extension of his own hand. He did not touch her skin with it once as he cut the dress to the hem and pulled it open to reveal her.

She was so beautiful he thanked his God for such a treasure. Her skin was smooth and youthful with a shape to her of a fertile woman who was unmarred by the weight of baring a child. Her breasts were still firm and round, her hips slim but shapely.

She felt shame when his hand ran quickly up the inside of her thigh and then onto the evidence of the effect he was having on her. Her nipples were hard and drawn tight to the point of wrinkling. His hand found the moisture between her legs and spread it up to her clit to make his movements smoother. This caused her to gasp as her hands clenched tightly into fists.

He smiled softly at her and leaned over her. His bare chest pressed against her nipples and she gasped; her back arching. She couldn't seem to stop herself from responding and he was panting against her neck.

"Do you know how hard it is to bring pleasure to you without gaining the pleasure for myself? To be able to touch your body and not take it with mine?" As he spoke his finger worked at her clit in tight circles, her hips starting to thrust against his hand as he worked her towards the crest she could feel so close.

The sensations she had felt in her visions of him had still not prepared her for the overwhelming pleasure that burst through her body. She felt the pressure building between her legs and then it spread like a wave crashing through her. Just as her back arched and she cried out he pressed his hand hard against her chest and pushed her down, his finger driving her even harder as he started to chant the worlds she had heard in her vision.

He was surprised as he watched her lips move in time with his to the words and then her eyes bled to solid glass with the last word of the incantation. The reflective surface looked blind and showed him his own strained face. He turned his face away from those all seeing eyes and nuzzled her ear as her body went limp beneath him.

"Show me the one who is betraying me," he whispered and threw his power into her.

***.::.***

Helena found herself standing in pure darkness. She looked down and there was no floor yet she felt the pressure of it under her bare feet. Then she heard the voice whisper, "Show me the one who is betraying me."

When she blinked and raised her head towards the voice she saw tree limbs instead of darkness. She blinked up at the bright light sparkling down between the green leaves and then she heard a voice nearby. She looked at the forest around her until she saw the figures in the clearing and she moved forward. She knew they could not see her.

It was the giant of a man speaking in quick hushed tones to a man wearing forest clothes meant to blend in. The stranger's eyes were light blue and his hair was golden blonde. She recognized him instantly as a man from kingdom of Tulisia to the North. In that moment she understood everything.

The army she found herself with was marching north to the Kingdom of Tulisia. Balek meant to concur one of the greatest cities known and they had not been the first to try. Tulisia was a city said to be filled with the decedents of fae as well as the riches of ancient gold and magical weapons. Lucas was said to be from that line, his ancient ancestors once guarding the pass from a threat to the east that was now gone and forgotten. The red hair of his line was said to come from his ancestors breeding with the spirits of the land. Only the royalty from his line had that hair in her village and you could see the lineage of his family in various homes in the village.

She moved closer to hear their words.

"He is obsessed over some woman in a village along the way. She is a Prophet said to be very accurate and young. He sends a rider to every village looking for her," the big man whispered, "If you can find her first he will lose heart by the time he reaches Tulisia."

The tall man with his sun kissed hair nodded his head before Keval went on.

"He also plans a raid on the village of Condorem for supplies and more slaves."

"Thank you my old friend," the man said, slapping the larger man on the arm though the height of the blue eyed man was not far off, "Are you still safe here?"

The large man nodded and glanced over his shoulder, "Yes but I should return before I'm missed."

Helena felt a tug deep in her body and closed her eyes. She didn't want to see the world fall away again. Her body became aware of the wood and the sound of the crackling fire. There was weight pressing down against her chest and a warm breath tickled her ear.

"Tell me what you saw," Draven whispered. His hand had come away from her legs and was resting moist on her stomach. She closed her quivering knees and tried to move her arms but she couldn't. She remembered the straps just as the feeling came back into her arms.

He stood to the side of her knees with his body over hers at an angle, his face nuzzled against her neck almost affectionately. She laid there in confusion. The spirit had said there would be a vision and she would know what to do. This must not be that vision but she would love the Spirits guidance in that moment because she had no idea what to do.

The large man was feeding information to the enemy of this King. If she lied and he caught her she could die or worse. And to a Prophet there were worse things then death. There were tortures that could be done to a prophet that could drive them mad or simply leave her without her visions to be a normal woman. But how could she turn the man over to him?

When she didn't answer him right away and he felt her body tense he sighed and lifted up to look down at her face. His hand gently smoothed back her hair as he tried to calm her.

"I know our ways are foreign to you but I assure you we are not evil. I do not wish to hurt you. I wish to bring you pleasure in trade for your helping me. You would not get such pleasure if you were in your village."

Helena blushed and tried to turn away but he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. The pretense of care and gentleness was gone so quietly that Helena felt true fear even through the drugs that still effected her mind, "I need to know who is feeding my enemy information. If you lie to me you will be of no use to me."

Helena lowered her eyes and nodded her head, "It is a small man with black hair and a scar above his left brow."

Draven frowned, "Did you not hear a name?"

"No. He warned them of your raid on Condorem but at no point was a name spoken. They were in a forest just like this one but the trees were taller and the bark almost white." She prayed to the spirits that she was not condemning a real man but she had to protect the large man that had been so gentle with her.

The King unfastened her hands and sat her up on the table. He went and got her some clean water and offered it to her. When she stared at it with suspicion he laughed, "It is not drugged Helena. I am sorry that I did that to you. I had planned to take things slowly with you so that I would not frighten you more but I needed to find the traitor before they could do more damage." He smiled at her and touched her soft hair between his fingers, "You have done well."

She took the water but looked at it a few moments before taking a drink. He watched her with a slight smile. He moved over to the tent door and spoke with the man outside. A few moments later he returned holding a wooden plate covered in steaming food. There was fresh meat they had hunted and hard bread. Helena nearly dropped her cup in her hurry to take the food. She felt as though she was floating, her mind still fogged by the drugs and the after effects of her vision.

Guiding her to a chair he sat her down, even as she tried to put the food into her mouth. The gown that he had cut was pulled back and she didn't seem to notice as she started to eat. He had to force her to slow down or she would be sick.

He sat in his own chair and watched her. She had already proven more powerful then Lauren. He could feel the potential inside her. He just hoped she was not lying to him but only time and the confession of the traitor would tell. If she lied he would be forced to stop being gentle.

Once she was finished eating he stood and took her plate. Giving it to the guard at the door he gave him whispered instructions that the army would stay camped there for another day. In the meantime he wanted every man with black hair and a scar above his left brow brought to his tent by midday.

Once he was done giving the instructions he turned back to Helena. A small smile played at his lips as he saw her eyes closed and her head to the side in the chair. She had fallen asleep after filling her belly. He knew he had pushed her by giving her the herbs so soon after her ordeal and it would probably be a few days before he could use her gifts again. But he had gotten what he needed from her for now.