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Even after Prince Mergen left, it took Shere some time to regain the ability to move. Even then, he was in no hurry to reunite with his guards. The illusory light was pleasing after so long away from home, and the cool breeze and gentle spray of falling water felt wonderful on his freshly cleaned fur.

Even for his stubborn nature, it was going to be hard to resist the pleasures of the palace, especially if he were to regularly experience such mind-shattering climaxes as the one he had just had. A shudder ran through his body as he remembered the sensation. Better to return to his cell with its mildew and moldering bed for a reminder of the true nature of this place.

The guards were waiting for him outside.

"He looks even more tempting now that the little prince has had him cleaned up," one of them said in Dodrec. "Mind all softened by that aphrodisiac, too. It would be so easy to break him down into a breeding hen."

"Stop," the other hissed. "Now you're getting me worked up."

As they led him back to the dungeon, Shere realized with trepidation that they would once more have to cross the bridge over the darkness. He hoped he would be wrong, that they would take an alternate route back, but the unassuming wooden door appeared before them nonetheless.

As they crept inside, he felt the malevolent presence more strongly time time, like something hovering just out of sight in the deep shadows. The guards must have sensed it too because they hurried him across the bridge as quickly as they could without making a sound.

He had given this moment some thought. It would not be easy, and he did not know if the collar would permit him to do it, but he might not get another opportunity if he did not seize this one.

He was so gripped with fear that the most he could manage was a hoarse breath at first, but even this was enough to turn the heads of the two Dodrec. Closing his eyes and summoning all of his willpower, he inhaled.

"Stop him!" one of the guards said.

Against every instinct screaming at him to stay silent, he forced out a roar that was deafening even to his own ears. He shook with terror, and roared even louder to drown out the fear. Eyes still clamped shut, he sensed the approach of one of the guards and just managed to sidestep the thrust of a spear point.

Shere fell quiet only when his lungs were empty and burning, his roar reverberating in ghostly echoes. Nothing happened for several long seconds. Then, daring to open his eyes, he saw the two guards looking at something overhead with expressions of pure terror.

Instinct told him that they had made the wrong choice in looking. He fixed his gaze to the ground and walked slowly. He did not even lift his eyes to see how far he had to go, but only moved one shaking leg at a time. The guards did not move to stop him, nor make any other sound. Shere reached the door and quietly opened it with a shaking paw.

As soon as he was out, he slammed the door shut, legs weak and vision dimming from the blood rushing to his head. The collar simmered at his throat, but it seemed that whatever had happened to the guards was too ambiguous, too indirect to earn any reprimand.

At this point, he was less afraid of the collar and more afraid of something following him out of that room. The door would hold, he told himself. It had held back whatever was inside all this time, perhaps since the age of the ancient horrors that had built this place, and it would not fail now. Eager to get away from the door, secure as it may be, Shere started down the hall.

However, a small voice stopped him. "Please, don't let me die in here." It was one of the Dodrec, speaking to him from the other side of the door.

He turned back as the collar began to boil. "Why shouldn't I?"

"If you let me out, I can sneak us both out of here. Just don't leave me in here with that thing. Please, I'm hurt and can't move."

Shere had no reason to trust the guard, but the growing heat at his neck told him he couldn't abandon him either. "Tell me the way out and then I'll open the door."

"Please, just open it and then I'll tell you. That thing is coming back."

The collar was now so tight that he could not respond.

"You can trust me. Just let me out."

Unable to take any more, he flung open the door. It was only after he had done so that he realized that the voice's last words had not been in Dodrec, nor Ellaran, but Penemerish - his own mother tongue.

There was nothing on the other side, as if the two Dodrec had never been there. He slammed the door shut once more, but not before he felt something slip by him. It was a rush of warm air, like the exhalation of a sleeping beast. He shivered and tried to tell himself it had only been his imagination.

Pushing away his lingering dread, he moved quickly and quietly through the halls. When he passed below the familiar stone archway, he knew he was on the right path back to the dungeon, and from there could retrace his steps to the palace entrance.

Shere's ears twitched to the sound of voices from around the next corner. He would have no recourse if caught - the collar would prevent his resistance to even the lightest restraint. With no other choice, he opened the nearest door and stepped inside, pulling it shut behind him just in time.

He found himself in a dimly-lit, stiflingly hot room choked with the smell of incense. Looking around, he found his view blocked from every angle by floor-to-ceiling velvet curtains. Once he could no longer hear the voices in the hallway, he turned back to the door to leave, only to find that it had vanished.

"Of course," he grumbled.

Seeking another exit, he pushed through the curtains, untrimmed claws catching on the soft fabric as he went. Opening a final set of curtains revealed the room's main living area, a large space which was strewn with plush pillows along the floor and lit by a dozen braziers which kept the air intolerably warm.

The room was full of Dodrec. Some slept in a huddle to share body heat, some drank from bottles of spiced liqueur, and yet others raped their eggs or seed into each other. Slowly, they all looked up from what they were doing to study the large mammal which had just invaded their space.

Before Shere could react, two of them moved to block his exit, or what he thought was the exit, as the tightly-overlapping curtains had fallen back into place and obscured the way from which he had come.

"Oh, is someone lost?" one hissed.

"Such a big, warm body," said another.

"And look at that collar. His body may be strong, but right now he's just a helpless cub."

They raked their claws through his thick fur, sinking their fingers in to find his warm flesh.

Swallowing his pride, Shere made the one move available to him. "I'm here at your prince's pleasure," he announced to the room. "Any hand you lay on me, he will have removed."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one small Dodrec scurry out of the room after squeezing out from under the larger Dodrec that had been pinning him down. He would be running to alert Prince Mergen, Shere guessed. Shere's escape would be thwarted, but at least he would be spared from the reptiles which now surrounded him.

Another Dodrec, less mindful of potential consequences, approached Shere and his exploring fingers joined the others'. "I mean it," Shere repeated.

"Listen to that accent. The bear is far from home."

"No one to miss him," another agreed. He flicked out his forked tongue to take in Shere's scent.

"Did he say he would tattle to the little prince? That means we can't let him leave, can we?"

More and more of them swarmed him, and he was helpless to fend off their touches, even gentle as they were for now. One pair of hands wandered down to his tail, undoubtedly seeking a hole in which a clutch of eggs could be buried. Another caressed his belly - the warm, fluffy incubator.

Dodrec, Shere knew, were cursed with an incessant production of eggs and a deeply-rooted instinct to pass on their burden. They usually used other Dodrec for this purpose, but, when possible, they preferred mammals. Warm-blooded, unpracticed in resisting their hypnotic gaze, and possessing no alternative but to carry the eggs to term, they made perfect victims. Most Dodrec did not indulge their urges violently, but these mercenaries had been especially chosen by the prince for their cruelty, and Shere had no doubt of their intentions.

Shere steadied himself. He would not beg or plead. Although it would hardly be a glorious end, he calculated he could tear out the throat of at least one of them before the collar killed him, though it tightened around his airway at the mere thought.

Just then, the tiny Dodrec returned, and another accompanied him. This one, towering over all others, wore full guard regalia and was covered in hard ridges of dark scales. The half-dozen pairs of groping claws fell away upon his appearance, and Shere surmised that this newcomer must be the alpha of the clan.

"See? It's just as I said, Vaeri," the tiny one said fawningly. "What should we do with the bear? Tell us."

"Yes, tell us," a few others echoed. Their eyes were hazy - no doubt Vaeri had conditioned his subordinates' minds for obedience.

He crossed the room toward Shere unhurriedly, thick crocodile tail swaying, and kicked one liqueur-addled Dodrec out of his way as he passed. Coming to a stop before Shere, he removed his helmet, and the nearest Dodrec rushed forward to relieve him of it. As Vaeri took the measure of the bear, Shere did the same of the alpha - an expressionless, immovable mountain every inch as tall and wide as Shere himself.

"He says he's the little prince's toy, Vaeri," one of the others said.

"I know who he is," Vaeri rumbled.

He glanced down at the bear's collar, then met his eyes. "Shere. You're a lifelong fighter, like me. This situation is probably the worst fate imaginable for one like you." He smiled, showing off a snout full of zig-zagging teeth. "That will make it all the better when I teach you to enjoy being broken."

Shere's heart pounded and he took a step back, but the alpha hooked a claw under his collar and held him in place. He struggled to pull away, but the collar's now-familiar hot dizziness overwhelmed him as he did.

"Look at me," Vaeri said sharply. Something in his voice made Shere stop and lift his gaze.

It was already beginning. The alpha's eyes took on watery depth that absorbed and scattered the dim firelight, refracting it into shards of color. The shards resolved into a kaleidoscopic pattern of shining crystal that swirled and eddied. Despite himself, Shere was utterly captivated and, realizing the ease with which his fascination would turn to submission, he closed his eyes and turned his head away.

Vaeri enveloped Shere's muzzle with his huge hand, and wrenched his face back with such startling force that Shere's eyes flew open once more.

"Stare. Sink. Obey."

This time, Shere could not stop himself, could not bring himself to turn away lest he miss some new swirl of color. A satisfied grin parted the alpha's toothy snout as his hypnosis inevitably began to take effect. Even before he sunk fully, Shere realized with horror that part of him really could learn to enjoy being treated this way.

"No will to struggle. No thoughts but the ones I allow you."

Shere's vision blurred and his mind descended into a deep and pleasant fog. He saw nothing but the colors in Vaeri eyes.

"Lay him on his belly," Vaeri commanded. A pair of Dodrec grabbed Shere by the arms and laid him where their alpha wanted him. He sank into a pile of pillows, plush velvet hugging his body from every direction, and sighed dreamily with no thought for what would come next.

A smaller Dodrec knelt in front of Shere and locked eyes with him. The colors in his eyes were nowhere near as potent as those in the alpha's, but they were enough to hold Shere in place.

The bear's short tail did nothing to guard the inviting hole he presented to the room of pent-up Dodrec, and he felt the great weight of Vaeri settle behind him as the alpha took the privilege of using him first. His already-swollen phallus had already leaked a thick load of intoxicating ooze, and as soon as he smeared it under Shere's tail, Shere felt his internal muscles relax completely.

A small, desperate part of Shere floated to the surface. "I'll kill you," he murmured.

"Be silent and docile. You are breeding stock now," Vaeri said. The words etched themselves into the bear's mind, and he sank into submission once more.

Vaeri slipped inside with no resistance. Shere moaned, a sound that betrayed his pleasure at feeling his insides stretch to welcome the alpha's cock. Shere stayed obedient, silent, and docile as he provided the alpha, his alpha, what he needed. It felt like such a natural arrangement that Shere wondered why it hadn't always been like this.

The small Dodrec spread a gob of sticky fluid from his leaky cock onto his hand and jammed his dripping fingers deep into Shere's mouth. A few drops were enough to make Shere's tongue lose all feeling, and his jaw fell open to release a steady trickle of drool.

"Say, 'breed me, alpha,'" the small one said, giggling.

Shere did his best to obey, but his numb mouth could produce only a slurred gurgle which drew laughter from the Dodrec around him.

"Enough," Vaeri snapped, and the room fell silent immediately. "He is already helpless. There is no pride to be found in humiliating him further."

"Yes, Vaeri," came the replies.

Vaeri began taking Shere in earnest, and the rutting was fierce and brief. Dodrec did not take pleasure in sex except as it led to reproduction, so Vaeri wasted no time in making his deposit with a satisfied groan. The small Dodrec before Shere whimpered in jealousy and struggled to maintain his gaze, eyes flitting back and forth to the larger male.

When the first pearl forced itself into Shere, rolling over his most sensitive spot, he thought he might pass out from the pleasure. Even so, the eggs were few, soft, and small. The alpha's eggs likely never developed much past that point before being stuffed into one of his subordinates.

Next came the fertilizing seed, thick and hot. It contained an opiate-like substance which dulled the pain of the eggs' insertion and further melted Shere's mind into disorientation and pliability.

Vaeri withdrew his cock and wiped it off on Shere's fur before stepping aside. The next Dodrec to take a turn was smaller, but when he finished his eggs were larger and firmer than the alpha's had been. And when a third, even heavier load of eggs stretched Shere's belly, he came with such an unrestrained cry that the Dodrec around him laughed.

They continued on that way in order of dominance, each pounding more urgent than the last, and each cargo unloaded into him larger than any he had taken before. He lost count of how many more Dodrec used him, and how many more times he came, before he passed out.

Shere guessed that night had fallen when the Dodrec gathered in piles to sleep. Between the exhaustion of the day, the brain-addling mixture of Dodrec seed and hypnosis, and the heavy load stretching his belly, he slept deeply, stirring only briefly whenever one of his captors came to take advantage of him yet again.

Ill-omened dreams plagued him, most of which he was thankful to not remember. A strange man featured prominently in those he did - a bull with large, curling horns and dark russet fur.

In one, the bull's face endlessly shed its skin to reveal infinite, identical faces beneath. In another, the bull and a severed hand danced together beside a moonlit lake. And in yet another, a black storm swept over the wastelands around the Onyx Palace, clearing away the sands to reveal ancient ruins beneath. This storm too was somehow the same bull.

As Shere roused, head finally beginning to clear, he recalled that the bull had had a name. What was it?

"Karmach," whispered a voice in his ear. The breath was like the exhalation of a sleeping beast.

Shere awoke with a start to realize he had still been dreaming. Most of the Dodrec had left for their guard duties, and those that remained either still slept or else paid little attention to him. As Shere's senses returned, he flushed with shame. He could not stop imagining how he must have looked last night - mind gone, slack-jawed, and drooling. He didn't even want to think about the massive clutch growing inside him.

As he struggled to his footpaws, its weight lurched nauseatingly inside him as a reminder of how he had been abused. The burden he now carried would make his escape all the more difficult, and he wondered if indeed hope of escape still existed at all.

"Where are you going, bear?" Vaeri called from behind him.

The alpha reclined on a pillow near a roaring brazier, claws wrapped around a bottle of liqueur. A half-dozen smaller Dodrec, some with dripping tailholes, dozed in a tangled pile on top of him.

Shere bared his teeth. "I've had enough of this place's perversions. Kill me if you want, but I'm walking out of here."

"Impressive. I thought last night had broken you."

"I won't be tamed by a pack of lizards."

Vaeri laughed and took a swig of his liqueur. "We'll see if your tune changes after a second night, or a fifth."

Before Shere could respond, a familiar voice interrupted them. "What is going on here?" Prince Mergen demanded. At the sound, several Dodrec scurried away and disappeared beyond the curtains.

Vaeri rose slowly to his feet, carelessly rolling aside the Dodrec on top of him. "Your Grace. How can I serve you?" He made no move to set aside his bottle or to don his clothing.

Prince Mergen pointed to Shere. "The bear is my prisoner. I gave explicit instructions that he was not to be touched."

"Did you?" Vaeri said. The flippancy in his voice was unmistakable, and despite himself Shere felt his respect for the alpha grow. "I must not have comprehended Your Grace. Until last month, I was merely a marauding bandit, and so I am unused to Your Grace's sophistication of speech. I hope that Your Grace can find it in his heart to forgive me."

"You understood me perfectly well," the snow leopard said. "I won't tolerate insubordination like this again."

"Of course, Your Grace. However, Your Grace, it can be difficult to ensure my barbarous horde follows your royal orders. They know nothing of fealty, only coin. And coin, with all due respect to Your Grace, has proved difficult to adequately distribute."

"You miserable little-" the prince cut himself off. "We will discuss your payment later."

Something far off rumbled like cannon fire, and the room shook. Already off-balance, Shere dug his claws into the nearest velvet curtain for support. He could not imagine what had caused the sound. Perhaps the rebels had arrived and were facing down the usurper's mercenary army - a thought which sparked hope in his chest.

"What in the world was that?" the prince demanded.

"I'll find out," Vaeri replied, suddenly serious. He nodded to two of his men, who bowed and ran in the direction of the sound.

Prince Mergen sighed. "In any case, I'll be taking the bear with me." He reached up for Shere's collar, but when his paw brushed the bear's sodden, fluid-crusted fur, he recoiled in disgust. Looking down at Shere's swollen belly, he scowled. "Traitorous, mongrel lizards," he grumbled to himself in High Ellaran. "I knew I should have hired the hyenas instead." He doubtless thought no one present would understand his words.

"A true ruler wouldn't have to depend on 'mongrel' mercenaries," Shere bit back in Dodrec. "Your father's men made the right decision when they flocked to the rebel banner."

The prince struck Shere across the face with claws extended. Shere knew the reaction was borne of fear as much as anger, and smiled despite the pain.

"Enough!" Turning back to Vaeri, he said, "Have him cleaned up before he is brought back to me." He held out a vial of pale orange liquid to Shere. "And drink this."

Shere made no move to take it. "What is it?"

"A potion to rid yourself of those eggs you're infested with." When Shere stared at it distrustfully, the prince sighed. "I could force it down your throat, you know."

Shere shrugged and drank down the sickly sweet liquid. Almost immediately, the mass in his stomach fizzed and crackled and the pressure on his gut began to ease.

The sound of another distant explosion rocked the room, and the prince stalked away, muttering about the Dodrecs' incompetence.

When he was gone, Vaeri turned to Shere. "The little prince says it's time for your bath."

Shere scoffed. "Why do you submit yourself to that wretch? You and your men could seize the palace in an instant if you wanted to."

Vaeri glanced back at his men, who were listening with interest. Then he replied in High Ellaran, "I have no desire to control this place. No sane person would."

"After all I've seen here, I understand."

Vaeri led Shere out of the room and into in a black-and-white tiled hallway that seemed to go on for miles. Suits of armor lined each wall, most of which were humanoid in shape while others were more exotic - quadrupedal, four-armed, serpentine, and stranger, less recognizable shapes besides.

Vaeri said, half to himself, "The little prince had Amber Balm all along. He said the local merchants had never heard of it."

"You seem to enjoy getting rid of your eggs the old-fashioned way well enough."

The Dodrec chuckled. "To be sure. But it's hard to command when half my men are gravid at any given time. Just another slight among many I've endured here."

Without warning, Vaeri seized Shere's collar and wrenched it, twisting the bear's neck at a painful angle. Before Shere could react, Vaeri's hand flew away as quickly as it had come, and with it a weight slipped away from his neck.

The thing writhed in the Dodrec's hand - not a collar at all but something like a golden centipede, the ends of its many legs gleaming with Shere's blood. Vaeri crushed it tightly in his claws with a sickening crunch, then tossed the pulpy mass away.

Shere was speechless. The sudden freedom was overwhelming, and he didn't know whether to embrace Vaeri or to tear out his throat.

Seeing Shere's astonishment, Vaeri said by way of explanation, "I respect you, Shere. I should like to meet you again some day and face you in a fair fight."

"What about the prince?"

"He can consider this my resignation. I planned to desert after my next payment anyway, but judging by those sounds we've been hearing, it may be moot."

As if on cue, another distant explosion rang out and rattled the nearby suits of armor.

"What is that?" Shere asked.

"The old rulers of the Onyx Palace may be gone, but the place is still teeming with the things they left behind. I've had to put down a few of them myself as part of my rounds. This, however," he said, gesturing toward the direction of the sound, "is unlike any I've heard before."

A chill raced through Shere's blood. "Have you encountered a room here - a stone bridge across a black void?"

Vaeri's yellow eyes flickered. "I would prefer not to speak of such things." Gesturing around the room, he said, "Take your pick of the armaments here and make your exit."

"You're a vile creature, but I thank you nonetheless."

"My pleasure." As he walked away, he called back over his shoulder, "Try not to kill too many Dodrec on your way out. Some of them may be carrying my eggs, after all."

When he had gone, Shere examined his options for armor and weaponry, ignoring the building sounds of chaos from elsewhere in the palace. Without knowing why, he stopped before a set of black leather. Its chest piece was studded with dark violet gems, and its helm was a demonic mask, half deer and half sea serpent. A single glance told him it would fit his body perfectly.

His attention was especially drawn to the gorget, a crescent of silver set with a purple gem richer and brighter than the others around it. When he ran his paw over it, he felt magical power thrum under his pads. Magic was a living thing, and despite the ancient, alien nature of the thing inside the gem, he could tell that it had a personality agreeable with his own.

He began by reaching for the strange helmet but met with unexpected resistance in trying to remove it from the stand. Pulling harder, he heard a snap, and was then surprised to see a skull drop from the helm and break on the tile floor. Looking around with fresh eyes, he realized that every armor set around him was occupied by its late owner.

With a shrug, he stripped the leather armor from the mouldering warrior's corpse and fastened it to himself. He felt more comfortable with padding around his vitals and with dusty underclothing to finally cover his nudity. The touch of the gem against his chest especially increased his confidence.

The sword in the dead warrior's grasp was a simple, well-used sabre. It felt light and well-balanced as Shere took it and tentatively swung it through the air. The image of it sliding into the prince's chest sprang into his mind, and there was no collar to hinder the thought. He was ready.