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Hejira: Sanguine Wave

By Mantrid Brizon

Episode 42: Said And Done

Sitting with his queen, Padina, king Adelram looks into his fireplace. With a book in hand, he chuckles at an amusing anecdote within. Knocking on the door of the study, Adelram invites the unseen person inside. Opening the door and stepping into the room, a lone guard respectfully removes his simple iron helmet.

“A raven has returned, my Lord." The guard says.

“An outpost?" Adelram asks.

“No, my Lord. It's your agent."

“I wondered when she was going to report back." Padina remarks.

“According to your agent hiding within the Feather Fingers, several tribal leaders were seen at their village. They appear to be forming an alliance against you, my Lord." The guard explains.

“Oh, how quaint. They believe they stand a chance." Padina giggles.

“Well!" Adelram sighs and closes his book, rising from his chair. “I do believe this is an act of war, my love." He says to Padina.

“Indeed, it is. We shouldn't let that stand." She replies.

“I won't. Consider their collective surrenders null and void. Every tribe that I've extended my hand too, I now take it away. The Feather Fingers, Crooked Trees, Iron Lion, Sightless Eye and Goldenrod are now our enemies. Fetch Faye and Balian and bring them both here. I'd like them to hear me declare war personally."

“Yes, my Lord!" The guard bows his head.

He quickly leaves the room to do as he was told, fetching Faye and Balian from their quarters.

“Mmm... You're so sexy when you're exerting your authority." Padina coos.

“As soon as this is done, I plan to exert it again." He winks.

“Really? You have more to conquer?" She asks.

“I have a favorite land. Though I may control many others, I'll only ever conquer this particular one; I love it too much to bother with any others." He replies.

“Good. Your favorite land loves and honors her king as well."

“Besides, I must seed that land anyway." He teases.

“But I'm already pregnant!" Padina happily exclaims.

“I know..."

Entering the study with her subordinate, Faye and Balian stand at attention. Inside they find a partially dressed Padina, her ample breasts are exposed as she straddles Adelram's lap. With his pants down to his ankles, it's readily apparent from his grunts and her moans that they're in the middle of sexual intercourse, though they cannot see their genitalia. Faye flushes and turns away, her gaze landing on Balian, who is clearly amused by her nervous reaction. If he didn't know any better, he'd think that Faye was still a virgin.

“You summoned us, my Lord?" Faye begins.

“Mmm-yes... Nnf. We're no longer, nnf, at peace with the Feather Fingers." He begins, gripping and fondling his wife's breasts in front of them. “All of the tribes we made deals with. Mmm, destroy or conquer them. They'll, nnf, learn not to, nnf, establish alliances, nnf, behind my back."

Faye tries to answer, but Padina's moans make it difficult for him to hear his general speaking. He turns to them, settling for confirming head nods. Faye and Balian turn to take their leave.

“Nnf, wait!"

“Yes?" Faye glances back.

The mere sight of her king as he sits with his wife straddling him makes her blush.

“I need, nnf, you to do something, nng, else!"

“Yes, my Lord?"

“You, nng, need to, nnf, take a smaller force. Mmm-lead them south and conquer them. I want, nnf, Balian to start, nnf, by attacking Ravenswood."

“Ravenswood? Are they part of this alliance?" Balian asks.

“It doesn't matter. Mmm-we'll kill, nng, or conquer, nng, them all. Attack Ravenswood. Faye will, nng, enjoy a reunion tour, nng, of the southern lands."

“Yes, my Lord." They both reply.

Waving his hand for them to leave, it quickly grips one of Padina's breasts. Burying his face between them, Faye turns beet red. After watching for a moment, as if in a trance, she leaves the room with Balian, allowing the lovers to continue enjoying each other in relative privacy.

“Well... Wasn't that interesting?" Balian chuckles.

“Yes, I suppose." A flushing Faye murmurs.

“You can kill men, women and children by the hundreds, without hesitation and a smile on your face, yet the sight of a man and woman pleasuring each other makes you tremble. Why is that?" He asks.

“Perhaps I consider it something that should be kept private?! Perhaps I'd rather not see them having sex?!" She snaps at him.

“I don't blame you, but I also don't turn scarlet when it happens. It's as if you're looking at the sacred act of reproduction for the very first time... Are you?" Balian raises a brow, a little smirk on his face.

“... Be silent and ready the men. You have a job to do."

“Yes, Harbinger." He laughs.

Returning to the barracks, Faye and Balian rouse their captains. Some were eating, others sleeping, and at least one enjoying the body of a village girl; Adelram's orders supersede everything. Splitting their large force into three, Faye leaves Balian a third, keeps a third for herself, and the final third will remain to protect their capitol. As large as their army is, a third should be enough for Ravenswood, and many of the villages throughout the southern lands are small; Faye will have no trouble conquering them for her king. After collecting their weapons and sufficient supplies, the groups begin their march.

Several days later, Faye has veered away with her force to conquer the southern lands, as she was ordered to do. She secretly hopes for a chance to find Casius in the first village they encountered; his subtle anger and bigotry has caused far too many problems. Meanwhile, Balian has continued onward. Holding a monoscope and standing on a wooded hill, he looks to Ravenswood. He watches the exclusively human town, the very same where Gareth and Kahlera had reunited after their first encounter.

“Heh..."

“Commander?" A soldier turns to Balian.

“Oh, just thinking."

“About what?"

“Them." Balian points at the town. “They don't have any idea what's about to happen. It'll be so much fun to see."

“Indeed. What's the plan, sir?"

Balian's lips curl into a sinister grin as he glances back toward his captain.

“Tell the men to rest..."

Sitting by the gate and illuminated by a lantern, a night watchman reads a small book. It's always a struggle to maintain his sanity when he must sit, night after night and guarding the southernmost gate. Luckily for him, this gate is the most used, so he often moves at least twice, even during the night. A knocking on the large wooden and metal plated doors attracts his attention. Setting his book aside, he rises to his feet and opens a tiny door built into the gate, peering outside at whoever was knocking.

“Who goes there?!" The watchman asks.

“Apologies, sir, but we are strangers." A hooded figure says.

“And your two friends, they came with you?" The watchman asks.

“Yes. We only arrived to this world this evening. We were given these clothes and some money by a kind old man named Casius." The figure replies.

Knowing that they are new and that Casius sent them, he knows what race they are. Lifting the bar from its notch and sliding it out of the way, the watchman opens the gate to let in the newcomers.

“Right this way. Would you like me to show your where the inn is loca-"

A dagger jams deeply into his chest, cutting him off mid-sentence. The clawed hand that wields the blade is illuminated by the moonlight. A shiny coat of white and black stripped fur sparkles from the weak, blue rays beaming down from the sky. The hood falls back, revealing the face of a white tiger Sahvorai man with long black hair and icy blue eyes. Covering the watchman's mouth as the tiger pushes him to the ground, the figure whom he spoke with takes off his hood to reveal that he is a human man.

“Signal the others." The man whispers to the third figure. “And for God's sake, kill that man already!" He quietly exclaims to the tiger.

“Yes, sir." The grinning Sahvorai answers.

With a slash to the throat, he quickly expires. Entering the town, the soldiers are quiet at first. The force pours in and lines the streets, standing in two rows that are back to back. The dogs of Adelram wait for their orders as they hold torches and unsheathed swords.

“ATTACK!" Balian roars.

With a loud cheer, the mass of bloodthirsty warriors smash windows and throw in their torches. Houses and closed shops are quickly burned. Guardsmen emerge to fight the men, but it's too late. They've breached the walls and took the time to prepare formations before even beginning their assault. Citizens rush out to fight, many emerging from their doors and skewering themselves on swords or spears hidden in the darkness. Men and women cry out and scream.

Walking through the streets, which are illuminated by the orange glow of several buildings that are engulfed in flames, Balian watches in a stunned silence. The sight of the carnage is beautiful to the old Crusader. Like the story of the fall of Troy, they stormed the city with ease; it was that very story which gave him his plan. Balian can't help but chuckle as he watches a father and his son rush outside with swords, only to be hacked to death by his men. The young child of barely ten years was carrying a wooden toy.

The white tiger and several others storm the house, which is one of a handful not set ablaze. A citizen rushes Balian, who hears him approaching from behind; real killers don't scream a battle cry as they rush an enemy. Swiftly twirling, the untrained man flies past him and stumbles, having failed to impale his target with his leaf-shaped iron sword. He stumbles as he puts a lean into his charge, fully expecting to drive the blade it Balian's back. Before the man knows what's happened, he turns to see the tip of a longsword in his face.

“This was your fault." Balian coolly states.

Leaning forward, he pushes the blade into the man's throat, pushing him flat onto his back and staking him to the soil. He gurgles and struggles as he bleeds out. Balian stabbed him in such a way as to keep him alive as long as possible.

“NO! PLEASE!!!" A woman screams.

“Get back here, bitch! I haven't even started!" The tiger growls.

“NO! SOMEONE SAVE ME!"

“Don't be rude to your guest!"

Balian turns as the woman emerges, her breasts exposed and her tunic torn nearly in half. As the Sahvorai emerges, he wraps an arm around her waist, grabs a breast and visibly massages it as he drags her back into the home to be raped. Two human warriors emerge.

“Not joining him?" Balian asks.

“N-no." One soldier replies.

He looks down at his feet, a look of regret and shame upon his face. It's clear to Balian that he isn't amused by the horrible treatment of their captives. The other soldier turns to Balian, a gleam in his eye.

“She wasn't attractive enough. I like really big breasts!" He laughs. “Come on." He turns to his comrade. “Let's find another house. I'd like to enjoy myself too."

Walking away and nearly dragged by the enthusiastic soldier, Balian moves through the town. Passing by the home where the woman screams, he turns his head toward the door. Lying on the floor and between the woman's legs as she feebly pummels his back with her fists, the Sahvorai warrior pumps his hips, grunting with pleasure. Continuing the walk, a window shatters and a corpse falls from a two-story building. Landing just before him, he turns his eyes toward the broken glass. A soldier leans out.

“Sorry!" He calls down.

Moving back from the window, a small child of barely five-years-old is heaved from the opening. The corpse lands with a faint thud, much lighter than the adult lying beside them. Stepping over the bodies, Balian continues to survey the situation. He sees the two human soldiers from before, now accompanied by two more. The soldiers drag off some women to be raped, while the moral warrior turns his back and looks away; he stares at something to his left. A little boy cries over his father's corpse before one of Adelram's soldiers picks him up and heaves him into a burning building for his own amusement.

“Some men just aren't cut out for war..." Balian sighs.

Walking through the field of the dead, the screams of the victimized reverberating throughout the scorched walls, he looks at the burning buildings and endless devastation.

“Mmm... Just like old times." Balian says with a smile.

Late in the night, Gareth and his group continue their ride. On their first day out, they've alternated from walking the horses and riding them at a comfortable pace. Madina is desperate to find this first hall; the very idea has possessed her and filled her with a resolve that he hasn't seen in many. The closest he could compare it to is Faye's desire to find the Crystalline Hall and return home after they first arrived in this world. A raven's caw attracts his attention. He didn't notice the bird until after they had stopped to rest the horses and Madina stepped into the tree line to relieve herself; it's followed them since mid-afternoon.

“Have you noticed that?" Gareth suddenly remarks.

“Noticed what, my love?" Sarvah turns to him

“That raven overhead." He points a clawed finger to the night sky. “It appears to be following us."

“Huh... So it is." She murmurs, her eyes narrowing.

“Maybe it knows Red Claw is around and is waiting for us to run across some of Adelram's men." Steve quips.

Chuckling, he turns his eyes to Madina, but she doesn't appear amused. He quickly falls silent.

“Adelram's soldiers are people too." She scolds him.

“It was just a joke." Steve murmurs.

“I must say, even after all that you say you've seen from his kingdom, I'm surprised you'd bother defending them." Sarvah remarks to Madina.

“When you see the corpses of soldiers, of innocent victims, or even the brutal thugs who've raped and murdered them... Their eyes pecked out and maggots covering their fur and flesh... At that point, everyone deserves a little sympathy." Madina retorts.

Thinking back on a distant event, Gareth remembers when he was still traveling with the then human Naomi and the late-Kahlera. Stumbling across a brutalized Sahvorai man, Gareth couldn't leave him to die in agony; he performed a mercy killing to relieve his suffering. He wonders what happened to his body after they left him there, something he still regrets.

“You have such a bleeding heart." He mutters.

“My heart bleeds a little for everyone..." Madina sighs sorrowfully.

Glancing over to Steve, Madina takes a deep breath.

“I'm sorry. Truly, I am. If I didn't make jokes every now and then, I might not be able to cope."

“No, I'm sorry." Madina apologizes. “I didn't mean to snap at you; you're far too cute."

“... I am?" Steve grins.

“I'm just under a lot of pressure." She continues, ignoring his question.

“What kind of pressure?" Sarvah asks, staring suspiciously at Madina.

“Well, uh, trying to stop the war of course!"

“You made it sound as if you had previous obligations." Sarvah remarks.

“Any previous obligations and desires I had ended once this damned kingdom began to stretch its wings."

“I understand." Steve interjects. “At least you aren't doing this alone." He says with a warm smile.

“I know. I'm glad that you're here with me." Madina says softly.

The pair share a long, silent gaze.

“Me too." He murmurs.

Entering his home late in the evening, Kelly walks past the dinner table and into his room. Lying naked on their bed, the dainty Vahna turns her eyes down to him. With the footboard toward the doorway, she lay there with her arms crossed behind her head, chest pushed forward, and her legs bent at the knees, one of which hangs over the other. The pink flesh of her loins are perfectly visible to him as she sways a paw-like foot, her head tilted downward and her eyes gazing longingly at him.

“Well, I see someone's made themselves comfortable." He grins.

“I heard you coming home and decided to make myself presentable." She winks.

Leaning over, he peers into Zeike's crib. Their son sleeps peacefully. Turning back to his beloved wife, she extends a hand, and with an upturned palm coils all but one finger, which she uses to slowly draw him in. Sitting beside her on the bed, Kelly leans over and plants a kiss upon his wife's lips. His chest burns for her every time they touch; he's thankful that he gave her a chance. Vahna is similarly inclined; she's never been so cared for by a man, nor found one who was truly deserving of her love and admiration.

Kiss after passionate kiss, her little hands grip his large and strong arms, pulling at him.

“It's so good to be home with you and our son. I've missed you." Kelly says to his wife.

“I'm so glad you're back. You were gone for so long training the warriors." She whimpers.

“I'm sorry, babe." Kelly begins to strip off his clothing. “It's just that right now is a stressful time."

“Can I help you relieve some of that stress?" She coos.

“Careful now. I have so much stress, that tea might not work." He winks.

“Mmm, and what if I didn't want it too?" She asks as he climbs into bed with her.

“Well..." Kelly sighs as he lay over her. “I could stand a few more children."

“Just a few?" She teases.

Chuckling, he leans in and kisses her lips, moving around her snout, past her cheek and down to her neck. She gently rakes her claws against the flesh of his sides. Vahna suddenly gasps as she feels her husband. Meanwhile, across the home and inside Naomi's room, the teenage girl and her boyfriend Travahn lay atop her bed. Spooning with each other, Travahn nuzzles her face very tenderly. She's been on edge since Gareth and the others departed.

“Are you alright? You haven't been acting yourself." He says to her.

“I know... I'm sorry. I'm just worried. Gary is like a brother or a step-dad who's really nice to me, Sarvah comforts me the way my mom used too, and both Steve and Madina are good people and good people don't do so well in this world these days." She explains.

“They're with Gary and Sarvah. The four of them will be alright." He assures her.

“I know that in my mind, but my heart is terrified of losing them. It's not just that, though. What happens if Adelram wins and he's as brutal as Madina says? I can't help but be afraid..."

“Hey..." Travahn pushes himself up. Leaning over, he strokes her face gently as he speaks. “If Madina is right, they'll find the first hall and Sahvath will hear them. I don't think anyone with a heart and soul will see what's going on and just sit by, especially when they share responsibility; Sahvath made this world and caused most of this. There's still a chance to be saved before it's too late." He says in a soft and comforting tone.

“I hope so..." Naomi murmurs.