Zion: Light of the New Moon, Ch 5.3 Doen
Zion - Light of the New Moon Chapter 5.3 Doen The Midnight Sun
This is the 3rd of 4 posts for Chapter 5, and focuses on the last two members of the group who haven't been heard from: Narissa and Lord Rust.
"I... I'm sorry, Lord Rust..." Narissa noted, moving through the covered wagon ahead of the echidna, latching onto a dirty piece of discarded clothing, picking up a discarded piece of trash, kicking aside some rubbish on the floor, "...I wasn't exactly expecting a guest." she offered a sheepish smile back at him as he took a seat on a the bench beside the door.
"I could always come back if it's a bad time." he offered patiently, "I hate the thought of causing you any more distress considering what you've been through."
"Oh, bah..." she waved the thought away, "A black hart wanting to drain my life force for use in growing an army of fae... that's hardly an original danger." she laughed, "You'd be surprised what heretics and otherworldly beings try to do through ritualistic sex..." she noted casually while restacking a collection of music books, "It's enough to make a Doenian Priest blush."
"I used to BE a Doenian Priest, my Lady," Lord Rust smirked playfully, "thus I find your claim hard to believe."
The tigress grinned and moved over to the echidna, leaning forward as she spoke, "There is an old story that had existed since before the 200 year war... it was about a demon who sought to take a virgin and--" her voice getting quieter as she leaned closer and closer, the words barely coming out at the volume of a breath. Lord Rust's jaw slowly opened, drooping lower and lower as his pupils dilated, the insides of his ears burning red in embarrassment. Narissa slowly pulled away, a faint smirk to her muzzle, "Told you." She sauntered back to her pile of sheet music, a faint sway to her hips.
"Well... in my defense, I HAVE spent the last several years trying to become less insensitive to that sort of thing." the echidna pointed out.
"I DO remember hearing something about that." the tigress acknowledged, folding up several papers and stowing them back in a scroll case, "You've certainly turned a few heads in renouncing the temple." she paused, looking at him, "If you've forsaken your faith, why is it you're here right now?"
"The temple is not Tah'Aveen." Lord Rust countered, "The priests took my hand, not the Goddess. The priests are the ones who call for excess, not the Moon Mother. I'm objecting to the mortal element of religion, not the divine."
"I guess that makes more sense why the priests don't like you then." Narissa acknowledged, standing back up after moving the pile of papers out of the walkway through the wagon, "But doesn't explain why you're here."
"To go to Zion... to make a difference..." he noted, "to follow my own view of the Goddess." he smirked, "and to see if I can drive Zachary crazy before we get there."
"Why are you so hard on him?" Narissa asked, taking a seat on the bench beside Lord Rust.
"Watch the quills." he warned, moving a few inches away from her.
"I'm no stranger to quills..." she stated with a scowl, "I dated a porcupine for a few months." Narissa looked up at him, "So tell me... what do you have against Zachary?"
"It's too early to tell." the echidna responded.
"What's that supposed to mean?" the tigress questioned.
"What I mean is, he's a Priest of Doen." Lord Rust stated, holding up his iron hammer-hand, "I have some innate reservations when it comes to them... remember?"
"Zachary isn't like the rest of them..." Narissa stated, "Don't tell me you haven't noticed?"
"I have." the echidna acknowledged, "And I almost like him because of it."
"Almost?" the tigress questioned.
"It's too early to tell." he repeated his earlier statement.
"Just admit you like him." Narissa poked him in the gut.
"He's not as bad as most of the priests I've met." Lord Rust offered.
"Admit it!" the tigress repeated, poking him again.
The echidna retreated, squirming in an effort to resist the urge to laugh at Narissa's tickling touch, "I just did!"
"He adores you... you know that, don't you?" she pointed out.
Rust nodded, "More proof that he doesn't have the best common sense." he bit short a squeal when she poked his ribs again. He jumped up, "Damn it! You're lucky I'm a gentleman, otherwise I might poke you back." Narissa smiled at that, and the echidna stopped for a half-second as his comment replayed in his mind.
"But what about that famed vow of celibacy I've heard about?" the tigress purred.
"The word 'vow' may be a little overstated." Lord Rust countered, "More like a healthy respect for the sanctity of a physical union."
"THAT sounds more like a priest." Narissa chided.
"Laugh if you like," Lord Rust playfully bantered, "But one thing I have learned is that there are a lot of women out there that consider it a challenge to bed a man who claims that he doesn't want sex."
"And now you're coming across as a lecherous pervert that seduces unsuspecting women by hinting that you don't desire sex." she winked.
"Desire and want are two entirely different things, Narissa." the echidna pointed out, "It's perfectly well known that someone can desire something so very much but still not want it... and I think that's the reason so many women out there like seducing celibate men... they like having control over a man's desires and making those overcome his wants."
"That sounds like quite a game." Narissa purred softly, "There's only one thing you're missing in that observation of yours."
"And what's that?" Rust asked, hesitating a little as he looked to the tigress, not missing the way she was looking at him.
"You were talking about all of those women out there..." she pointed out.
"Yes...?"
"What about the one in here?" she asked.
"What about her?" the echidna inquired, smirking playfully.
"Do you think she's like the other women out there?" Narissa asked.
"Narissa Hearthsinger, NOTHING about you is ANYTHING like any other woman in the empire." Rust responded.
"Good answer." the tigress purred, leaning forward to touch her muzzle to his, "very good answer." and her lips met his. She giggled as she pressed more of herself against him, one of her paws sliding between them to stroke the front of his loincloth.
"Oh Goddess..." the echidna murmured, slowly standing up. The tigress stood without missing a beat, rubbing her side against him.
"Starting your prayers already, are you?" Narissa smiled, sliding a claw through the waistband and giving it a quick tug; her nail cut cleanly through the belt it as if it were paper; Rust's loincloth fell to the ground, "Just don't lay down... I don't want holes in my mattress." she grinned devilishly up at Rust as she slowly sank to her knees.
"I--" Rust began, but his voice got caught in his throat as the tigress' muzzle nuzzled the base of his member, "oh Goddess..." he murmured again, his legs going shaky as her tongue slid along the cleft between his thigh and groin.
"I think you're going to fall over." she giggled, caressing his hips with her paws, "Just grab onto the beams." she noted, motioning up with her muzzle. Rust glanced to the wooden supports stretched in an arc over the covered wagon, and slowly raised his hammer hand, hooking it around one of the wooden beams while gripping the other with his paw.
"Goddess, Narissa... I didn't think--" Rust began, but the words caught in his throat when he went to move his hand and found it stuck to the wood.
"I'm sorry." she said, and the echidna started in surprise when cold metal shackles closed around his ankles. Narissa slowly stood, then reached forward and pulled Rust's holy symbol from his neck.
"What's this?" Rust asked, glancing around, his expression going from bemused to concerned, "I'm not really into--" but he paused as the door to the wagon opened. A cowled, cloaked figure entered, then stopped; the door slowly closed of its own volition. "Narissa?" the naked echidna demanded. The tigress looked away.
"You've done very well, my dear." the figure noted, his voice heavily accented.
"I did what you asked." she said with a scowl, "Don't patronize me with congratulations... you know what I want." the bard lowered her head, facing the ground.
"Of course... of course." the man noted, reaching into his robe. His gloved hand came back out, holding a small flask, "One hundred doses of Hefflys... as promised." The man held the flask out, but Narissa made no move to accept it. Chuckling, the cloaked figure set the flask on the small writing desk beside him, "You've earned it." he added, then turned to regard Rust, "Marvelous, is she not?"
Rust looked between Narissa and the cloaked man several times, "Narissa... what's..." and he paused as the tigress reached out and grabbed hold of the flask as if she were drowning and reaching for the end of a thrown rope, "No..." he murmured.
"Do not blame the poor girl, my friend... she is but a victim of circumstance... not unlike yourself." he pulled his hood back, revealing a bald head of pure gold-colored skin. The man's expression was unreadable, but his emerald eyes glinted a mirthful declaration of victory.
"Delani..." Rust gasped.
"Indeed so." the man replied, then glanced to Narissa, "Excellent job, Hearthsinger... once the Devout return to clean up the remains of this caravan I'll see to it that you're escorted back to town. I will have some men remove the prisoner from your wagon before then."
"You're..." the echidna's eyes went wide, "working WITH the Delani?" The tigress remained quiet. "Answer me!" Rust demanded.
"I... have no choice." the tigress answered quietly.
"There's ALWAYS a choice!" Rust growled, tugging against the wood that restrained his hand and hammer.
"In Hearthsinger's case, I'm afraid there isn't." the Delani man explained, tugging the gloves off of his golden hands, "You see... she has a rather inconvenient addiction, and only a limited number of ways to feed it." he tsk'ed, shaking his head, "Hefflys is a horrible thing."
"You didn't sell us out for Hefflys?!" it was as much an accusation from the echidna as it was a question.
"I had no choice." Narissa repeated quietly, hugging the flask to her bosom as if it were a baby.
"She owes us in many ways, my friend." the Delani noted, moving over to pick the tigress up off the ground. She shied away from him, but he repeated the action, hauling her to her feet. The man looked back to Rust, "You see, my Cabal found her barely alive on the back roads between Bannihar and Myre... her caravan had been ambushed by brigands. One of the Devout recognized her. We nursed her back to health because we knew she could be of use to us and... well..." he glanced to Narissa, who refused to meet his gaze, "the rest you know... first hand." the golden human chuckled.
"I'm going to kill you." Rust declared, "and it is NOT going to be pretty."
"Please... violence never solved anything. I ask your patience as we resolve the disassembly of your caravan, and then you have my word that your executions will be painless. Unlike the worshipers of the moon, the Devout believe in mercy."
"Fuck you and your sun cult." Rust spat, trying to lash out at the Delani, but he couldn't move his arms or his legs.
"I appreciate and understand your frustration, my friend, and--"
"I'm not your friend! I am going to remove your pancreas and choke you to death with it!" the echidna frothed.
"Narissa..." the Delani man turned to regard the tigress, raising his hood once again, "I am taking my leave; it's obvious that this monster has no manners." he bowed, "You may say farewell to him if you wish, but you are too valuable to be left alone with him."
Narissa remained looking at the floor, reaching a paw up to wipe her eyes then her nose before it returned to join the other on the flask. She moved slowly over to Rust and, rising up on her tip toes, still not meeting his gaze, whispered, "I'm sorry... I really am."
"You may as well be a hertic too." Rust seethed.
Narissa's fur rose slightly and she let out a faint snarl, lashing out to strike him on the cheek with the back of her paw. "Damn it!" she growled, "Don't make this any harder!"
"You don't deserve any mercy... traitor." the echidna lowered his head, "You tricked me... seduced me..."
"Just shut up." she ordered, and forced her muzzle against his. Rust struggled against the kiss, which the tigress broke off with disgust, "At least you're making this easier now." and, with a deep scowl on her face, she obediently followed after the Delani. Rust lowered his head as the door closed behind them, leaving him alone. He immediately regretted everything.
* * * * * *
Post three of Chapter 5 shows that the Doenian Caravan is in some pretty big trouble.
This chapter is marked adult due to an intimate moment between Rust and Narissa.
As with the prior two posts, there are no votes to be made and no choices to decide on-- I simply remind all readers to go view the journal and vote on their preferred group: one group can walk away with up to 5 bonus Favor!