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Episode
II Return of the Dragon
Melissa ducked beneath the blade of the Sea
Warrior and drove her dagger into his guts, then whirling she caught the
blade of the man behind her on her own
sword. Driving forward she slammed
her foot into her opponents knee.
The crunch of cartilage was lost in the mans
scream. She cut it short by jabbing
the point of her sword into his throat.
Two more men lunged toward her, but suddenly halted as a dozen darts
pierced their bodies. She lowered
her sword. Surveying the carnage
about her she decided that all threats had been
eliminated. Carefully wiping
the blade on the cloak of one of the dead men, she returned it to its
scabbard.
Several young women immediately surrounded
her. We did it,
mistress, said one of them, nursing a cut on her upper
arm.
Yes, Jerriah, Melissa said
wryly. We did
indeed. But we better do it with
more skill next time. She
placed her hand on the girls shoulder and took a quick look at the
wound. A nasty
gash. Get it looked
after. Theres no telling
where that sword might have been.
Gather their weapons and armour,
she said to the other women. There
were twenty young women in all.
That was about as many as Melissa wanted to bring on any raiding
expedition. Her troop did not
yet have enough discipline to operate in numbers larger than
that. Because of that she was
forced to concentrate on small targets, such as the half dozen Sea Warriors
she had ambushed today.
Unfortunately, it turned out that there were more than six of the
enemy. The farm they had turned
into a barracks had hidden another eight men in the
barn. The plan had been
simple. Set fire to the house
and when the warriors emerged shower them with
missiles.
It was a plan that had worked before, but
when eight other men had emerged from the barn the ambush had turned into
a melee. Melissa had been forced
to charge into the fray to prevent her inexperienced charges from being cut
to pieces. Fortunately, none
of the enemy had been armed with missile weapons and Melissas female
warrior band had enough sense to remain at a distance and use their darts
and bows to deal with the warriors while Melissa charged forward and kept
them busy. But it had been a
near thing. The Sea Warriors
were becoming more clever.
Melissas hit and run tactics had resulted in them moving about
in much larger numbers. It reduced
their ability to control the country, but made it more difficult for her
to continue her harassment of the
invaders.
Soon, she
thought. Soon she would be able
to take her troops out in larger numbers.
They were progressing. The
calm behaviour of the score of young women in todays action had illustrated
that they were almost ready. Just
a little more training and she would be really able to give the sea barbarians
real trouble. She and
Rohvan. That last thought stirred
something within her. It was
time to head back to her lovers base.
Melissa cried out as Rohvan thrust deep within
her. He was kneeling between
her thighs, his phallus impaling her like a mighty
lance. His powerful arms were
around her narrow waist, arching her body and throwing her weight onto her
shoulders. Each thrust shook
her body, bouncing her swollen breasts and sending an indescribable wave
of pleasure through her. She
was completely at his mercy and reveled in the sensation of
helplessness. Surrendering to
him, she wrapped her long, strong legs around him and drew him into
her.
Their lovemaking was a bit more frantic than
usual. On this occasion they
had returned to the waterfall where they had first
kissed. In a few days they were
heading out to challenge the Sea Warriors and there was every chance that
one or the other of them would be killed or
injured.
Rohvan had been gone from the camp for two
weeks, taking only a handful of men with
him. While he was gone Melissa
had continued her training of the women under her
command. She missed the resistance
leader more than she had wanted to admit, but she couldnt let her feeling
for him interfere with his fight against the Sea Warriors, and so she had
concentrated on her work. By
now she had her three hundred female warriors trained to a point where she
thought they might be useful in battle.
They were considerably better trained than a lot of the farm boys
who had shown up. However, she
had no illusions that they were capable of standing up to trained soldiers
one on one. If they fought from
ambush they might acquit themselves well, but in an all out melee few would
survive.
Gasping with pleasure, Melissa fell back as
Rohvan released into her. He
was a patient lover, controlling his own urges until he was sure that she
was satisfied. Her chest heaving
she wrapped her arms about him and held him
close.
They lay there for awhile and then Rohvan
pushed himself up on to one elbow.
I am going to leave early
tomorrow. If this expedition
is going to be successful I need to properly scout out the enemy
position.
Melissa contained her
disappointment. It had been her
impression that he would remain with his army until the day they marched
on the enemy. This bit of news
came as a surprise to her. Rohvan
smiled down at her. He swept
a stray strand of her hair out of her
eyes. I want you
to come with me. There will be
just a few of us, so we will be able to have some time to
ourselves.
I thought you had already reconnoitered
the enemy position, Melissa replied, running her hands over his broad
shoulders.
I have, my love, Rohvan replied,
kissing her on her forehead.
But I would like your
opinion. I value you for more
than just for your body, Rohvan
smiled. You have had military
experience, which is more than most of my officers can
claim. I would like you to review
what I have planned and the best way to do that is to first observe the enemy
positions.
Rohvan was the focal point of the resistance
movement. The men and women who
followed him were loyal and dedicated, but none of them had seen a real battle,
just raids on small enemy detachments.
During the last few weeks Rohvan had learned enough about her to value
her point of view.
Alright, she agreed.
I will go with you.
Saphora can continue the training in my
absence.
Excellent, Rohvan
grinned. He kissed her on the
lips and as she responded lengthened the kiss until their mouths were fully
joined.
Melissa arched her body into
him. Incredibly she could feel
the hardness of his manhood. He
had recovered already. She broke
off the kiss and guided him into her.
Tomorrow, she said, and then groaned in pleasure as Rohvan
pressed into her.
You are a fool, Vehan Noric growled
as he confronted Zirhan Khan.
You have a major revolt in the east and yet you spend all of
your time in the palace mounting the former queen like a love-sick
stallion.
But I am king, Khan replied, rising
from his throne. And you
have no right to speak to me like that.
You are my servant.
Servant! Noric
raged. I think you forget
that it was I who enabled you to unite the quarreling dogs you call Sea Warriors
into something resembling an army.
Without me you would be nothing but a pirate waylaying merchantmen
and despoiling fishing villages.
You belong with your warriors and if you do not lead them you will
soon find that your reign will be a very short
one. Already your neighbours
are eyeing your border regions like ravenous dogs about to descend on a sick
cow. There have been several
border incursions and you have made no effort to
reply.
Can you not use your powers to deal
with the problem? Khan asked.
I thought nothing could stand before your
magic.
That is true, Noric conceded,
but I am only one man. I
cannot be everywhere at once and I am just as vulnerable to a stray arrow
as anyone else. You have six
thousand men under your command.
Use them and I will deal with anyone that comes through the
cracks.
What about this Red Dragon? Khan
asked. You spoke of seeing
her in your viewing stone.
Yes, Noric
admitted. And I have seen
more of her since then. She is
a danger that cannot be dealt with in the usual manner.
She is more than just a renegade,
but I am not sure exactly what. It
is strange that the stone fixates on her so
strongly. But do not fear, my
king, I have set plans in motion to deal with her.
Then, Khan said, I shall
do as you council. Tomorrow I
will gather my army and sweep toward the
border. My neighbours will know
what it is to threaten me.
Noric
smiled. Spoken like a true
king. You deal with the military
threats and I will take care of everything
else. In a few weeks we will
have the situation under control.
He bowed. With your
permission, my liege. Without
waiting for a reply he turned and strode from the
room.
Zirhan Khan looked after the retreating wizard
and shuddered. He knew that Noric
was right. He owed everything
to the sorcerer. He just wished
that it was not so. With a sigh
he returned to his throne.
Bring me wine, he said to his
cupbearer. He cursed under his
breath. Sometimes being a king
hardly seemed worth the aggravation.
Noric retired to his
chambers. Once more he consulted
the dark stone. The images as
usual were cryptic, but the centre of their focus was
unmistakable. A red-haired woman
over which was superimposed the image of a
dragon. Red Dragon,
he thought. The message seemed
unmistakable. She was the most
serious danger.
He puzzled over this
awhile. The stone never
lied. It had given him an advantage
over his rivals that had enabled him to defeat them all, simply by pinpointing
his most immediate threat. Ever
since the conquest of Sandor it had been the
same. The womans face came
up every time. It was about time
he did something about her. He
covered the dark stone and sat back.
Tomorrow he would set out to find
her. With any luck in just a
few days she would be his prisoner.
He thought of her image in the stone and licked his
lips. He was looking forward
to questioning her. Looking forward
to it very much indeed.
There? asked
Melissa. Might we not be
riding into a trap?
Rohvan shook his
head. No, it is
safe. I had it scouted yesterday
and my men are still in position.
Melissa relaxed a
little. Rohvan had not stayed
alive so long without being careful.
However, the narrow defile below them was not a place she was comfortable
riding into so deep in enemy territory.
Heavy brush on both sides of the high-walled gap could conceal a hundred
enemy soldiers and Rohvans small scouting party would be
overwhelmed. Astride a horse
in the centre of the pass was a lone rider who was waving them
forward.
Thats Adron, said
Rohvan. The way is
safe. He spurred his horse
down slope.
Kicking her heels into the flanks of her horse,
Melissa followed as did the other five members of the scouting
party. A few minutes later they
joined the waiting rider.
Rohvan nodded to the waiting
scout. Is everything in
place? he asked.
It is my
lord. You just need to give the
signal.
Melissa reined in alongside her
lover. What signal, my
lord?
This, replied
Rohvan. He reached across and
withdrew Melissas sword from its
scabbard. At that moment there
were shouts from in front and behind her.
Melissa glanced both
ways. Over a hundred men had
flooded onto the trail, completely surrounding Rohvans small party,
but she knew instinctively that it was not Rohvan who was in
danger. What is this, my
lord? Even as she spoke,
Melissa was assessing the situation.
Her sword was gone, but she had several other weapons about her, including
throwing stars and several daggers.
Do not resist, my love, Rohvan
said, turning his horse across hers.
You will die if you do.
Melissas hand strayed to the pouch
containing her throwing stars, but even as she did so her situation became
more hopeless. Rohvan held the
bridle of her horse and on every side men hemmed her
in. Each of them held a crossbow
and it was trained directly upon her.
The sense of betrayal almost overwhelmed
her. She looked into Rohvans
eyes. The guilt and shame that
stared back at her told her all she wanted to
know. Why, my lord?
she asked. Her sense of astonishment
at Rohvans betrayal froze her where she
was. How could one who had so
fervently made love to her treat her in so treacherous a
manner?
Let me answer that for you, Red
Dragon. The crowd of
crossbowmen surrounding her parted as a tall figure draped in black robes
rode out of the woods. He was
followed by five women dressed in dark leather and sporting ebony cloaks
trimmed with silver.
He halted in front of her and
continued. It is a simple
thing really. Lord Rohvan is
the cousin of the late king. He
has the strongest claim to the throne, provided he can take
it. I have offered him my support
and in turn he has given me what I asked.
Melissa did not wait to hear
more. The arrival of the man
in black had given her the slight opening she
needed. The throwing stars in
her pouch flew into her hands.
Faster than the eye could follow she flicked them toward the men around
her and as they fell back she spurred her horse into the
gap. Ahead of her loomed the
forested slopes of the pass. If
she could just gain the shelter of the trees
Crossbow bolts whizzed by her head, but she
was crouched low over her horses
neck. Behind her she heard a
scream of rage, but it was not directed at
her. Hold your arrows,
you fools. I do not want her
dead. Then there was a
crackle of energy. Her horse
stumbled and then went down as if it had slammed into a
wall. The sudden stop threw Melissa
from the saddle, but she somersaulted in mid air and landed
running. Four strides took her
into the trees, and then she stopped in stunned
surprise. Arrayed across the
forest path were the five young women who had followed the dark-robed
man. Their sudden appearance
caught her completely off-guard.
Where had they come from?
She was sure that they had been behind her when she had made her
break.
Her shock did not last long,
however. Recovering rapidly Melissa
drew two daggers from her boots and with one in each had advanced on the
women blocking her. Get
out of my way, she warned.
The woman in front of her
smiled. Despite herself, Melissa
shuddered. The womans eyes
were flat black orbs, devoid of any humanity and the parted ruby lips revealed
a row of dagger-like teeth. Behind
her the other ebony clad women displayed similar humourless grins.
You are ours, the
woman replied. And soon
you will be one of us.
Melissa replied with a grin of her
own. Behind her she could hear
her pursuers closing on her.
Have it your way, she
said. She darted toward the women
blocking her path.
Aaagghhh! The
sudden pain that surged through her was crippling, driving her to her
knees. Her weapons dropped from
nerveless fingers. Around her
a halo of blue light clung to her skin, bringing with it excruciating
pain.
Behind her a harsh laugh
sounded.
Excellent. Bind
her, my beauties. We will bend
her to our wills.
The women closed about
her. A look into their faces
sent a chill through her.
Needle-sharp teeth gleamed behind blood-red
lips. Dark, feral eyes stared
out of chalk-white features and clawed fingers clutched at her
clothing. In quick order they
stripped her of her weapons, seemingly unaffected by the blue glow that suffused
her. Helpless, Melissa felt her
arms drawn behind her back. Rough
cords were wound about her wrists and drawn tight enough to cut off her
circulation. Although unable
to move, Melissa could still feel everything that was being done to
her. She suppressed a grimace
as her arms were bound above each elbow and drawn toward the centre of her
back, arching her body forward.
A second rope was tied about her neck and
she was jerked to her feet. Still
surrounded by the feral women she was dragged to her
feet. One of them smiled into
her face. Her clawed fingers
traced a pattern over the front of Melissas shirt, the razor edges
parting the material as if it had been cut by
scissors. The shirt opened displaying
the sweet curve of her breasts. The
woman licked her lips like a cat and opened her shirt a bit
more. Can I play with her,
master? the woman asked.
Later, Doria, the dark-robed man
replied.
Later. I am certain
you and the Red Dragon will be spending lots of time
together.
The blue glow
dissipated. Melissa found that
she could speak. As she was dragged
by the rope onto the trail she caught sight of Rohvan riding
away. He did not look
back. Melissa felt something
wrench inside her.
It was so easy to turn your lover,
the dark-robed man sneered. He
stood before her., his hands on his hips.
Of course, an offer of a kingdom was hard to
resist.
You are the wizard, Melissa
said. She strained at the ropes
that held her at the same time measuring the distance to the grinning
magician. Three steps and she
could drive her foot into his groin.
However, she remembered how easily he had stopped her attack
before.
Vehan Noric, at your service,
the dark-robed mage replied with a mock
bow. He
straightened. And soon
you will be at my service.
Rohvan stifled a feeling of
regret. His betrayal of the Red
Dragon was unforgivable, a clear breach of
honour. Perhaps even worse the
redheaded warrior was the most incredible lover he had ever
experienced. However, the desire
to mate with her was as nothing compared to the offer of
Sandor. With Norics help
he would replace Zirhan Khan as the leader of the Sea
Warriors. Together with his own
troops and his connection to the throne he would easily secure leadership
of the country.
Zhirhan Khan would not go down without a fight, but the
Sea Warrior king had lost much of his
support. Fighting a serious uprising,
and threatened by neighbouring countries, many of Khans followers had
already deserted him. With his own army and the backing of Norics magic,
Rohvan knew that he was almost assured of taking
power. Then the kingdom would
be his and with it Princess
Vanora.
He pursed his lips at that thought and then
grinned. He had lost one lover,
but would soon have something even better; a wife who would give him a clear
claim to Sandors throne.
Melissa stumbled forward. She was on foot behind Norics horse. On either side of her rode one of the strange women. Already the way that she was bound was causing her discomfort. Her elbows were pulled together, forcing her chest forward and making breathing difficult. But the physical distress she felt was as nothing compared to the way she felt about Rohvans treachery. There seemed to be a hollow within her where her heart should be. As the rope dragged her down the trail she bowed her head. That way none of her captors would see the tears that fell into the dust.
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