Clockwork Goddess (The Lesbia Chronicles) (4 page)

Chapter Six

Vix sat down and began whittling, avoiding the chaos of conflict in the work of her fingers. Ayla had returned to the task of packing in her improbable fashion, putting everything into a little bag which did not grow any larger for the objects it contained. Liz was standing by indignant, her mouth moving without words, for it seemed she could not voice the full depths of her annoyance.

"You have struck me," she finally said. "And so you must be struck back!"

Vix looked up just in time to see Liz dart forward and slap Ayla fiercely across her ample rear.

Ayla calmly put her bag down and turned to Liz, who seemed to have realized her error for she was already backing away. Unfortunately there was nowhere to back. She soon found herself pressed against a wall whilst before her, Ayla beckoned slowly.

The witch did not seem upset. If anything, she seemed amused, but it was not the sort of amusement which would bode well for Liz. It was the sort of amusement which would likely come to full fruition when Liz was squealing her apologies at the top of her lungs.

In all her days, Vix had never come across someone so determined to find trouble. It was with a certain amount of envy that Vix watched the scene play out in front of her. Liz was rude and she was disobedient and in return she gained the attention of the beautiful witch.

Whittling harder, Vix returned to her labors. Her pockets were beginning to grow full of little bits and pieces, parts of what would one day be a larger whole. That was what really mattered, not the silly little games playing out before her.

There was a whacking sound, followed by a plaintive yelp. She supposed Liz was being thrashed, but she could not be bothered looking up to see. Neither Liz nor Ayla seemed to notice that she was still in the room. She had disappeared without the use of an invisibility potion.

As she whittled, the squealing and the smacking grew in intensity. It seemed that Liz was paying aplenty for her rudeness. A quick glance revealed that Liz's bottom had been bared, and her naked cheeks were glowing red. Ayla had managed to wrangle Liz over her thighs and was wasting no time or energy in teaching a lesson. Every time her palm landed a fresh blaze of red bloomed on Liz's bottom.

A little smile spread over Vix's face. The attention Liz was getting didn't look quite so fun now. It looked painful and very embarrassing. She could see every part of Liz's privates, including the blondeish down covering her vulva and the winking sphincter of her bottom. Her jealousy faded as Liz's cries turned plaintive.

"I loathe you!" Liz screamed the words at the top of her lungs.

Her loathing did not seem to do anything to dampen the effects of the witch's palm. Ayla tightened her grip on the material at the scruff of Liz's neck and spanked harder still, making her cheeks jiggle and wriggle with a hard, fast rhythm that sounded not unlike the beating of a clockwork heart.

Liz lacked maturity, Vix mused to herself. She was yet to learn that when one was faced with bigger, stronger, more powerful people it was best to avoid their wrath. That was maturity, avoiding things and maintaining decorum whilst one did. It was very immature to yell precisely what one thought, to recklessly express oneself without carefully considering all the possible ramifications of one's actions.

Liz very much deserved the thrashing she was getting, Vix thought smugly to herself. It was a shame for a woman of Liz's age not to have learned to meekly assent to the will of Ayla and those like her, the betters of the mere mortals of Lesbia.

"Stop it!" Liz demanded at the top of her lungs. "Stop it at once!"

"Do you really think shouting is going to make her stop?" Vix could hold her tongue no longer. "Why do you not try apologizing? This is in very bad taste."

"If you have a bad taste in your mouth maybe you should remove your tongue from this witch's rear," Liz shot back. "You're eating sh... owwwWW!"

Ayla slapped Liz soundly on her upper thigh before she could finish the thought but it was too late, the unpalatable image was already firmly embedded in Vix's mind.

Fortunately for Liz, Ayla did not have all day to beat her. They needed to make haste to Kira's camp and so the witch soon set the badly behaved small giant aside in order for them all to depart. They did so with various levels of excitement. Ayla seemed heavy of heart, Liz seemed sore of behind, Moon was somewhat distracted thanks to a decent dose of forest herb and Vix, well, Vix felt out of place and out of sorts as per usual.

Chapter Seven

The journey from Ayla's home to Kira's camp was short and eventful, but hardly in a way worth mentioning other than to say that Liz frequently pushed her luck and frequently lost her footing in favor of flailing over the witch's knee.

"Ayla." Kira met them at the entrance of the camp. She was in full armor, gold edged black steel plates covering every inch of her impressive body. Only her head was bare, her braid wrapped about her head in usual style, her eyes narrowed with obvious irritation. "I'm fairly certain I asked you to keep these two away from here."

"And I'm fairly certain I'm not one of your soldiers to be ordered about," Ayla said smoothly. She met Kira's gaze evenly, without concern. The warrior was still no match for the witch, no matter how great the armlette she commanded.

"Ayla doesn't follow the laws of the land or of common decency, for that matter." Liz appeared from the nearby forest. She was walking somewhat gingerly, and her gaze, when it landed on Ayla, was particularly bitter.

"Who is this?" Kira forgot her annoyance, her dark eyes focusing on Liz with no small amount of interest.

"I'm Liz," Liz said boldly. "I'm Ariadne's envoy and this witch's whipping girl."

Kira turned her gaze back to Ayla. "She looks just like
her
."

"I know." Ayla spoke the words almost like a ventriloquist, her lips clamped together to stop stray emotion from escaping.

"You think..."

"I don't know what to think," Ayla said curtly. She turned to Liz. "You may run along to Ariadne now, tell her of what has passed."

"I will," Liz said, chin raised. "She will wreak her vengeance upon you, and it will be full of venge."

Kira snorted in amazement. "She even sounds like..."

"I don't need to hear this," Ayla cut Kira off shortly.

Liz was already off, running at a fast lope. That left Moon and Vix by Ayla's side, both looking sheepish under Kira's less than impressed stare.

"How long was it before they convinced you to come here? A day?"

"A matter of hours," Ayla said. "What is it that has these two so very concerned?"

"Who knows? They are not soldiers," Kira shrugged. "I imagine everything concerns them."

"Ariadne's plan must be stopped," Vix said, finding her voice and her courage. "She is operating outside the purview of nature."

"It would be easier to stop it if we knew what it was," Ayla said. "But they cannot speak directly to the nature of the plan."

"So two army dropouts tell you something is wrong and you drop everything and come rushing into a war zone to do... something about something?" A slow grin spread over Kira's face. "You were bored."

"A witch is never bored."

"You were bored," Kira laughed out loud. "You couldn't stand being left out of the fun. Come along then, there is room in my tent for you. As for your guides, they can report to the usual quarters."

Moon and Vix shot one another hopeful looks as they sloped off toward the canvas tents which held the general rank and file. That left Ayla and Kira alone, walking back through the camp toward the grand black tent in which Kira lived.

"You didn't need to come," Kira said, holding the tent flap open.

"You knew I would," Ayla replied. "You knew what would happen when you left your little friends at my home. You wanted me here."

Kira smirked. "It's always nice having you around, Ayla."

"I should thrash you for being so devious."

"Don't you have a whipping girl for that?" Kira began removing the heavy shoulder guards.

"She deserved everything she got," Ayla replied firmly. "She's impulsive, rude, mouthy..."

"And she looks a lot like Atrocious."

"A passing resemblance," Ayla said, trying to play it off. "She is not Atrocious. She is a disobedient, disrespectful..."

"Sounds like Atrocious to me."

"Atrocious is gone."

"I know." Kira put her hand on Ayla's shoulder and squeezed. "I'm sorry. This must be hard for you."

"It's another of Ariadne's little games," Ayla said grimly. "I am sure of it."

"If it is, it's a cruel one."

"I'm afraid I may have taken it out on Liz somewhat," Ayla sighed, taking a seat. She crossed one leg over the other, graceful even under pressure. Her hair was long and loose as always, flowing gently down her back and over her shoulders, nearly brushing the floor. "I have had little patience with her, and shown even less kindness."

Kira shrugged as she removed her breastplate, revealing a leather tunic which conformed neatly to the lines of her body. "She didn't seem too worse for wear."

"It's not her hide I worry about, so much as her heart. She is fanatical about Ariadne."

"That won't last long. Ariadne is the only goddess who does not want to be worshiped."

"She wants to be a witch, but she has no magical aptitude at all," Ayla rested her head on two of her fingers and sighed. "It's quite sad."

"Sad, maybe, but not your problem. Ariadne's problem."

Ayla nodded slowly, then clasped her hands together in her lap. "Are you going to tell me what the big secret is?"

"I don't know what the big secret is," Kira said. "I'm just a grunt. I bring the muscle."

"And Ariadne brings the dark plots," Ayla mused.

"Can't argue with the goddess who grants eternal life," Kira agreed. She settled herself down on her bed, arms behind her head.

There was a moment's silence before Ayla responded. When she did it was in a casual tone which belied the significance of the statement. "Actually, I rather think you can. I intend to."

"What?" Kira sat bolt upright. "What do you mean?"

"It means I tire of her tyranny."

"So you are on the side of the queen."

"I am not on any side," Ayla said. "This war does not concern me. The boundless goddess who sends innocents to do her work does."

"But..."

"I know you pledged your loyalty," Ayla said, waving Kira's concerns away with one long, elegant hand. "I do not expect your help. This is a matter between Ariadne and I."

"No." Kira stood up, shaking her head. She stood over Ayla, pointing a finger at her with a demeanor which was undeniably stern and staunch. If she had been addressing anyone other than Ayla, it might have had some effect. "This is your attempt at suicide."

"Hardly." Ayla's lip curled slightly, as if the idea were beneath her.

"Ariadne will destroy you if you cross her. You know that. You're counting on it. This is about Atrocious, isn't it?"

The witch's green eyes glittered. "Everything is."

"You're tired," Kira said. "You'll come to your senses in the morning."

Ayla's soft smile signaled that her decision had nothing to do with being tired, or weary from the road, or any other such passing mood.

"I have lived with the consequences of Ariadne's decisions longer than you can imagine," she said, her voice melodic and smooth, completely absent of stress or fear. "I have decided my path. Do not concern yourself."

"I concern myself," Kira argued, "because I fear for you. This is not a war like any other. This time Ariadne is on the offensive. She intends to establish a new royal lineage, one with magic in its veins."

"And she has the once fearsome witch hunter to help her," Ayla said. "Strange how the twists of fate turn our hands and heads."

Kira's discomfort was evident as she sat straighter and defended herself. "I owe Ariadne my life."

"As has already been said, I do not begrudge you your allegiances. I ask only that you leave me to walk my own path. I will stay tonight and tomorrow I will go to Ariadne."

"Hmmm..." Kira ran her palms down her thighs and fixed Ayla with a curious look. "How long has it been since you took a maid into your bed?"

The question caught Ayla off-guard, made her laugh. "I am almost certain we have had a discussion like this before," she said, "but I assure you, I am not taking aim at Ariadne due to lustful frustration."

"It can do strange things to people," Kira said. "It's important to keep oneself sexually satiated in the interests of good decision making."

"Oh yes? And who is warming your bed these nights? Or is it more a procession of whos?"

"That's neither here nor there," Kira said, her expression strangely reserved. Kira was not normally shy about her love interests, of which there were many. If anything she was a little too cavalier in such matters.

"There is someone special," Ayla surmised, smiling with genuine amusement.

"Everybody is special," Kira replied. "Everyone is special in her own way."

"Evasive!" Ayla's eyes laughed, though she herself refrained. "There is certainly something afoot here."

"There is someone," Kira admitted, looking uncharacteristically sheepish. Her strong features were not suited to the expression at all. "But I cannot take her as my lover, for she is under my command."

"Most all your lovers have been under your command," Ayla replied. "It has never stopped you in the past."

"This one is different. She needs me to maintain distance. If I get too close, I will ruin her. I must be the tyrant to her, and the tyrant cannot be the lover."

"I disagree. Sometimes the lover is the tyrant, sometimes the tyrant is the lover."

"If one were dealing with a normal woman, perhaps. But this one is not normal. This one is..." Kira paused, but her expression said it all. She seemed enthralled by the mere thought of the woman who had claimed her heart.

"I must meet this woman," Ayla said, her lips curling in a smile. "Where is she stationed?"

"Stationed?" Kira gave a short, harsh laugh. "She is stationed in a cell, which is the best I can do for her and for everyone else in this camp."

"You are locking your own soldiers away?" Ayla's brow dipped slightly. "I have never known you to have any difficulty commanding anyone."

"As I said," Kira repeated. "This one is different. She is a born warrior. The hunt is in her blood, barely contained. She acts entirely on instinct, and when she moves, she moves with fearsome grace. No enemy can stand before her, but all she knows are foes. She has no friends, and she loves no-one."

"She sounds dangerous."

"Oh she is." Kira's eyes lit up with excitement. "She is very dangerous indeed."

"It also sounds as though she could use a touch of civilization," Ayla continued. "I hardly imagine she is getting that in a cell."

"She has no use for civilization. She has lived a life without need for niceties."

"That's no reason to let her continue to live that way. If she is as wild as you describe, she needs to be tamed." Ayla let her fingertips dance against the arm of the chair for a moment, then cocked her head to the side and fastened her gaze on Kira. "Is this why you wanted me here?"

Kira's smile grew broader. "You always did have a talent for taking wild things and subduing them to the good."