The Generator: The Succubae Seduction (47 page)

Thomas complains that his new sword isn’t as good as his old one, making sure that anyone around can hear how knowledgeable he is about such weapons, until we see the edge of the tree line.

Even after we get out of the forest, we continue walking, well after the sun has gone down.

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Chapter 19

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A Land of Fantasy: Part 2

“Wake up,” Ondy whispers to me urgently, and I crack my eyes open. The sun is just rising on the horizon. I can hear what sounds like a wagon creaking our way.

“Who is it?” I ask, wary.

“Looks like some traders,” Thomas says without trying to hide his voice. He’s walking from the direction the sound of the wagon is coming from.

“How many?” I ask, concerned. Lately it seems if it’s not one thing, it’s another.

“Two women, and a couple of caravan guards,” he says easily, then eyes me sharply. “Listen, I don’t care what your name really is, but I don’t recommend you tell anyone else it’s Lyden Snow.”

“Why not?” I ask, but the wagon shows up. I realize I’ll have to get my answer later.

“Ho!” Thomas yells to the traders, holding his hands out to show he means no harm.

The two guards, riding on some fine looking horses, approach the farmer, and glare down at him. Well, glare as much as two faceless men can.

“Oh, stop it you two. If you scare away our customers, we’ll never make any money on this trip,” one of the women says.

“And the first brigand that puts a knife in your ribs, will take any earnings you make,” the guard on the left states.

A slightly chubby woman gets down off her wagon and approaches us. “That’s why we hired you. To protect us!” she states, not seeing the paradox in her words. “The name’s Deb, and my partner over there is Anny. Any chance we could talk you into buying a plate or some brandy?”

“How much for the horses?” Thomas asks, glancing at the fine steeds.

“They’re not for sale,” the guard that’s been doing most of the talking states angrily.

Thomas grabs the pouch of coins we’d taken off the bandit leader. He pulls a small golden disk out. “That’s a shame, because that’s all we need right now.”

Deb licks her lips as she looks at the golden coin, then to the bulk of the obviously full pouch. “Oh, give over! Anything’s for sale if the price is right.”

“Greed will be your undoing, sister,” Anny states from her perch on the wagon.

“And that pious attitude will be yours, sister,” Deb replies in a manner that lets me know they’ve spoken these words often to each other.

Haggling begins. In the end, we come away with two horses and a saddlebag full of food. The acquired crossbow had been thrown into the mix, and I now have a nice water pouch hanging on my right hip.

Anny tried to extol to us the virtues of living a clean life, but even Deb grew tired of her preaching by the time we parted ways.

“I’m telling you,” Ondy states from her perch in Thomas’s lap, “You paid three times what these horses are worth.”

“It doesn’t matter,” the farmer grouses. “We got something that wasn’t for sale, with coins that weren’t really ours. Now are we still on the right track to find my daughter?”

Ondy grumbles under her breath, but examines the road in front of us.

“See the chip missing from that horseshoe imprint, or how that one is entirely missing its horseshoe? They were outside town back there, and I’m certain they have your daughter.”  Thomas grunts and heels their horse to a trot.

I wonder if the old man will ever realize that the young woman is smitten with him.

We still haven’t caught up with this kidnapping lord by midday, but someone catches up with us.

“Are you the one claiming to be Lyden Snow?” A woman yells, approaching us on horseback. Her dark brown, nearly black hair is tied back in a ponytail, and her brown eyes are piercing as she glares at me. Other than her sharp eyes, she is the plainest looking woman I’ve ever seen.

“Dammit,” I hear Thomas curse, but I just turn the horse around and look at the woman.

“I might be. Why?” I ask, trying to keep my voice level.

“I’m Randa, and I’m sworn to kill you before you destroy our world!” Her horse charges for me as she pulls her sword, ready to lop off my head.

Pulling my sword up, sheath and all, I deflect her blow just in time.

“Why are you trying to kill me?” I demand of the woman. “What’d I ever do to you?”

“You are what you are!” she screams as she brings her horse back around, charging at me again. “Lyden Snow is prophesied to destroy this world, and my sisters and I have sworn to kill you before that happens.”

That’s not right, I think. Something’s wrong with that. Before I can think more on it, however, she’s next to me, swinging her blade with deadly intent.

Free me! Let me taste her blood! Look at her; she wants to feel my caress against her neck and thighs. Free me, so that I may feed!
Despite Muramasa’s urging, I keep him in his sheath.

Suddenly the violent woman stiffens and tips out of her saddle, a dagger in her back.

“Nice throw,” Thomas tells her. “Tell me, how did you get the aim just right?”

I blink at the two, trying to understand what’d just happened. Ondy had just killed a woman, and now both of them were acting as if it’s no big deal.

“It’s just a skill I have, when I’m behind someone the blade always sinks in,” the younger woman states.

Hopping down off my horse, I turn the woman who tried to kill me onto her back and jump when she gasps for air. “Brother. . . . I’m coming.” Her eyes close and for just a moment I think I might know her, but the feeling is fleeting and soon gone.

Ondy reclaims her dagger, taking Randa’s sword and mount, and we continue on our way.

“What’s the deal with my name?” I demand of Thomas as we plod down the road. “Why did she want to kill me?”

“Listen,” he tells me earnestly, “you’ve been a great help to me, so I won’t judge you, but there’s a legend that states that a man by the name of Lyden Snow will come to our world and destroy it. I always thought it was an old wives’ tale, but now I’m not so sure.” He refuses to meet my eyes as he talks, and I can see that Ondy is trying to listen while appearing not to. She could use some more practice at that. “If you really are our destroyer, then the only thing I really ask is that you wait until I have my daughter back in my arms.”

He snaps his reigns, pulling away from me, and I just sit there, stunned.

Kill them, before they kill you!

“Shutup,” I mutter out loud to the sword, not wanting to listen to its demands. I don’t want to destroy worlds. I just want to live. Is that too much to ask?

Not long after that, we come to another town, this one not much bigger than the first, though it does boast a sheriff’s office.

We tie our horses up just outside, and go in. Two deputies are sitting inside, both with faces, and I don’t know if I should be worried that they have faces, or relieved. Why can’t I think straight? One of the deputies is extremely short, with long light brown hair. The other is a lithe woman with equally long blonde hair and blue eyes.

“We’re looking for a lord that might have come through here recently,” Thomas begins. “He would have had a woman with him and some guards.”

“Ah, you must mean Lord Mark,” the short one says. “Yeah, they traded horses here late last night, and continued up to his castle.”

“Why are you after him?” the blonde asks.

“He stole my daughter. I intend to get her back.” Thomas’s voice is firm and full of controlled anger. He now has a name and a target.

“That’s a pretty serious charge,” the short one says. “What do you think, Leese? Should we check it out?”

“Might as well, Becks. Nothing else is likely to happen. I’ve been getting bored anyway, and Lord Mark is always a pleasant man to look at.” Leese responds.

“Now wait a minute,” Thomas argues back, “We didn’t ask for help, just directions.”

The two deputies are already strapping on their swords. “If you plan to go up against Lord Mark, then you’re going to need all the help you can get,” Leese says calmly.

Why are they so willing to help us?

In the end, all five of us leave town, heading for the castle on the horizon.

The edifice is quite imposing as we come up to it. Black stones make up the towers, topped with solid black flags.

“Think the lord’s in a black mood?” I try to joke, lightening the atmosphere. My efforts fall flat.

No guards stand at the portcullis, and nobody can be seen as we work our way down blackened hallways, dimly lit with torches. The entire place feels creepy and abandoned, other than footprints visible in the dust covering the floor.

We work our way deeper into the castle, feeling the oppressive mood of the place begin to seep into our bones. Thomas refuses to stop until he has his daughter, and each of us pulls a measure of strength from him.

I don’t like this place
, Muramasa states. For the first time I hear fear in the sword’s mental voice.

Finally, we come across a pair of massive wooden double doors. Voices can be heard on the other side.

Pushing through, we find a large, darkly tanned man sitting at the head of a long table. A golden chain leads from his left wrist to a collar around a young woman with golden hair and golden tinged skin. Even in this dour place, she seems to glow slightly as if her presence is valiantly attempting to push back the evil of the atmosphere, but slowly failing. Two female guards flank their lord, weapons already drawn and ready.

“So I see you made it all the way here, Lyden,” the lord’s deep voice booms. “How have you enjoyed my little play? I must say, I’m impressed with how well you’ve handled yourself. You’ve only lost, what, two people? Of course, I don’t know that you could consider one of them a friend.”

“Lyden?” I hear Leese and Becks murmur at the same time in fear, but they draw their blades and prepare to defend themselves.

“We’ve been told that that lady is here against her will,” Leese shouts.

Lord Mark burst out in booming laughter. “Against her will?” He yanks on her chain, making the golden woman stumble. “Tell them, my pet. Are you here against your will?”

“No, my lord,” the girl’s dreamy voice comes out. It sounds like she’s speaking from a faraway place, instead of only a few feet away. She is obviously under a spell.

Why do I think she would look better with large butterfly wings? I shake my head to dispel the absurd thought.

“Release my daughter, fiend, or face my steel!” Thomas screeches, taking a ready stance.

Lord Mark chuckles for a second, before flicking his fingers at his two guards. “Kill them.”

I take a closer look at the two armed figures next to Lord Mark. One is clad in a supple blue material that looks serviceable and durable. In her hand is a long wavy blue blade that looks quite deadly. The other woman is clad in some sort of yellow and black animal skin that barely covers her ample parts. A long spear is clutched in her hands, and it looks like she knows how to use it.

“How will you handle this dilemma?” Lord Mark asks me, a wicked grin on his face. “Friends on both sides, all intent on killing each other. This should be fun.”

The woman in blue faces off against Ondy and Thomas, somehow able to deflect their combined efforts. It would probably help if the two had practiced together some as they keep getting into each other’s way.

The Amazonian woman, meanwhile, brings her spear’s haft to bear down on the short Becks, but Leese’s sword intercepts it, saving her fellow deputy. Becks doesn’t hesitate at the sudden opening, slashing at the giant woman’s stomach. I’m certain the Amazon is going down, but she blurs, and is suddenly standing five feet further back, spinning her weapon in her hands.

Who do I help? Both groups are holding their own, and if I step in, I might get in their way. For some reason I can’t pin down, I’m extremely hesitant to fight anyone in here.

Except Lord Mark.

Pulling Muramasa from my hip, still sheathed, I approach the darkly tanned man.

“Do you really think you can take me on, Generator?” The man asks, but I have no idea what he’s talking about. “I’ve been destroying ants like you for millennia.” He stands, and for the first time I see just how large this man is. If muscles had muscles, he’d be the steroid that pumped them all. The man is a mountain! He pulls a sword that’s nearly as tall as I am from behind his back, and then glances at the other two fighting groups. “Perhaps we should wait, and see how this turns out first.” He waves his hand at me. Every muscle in my body locks up, stopping me from any more movement. Twirling his finger, I find myself turning rigidly in place, until I can watch the other two groups, battling for their lives. Dread fills me as I realize how much power this man has, and how much I’m at his mercy.

I watch in horror as Thomas stumbles over Ondy’s outstretched leg, and the blue armored guard brings her sword down hard, nearly separating the older man’s neck from his shoulders. He collapses in a lifeless heap at Ondy’s feet. The thief goes berserk, wildly slashing at the guard. For a moment it looks as if the vigor and speed of her attacks will make up for her lack of skill as she lands blow after blow. Unfortunately, each successful strike only causes minor damage, and Ondy begins to wear down from her wild efforts.

A grunt from Leese pulls my attention to that battle. Dismay fills me as the Amazon strikes the blonde woman in the chest, knocking her back. Becks is holding her side, and I can see blood trickling between her fingers. Leese moves to Becks’s side, taking a defensive stance.

My friends are about to fall, and I’m frozen, helpless and impotent. Inner rage at my inability to act boils up in me. I strain against my invisible bonds, but to no avail. Nothing is as strong as Lord Mark’s willpower.

Becks tries to gain her feet, but I watch as her face goes white, and she collapses to the ground, her life still seeping between her fingers. The Amazon woman goes in for the kill. Leese moves to intercept, but is a moment too late. The spear shaft sinks deep into Becks’s side a split second before Leese’s sword lops off the Amazonian’s head.