Celia sighed and rolled her eyes, resting her chin on her palm. Aurora and Elyn simply couldn’t keep their hands off each other, rubbing shoulders or legs, and planting little kisses on each other’s lips and giggling like children.
“As I was saying...” Celia said, but her words seemed to fall on deaf ears. Elyn giggled again and pulled back from Aurora for the moment. “Sorry, Celia,” Elyn said. “I’m listening. You were telling me about brigands?”
“That was ten minutes ago. This is about those pirates. One of our ships was attacked... hey!”
Elyn and Aurora both snapped to attention at Celia’s sharp voice. “Does she really have to be here?” Celia asked. “I mean, I’m for you and everything but... are you sure you’re thinking clearly? You know what she’s done, right?”
“I’m on your side,” Aurora said. “I stand with Elyn. No matter what. I can promise you, pet, that I am no longer your enemy.”
“And stop calling me that!” Celia said.
“What? You don’t like my name for you? We could play such wonderful games together. With Elyn. I know how you two get along...”
“That’s... you’re not like her! She’s kind! You’re just... cruel!”
“I can change,” Aurora said. “Elyn has seen to that. Haven’t you, slave?”
“Yes, Mistress,” Elyn said with a giggle. She leaned toward Celia. “You and I can still play, Celia. I know she makes you uncomfortable, and we don’t have to play with Aurora until you’re ready but when we do, I will keep you safe. Don’t I always?”
“Yes...” Celia said.
“And so will she. Aurora has learned the right way to treat a lady... haven’t you, Mistress?”
“I have, my sweet,” Aurora said. “I would to love show my... Celia... how much I have learned from you.”
Celia gave her head a shake. That might have been the first time Aurora had ever used her name. Forgetting their meeting, Celia was now far more interested in the current topic of conversation.
“Wait. Wouldn’t that be cheating? I mean, you’re a couple now, right?”
“We can still have playmates and remain faithful to each other,” Elyn said. “And I love you so much, Celia. I could never cut you out of my life. I still want you to be part of it.”
“And I may have been... harsh... with you in the past,” Aurora said. “But you know I am very fond of you. I have from the moment we met. You remember that, don’t you?”
“Um... yeah...” Celia said, turning red. Though she had been captured and there was nothing fun about her meeting with Aurora, that moment in the struggle while she was tied up was the moment she discovered her love of bondage. She was perhaps not as obsessed with it as these two, wanting to keep it as a hobby rather than a way of life, but she loved it just the same.
“Well, I can make it better than that. Both of us can. I will prove myself to you, Celia.”
Celia gave her head a shake, remembering the meeting they were supposed to be having, and cleared her throat.
“Yes... well... we have more important matters to-”
“Oh, all right,” Aurora said. “I will leave you to speak with my darling princess. Just don’t take too long, you two. I do hate to tear my eyes away from Elyn.”
“I will see you out in the hall, Aurora. Maybe then... we can find time to play.”
“Oh, Elyn...” Aurora said. “I’ve been waiting all day for you to ask me that. I will go and prepare myself. You two have a good meeting.”
Aurora finally stood from the table and left the room, closing the door behind her and leaving them alone. Celia let out a long breath as Elyn watched Aurora leave the room.
“I sure hope you know what you’re doing with her...” Celia said.
“Everything is fine, Celia,” Elyn said. “She’s with us now. You’ll see that, in time. Now... what’s this about brigands?”
Celia rolled her eyes. “Pirates.”
“Right. So they’re attacking our ships?”
“Just the one so far. A merchant ship. But it was sunk by three ships, all working together in this sort of fleet. I spoke with Meryn’s Naval Admiral and he seems to think that this Nara the Blade is uniting pirate ships under her rule.”
“Speaking of Meryn, I sent a pigeon to her three days ago and I haven’t heard back.”
“She could be busy,” Celia said. “Though, even then, she always takes the time to write back. It’s not like her to stay quiet for three days...”
“Do you think something’s happened to her?”
Before Celia could answer, an arrogant and familiar voice spoke from the doorway. “Oh yes. She’s in deep, deep trouble. And you might want to check on your cute little friends up north. I think Luna and Mirelle might be having... problems of their own."
“Jh-mmmph!” Elyn tried to whirl around in her seat and face the witch but a thick, knotted cloth appeared in her mouth and wrapped around her head. It took only an instant for ropes to bind her to her chair, tying her hands behind the back, and framing her chest with ropes that pinned her arms. Her legs were tied together with coils of rope around her ankles and knees and one final piece of rope tying her ankles to her wrists, pulling her high-heeled feet up onto their tiptoes.
The sensation was immediately exciting but, with Jhana suddenly in the room, she had a bit of trouble enjoying it.
Celia stood from her chair but she had no time to move as an identical cloth gag appeared in her mouth. More ropes appeared, crossing her wrists and pinning them behind her back. Just like Elyn, Celia’s arms were bound with ropes that framed her chest and her legs were tied together at the ankles and knees.
Jhana stepped further into the room, smirking.
“Mmmph!” Celia said, struggling. She lost her balance and fell to the floor on her side, glaring up at Jhana. “Hmmmw!?” she asked.
“How? How did I get such power? Simple, dear Celia. I didn’t...”
Jhana stepped aside and let Lanala enter the room, her eyes completely black, and a cocky smirk on her face.
“HHMMMPPHH!?” Celia and Elyn squealed in fright at the sudden appearance of their friend.
“She’s mine now! Finally embraced that power within... after I got control of it,” Jhana said, kneeling down into Celia’s face. Celia’s eyes went to Lanala and, for a moment, she saw Lanala’s eyes revert to normal and a different smile appeared on her face. Celia furrowed her brow but any hope faded when Lanala’s eyes went black again and the smirk returned.
“Mmmmph!” Celia struggled against her tight bonds, unable to escape, as she was suddenly lifted into the air by some unseen force. Lanala was holding her hands out in front of her casually and both captive women were now suspended in mid-air.
“Back to the tower now, Lanala. We still have work to do. When we’ve stored them away, go and fetch Taria for me. We’ll let the others come to us.”
Lanala said nothing and led the two captives out of the room, disappearing into thin air. The captives and Jhana disappeared with her, leaving the Sixellian palace once again without its princess.
...
Jonas had received a panicked message from Vera, Mirelle’s Royal Captain, reporting that both Princess Mirelle and Princess Taria were missing. She turned to him, unable to get in contact with any of the other princesses of the Guild. Anger building in his heart, Jonas chose to check in on every one of them but his concern only grew as he found that everyone was missing, including Artema who had apparently left of her own volition. Checking in at the Sixellian Palace, his temper finally flared when he realized that Elyn and Celia together had been taken. He was so angry that he tossed a wooden chair into the wall beside the door, breaking off one leg and nearly hitting a woman as she entered.
“Nice to see you too, scruffy.”
Jonas wanted to break another chair at the sound of the Thief Witch’s voice but her new loving relationship with Elyn prevented him from taking action.
“Sorry,” Jonas said halfheartedly. “I’m just... I don’t know what to do.”
“She’s got them. I know,” Aurora said. “I’ve been trying to think of a plan myself.”
Jonas growled under his breath, stepping toward Aurora and glaring into her eyes. “You know what this means?”
Aurora sighed. “I do. We need to go after Jhana. Together.”
Jonas shook his head and rubbed his eyes, trying desperately to think of some way to avoid going with Aurora. But it was the only shot they had. With Artema off on her own, and the rest presumably captured and awaiting their fates in Jhana’s dungeon, there was no other choice. They had to work together.
He looked her in the eye again. “Now would be a damn good time to prove yourself. Don’t stab me in the back and don’t go taking any of those girls for yourself. You do the first one and I’ll hit back. You do the second and... I’ll watch you burn. You got that?”
Aurora chuckled slightly, bemused. “So you threaten me. And that’s supposed to make me trust you?”
“Just don’t mess with them. We go there and we do what we can to save them all. I... I have to. It’s my job. I care for every single one of them like family. And you’ve proven yourself in the past. You’re nothing but trouble and you’ve given those girls too many problems to count. So it’s not me that needs to earn trust here, Aurora. And that there was no threat. You do anything that isn’t saving them and that, right there, that’s a promise.”
Aurora rolled her eyes. “And here Elyn says you’re a good man. What can she be thinking?”
Jonas extended his hand. “Look me in the eye, shake my hand, and promise me you and I are going to get them back. Let’s see how much honour Elyn’s tried to jam into that thick skull.”
Aurora, glaring Jonas in the eye, stepped forward without looking away and tightly grasped his hand. “We’ll bring them back. I promise.”
They stepped back from each other and let go. “We’ve shaken on it now. We’ve given our honourable word. Now let’s see you back it up.”
Aurora scoffed and raised her hands to the sky. “Just try to keep up with me, scruffy. I don’t need you and your slow, stupid bow arm getting in my way.”
“You know where Jhana’s tower is?”
“Yes. And I’m going to take us there. Stand close to me. But not too close, scruffy. I don’t want your stink getting on me...”
Jonas said nothing and reluctantly stepped closer to the Thief Witch, watching as they were both suddenly enveloped in a sort of shimmering, green barrier.
“Take us to places both far and near, I command the wind to turn there into here!”
Both of them were engulfed in a spiralling vortex of wind and disappeared from the Sixellian Palace in less than a second. In an instant, they found themselves in a dark stone room near a staircase with sunlight pouring in from the outside.
“She’ll be up there,” Aurora said, pointing up to the staircase.
“Wait... we’re just going to waltz right in?” Jonas asked. “Why not set the others free and get some help?”
“She’ll see that coming,” Aurora said. “And she won’t be expecting me. Besides, we can rescue them when she’s taken care of.”
“And how am I to know that you won’t just turn on me once Jhana’s out of the way?”
Aurora glared into Jonas’ eyes and stepped closer to him. “She took Elyn from me. That darling, sweet woman deserves better than to be the plaything of some sick sorceress. She took my greatest love from me... I want nothing more than to get her back so we can be happy together. I want for nothing else in the world than my beautiful Elyn beside me. I will save her. If that means saving them all, so be it. I want nothing more than to love and be loved by Elyn.”
Jonas sighed. “Pretty speech. And it’s rich to hear you say the words ‘sick sorceress’ like it’s beneath you. But you’re just as bad as she is. Just know that I’ve got a silver tipped arrow with your name on it and I will not hesitate to put you down if you turn on me.”
“I know. You’ve been very clear thus far,” Aurora said with a snarl to her voice. “Let’s just get this over with so I don’t have to hear your disgusting voice anymore.”
“Fine by me,” Jonas said.
Slipping his longbow, the one Celia had made for him, from his shoulder, Jonas plucked an arrow from the quiver on his back and headed for the stairs, not once looking back at Aurora. She sighed,
“Don’t wait up, I guess...”
Closing her eyes, Aurora remembered some of the ancient spells from the book she had stolen and kept them in the forefront of her mind. With both her palms arcing with electrical energy, Aurora followed Jonas up the steps and onto the roof of Jhana’s tower.
...
Suspended from the ceiling, Taria surveyed the scene before her and found herself desperately struggling against her bonds. She was in a tight hogtie position, ropes encircling her legs all the way from her ankles to her upper thighs, pushing up her skirt and exposing her toned legs. More rope was tied into a tight chest harness that pinned her arms to her sides and her wrists were folded over each other and tied together, as well as attached to her ankles. Adding to it was a tight, purple cloth that covered her mouth and nose, sealing in several cloths that had been stuffed inside.
Her desperate struggle to free herself was at the frightening sight of most of her allies tightly bound and gagged in cells around her.
Celia and Elyn shared a cell, with Elyn still tied to the chair she had been sitting in and Celia in a standing position with ropes anchoring her bound wrists, arms, and ankles to metal rings in the wall.
Mirelle and Luna were tied, back to back, with their arms wrapped around each other and also suspended from the ceiling like Taria. Ropes tightly kept their legs bound together at their ankles, calves and thighs while more ropes tied their arms above and below their breasts, cinched tightly, and anchoring them to the ceiling. Each of them was gagged with a cloth gag over their mouth, keeping another cloth inside their mouths. Luna’s gag was blue and Mirelle’s matched her green hair.
In individual cells, Taria also noticed Meryn in nothing but her leather underwear, tightly hogtied and squirming on the floor with a huge and stifling gag in her mouth. In the cell beside her, Fa’rah was identically hogtied and gagged, also in her leather underwear, with what looked like a horse’s bridle gagging her and a padded, leather blindfold covered her eyes.
In the cell beside that, Taria was shocked to see her former saviour, Starling the Griffin Knight, hogtied even tighter than the other two, once again in just her leather undergarment, sitting completely still as though in mediation. Taria could only imagine who could have captured such an impressive warrior but they must have been very dangerous indeed
She was thankful that Artema seemed to be missing. And then, of course, there was Lanala... That darkness had taken her again and it really seemed like Jhana had complete control over her. She just did Jhana’s bidding, quickly binding Taria with her incredible power and dragging her off to the tower as a helpless captive. Now their only hope was Jonas, as far as Taria knew. And he would be alone, powerless, with nothing but his injured bow arm and a grudge. They would need a miracle to save them. Taria just hoped Artema would be there in time to help. It was the only prayer he had of making it out of this alive...
...
Jonas winced at the pain in his shoulder as he was railed into one of the crenelations of the tower yet again. “Damn it... why always the bloody shoulder!?”
Jhana laughed as she slammed him into the wall again, holding out one hand and holding an intense pillar of fire from Aurora back with a shimmering barrier around one hand.
“Are both of you really so simple? Do you not comprehend the power I wield?” Jhana asked.
Aurora lowered her hands and then spread them wide. “You haven’t seen anything yet, dear,” Aurora said. Ropes rushed in from all around Aurora, coming out of the sky, and headed straight for Jhana.
With a cocky smirk, Jhana just flicked her wrists and the ropes fell to the ground around her, lifeless once again. “And you thought I wouldn’t be prepared for you...”
“Don’t make me angry... Reaper! Reap this one for me!” It expended a lot of energy for Aurora to summon her creature, the Reaper, once again and bring it back to life. But its feminine, shadowy form appeared before her and hissed as it rushed for Jhana.
“A darling creature...” Jhana said, snapping her fingers once and disappearing from view. The reaper stopped in its tracks, confused, and unable to track its target.
“What!? How did you-”
“Oh shut up, Aurora. I don’t have time for you. Lanala, on the other hand...”
Jhana’s echoing voice went silent as someone faded into existence where Jhana had once been. The Reaper caught sight of an old adversary and charged straight for Lanala.
Her eyes still black and a cocky smirk like Jhana’s curling her lips, Lanala reached out with one hand and the Reaper stopped dead in its tracks. Aurora was stunned and couldn’t find any words to say. Lanala’s smirk widened to a wicked smile.
“Mine,” she said, clenching her hand into a fist. The Reaper stood up perfectly straight for a moment, staring at Lanala for a few seconds, before it turned around and faced its creator.
“No...” Aurora said.
“Yes,” Lanala replied. “Reaper... reap your creator.”
Unable to react to the creature’s speed and strength, Aurora quickly had her arms pinned behind her back by her own creature. “Reaper... stop! I command you!”
“She’s not listening...” Lanala said. “Bind the Thief Witch.”
Aurora’s wrists were crossed and bound in a flash, and soon her arms followed as a thick coil wound its way from her elbows to her biceps, stopping just below her breasts. Another coil went on her upper arms, framing her chest, and keeping her arms tightly pinned. The creature then scooped up its creator in its arms and proceeded to tightly tie her legs with more rope, tying her ankles with a thick coil of rope and adding another above and below her knees.
“Reaper.. ugh... untie me! Release me! Listen! I am your crea-mmmmph!”
The creature stuffed a cloth into Aurora’s open mouth, holding it in and adding a thick cloth tied on over her mouth. Another was added over her mouth and nose. When the Reaper was finished, it set Aurora on the ground, leaving her kneeling, and then tied her wrists and ankles together. Now helplessly bound and gagged, the Reaper finally stopped and turned to face its new commander, awaiting further commands.
“Now... now more of this silly thing,” Lanala said, raising one hand again. With one twist of her wrist, the thing screeched and exploded into a shower of sparks.
“Mmmmph!” Aurora mewled, struggling against her tight bindings.
“Aww, were you attached to that thing? Too bad for you...”
Jonas grunted when he got back to his feet. He had been completely useless during the fight, the pain in his left shoulder staring to overwhelm him. But he buried it, as always, and grimaced as he walked toward Lanala.
“Lanala... wait...”
She turned her gaze on him and held up one hand again. “One thought... and your neck is broken...” she said.
“That’s not you. You wouldn’t do that. Lanala, please. You’ve got to be in there, still. Don’t do this. Think of your friends. Think of your wife. Think of Artema.”
“Jonas...” Lanala said, her voice seeming to return to normal. Then the wicked smile appeared again. “I’m not who I once was!” Pushing out with one hand, Jonas was thrown backward into the wall once again but this time the impact was enough to knock him out cold.
“The nerve of him...” she said to herself, snapping her fingers. In an instant, Jonas faded away and reappeared in a locked cell down below with the other captives. Aurora, too, faded and now occupied a cell downstairs. In that moment, Jhana appeared again.
“Oh, Lanala. Well done. You are so much better suited to this role than that of a do-gooder. You and I should have done this years ago!”
Lanala turned around to face Jhana and her eyes started to settle. They were no longer all black as the whites of her eyes returned. Her irises, however, remained as black as they were.
“I tire of your voice,” Lanala said. “You and your arrogance... you think you deserve power? You don’t know what it is!”
“Lanala... how... how did you break my control!?”
Lanala laughed. “All you did was bring out the power. Finally helped me see it’s what I wanted. You never had control. Now it’s just you and me... right where I want you.”
Before Lanala could do anything, she heard a shout from the staircase below and her wife appeared, carrying a golden sceptre.
“Lanala, wait! You can control it! Stop!”
“You...” Lanala said, glaring at Artema.
“I’ve figured it out! All you have to do is-mmmph!”
A thick, leather muzzle wrapped itself around Artema’s head and silenced her before she could tell Lanala how to use the sceptre. Thrusting both of her hands forward, chains wrapped themselves around Artema’s body, tightly binding her arms, shackling her wrists behind her back, and binding her powerful legs from the ankles all the way up to her thighs. This pushed up her skirt as well, exposing her muscular thighs. Steel mittens locked themselves onto Artema’s wrists and she was forced to her knees where her wrists and ankles were then shackled together.
With another flick of her wrist, Artema’s dress was flung from her body and left her in her white, cotton underwear and knee high sandals. With her equipment now stripped of her, there would be no escape from the locks and chains.
The sceptre clattered to the ground and Lanala held out one hand, summoning it toward her. It flew into her right hand and she gripped it tight.
“Finally... it will all be mine.”
“Not if I can help it!” Jhana said, raising her hands to the sky.
A powerful gust of wind knocked Lanala back but she kept her hold on the sceptre, quickly regaining her balance. The wind kept coming but Lanala was now unaffected by it. Just as she was about to strike back at Jhana, a voice, her true voice, spoke in her mind again.
The dragon... the hunter... Artema. The warrior’s spirit. She grants it to you... for strength....
“A-Artema?” Lanala said, still tightly gripping the sceptre. The power had been pushed back for a time and she had returned to herself, her eyes returning to normal. With the wind still blowing in her face, she inspected the sceptre again, noticing the worm-like dragons carved into the shaft.
“Dragon... wait... that must be it!”
“Lanala, stop!” Jhana said, releasing the wind and charging for her. “This... this isn’t the true you. All this sweet and charming crap... it’s not who you really are.”
Still not giving up, Jhana was now ready to make one last appeal to Lanala’s dark side.
“What are you talking about?”
“You were there... in Langiit... it’s where we’re from. Both of us.”
“That... that was nothing but lies! You and that power, you only tell lies!”
“You know we aren’t lying, Lanala. Inside, you’ve always known. I know I have... sister.”
Lanala rushed forward and grabbed Jhana by the scruff of the neck, outraged at what she had just said. “You... you can’t be saying...”
Jhana smiled. “Dear Lanala... you remember mother’s name, right? Alhanna... Alhanna the Immortal. Of Langiit. The most powerful of the Mageians...”
“You... you’ve known... this whole time?”
“Of course.”
“Then why... why hit on me all those times?”
Jhana chuckled. “My dear, you know me. I do love mind games...”
“So... we’re...”
“Sisters, dear Lanala. Yes. It seems mother was able to fight off her power, like you, and managed to charm a kindly young man, start a family... and pass on her legacy.”
“Legacy?”
“The power, Lanala. I have it, of course, but you... it chose you. Just like always. It really started with that orb... You remember? And then the Dragon Spell...”
“Don’t bring that up.”
Jhana laughed again as Lanala set her down. “We are blood, you and I,” Jhana said. “We belong together.”
“Why... why was I never told about you?”
“Oh, that was all mother’s doing. She saw it in you. The power. Before it took her again, she gave father very specific instructions never to let you or I know what was inside us. That way we would never hear it and we wouldn’t become like her... cursed with everlasting life... unable to die... slipping in and out of madness... she imprisoned herself shortly after. She’s still there now, completely bound, unable to escape. She wanted to make sure she never hurt anyone ever again. Seems she gave you that kindness, that empathy for people... while I got something else.”
“What did you get?”
“Put up for adoption. You were just a baby. Father was told to keep you and never tell you what was inside. Your propensity for magic, though, gave him no choice but to send you to the academy to learn, though no one would tell you anything of Alhanna, save her name.
“A sorceress from the academy took me in. She saw the power within me and helped me unlock it when I was just a girl... that’s what made me into who I am today. It is our birthright, Lanala, to claim power. To rule. It is what we do. Alhanna may have had a crisis of conscience but you and I, if we embrace the power, we would rule this world and every world in existence! We will be more than Queens! We will be beyond even Goddesses! We will be supreme! We will control it all, Lanala! Imagine it! Everything rising and falling at our will... you must see that. Embrace it! Join me. Join your sister. Your blood. Your family.”
“Family...” Lanala said. “I... I have a family!” Lanala gazed her chained wife, staring at her from her kneeling position on the rooftop. “I have love... I have my dearest friends... that’s my family, Jhana. You are a stranger. We may have been separated and I’m sorry we couldn’t grow up together, Jhana, but you and I are not family. Not after everything you’ve done.”
“And what of your wife? What has she done? Has she ever told you?”
Lanala furrowed her brow. “What are you talking about?”
Jhana smirked again. “Her mother. Alhanna was imprisoned once, before she locked herself away in a world of her own creation. It was Artema, the first Artema, who defeated what the people of the time deemed the ‘evil sorceress.’ Your wife’s mother... your wife... they want nothing but to chain our bloodline, Lanala.”
“Artema wouldn’t...”
“Are you sure of that? Her mother did ruthlessly train her, after all. Though, as I hear it, they didn’t exactly get along... nor did she approve of her relationship with you.”
“No wonder she hasn’t introduced them to me...” Lanala said. “But that doesn’t matter! We’re in love! There is nothing you can say to change that, Jhana! I love my wife, she loves me, and so what if her mother imprisoned mine once? We are both proof that we can overcome our bloodlines! Artema is kind, unlike a mother as cruel and intolerant as hers! And I am no evil sorceress and I never will be!”
“And how do you know that? Already, that voice must be returning to your mind, tempting you... calling you...”
“Because I have this!” Lanala said, holding the sceptre aloft. “Imbued with the power of Artema’s warrior spirit... and the Dragon Spell to retain my mind!”
“The... what!? That thing is a Dragon Spell!?”
“You didn’t figure that out, Jhana? But, of course, it wouldn’t work for you. You would never embrace its power of strength and wisdom!” Lanala closed her eyes and listened to the voice, her true voice, speak the words in her mind.
Pirka... the voice said. Dragon. Kavaksaan... Wisdom.
“Pirka Kavaksaan!” Lanala shouted, repeating the words to the true voice in her mind.
All at once, strength surged through her body and all of the power she just had returned to her but... the madness did not. She was at one with her mind. All the power was there but the voice... the temptation... it was beaten. That was by the power of the Dragon Spell and the strength of Artema’s Warrior Spirit that Artema had sacrificed to save her wife.
In that moment, even more knowledge appeared in her mind. Her wife’s fighting prowess... all her training... she was a warrior too! That was the power of the Warrior Spirit.
Lanala chuckled. “Wow... this feels good.”
“Lanala? What... what have you done?” Jhana asked.
Her smirk widened to a smile, a genuine, sweet smile that belonged truly to Lanala, and she thrust her hand downward. “This.”
The stone beneath Jhana cracked and shook like an earthquake, knocking her off her feet and sending her sprawling to the ground. Lanala approached her slowly, sceptre in hand, and still made the earth shake beneath them.
“Lanala... please...”
“Beg and plead all you want. For all you’ve done, I’m ending this. For good. Although...” Lanala said, suddenly a much more confident and cocky woman than she was before. She was still herself but the power did make her feel strong... unbeatable. That had to change her a bit. “Could be a bit more dramatic.”
With a snap of her fingers, dark clouds rushed in all at once above them. Lightning split the sky and rain began to pour down on their heads.
“Oh, and one more thing...”
Lanala looked to her wife and snapped her fingers again. The chains holding Artema shattered to pieces and clanked all around her, falling to the ground. She stood up, stretching her muscles, and stepped in beside her wife.
“This... this is really happening?” Artema asked. “Am I dreaming?”
“No, but I might be... there’s a half-naked, gorgeous woman in front of me and I might just have to pinch myself,” Lanala said.
Artema chuckled. “Down girl... we’ve got business to attend to.”
Jhana scrambled to her feet and summoned lightning from her fingers. “I’ll... I’ll fry you both! You’ll see!”
Lanala scoffed and didn’t even look Jhana’s way, waving her off. “Who, her? She’s no problem. Especially, for instance, if I do this...”
Clenching both of her hands into fists, Jhana was thrust upward into the sky, slowly rising, and the lightning dissipated from her fingers. “No! How.. you can’t do this!”
“Whines a lot, doesn’t she? Let’s do something about that...”
Lanala closed her eyes, stood on her tiptoes, and pretended to start conducting an orchestra. Ropes and chains appeared in the sky and started wrapping up Jhana’s body. “Stop! Please! I... I’ll change!”
Ignoring her older sister, Lanala continued conducting her symphony. The ropes wrapped up her legs first, coiling and cinching around her ankles, calves, above and below her knees, and in two places on her thighs. Chains wrapped around her legs in the same places to reinforce the bonds before more ropes moved on to Jhana’s upper body.
A chest harness tightened around her breasts and arms, keeping them tightly in place, while her hands were locked first into leather mittens, followed by glowing steel mittens. Her arms were then bound behind her back with a thick coil of rope and also tightly shackled together. Her elbows were then bound in rope and shackled and wrapped in chain. Finally, a thick chain wrapped itself around her midsection and arms, keeping her arms firmly bound.
Lanala let her down, snapping her fingers again as the thick, leather muzzle that once gagged her wife appeared in her hand.
“I wanted this one to be more personal,” Lanala said.
“Lanala... don’t... I’m your sister! We are blood! You ca-ggghhmmmph!” A rubber ball attached to the muzzle filled Jhana’s mouth and Lanala tightened the straps around Lanala’s head around the thick mouthpiece, her forehead where two more straps spread over either side of her nose, and then under her chin to lock her jaw shut. One more strap tightened around Jhana’s neck to prevent any head movement.
“Mmmph! Dmmt!” Jhana said. Lanala ignored her again, snapping her fingers one more time where a tight, leather hood appeared with nose holes and nothing else.
Jhana’s eyes widened. “Nmmm! Dmmt pmmt thmmt mmmn mmm! MMMMPPHHH!!!”
Still ignoring her, Lanala pulled the hood over Jhana’s head, laving up tightly behind her head, and then stepping back and admiring her captive.
“Well, that’s done. But just one more thing...”
Lanala raised her hands and a swirling, green portal appeared and Jhana started rising slowly toward it.
“Nmmm! NMMM! MMMMPPPHHH!!” Jhana struggled with her bonds, chains jangling, ropes straining... but there was nothing she could do. She was going into that portal.
“A whole world. Just for you!” Lanala said. “It’s not very big... well, it’s just one room. There’s no door... or window... but you get a nice scented candle! For a while, anyway. I’ll make sure it’s re-lit for you every night. Don’t want to get tired of your own stink, now!”
“MMMPPHHH!”
“Oh... and since I now know you embraced our mother’s curse of eternal life... I know you’ll be okay in there! Enjoy your little prison, Jhana!”
“NNNNNMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!”
They watched her struggle away until she finally reached the portal. It closed as soon as she reached it, disappearing, and dissipating the clouds above them. Finally, it was over. Lanala had really done it. Jhana was beaten, in chains, and in prison. They finally had their justice.
“You... you did it...” Artema said. “Wow... you are so hot right now...”
Lanala chuckled. “I’m hot? Just look how you’re dressed...” With startling strength, Lanala scooped up her wife in her arms. Artema squealed in delight and planted a long kiss on Lanala’s lips. “We... we need to get out of here. But I guess we need to free the others, right?” Lanala asked.
“Might be a good idea...”
“And then, dear Artema, then we can have some real fun. What do you think?”
“I am so ready for a break,” Artema said.
...
The people all gathered around a large, purple portal that spun slowly and steadily. It was a portal Lanala had opened to the other two worlds they had left behind. This time, however, it was open for good. They could freely travel back and forth, should they choose, and see each other at any time.
Artema stood before her guild. She caught the eye of Fa’rah, some distance away, just waiting for them all to finish speaking. They all suspected she would continue to be a thorn in their side. But she would be out of their hair for a little while without direction. Though, when she found it, they were sure she would be coming after them. For now, though, Fa’rah would walk her own path and try to figure out what to do with her life.
“It feels like forever we’ve been fighting this battle... but it’s over. We’ve finally beaten Jhana. But that doesn’t mean our jobs are done. But... I think we could all use a break. From now on, we’re still a team, but anyone who needs to sort things out can do so on their own. Get a break from all this. I know we sure as hell could use it.”
“That’s why we’re retiring... sort of,” Lanala said. “Just to be together. But you can always count on our help. There may come a day when we’ll need to regroup and do this all over again. But, for right now... I need to be with my wife.”
“Me too,” Artema said. “We haven’t made enough time for each other. It’s time we started putting our relationship first. And, to be honest, I’m so tired. I need someone to help me sort that out... and I can think of no one better.”
The happy couple smiled at each other before turning back to the others. “Anyone else have any plans? You can make your intentions clear here, to the group, if you so choose. We’d love to hear what the future has in store for you, my friends.”
Meryn cleared her throat and stepped forward. “I’m not cut out for this princess thing. But... fighting for the people... that feels right. It’s what I need to do. But not here. There are far more needy places. You all remember Weston. It’s a city run on corruption and fear. Somebody needs to change that. Those people need a protector... and I’m taking on that job.”
Artema nodded. “You’re tireless, Meryn. I admire you. That’s a fine goal.”
Taria stepped up beside Meryn then. “All those brigands, they reminded me of my merc days back in Ikaatan... you know how bad the bandit problem it back home. And I have some stuff that needs to be taken care of... and some deeds from the past to make up for. So I’m going back to Ikaatan. I’m taking on those bandits.”
“I see. What about the brigands here in Esterlin?” Artema asked.
That was when Mirelle and Luna stepped up, together. “We’ll take care of them,” Mirelle said.
“And we’ve got a wedding to plan... and an Esterlin union to organize.”
“A union?” Artema asked.
“Of all seven kingdoms. Bring them all peace,” Mirelle said. “We’ll lead these people into a new era. I promise you that, Artema.”
Artema nodded. “Good. I’m certain you will. And what about you, Elyn?”
Elyn, holding Aurora’s hand, smirked at her fearless leader. “Me? Roam around... have some fun... you know. I do have a partner after all. Maybe two, if things work out well,” Elyn said, looking to Celia.
“Um... yeah....” Celia said. “That would be fun. But... I’ll help where I can. That’s my job, after all. And I’ll find time for Elyn, of course.”
“Very well. Not sure what I expected of Elyn...” Artema said with a smile. “But it’s good you’ll get a break. And Celia, you’ll do well. You always do. What about you, Griffin Knight?”
Fully armoured and shielded behind her helmet, Starling remained unmoved, arms folded, staring straight at Artema. “I owe that pirate,” she said. “And there’s still a brigand problem. I shall remain here. My duty is not yet complete.”
“Of course. I can only wish you luck, and maybe offer help if you should have need,” Artema said. “Aurora? What of you?”
“Roam with Elyn,” she said. “And play around... maybe explore on my own... we’ll see how it goes.”
“Just stay out of trouble. Don’t make me come after you.”
Aurora smirked. “I won’t. Not anymore, anyway.”
They all went silent and all eyes went to the only man present, the mysterious ‘prince’ the ‘spy’ or the ‘gadget man.’ Jonas simply stared back, flashing a wry smile toward Artema.
“I’ll... keep that one to myself. I’ll be around. Wherever you need me....”
Artema sighed. “Jonas...”
“Just know that I’ll be here. I’m always here. I’m not going anywhere. I have to make sure you’re all safe. It is-”
“Your job?” Artema finished, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah...” Jonas said.
“Well, I won’t get in your way. Just take care of yourself. Okay?”
“I can only try...” Jonas said.
With that, every person there went there separate ways, saying their goodbyes for now, and some stepped through the portal. One journey ends, another begins... and their stories shall be told.
Standing high on a hill, cloak fluttering in the wind, Jonas ruminates on his thoughts. He watches the women who protect him, and who he protects, as they go their separate ways. He knows they’ll all see each other again. But, for now, it’s time for something new