The Serpent and the Goddess

Asiara grinned to hear the clank of her body guards’ armor as they marched beside her. They had all insisted on coming to this parlay fully armed in their thick suits of metallic scales and face covering helms, but as they walked through the rapidly approaching dusk, she couldn’t help but think that it far too warm and pleasant an evening to be trapped within such restrictive armor.

Of course, on one hand, she could hardly blame them – they were about to walk into an enemy camp, enter the tent of their commanding officers, and demand surrender. It made sense to be ready for the worst.

But while Asiara counted on her thick scale mail to get her through the hectic nature of combat on the battle field, in the close quarters of the opposing generals’ tent, she knew that dexterity would be the key. And that was exactly what her current outfit afforded her. On her feet she wore a pair of close fitting boots made of supple leather that would allow her to move quickly and gracefully. On her legs she wore a simple, tan pair of skin tight leggings that would do nothing to encumber her actions. And to protect her torso, she wore a simple shirt of lightweight chainmail over a thin woolen tunic.

On her head she wore nothing. This allowed her curly black hair to be free, and her dark, mysterious eyes to be in full view. It also left all who saw her under the spell of her bewitching beauty, as her delicate, pale skin, mischievous grin and alluring, side-long glances had drawn many an unsuspecting man and woman to their rapture – and their destruction.

And this, too, was a benefit of her light attire. Asiara knew that her reputation preceded her; she knew that when she entered her enemies’ tent, they would be prepared to see Asiara the Great Warrior. In their minds, she was a ten foot Amazon with muscles that could match the most giant of men. They imagined her to be a walking arsenal of deadly weapons and assumed she’d do everything she could to intimidate them with her military might.

But when she entered that tent in her sparse attire, her appearance would surprise and confuse them, thus giving her the upper hand. For rather than the strapping Amazon that they would expect, what they would actually see would be a woman of average height with a figure that resembles that of a sensuous, slim, and agile dancer rather than that of a powerful warrior woman. Her many legendary victories on the battlefield would continue to inspire fear, but her alluring beauty would utterly disarm them.

And being disarmed in the presence of someone as ruthless and cunning as Asiara was a very dangerous state.

Partheon, Asiara’s top general and confidant had insisted that she protect herself with something more tangible, to wear more armor, but she ignored his behests. She would have her opposition so off balance that they would agree to her terms before they even knew what they were doing.

Besides, even if these negotiations did end in combat, Asiara was sure that she could handle herself. As she thought this, her hand strayed down until it rested softly on Phyxilir, her famous long sword, a weapon whose appearance mirrored that of its owner.

The Queen had given her this sword when she had named Asiara the Captain of the Annol Army, and Defender of the Annol Kingdom. It had been used in the Queen’s service for more than three hundred years, and had become a thing of legend, for its wielder had never been bested in direct combat. Asiara’s own startling success on the battlefield had only added to the sword’s considerable legend.

But like Asiara itself, the sword’s appearance took those who had never seen it by surprise. It wasn’t a giant, two-handed saber, encrusted with jewels and sheathed in a scabbard of solid platinum. It was a simple and elegant weapon, with a mysterious and alluring beauty. Asiara kept it at her side in a slim and elegant scabbard, and it’s strong yet delicate pommel gave little indication of the many deadly battles it had seen.

On her other hip, Asiara wore a short sword whose appearance was very similar to that of Phyxilir. Asiara had named this simple blade Finisher, as it was often the weapon that dealt the final death blow to her opponents while she used Phyxilir to parry their attacks. Finisher had quite a reputation, as well, but that was all due to Asiara’s own prowess, for the short sword had had no other owner. Asiara couldn’t quite remember when she first came across the blade, but she knew that she had had it long before the Queen graced her with Phyxilir.

An expert in two handed combat, these weapons were all that Asiara would need. She scoffed at the bodyguards around her – these five men each had their backs and belts littered with different weapons. Asiara had always preferred the fast and versatile fighting style that her two blades afforded her, and saw no reason to carry any more arms than her two deadly blades.

“There they are.” Nathran, the head of Asiara’s bodyguards broke Asiara out of her reverie as the group rounded a small outcropping of rock and came into view of the Sersiphi army, spread over a wide flat expanse in the middle of the grassy, hilly terrain that surrounded them.

If it could really be called an army, Asiara mused. Scanning the scene in front of her Asiara took stock of what they were really up against. The Queen had mentioned that the Sersiphi army was small, but Asiara was stunned to see just how few soldiers they seemed to have, and how unprepared for war they seemed.

She had known that they were a cultish group, known more for their attempts at sorcery than for their military prowess, but she was shocked by just how weak they all appeared. The warriors that she was able to spot were ill-equipped, and the swords that they carried at their sides seemed foreign to them – as though they had only been in possession of the weapons for a few weeks. But what was most surprising were the many sorcerers that she saw. Unlike the well trained mages in her own army, these were charlatans, praying to their idols for curses and cures that Asiara knew wouldn’t come. This would all be far too easy.

For just a moment she felt a twinge of anger that her Queen had sent her on so far a journey just to stamp out a rebellion that appeared to be so pitiful, but that feeling quickly vanished as her devotion to her Queen flooded through her. She longed to return to her primary mission – an invasion of the Maurial Kingdom to the South, and this diversion would delay their assault, and perhaps reveal their presence, giving the Maurial forces time to organize. But The Queen had commanded that she remove this threat to her kingdom, and that is what Asiara would do.

Striding through the enemy camp, Asiara and her bodyguards reached the central Sersiphi tent and, without ceremony, she pulled open the flap and entered. As her guards fanned out behind her, Asiara glanced around the room, taking in a sight that had become quite familiar to her. On the far end of the tent was a long wooden table, behind which sat the three leaders of the Sersiphi. These three men were dressed in plain brown cloaks, and the man in the middle wore a thin leather band around his head, marking him as the leader of the camp: Brolleon. As Asiara entered, a thin serving girl with auburn braids on either side of her head was pouring each of the men a glass of wine. When she was finished, she moved to the corner of the tent, leaving the men to conduct their business.

The Sersiphi leaders looked up at Asiara and, as she suspected, they gasped to see that the ferocious warrior woman that they had expected did not match what their imaginations had conjured. Asiara walked in her confident but alluring way into the center of the tent, ready for the negotiations to begin.

As she did so, she made a mental note of what she and her guards would be up against if anything should go wrong. Two guards stood on either side of the entrance, and two more had taken up positions on either side of the tent, flanking Asiara. Six men in total, plus the three leaders in front of her. Asiara knew that she and the five guards she had brought with her could make quick work of this group if things came to blows.

But that was the least likely possibility. After all, she had followed the standard practice of instructing her army to attack at daybreak the next morning if she didn’t return. The Sersiphi army wouldn’t stand a chance against such an all-out offensive, so attacking her now would be akin to suicide on their part.

No, the only real question in these negotiations was whether they would surrender immediately, or if they would at least make some effort to save face.

“Leaders of the Sersiphi, I am Asiara, Captain of the Annols. I have come on behalf of my Queen to suppress your rebellion, and to bring you back in line with her decrees. If you swear fealty to her now, we will only require a modest payment in gold as punishment for your insolence.”

Brolleon seemed slightly taken aback upon hearing Asiara’s smoky, sultry voice. Still, he pulled himself together and responded, “Asiara, what you ask for is surrender. That is something we cannot do.”

“Then you will be destroyed. My army will attack first thing tomorrow and, as you know, your army cannot withstand the full might of the Queen’s army. No army can.”

“Do you really think that we started our rebellion only to give in to the first show of might that your little Queen sends our way? We didn’t unite our people in arms for nothing!”

“Of course not. You suspected that the Queen would respond with an army befitting the size of the threat – in other words, a small one. But that is not what you are facing. If you choose war, the battle will be short and decisive. You know this as well as I do. Your people are counting on you to do the wise thing.”

As she said this, Asiara once again felt a twinge of indignation as the overwhelming odds in her favor made all of this seem beneath her. Why had her Queen sent her here? The Maurials to the South would prove a much greater challenge, and Asiara would have preferred to save her army’s strength for that invasion. Whatever the reason, though, it was not her place to question. She would simply get this over with quickly and then return to the capitol.

Unfortunately, Bolleon did not seem to want to cooperate. “You know as well as anyone, Asiara, that a strong leader is far more important than a large and well-trained army. Your own skills in this regard are quite renowned.”

“That is all the more reason for you to surrender now, while you have the chance.” Even as she said this, Asiara felt the familiar prickling on the back of her neck that told her that there was danger in the air. She could hear her body guards subtly shifting their weight as they, too, felt this threat beginning to grow.

“Indeed, with you at the head of the army, we would stand no chance. But that is why we have made arrangements to ensure that you will not be at the head of the army.”

“If you intend to try to kill me while I am in your camp, it will only make matters worse for you. Even without me, my army will make short work of your pitiful band. And if any harm comes to me, I can assure you, there will be no surrender, only slaughter.” Asiara was confident in the words she had just spoken, but she was also confident that it wouldn’t come to that. She let her hands move subtly towards the hilts of her swords as the discussion continued.

“Ah, but by your own admission, a great leader can make quite the difference. And my ‘pitiful band’ will soon have the greatest leader of all.”

“Hah,” Asiara scoffed, “and who is that leader? You?”

“No, Asiara. That leader is you!”

Asiara heard the sound of metal scraping against metal as the Sersiphi guards drew their swords.

Negotiations were clearly over, and Asiara was ready for action. With a single motion, she leapt onto the table, drawing both of her blades at the same time. She landed on the table with an emphatic “thunk,” and swung her blades in unison, cutting Bolleon down in a pair of swipes that cut his head cleanly off of his body.

Not hesitating to admire her handiwork, she kicked with her right leg, catching the man who had sat next to Bolleon squarely in the face. She felt his nose and cheek collapse under the force of her boot, and he fell backwards, out of his chair. She didn’t know if he was dead or not, but he would no longer be a factor in this fight.

The man on Bolleon’s other side had drawn a dagger and now attacked Asiara from her left, but Phyxilir was already in position to intercept his thrust. Jamming the longsword hard into the air, she raised her assailant’s own arm straight above him, leaving his torso completely exposed to Finisher, which earned its name as the short sword plunged into the man’s heart.

Asiara’s next move was borne of instinct – an instinct that had served her well over the years. She sprung backwards, off of the table just as one of the Sersiphi guards charged her from behind. Flipping in the air, she landed gracefully behind the warrior, then plunged Finisher into his back before he had time to react. The sword drove through the man’s leather armor and severed his spine.

Unfortunately, the blade was caught in the man’s ribs, so Asiara had to let it go for the time being. She wasn’t too concerned, though – spinning around so that she could take stock of the combat that had been happening behind her, she was certain that she would see the final stages of a lop-sided skirmish as her guards finished off the pathetic Sersiphi fighters.

What Asiara actually saw was shocking to her. Three Sersiphi guards lay dead on the ground, but the others were still standing, watching as Asiara’s guards slowly slumped to the ground. Asiara’s mind raced to find an explanation for what had happened, even as she assumed her battle stance, ready to take on the Sersiphi herself.

A sharp pain in her neck alerted her to her one crucial mistake. Spinning around once again, her free hand went to the small dart in her neck at the same time that her eyes fell upon her attacker. Standing in the corner of the tent, the serving girl still stood, forgotten. Only now, the young woman held a small blow-gun in her hands, and a sly, confident look on her face.

Asiara tried to resist the poison that was spreading through her body, but the room had already begun to spin, and her knees felt weak. Phyxilir slipped from her grasp as she fell onto the table in front of her. Her knees buckled, and she gripped the wooden surface before her, trying to keep herself up-right. But it was no use. As she crumpled to the side, onto the packed earth floor, she felt all of her strength ebbing from her limbs. She looked up at the ceiling of the tent, which now seemed to be spiraling endlessly above her, and then all was dark…
Chapter 2

The next thing that Asiara was aware of was a scent. She couldn’t place it, but it put her in mind of… she wasn’t sure what, but whatever it was, it seemed to be everywhere, filling her nostrils, and it was… affecting her, somehow.

There was also something cold and hard beneath her – as though she were lying on stone. And there were voices – soft and chanting – nearby, but she couldn’t make out what any of them were saying.

When Asiara pulled her eyes open, she found that she was no longer in the tent. She only had the strength to keep her eyes open for a moment, but in that moment she was able to recognize the stars above her, and light from the green moon filled her eyes.

As her eyes fell closed once again, she forced her mind to think. She was cold. This was to be expected since she was outside in the night air, but still, she shouldn’t be quite this cold. Then she realized: she was naked!

This realization gave her enough strength to force her eyes open once again. Holding them open a bit longer this time, she took in a few more details of her surroundings. She was lying on some kind of stone platform, and was surrounded by people – the Sersiphi, she realized. A few of them were immediately next to the platform that held her; looking down at her and holding small braziers that were emitting wisps of smoke. Asiara realized that this was the source of the scent that she had detected as she awoke.

Behind this small group, a large group – probably all of the other Sersiphi, judging by the size of the crowd, had gathered around her, and were slowly, suggestively dancing as they chanted words that Asiara could not understand.

Asiara’s strength gave out again, and she allowed her eyes to flutter closed once more. She was in danger, that much was clear. The platform that she was lying on must be some sort of altar, she realized, and she was to be a sacrifice. It was night, so her armies wouldn’t come to massacre these pathetic people for several more hours. If she was going to escape, she’d have to accomplish it herself.

But her body refused to respond to her commands. She tried to move her legs, but could only manage to shift them slightly. She certainly didn’t have the strength to stand, let alone fight. The efforts of trying move, as well as the energy that she’d spent taking all this in left her drained, and she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness once more…

“No!” she thought. “I have to resist this. I have to escape.” She struggled to open her eyes again. This time, when she did so, she saw a woman standing at the head of the altar, leaning over her – Asiara’s clouded mind tried to remember where she’d seen this woman before. Vague memories of the tent, of a serving girl, of a dart, all flitted through her mind. Then, the beautiful young woman lowered her hands to either side of Asiara’s head, stroking her temples and cheeks softly.

Asiara’s eyes fluttered shut once more at this touch, and she let out a slight gasp. Something about this woman’s touch was electric, and Asiara was already… aroused – that was it; that was what that scent reminded her of. The smell was turning her on, and this woman’s seductive touch was increasing the effect. She forced her eyes open again, and found herself staring directly into the beautiful face of the woman, who was smiling down at her.

“Relax, my dear. We are going to make you feel so good. And we are going to fill you with power.”

With that, the woman withdrew her hands, causing Asiara to involuntarily let out a slight, whiny moan at losing the contact. Yes, there was no denying it, Asiara was aroused. She could feel the wetness in her sex and her nipples – already quite hard from the cold air – were now throbbing slightly in their need for attention.

Asiara had just cracked her eyes open again when two pairs of hands slipped beneath her back and lifted her torso into a sitting position and causing her eyes to roll back into her head as her neck was too weak to support her. Another pair of hands offered a bowl to her lips, and she felt a mysterious, fiery liquid being poured into her mouth. Some of it spilled out of her lips, the rivulets teasing her sensitive skin, but most of it passed down her throat, burning slightly as it went.

As the liquid slid into her, Asiara was lowered back down to the altar. The burning didn’t stop when it reached her stomach, but it wasn’t an unpleasant burning. It felt more like a tingly warmth that quickly began to spread from her stomach into other parts of her body. Soon her whole body was alive with a sensation of heat, and of passion. Asiara let out a long moan as the sensations bombarding her body continued to increase her arousal.

She also found that whatever she had drunk was bringing some life back to her drugged, limp body. She still doubted that she had the power to stand, but the heaviness had waned slightly. She was able to seductively rub her thighs together, trying to get some friction on the sensitive area between her legs, and her arms were slowly, lethargically trying to caress her own skin.

Then, the beautiful young woman’s hands returned, holding her head in place, which she suddenly realized had been moving from side to side as she tried to writhe on the altar. The woman leaned closer and closer to Asiara, bringing her mouth down slowly towards Asiara’s own. Eventually, she was so close that Asiara could feel the breath from the woman’s nose on her chin, and her lips were mere centimeters away. The woman’s lips parted, and her mouth descended still more.

But it wasn’t a kiss that Asiara felt – the woman was flicking her tongue over Asiara’s lips, letting it flutter over her skin, and then retreat back into her mouth. It was an unusual motion, but one that seemed familiar to Asiara’s drug and arousal soaked mind. The woman repeated the action, and Asiara mustered what strength she had to try to raise her head slightly while opening her own lips, searching for a real kiss. But the woman pulled away slightly, and her grip on Asiara’s head prevented her from moving enough to increase the contact between their mouths.

The young woman whispered to Asiara again. “Relax, let us guide you. We will give you power unlike anything you’ve ever know. Our Goddess has chosen you to be her vessel. She will fill you with ecstasy. Let us guide her to you.”

Asiara moaned, both in arousal and frustration as she felt the woman repeat the procedure from before. This time, though, a new wave of sensations flooded Asiara’s mind as she felt several more tongues descend upon her body, claiming other parts of her with this same tantalizing yet teasing touch – flicking over her nipples, along her sides, on her forearms, on the insides of her thighs, on her calves, and on her toes. She let out a long and lustful moan as the many touches increased the sensitivity of her skin, as well as the wetness within her sex. Even in the cold air, Asiara had begun to sweat slightly, and her body was writhing as much as her lethargy would allow as these countless tongues drove her wild with erotic need. All the while, the scent filled her nostrils and the warmth from the draught continued to drive her still higher in her arousal.

Asiara no longer thought of escape, she thought only of release.

“I think she’s ready,” the young woman said, standing straight. She then disappeared from Asiara’s line of sight. The helplessly aroused woman closed her eyes and let her head thrash from side to side as her need increased. Still, these fluttering, teasing tongues were doing nothing that would ever bring her to orgasm – they were only filling her with lust and desire.

Opening her eyes, she saw that the young auburn-haired woman had reappeared, but this time at the foot of the altar. Over the collection of heads, both male and female, that were hovering around her body, driving her wild with their tongues, Asiara could see the woman quite clearly. She could also see that the woman held something, and immediately, she realized why these flickering tongues had seemed oddly familiar. In the woman’s arms was a large, powerful snake, it’s muscles rippling beneath its scales while it’s tongue continually flickered in and out of it its mouth. Asiara suddenly felt a new sensation join the continually growing need inside of her: she felt fear.

The woman stepped forward and placed the snake on the altar between Asiara’s feet. “Come, Dathaka, enter this vessel. Please, great Goddess, come to us in our time of need.”

The snake slid slowly between Asiara’s quivering thighs, its head brushing against her left leg, the tongue dancing across her skin, causing her to gasp even as the sense of impending doom gripped her. She felt hands pulling the top half of her body up away from the stone again, and the snake, now very close to her sex, veered away and slid over her hip. It slowly slid behind her, moving along her lower back with its head as the other portions of its body continued to slide along her thigh and hips, sending erotic shivers through her inflamed skin.

When the snake made its way completely around her, and began to now inch its head across her stomach, Asiara began to feel a sense of panic mix with the arousal coursing through her. She knew where this was headed, and she tried to struggle, but the hands lifting her torso off of the altar were also holding her tightly, and in her still weakened state there was nothing she could do to escape.

Her fears were confirmed when the snake made its slow, sensual, yet deadly way around her body again, coiling across her stomach and looping around her back again. By now, a large portion of the snake’s body was sliding against Asiara’s yearning, sexually charged skin, and she found herself moaning uncontrollably even as she tried in vain to escape the grip of her captors. As the snake made its way around her once more, this time slithering slowly between her breasts before coiling around the back of her neck, Asiara started doing everything in her power to clear her mind and try to think of a way out of this.

This was a difficult proposition, though. Her body was betraying her with its need for release – her skin was on fire with need, and her sex was dripping wet. Her nipples were jutting out, seeming to beg for the snake’s attention; for that probing, teasing tongue. Mixed with these overwhelming feelings was an intense fear as well, and this, like the arousal, was clouding her mind, making it nearly impossible for her to consider her options rationally.

Of course, the few rational thoughts that she could manage were of little use, as her predicament was beginning to look rather hopeless. The snake had now completely wound itself around her. Starting at her left thigh, it had wrapped its deadly body around her stomach, across her chest, resting between her breasts, and now had moved around the back of her neck until its head was next to her right ear. Its tongue stroked her cheek with its flittering, maddening, and erotic touch, and she could hear its hiss in her ear.

Asiara felt her body being lowered back to the altar. Suddenly, the whispered sounds of chanting that had been humming in the background became louder and, as they did so, Asiara could feel every muscle in the snake’s body come to life. But it wasn’t moving this time, it was squeezing, pressing itself into her more firmly, more insistently, and, to Asiara’s sex crazed mind, more erotically. With her last possible rational thought, she remembered something she had learned years ago about these constrictors: they didn’t so much crush the air out of their victims as they waited for their victim to exhale. Then, they would tighten, making it harder to draw air back in. Mustering all of the strength that she had left, she strained against the snake, determined to keep her ribcage open and her stomach and lungs as full as possible.

But her need was making this so incredibly difficult. She stifled the moans that had been flowing freely from her lips and resisted the gasps that had escaped her throat so many times in the last several minutes. She had to hold on. She didn’t know what time it was, but perhaps the dawn would arrive soon. Perhaps her army would be here to kill these cultish fools, and to pry this snake off of her. Perhaps she would be free to give herself the release that she craved so desperately.

This thought brought her mind back to the pent up frustrations in her sex, and she felt a moan slip out of her throat. The snake tightened its grip and hissed in her ear. This time, though, the hiss seemed to penetrate her mind, to take form, to speak to her.

Let go, Asiara. I only want to bring you two things that you’ve always desired: pleasure and power. I can make you feel so good. I can ease the frustration that you’re feeling. I can erase the fear. Let me take you, and you will never have need to fear again.

Asiara shook her head, not wanting the seductive voice to influence her. Still, the words that she heard eroded her resistance slightly, and she felt the snake’s muscles closing around her just a bit more. She could still breathe, but her breath was now labored, and not just because of the fiery lust that was consuming her. She was giving in. But, she was the Captain of the Annol. She had to fight!

As the chanting around her became still louder, Asiara suddenly felt something – a presence. She heard the auburn haired woman exclaim, “Feel her, my people, Dathaka is amongst us. She believes our sacrifice is worthy. She has come to lead us to victory.” And it was true, Asiara could feel the Goddess around her, floating over her body, around it, wrapped around her just like the snake. Perhaps her spirit was in the snake, or perhaps the snake was merely her tool. Either way, Asiara now felt that her struggle was not only to keep her breath, but to keep her soul, and this Goddess was intent upon ripping her soul from her lustful, yearning body.

You will give in eventually, Asiara. I know you are strong, that is why I have chosen you as my vessel. But you are smart, too. You know you cannot win. So why not relax? Why not enjoy this?

No! Asiara knew that these words were probably true, but she couldn’t let herself give in. This was a contest of wills, and she was determined to win. But then, a new sensation drove some of her resistance out of her. The auburn-haired woman had leaned down, and was now pleasuring her sex with those same tantalizing snake-kisses that she had used on Asiara’s lips earlier. As soft and teasing as these motions were, to Asiara’s frustrated, sex crazed mind they were like a pleasure filled oasis in a desert of burning erotic need. She lost control and let out a deep and yearning moan.

And as she did so, the snake constricted, squeezing more of the life out of her.

That’s it, my prize. Feel yourself giving in. It makes you feel so good. You want so badly to let go, to feel that release. Let me release you. Let me free you. Let your climax purge your heavy soul and purify your body.

Yes, Asiara thought, that would feel wonderful. To finally achieve release; to allow her orgasm to burst around that flickering yet wonderfully insistent tongue would be a rapture that she had never, in all of her conquests, both sexual and military, felt before.

Or had she? Her Queen popped into her mind at that moment. Perhaps it was her lack of air, or her arousal fogged brain, but she couldn’t remember what the Queen looked like, or even what she had said to her exactly, but she knew that she had to protect the kingdom. She had to resist!

She rolled slightly to the side, trying to pull her sex away from the woman’s tongue. Meanwhile, her hands came to rest against the snake, trying desperately to pull the deadly animal away from her oxygen deprived body. She was furiously gulping air, refusing to allow herself to succumb to the assault upon her sex, her body, her mind, and her soul.

Your resistance is so erotic, so intoxicating. The more you struggle the more intense your final release will be. And, with the intensity of your release, the depth of my power over you will be more intense as well. Fight it, Asiara, let the feelings race through you, claiming you, making you more and more mine!

Asiara’s ability to reason was lost to her now, so she struggled to comprehend what she had just heard. The voice was deeper in her mind now, and she could feel the Goddess’s soul inhabiting her body, trying to push her out. But still, she fought, fighting back the climax that she had been so desperately trying to achieve only moments ago. She was still able to breathe, though just barely, and she knew that if she gave in, if she achieved orgasm, the snake would be able to finish its task.

But all the while, the tongue continued to work its magic. And Asiara was finding that the wooziness resulting from her lack of air was only making her arousal grow still more intense. As much as the weight of the snake would allow, her body was writhing and heaving as sexual need claimed her every nerve, her every muscle – it infused the very blood coursing through her body, and ignited what little air she drew into her lungs.

Was the voice right? Was resisting only making her eventual, inevitable failure more complete? Should she just let it happen?

That’s it, Asiara. You know that this is going to happen. I am beginning to take control of you now, and that will only continue.

Asiara felt as if her mind were now being squeezed even more strongly than her body was. And the tongue between her thighs was flooding her entire being with pleasure and desire so intense that she could resist no more. Following one last attempt at struggle, one last attempt to breathe, one last attempt to escape the dastardly tongue, Asiara felt her release begin to well up within her womb. Now past the point of no return, she let out a deep and soul shattering moan, and felt the snake finish its task, squeezing the breath out of her. The presence of the Goddess became more insistent, too, pushing into her mind, trying to drive her out of her body.

Feel me claim you! That’s it, I will honor my promise! Feel the pleasure take you! Feel me inside you! I am now you, and you are nothing more than pleasure!

Asiara’s orgasm crashed upon her. She lost all ability to fight the Goddess, the lack of air combined with the climax that now washed over her to create a sensation that was unlike anything she had ever felt. All that she could think of, all that she could be aware of, all that she could be, was this pleasure, this quaking, soul destroying ecstasy of sexual release. She bucked upon the altar, flinging her head back and arching her back, suddenly unable to moan as she no longer had the necessary breath. Instead, she bucked in silent rapture, and felt, in addition to the pleasure coursing through her, a new sensation of power, of strength and ability that went beyond the limitations of her muscles. And with this came a new capacity for pleasure that was quickly filled as her climax endured, with no sign of waning. The feeling was continuous, consuming her mind and soul in a fire of lust that was more than her mortal essence could endure. As though washed away on a torrent of pleasure, Asiara’s consciousness left her. She was empty, consumed, and all was suddenly dark…

Champion of the Kingdom
The Savior
by Clare de Luna
Chapter 3

Asiara slowly felt awareness returning, although it was a state of mind that she was not accustomed to. She didn’t really feel as though she had regained consciousness – things were still blurry, and she struggled to put together complete thoughts. She still had a vague awareness of her body, she could still feel her nakedness; she could still the feel the snake, wrapped around her, wringing her life out of her; she was still unable to breath; and she was still deeply, intensely, overwhelmingly aroused. In much the same way that the snake robbed her of her ability to draw in air, the cascade of sexual energy pouring over her robbed her of her ability to think clearly.

But she didn’t need to think, anyway; she could simply revel in this never-ending lust, since her body was no longer hers to control. Through her sustained sense of erotic need, she was aware that she was moving, that her own legs were carrying her naked body, still bearing the snake, across a grassy field. And her ears told her that a small army was walking behind her. Then, she stopped. Before her, perhaps three hundred yards away, was another army – a large army, full of powerful, iron-clad warriors. In its midst stood several magi, their robes indicating the power that they held.

Asiara’s head moved, under a power that was beyond her control, to survey the scene. Two large outcroppings of rock were to either side of her, and from her vantage point she could make out the Sersiphi forces. A third of them were behind her, and a third on either side – one beyond the outcropping to her left and one beyond the outcropping to her right. On each outcropping stood a very small band of archers and warriors, not enough to be of any significance in a battle of this size. The factions to her left and right were clearly going to attempt a flanking maneuver while the middle faction, the one that she was leading, would bear the brunt of the opposing army’s attack.

Only it wasn’t the opposing army – it was the Annols; it was her own army. If only she could regain control of her body, she could rejoin them.

But every time she attempted to summon up the willpower to fight the presence in her mind that was controlling her, a ripple of pleasure would race through her, eradicating any thoughts of resistance. It was hopeless, she was merely a passive observer, bathing in sexual need, as the Goddess Dathaka took her mortal form into battle.

But even in her passive state, Asiara was still capable of examining the battle plan – doing so was, after all, practically second nature to her and required very little focus. The flanking maneuver would be obvious to the other army, but it was the best possible strategy given how outnumbered the Sersiphi forces were. There were two critical flaws in the plan, though. First, the opposing army – Asiara’s army she reminded herself again – was so large that it could easily split into thirds and neutralize the flanking advantage. Second, the Sersiphi’s middle group wasn’t strong enough to withstand the might of the opposing army’s main force for very long. Once this faction was defeated, the flanking forces would be vulnerable and helpless.

And yet, Asiara felt a strong sense of confidence in the spirit lurking within her, controlling her mind. Dathaka believed she could win this battle, and her bravado spread throughout her body – the body she shared with Asiara – and increased the wetness in her sex. Asiara was fighting to remind herself of which side she was on, but somehow it just felt so good to give in to Dathaka’s control, to let herself revel in the Goddess’s power.

And as she felt herself yielding, she suddenly gained a small glimpse into what the Goddess was planning. As their minds touched, thrilling Asiara with an erotic pulse of soul-altering lust, Asiara realized an aspect of the plan she had missed before. From her vantage point, it was clear that the small groups on the outcroppings of rock were a meager band of ill-equipped soldiers. But from where the enemy – no, Asiara reminded herself, it was her own army – stood, it would be impossible to tell how many warriors the Sersiphi held in reserve there. They would be wary of fully confronting the flanking forces for fear that doing so would leave them open to another flanking maneuver from what might be another sizeable force. Dathaka had arranged the field of battle so that it would look like she was coaxing them into a trap, and the Annol’s fear of that illusionary trap would prevent them from actually pressing their very real advantage.

But that still left the other flaw in the plan. There was no way that the small army standing behind Asiara would be able to withstand the full might of the other army’s strongest warriors. That battle would be a slaughter and, once it was over, the Sersiphi would fall.

As if punctuating this thought, Asiara heard horns coming from the opposing army. And then, the steady sound of marching. The Annol army – her army – was on the move.

Bending to Dathaka’s will, Asiara raised her arm above her head – for the first time, she was aware that she was holding her swords, Phyxilir and Finisher, in her hands, and this knowledge made her feel more powerful, more commanding, and more aroused. If she could control her breath, she would have let out a long and wailing moan.

With Phyxiler in the air, she signaled to the forces behind her to wait. And as she waited, she watched as the large army came closer.

As it drew near, it was clear that the Sersiphi were doomed. The generals of the enemy (her generals, she fought to remind herself) clearly understood the importance of neutralizing this central force quickly. Spread amongst the regimens of some of their best warriors were three powerful magi. Asiara recognized them, Islin, Calean, and Mertol. Islin was an ancient magi, immensely powerful and with the experience of many battles behind him. Mertol was slightly younger, but had a reputation for being ruthless in battle. Calean was quite young – a magi of prodigious abilities, he had risen astonishingly quickly through the ranks. Against these three, the Sersiphi stood little chance. Asiara scanned the battle field for Partheon, but he was nowhere to be found. He was probably directing everything from behind the lines, as a sensible leader would. Not everyone enjoyed the fray as much as she did.

As the army grew very near, Asiara felt the familiar flush of adrenaline flood her body. This time, though, that adrenaline was accompanied by a hot, intense sexual need – a wave of desire so powerful that only a Goddess could withstand it without her knees buckling. Asiara’s strategic, military brain was annihilated by that sudden burst of desire. In just a few moments, Dathaka had reduced her mind to a quivering, lust starved observer. The battle was about to begin, and Asiara could only watch as her own body, still wrapped in the tense, life-stealing embrace of the snake, launched into action.

As Asiara came into contact with the first ranks, she could see the spearmen at the head of the column stare at her with wild, confused eyes. Whether it was because they were seeing their own leader, or because she was naked except for a snake, or both, was beyond Asiara’s lust filled comprehension, but soon she couldn’t think of them at all. As her sword cut the throat of the nearest soldier with a single precise slash, Asiara felt her erotic agony grow in intensity. When another spearman fell, she grew still more enraptured by her need for release.

She had no control over her lust filled body as Dathaka used her physical form to cut through the soldiers with a devastating and swift ease – instead, she could only revel in the carnage as each death drove her closer and closer to a new sexual peak that she had never yet experienced. In addition to Dathaka’s power giving her body a capacity for deadly skill with her swords that even she, the most feared warrior in the land, could never hope to match on her own, the Goddess’s presence within her also opened her body to new levels of erotic rapture. She had already reached a level of arousal that would normally have been sufficient to push her over the orgasmic edge whether she was willing to let go or not, but now her body was able to go higher, to become even more saturated with fiery, mind-altering need.

And so she continued to cut through the army before her in a state of uncontrolled and overwhelming desire. Each new death seemed to cause an explosion in her sex and Asiara could do nothing but succumb to Dathaka’s power over her body as her mind was reduced to a quivering, thoughtless vessel of pleasure again and again and again. For the death toll was astounding. Asiara’s body, under Dathaka’s control, was a killing machine, moving with blinding speed and frightening effectiveness, she was cutting a wide gouge straight down the middle of the army’s – her army’s – strongest column of warriors. The soldiers, quickly forgetting that she was formerly their leader, tried in vain to attack her, but with Dathaka’s power controlling her limbs, she easily danced through their weapons while slicing through their armor, running them through on her swords, cutting their throats, or dismembering them with an ease that was, for Asiara, as shocking as it was erotic.

In the dim remnants of her awareness, she was aware of Dathaka’s response to her other critique of the Sersiphi’s battle plan – the middle group of warriors would be able to survive much longer, because leading them was a one-woman harbinger of annihilation, and she was easily turning the tide of this battle. Asiara felt her body spiraling further and further into the oblivion of a state of arousal without release that her mind could no longer comprehend as her fighting prowess brought about the demise of her own army.

But then, just as she was about to reach the point that even her Goddess-inhabited body could no longer resist orgasm, a new sensation cleared her mind ever so slightly. An intense heat – not one of arousal, but of actual fire, descended upon her, burning her skin and sending a pain racing through her that gave her mind a new level of focus. As her vision cleared from the flames that had engulfed her, she looked forward to see Islin, the ancient magi.

The charred earth around Asiara was evidence of the fireball that he had just hurled at her, but Asiara saw that no part of her showed even the slightest evidence of his magical assault. The ancient spell caster began to chant again, and this time a torrent of lightening coursed through Asiara’s body, once again filling her with agony so intense that she wanted to scream. But she was not in control of her body, and Dathaka seemed unaffected by the intense electricity dancing through her.

When the electric maelstrom was finished, Asiara saw Islin looking at her in astonishment. He was panting with the effort of these two spells, and, for the first time since she had known him, Asiara something new in his eyes: fear. And that fear, even more so than the electricity that had just raced through her, penetrated Asiara’s body, recharging her arousal, and taking it still higher than it had previously been. Asiara felt her own arm raise Phyxilir above her head and then bring it down in a sweeping arc that cut through the magical protections that Islin had put around himself. The sword swept effortlessly through the air and, at the height of its arc, passed through the skin of one of the realm’s most powerful magi, beheading him and bringing the mighty sorcerer to his end.

As his head toppled from his body, the intensity of Asiara’s need burst upon her as her body achieved climax. Her mind failed to comprehend the immensity of the sensation that wracked her physical form, and she lost all ability to know the world around her as her only focus, the only thing that mattered or even existed to her, was soul filling, rapturous pleasure. She could feel her sex squirting her secretions on the blood stained battle fields and her skin burning with an inner heat more dangerous and intense than the fires that had encompassed her moments before. The intensity of her orgasm was so strong that Asiara seemed to be swept away by it, even departing the physical body that the Goddess was making such effective and erotic use of. Asiara, lacking any control of her body, was able to focus every part of her mind on the pleasure she was feeling, and she simply became that pleasure – there was nothing else for her to think about, nothing else to know of, nothing else to be.

How long she remained in this state she had no idea, but eventually, the level of her arousal diminished enough for her to realize that her climax had passed. It had not, however, dampened her sexual need, nor had it prevented Dathaka from continuing to make use of her sweat covered body. As Asiara’s awareness of things other than climax slowly, shakily returned, she saw that in the time that she had been lost in her erotic rapture, Dathaka had continued to cut her way through the enemy forces, and now she had reached a second mage: Mertol.

Mertol wasted no time. He began chanting and, within moments, skeletons seemed to rip themselves out of the ground around Asiara’s possessed body. Dathaka set her body in motion and cut these down in moments. They had accomplished their real task, though, which was to slow her down just enough for Mertol to cast a more powerful spell – one that brought forth several powerful demons to do his bidding.

Unfortunately for him, he didn’t account for a key flaw in his plan. Though these demons were bound to him and had to do his bidding, they quickly recognized that the body before them, though human, housed a deity that they were not at liberty to attack. They formed a defensive perimeter around Mertol, but made no aggressive motions. The concentration required for Mertol maintain to control of the demons, though, was substantial, so he was now stuck motionless, fighting to control the very charges that he had conjured in the hopes that they would aid him. In this focused state, he never saw the short sword that flew through the air and imbedded itself in his chest – sending the demons instantly back to their home plane of existence, and forcing his soul to find another one.

Asiara saw the sword that she threw as it sped through the air, passing between the protective demons, but she never saw Mertol’s lifeless body reach the ground. Once again, the death of so powerful a foe brought her body and mind to climax, and all she was aware of were stars as the pleasure cascaded over her. She lost all awareness of what was happening around her as sexual release claimed her once again, trapping her mind in bondage as tight as the snake wrapped around her body. She felt as if she were spinning, and in every direction was more stimulation; more sensation driving her to a sensual frenzy.

After several agonizingly ecstatic moments, she finally regained a modicum of ability to think about more than just her overwhelming pleasure. Her body still pulsed with a need greater than any she had felt prior to becoming Dathaka’s puppet, but she was able to make some sense of the world around her again.

As she did so, she quickly realized that Dathaka had wasted no time: she had made her way straight to Calean, the final magi, and the last hope of the opposing army to drive back the Sersiphi. Asiara knew that this would most likely be the end of the Annol forces that she had led these past few months. If Mertol and Islin couldn’t withstand Dathaka’s onslaught, then Calean stood little chance. After all, he was far younger and less experienced than the other magi.

As Asiara saw her body close in on him, she could see that he was finishing casting a spell. But nothing happened. As Dathaka closed the final meters between them, both of Asiara’s swords raised and ready to strike, Asiara heard him start on a second spell. Just as both blades swiped through the air, aiming to cut his body into three pieces, he vanished. Dathaka quickly recovered from the momentum of the swing and turned Asiara’s body around.

Sure enough, Calean stood behind her, chanting once again. The spell that he cast took a remarkably small amount of time, especially considering the power that must have lain behind it, for as soon as he had finished, a horrendous roar occurred to Asiara’s left. Dathaka turned her head to look, and Asiara saw a huge dragon looking down upon them both, it’s talons ready to slice her to ribbons, and its neck recoiling in the way that meant it was preparing to breath its deadly breath.

It only took Asiara a moment to realize how pointless this spell had been – the dragon was clearly an illusion. But as Dathaka turned her head back towards the young mage, Asiara saw that this simple illusion had already served its purpose. The spell Calean had been casting earlier – the one that seemed to have no effect – had, in fact, conjured a small magical dart. Then, when Asiara’s head turned to look at the illusory dragon, he had thrown that dart at the exposed and vulnerable snake head still propped next to Asiara’s right ear.

The dart struck the snake right between the eyes, piercing the skin and killing it instantly. As the reptile died, its muscles went limp, and Asiara felt her lungs practically erupt as she loudly took in a deep and frantic gasp of sweet, life-giving air. She dropped both of her swords and she could feel Dathaka’s spirit simultaneously being driven out of her body. The snake fell from her naked body and Asiara dropped to her knees – but it was Asiara that was dropping to her knees – not Dathaka; her body was her own once again. She could feel Dathaka’s presence around her, trying desperately to reenter her, to trap her mind once again, to make her body her puppet. But as Asiara continued to inhale, Dathaka’s hold on her became weaker and weaker until, eventually, with her lungs full of life once again, Asiara felt the Goddess dissipate into the breeze that swept across the battlefield.

Her lungs finally full, Asiara exhaled. With this exhale came the longest, most desperate moan that she had ever voiced in her life. Though Dathaka’s spirit was gone, Asiara still didn’t feel completely in control of her body as the sudden overwhelming need that struck her compelled her to immediately begin stroking her wet sex with one hand while the other kneaded furiously at her breasts, pinching the sensitive nipples that, despite all of her previous climaxes, had yet to receive any attention.

In mere moments, Asiara was doubled over as yet another climax threatened to rip her body and her consciousness apart. With the Goddess no longer inside of her, her body was no longer capable of withstanding the level of arousal that she was achieving. For several moments, the pleasure pushed her past sanity, and she was nothing more than a helpless, thrashing, quaking body in the middle of a furious battlefield. Each touch on her nipples spurred her deeper and deeper into erotic oblivion, and the hand at her sex pulled climax after climax out of her.

The intensity of the pleasure brought Asiara to a dangerous precipice. At the very moment that she regained control of her body and freed her mind from the clutches of Dathaka, she also achieved such an immensity of pleasure that it threatened to warp her mind permanently, robbing her of her ability to ever again think of anything other than her sexual needs. But Asiara was too strong for that. She focused on the pleasure, but refused to allow it to completely consume her. Instead, she used it, channeling the divine levels of pleasure that Dathaka had allowed her, using it to infuse her body with the Goddess’s power, even though the Goddess’s spirit was no longer within her.

As her vision slowly cleared, Asiara could feel both the arousal and the strength of Dathaka’s former presence flowing through her. She opened her eyes to see Calean kneeling over her sweat soaked body, his hand held high keeping a magical barrier around them both, protecting them from the fighting happening around them.

Asiara did her best to pull herself together. She stood, taking her swords back into her hands. She was still shaky from the intensity of the climaxes she had just endured, and arousal still coursed through her. The exhaustion that resulted from everything that happened to her also permeated her body. But she had been touched by a Goddess, and she had refused to let all of the resulting power to flee from her as Dathaka was driven out of her body. Ignoring her own nakedness, she raced beyond the boundaries of Calean’s magical protection and entered the fray of battle. As she did so, she called a single command back to the mage.

“Tell the factions on either side to engage the enemy at full force. They don’t actually have any more forces waiting to flank us. Attack! Attack!”

And with that, she put her swords in motion.

Never before had Asiara felt so in control of her body. And never before had her body felt so strong; so fast; and so deadly. She was perhaps not quite as strong as she had been when Dathaka had controlled her, but her abilities prior to the Goddess’s possession, though formidable, were a mere shade of what she was now capable of. Moving through the battlefield, she began cutting down the Sersiphi as though they were mere practice dummies. Here soldiers, recognizing that she was free of the Goddess’s control, began to rally around her, making her the human point to a military blade that cut through the opposition with ease.

Meanwhile, the Sersiphi, now robbed of their Goddess’s leadership and skill on the battlefield, began to panic. Many of their warriors turned and ran, and those that remained were cut down easily by the well-trained forces of Asiara’s army. It took only a few minutes for her troops to finish off all resistance, and as they did so, she scanned the other parts of the battle to see how they were going.

They were going quite well. No longer worried about a flanking maneuver, the factions on either side of the battle had charged the Sersiphi forces, and made short work of them. Asiara scanned the battle field, trying desperately to find the auburn haired woman who had been behind everything that had happened to her. She was happy to have turned the tide of battle, but more than anything, she wanted to find that woman. To make her pay. To make her suffer. But she was nowhere to be found.

Though, frustrated at not being able to find her captor, Asiara nonetheless felt a slight thrill at the sight before her. After coming dangerously close to defeat, Asiara’s forces, with their leader back at their head, had quickly turned the tide of battle and slaughtered the Sersiphi army. Their rebellion was over. The battle was won.

But it had come at a heavy cost. Though the end of the battle had been a dramatic victory, the beginning had taken a far greater toll on Asiara’s forces than she had ever anticipated – and many of the losses had come via her own blades. Scanning her forces, she suddenly worried that her Queen would be upset – after all, this was supposed to have been a routine bit of policing, not an epic battle. Soon, they were supposed to invade the Southern Kingdom, but that would be a difficult fight in the best of times. With a slightly depleted army, that task would be much more difficult.

As she scanned what was left of her forces, the fatigue that had been slowly settling on her body caught up to her in a rush.

With her army cheering her return, as well as their victory, Asiara felt her body give way. She fell to one knee, then slowly keeled over, feinting as her mind and body could take no more…

Champion of the Kingdom
The Betrayer
by Clare de Luna
Chapter 4

When she awoke, she was back in her own tent, in the army’s camp. She was lying in her makeshift bed, which was nothing more than a pile of animal skins, the last of which was draped over her. She could sense that her body had been washed, and her dark curls were no longer in the disheveled state that they had been in during the battle.

It was night, and Asiara could only see by the light of two candles that had been set at the foot of her bed. She could hear sounds of subdued revelry as the surviving members of the army celebrated their victory, yet mourned the loss of so many of their comrades. The first thought that crossed her mind was, once again, the extent of their losses – far more than ever should have happened.

What would the Queen think? Asiara shuddered to think of it. Still, she would have no choice but to return to her Queen and inform her of what had happened. It would be a long march, much like another march that she had once made to the Queen’s castle. But Asiara decided not to think of that.

“I see you’re awake.” Asiara sat bolt upright, her hand instinctively reaching for the dagger that she always had beside her bed. Her hand found the hilt of the blade, but relaxed when she saw who was speaking to her. Sitting in the corner, mostly covered in the shadows that the candles in the tent cast, was Calean. As Asiara realized who it was, she became aware that her chest was exposed, displaying her nakedness – and her rock hard nipples that still felt the thrill of battle lust that had inflamed her earlier.

Still, Asiara did nothing to cover herself. After all, Calean had already watched her writhe in orgasm, and seen her fight in the light of day with not a wisp of clothing covering her. And besides, if he was distracted by her naked breasts, that could be to her benefit. Calean had always proven loyal to Asiara, but he was a magi nonetheless, and Asiara had to be careful to keep the upper hand lest he use his magic to try to control her mind or her will.

“I see that you are a voyeur,” was Asiara’s response to Calean.

“I prefer to think of myself as a concerned and protective ally. You went through quite the ordeal today. I didn’t think you should be left alone.”

“I thank you for your concern,” Asiara said sarcastically while allowing the wry smile that had disarmed so many men and women to spread across her face.

Her body was still charged with sexual energy, and she began to look at Calean as a possible way to discharge it. He was unlike most of the men that she had taken to her bed. They were usually warriors, tall and powerful, with thick muscles and broad shoulders. But Calean was slight. He was by no means short, nor was he skinny or weak. Instead, Asiara could see that underneath her robes he was probably muscular in a wiry manner, his physique the product of casual exercise meant to help sharpen his mind rather than the result of intense physical training.

It would be a welcome change of pace, Asiara mused, though she would have to keep her guard up.

“So tell me,” Asiara purred, “what did you think of the battle today?”

“Well, you were quite the sight to behold.”

“Yes, I imagine so. It’s not every day that I get to experience having a Goddess inside me.”

“And if what I saw on the battlefield was any indication, she’s left some traces of her… invasion, inside you, too.”

“Yes, indeed, I think my body is capable of things it never was before.”

“That’s impressive – I’ve heard some rather intense stories about what your body was capable of.”

“I’m sure you have. Do you believe all of them?”

“I’m sure there were elements of truth to what I’ve heard, but from what I saw on the battlefield, those stories are obsolete now.”

“I suppose. Although I still don’t know exactly what I’m capable of now.”

“And how do you propose finding out?”

Asiara flung the pelt that still covered the lower half of her body off of the bed, revealing her entire naked body to the mage sitting in the corner. “I guess we’ll just have to learn from experience.” Calean slipped from his chair and knelt on the bed.

“Let’s start by exploring the changes to your senses.” With that, he slid his hand slowly, sensuously up Asiara’s leg, causing her to gasp.

“Well, if we’re going to start there then we should explore all of my senses. Why don’t you disrobe so that my eyes can have something to stimulate them as well as my skin.”

With that, Calean quickly pulled his robe off, revealing his naked body and erect member. Asiara took in the sight before her for just a moment. Calean looked as she had imagined he would – slim, yet strong. She was going to enjoy this. She just had to be careful not to enjoy it too much. She was quite certain that Calean hadn’t been waiting in her tent out of genuine concern, and though she was sure that he was looking forward to whatever sexual adventures they were about to embark on, she was also quite certain that his interest in her went beyond physical gratification. She would have to keep a look out for any signs of his spellcasting, as she knew that, if he had the opportunity to cast one of his charms, she would find it very difficult to resist.

The danger of the situation, though, only added to the appeal and as she pulled Calean’s body against her own, she found herself panting quickly in anticipation of what was to come. Her sex was already slick with her need, and neither one of them saw any purpose in delaying what they both wanted. With a quick thrust he entered her, causing them both to moan.

Aware of the vulnerability of her position, Asiara held Calean’s hips, keeping him planted firmly inside her, as she rolled over. Now straddling him, she began to rock her hips back and forth, tipping her head back slightly in ecstasy, yet keeping a wary eye on the mage below her.

At the moment, though, she sensed no immediate danger, as Calean seemed to be as focused on pleasure as she was. He had begun to thrust his hips upwards, spearing further into her and increasing the pleasure that both of them felt. His hands went to her breasts, rolling the yearning, sensitive nipples between his deft fingers. This wasn’t the brutish mauling of her breasts that she was accustomed to from the many warriors she had bedded, nor was it the delicate caress of the many women she had enjoyed. This was something strong, and yet subtle, as hands that had the dexterity to cast complicated spells now worked their magic on her flesh, drawing sensations out of her that no other hands ever had.

For just a moment, Asiara lost herself in the pleasure, but she quickly recovered. Calean was staring up at her, but the look in his eyes was one of lust, not of betrayal. They continued to thrust their sexes together, each reaching new peaks of sexual need, both approaching climax.

But Asiara was finding, once again, that the Goddess’s lasting legacy in her body was both intense and powerful. She was responding to Calean’s attention far more than she would normally have expected to, regardless of how deft he was at drawing out her passion. The fire that Dathaka had left inside of her was igniting and pushing Asiara towards her sexual peak much faster than she had expected.

This was the most dangerous time, Asiara realized. If Calean planned to try to cast a spell on her, the moment of her climax would be the most likely time for him to make the attempt. As she felt the familiar levels of arousal flowing through her, and heard her moans reaching the tell-tale pitch, she did everything she could to maintain enough focus to react if Calean tried anything.

But then, she was rocked with another surprise. Just as she had experienced while Dathaka still inhabited her body, Asiara’s capacity for pleasure was now greater than it had previously been. She crossed the threshold that would have usually resulted in a powerful, quivering orgasm, but this time, it only resulted in a greater level of arousal. She closed her eyes and her concentration slipped as she was overwhelmed by this surprising sensation – rather than achieve release her body simply craved climax to a still greater and greater degree. She moaned in frustration, and tried to will her body to orgasm, but instead her need simply grew.

In the meantime, there was an odd chanting in her ears, and this only seemed to fuel her passion still more. Opening her eyes, she saw that one reason she was being so deeply affected was that she was having sex with the most beautiful man she had ever met. She didn’t know why she had never noticed it before, but Calean was simply overwhelming, and she suddenly wanted him more than anyone else she had ever seen. He was staring at her intently, and his mouth was forming words – strange words, in a language she didn’t know – and this only added to his allure.

Her arousal continued to grow, and she could feel Calean’s member driving her sex wild with desire. Meanwhile, the words that Calean was speaking seemed to penetrate Asiara’s mind just as deeply, filling her hazy, lust saturated thoughts with passion, need, and… love. Yes, Asiara realized, she was falling in love with Calean. Perhaps that was why her body was achieving such epic levels of erotic need – Calean was more than just another sexual partner – he was the man that she had been waiting for. She would be his, not just physically, but emotionally as well. Tears streamed from her eyes as the pure joy of this realization spread through her, spurring on her erotic need still more even as her feelings swelled with a new sense of completeness and fulfillment. She would love Calean. She would give him her body and her soul. She would obey him, and be whatever he wished. He was more to her than her own climax. He was more to her than her own power. He was more to her than… her… Queen?

That thought momentarily shook Asiara’s mind out of its trance – her devotion to her Queen was so deep, so ingrained in her, that thoughts of another replacing her gave Asiara a moment of clarity. Calean, for all of his beauty, and for all of Asiara’s deep love for him, was casting some sort of spell on her that she had to break. Fighting to regain her focus through her lust starved and love inspired mind, Asiara knew that soon she would give in; soon his spell would have such a strong hold on her that even her devotion to her Queen wouldn’t be able to overcome it. In her last, flashing moment of clarity, she realized that there was only one way out.

She loved Calean. She craved Calean. And she wanted, more than anything, to please him. Yes, she would please him. She would show him how much she desired him. She began focusing her need, timing the quaking of her hips and thighs with his thrusts. She utilized the muscles inside her to further stimulate his member, channeling all of her sexual energy; utilizing the new levels of erotic bliss that she had discovered; to please the one man that meant more to her than any other. The brief moment of doubt that she had had was gone – thoughts of her Queen had vanished – all that she would take from that one hateful moment when she had believed that someone other than Calean could be important to her was that pleasing him was the only way to do her duty.

Clamping down on his member, she began lifting her hips, letting him slide partially out of her, then thrusting herself back down on him. She repeated this, letting the friction spur her own need on, even as it had an obvious effect on him. His chanting still filled her mind, and she reveled in it, coming closer and closer to the climax that she had been craving for quite some time. But her climax was secondary – right now she was only there to please him, and so she used all of her experience, all of her passion, and all of her love to stimulate Calean as powerfully as she could.

And then, the chanting faltered. She heard the mysterious words dissolve as Calean’s body tensed beneath her. Looking down, she saw that he was no longer the perfect specimen of manhood that she had seen moments before – he was attractive, sure, but certainly not worthy of her awe. She heard him starting to moan deeply and, in a flash of realization, she pulled herself off of him, rolling to the other side of the bed just as his shaft erupted, spewing his seed harmlessly into the air, his voice, previously so magical and entrancing, was now nothing more than a series of panting moans.

The spell broken, Asiara acted quickly. She reached for the dagger at her bedside and quickly brought it to Calean’s throat. Still quivering in his own orgasm, his eyes bolted open when he felt the cold steal pressed against his skin.

“Nice try, you bastard!” Asiara’s rage poured out of her with an intensity that could almost match the desire that still coursed through her veins.

“I, I… just…”

“I know what you wanted. You wanted to turn me into your slave. But don’t even think of trying to cast a spell now. One word of magic and I’ll cut your throat. I might do it anyway.”

“You… you can’t,” Calean was still struggling to speak following the intensity of what he had just experienced, “you… you need me.”

“Your little spell is broken, you fool.”

“N, no… I mean, you need my skills. I’m the only magi you have left. You can’t afford to kill me.”

Asiara knew that he was right. “You might be right about that. But rest assured, if you ever try something like this again, whether you are the last mage in my army, or the last man in the realm, I will slit your throat without a second thought. Do you understand?”

“Yes. I understand. Now, please, can I go.”

Asiara thought for a moment. She knew she couldn’t do anything to jeopardize her one remaining mage. That meant she couldn’t cut out his tongue or remove the appendage that she most wanted to, as either of those possibilities would ruin his voice. She couldn’t cut off his fingers, either, as those were crucial to spellcasting. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed his abilities – at least until she could return to the Queen and get reinforcements. Withdrawing the blade from Calean’s throat, she heard the young magi breathe a sigh of relief.

That sigh was short lived, however, as Asiara suddenly plunged the dagger deep into Calean’s thigh, severing the muscle tissue, and causing him to scream in pain.

“I won’t weaken you ability to cast spells, but a mage doesn’t need to be able to run.” As she said this, she reached for his robe and tossed it over his wounded leg. “Don’t bleed on my bed. Wrap yourself up, and take yourself to a healer… NOW!”

Clearly filled with rage, but helpless to do anything about it, Calean crawled clumsily to his feet and half limped, half dragged himself out of Asiara’s tent, groaning in pain the entire time. When he had closed the flap to the entrance, Asiara flopped back on her bed.

Her body was still aflame with intense arousal – she had never gotten to reach climax, and now her body screamed with its need for release. Still, the anger surging through her, as well as the shame she felt at having come so close to falling for Calean’s betrayal, caused her to lose the motivation to finger herself to orgasm. Besides, that seemed anti-climactic given the heights to which her arousal had brought her.

No, she decided, what she needed was some fresh air, and a chance to collect her thoughts. After all, she hadn’t had a chance to think over the events that had occurred in the past day, nor had she had time to contemplate how to regroup her remaining forces and make her way back to the Queen. Though her body was practically shaking with need, she decided to put off her release and go for a walk. Pulling on a simple pair of breeches, her boots, and a loose fitting shirt, she strapped her swords to her waist and stepped out of her tent.

She could hear Calean screaming in pain a few tents away as the camp’s healers removed the dagger from his thigh. Even in her intense state of frustration, that sound brought a smile to her lips. Calean would walk with a limp for the rest of his life – and he deserved far worse. Taking a deep breath of the cool night air, Asiara walked through the camp before reaching its outer limits.

A couple of guards saluted her as she passed. They looked at her with puzzled glances as she made her way outside of the camp. She just laughed as concern slowly entered their expression. She wondered what stories they had heard about the Goddess that had been inside of her.

“Don’t worry, boys, I’m in my right mind. I just need some time to think, that’s all. I’ll be back in a little bit.”

“Yes, Captain.”

With her heart still pounding and her sex on fire, Asiara made her way into the wilderness. It was a dangerous place, but she had Phyxilir and Finisher, and the power – and lust – of a Goddess still pulsing within her.

She was ready for anything that might cross her path.

Champion of the Kingdom
The Lake and the Lady
by Clare de Luna
Chapter 5

As Asiara strode through the wilderness, she found herself suffering from multiple levels of frustration. First, she was furious that her army had been depleted so much by what should have been a routine battle. But that would be something that she would work out with Partheon later.

Even more bothersome was that she felt that her victory was incomplete. The auburn haired woman who had captured her, then brought her to orgasm, thus allowing Dathaka to enter her body, had escaped. She was no longer a threat – the Sirsiphi had been so completely routed that she would struggle to put together a prayer circle, never mind a fighting force worth even mentioning. But still, Asiara wasn’t accustomed to a woman, or anyone for that matter, getting the best of her, even temporarily. That woman had almost defeated Asiara, and Asiara wanted revenge.

Still, the battle against the Sirsiphi hadn’t been a total disaster. Though she had lost more than ten times the number of soldiers that she had anticipated – many by her own blade – as well as all of her own personal body guards, she had gained something quite valuable: the residual powers of the goddess, Dathaka. With every move she made, Asiara could feel the strength, speed, and agility that she now possessed. Perhaps her new skills wouldn’t be enough to replace the soldiers that she had lost, but they would come close. And at least for the short term, her enemies wouldn’t know about these powers, so she could scheme battle plans that would take them by surprise. Her campaign into the Maurial Kingdom could still happen.

But Asiara’s troops weren’t her only concern. Even her new powers couldn’t begin to replace the advantage that powerful magi gave to an army. And she had slaughtered two of the best while Dathaka possessed her. This loss, though, wasn’t one that bothered her too much. After all, the ease with which they fell made her wonder just how effective they really were. No, the greater loss was Calean. His injury, though completely necessary and deserved, would limit his usefulness in any immediate battles. His spell casting would still be what it had always been, but his lack of mobility would make it difficult for him to move to different parts of the battlefield where he might be needed. He would have to rely on teleportation spells, and those could be draining.

Even this dilemma, though, didn’t completely discourage Asiara from continuing her assault on the Southern Lands. She still had the help of several lesser magi, and while their individual skills might not be all that useful, she could use them to teleport Calean to different points on the battle field. Asiara’s agile military mind had already begun to imagine a new approach to war – one centered less on a vast army and several powerful magi, but instead one in which a single warrior, touched with divinity, and a powerful magi being teleported quickly around the battlefield would produce strategies that her opponents had never seen – and wouldn’t know how to defeat.

But even with the reassurance that all was not lost, Asiara still couldn’t overcome her greatest frustration: the pulsing sexual need that burned throughout her entire body. Calean’s spell had been so strong that she had to break it when she had the chance, and that had meant that she had not achieved the release that she craved. She had thought of masturbating, but that somehow just didn’t seem like it would satisfy her. Her lust, like her battle skills, had been touched by the divine, and satisfaction would require far more drastic measures than simply playing with herself.

So, in an attempt to calm herself down and clear her mind, she walked through the wilderness, letting the bright light of Neda, the green moon, show her the way.

Not that there was much to see. The land of the Sirsiphi was, for the most part, unremarkable. It consisted of just rolling, grassy hills, punctuated with the occasional group of trees – trees that only rarely amounted to what could even be called a small forest.

She was just approaching one of the larger clumps of these trees when she spotted a figure in the distance, just at the top of a nearby hill. Asiara was far enough away that she couldn’t make out many details, but judging by the long hair that she saw fluttering in the breeze, she assumed that the figure was female. She also had her back turned to Asiara.

“Good,” Asiara thought, “I can approach her carefully and find out more about her before she realizes I’m here.”

Asiara crept closer to the woman, keeping a careful eye on her. It would be unusual for someone to be out in the middle of the night like this. There were any number of creatures that could roam in the night that a single person would be loath to face. Even Asiara, if not for her new fighting prowess, would hesitate to walk alone in the wilderness at night. This woman was either confident in her power, or a fool. Asiara didn’t intend to take any chances.

She became still more wary as she got closer. As Asiara made her way up the grassy slope, she could see that the woman was unarmed. That could only mean one thing – the woman must be a mage of some sort. It was unthinkable that this woman would be foolish enough to walk through these lands without a weapon unless she could call on magic to protect her. Placing her hands on the hilts of her two blades, Asiara made her way as quietly as she could towards the woman, who still hadn’t seemed to notice her.

But then, Asiara saw something that made her stop in her tracks. From a distance, and with only the pale green light of Neda to aid her eyes, it had been difficult to make out the color of the woman’s hair. But now, as she came within a few meters of the woman standing stoically on the hilltop, there was no mistaking it – the woman’s hair was auburn, just like that of the Sersiphi woman.

At just that moment, the woman turned towards Asiara, immediately confirming her suspicions. It was the same woman! This time, though, Asiara wouldn’t underestimate her. Drawing both of her blades, she watched to see what the woman’s first move would be – ready to dodge any darts that the woman might have at the ready.

But the woman made no move to attack. Instead, she simply stared at Asiara for a a few moments, and then ran down the hill, to Asiara’s right. Asiara immediately realized what she was doing – she was fleeing to the large clump of trees at the bottom of the hill. With Phyxilir and Finisher gleaming in the moonlight, Asiara raced down the hill after the auburn haired woman, intent on catching her before she reached the cover of the trees.

But the woman was fast, and even Asiara’s enhanced physical prowess wasn’t enough for her to close the entire gap before the woman slipped into the small forest. Cursing, Asiara plunged into the forest in pursuit, knowing that it would be difficult to track her in the forest’s dim light. Still, her powerful and lithe body moved quickly and gracefully through the trees, and she could just make out the movement of her prey as she danced through the underbrush.

Then, Asiara heard a strange sound. It wasn’t coming from the woman she was chasing, but from some other source – somewhere to her left. She knew that she should continue her pursuit, but something about this sound demanded her attention. It was music, soft and lyrical. Asiara slowed down as the strains of melody made their way to her ears, caressing them, and beckoning for their attention.

But then, she remembered her task. Shaking her head slightly, and doing her best to ignore the music, she squinted in the darkness to try to locate the auburn haired woman. “Damn!” she thought, “I’ve lost track of her.” She slowed her pace to a walk as she scanned the surrounding trees, looking for any sign of the woman she had been chasing. All the while, the gentle hum of sound seemed to dance around her.

Still breathing heavily from running so fast, the pulse in her ears drowned out some of the delicate sound, but still, she could hear it well enough to want to hear more, and to hear more clearly. She tried to focus, but the sound – no, she realized, the singing – was elusive. It was somehow haunting, and yet enticing, but always the strains of the voice changed just as she was starting to realize just what mood it was evoking.

She felt compelled to walk towards the music, but she stopped herself. She was here to find the auburn-haired woman, not to listen to some strange music.

But still, it was so enticing.

She wasn’t sure which her prey had gone, so, she figured, going towards the music was as likely a direction as any. Besides, if the auburn-haired woman found the music even half as compelling as Asiara did, she would be headed that way as well. Slowly, Asiara started to move towards it.

The singing had an elegance that called for soft, slow movement. Running towards its source just wouldn’t do. Asiara listened intently, and stepped lightly, almost sensuously, on the soft leaves beneath her feet as the sound drew her closer.

And as she drew nearer, the sound was becoming slightly louder. Asiara’s breath had already calmed, and she could hear the music more clearly now. But hearing it more clearly didn’t make it easier for her to make sense of. In fact, if anything, it had become more elusive as its varied strains and lilting vibrations – which seemed to hover on the edge of discernable words, without ever quite coalescing into recognizable syllables – caressed her ears more forcefully.

But it wasn’t just her ears, Asiara realized. She could feel the music vibrating inside of her, dancing in her mind, teasing her thoughts, telling her things that she couldn’t quite comprehend. It was soothing to simply let the melodies push her other thoughts aside, to simply let the music enter her, to make her its instrument.

No! Asiara shook her head again. She had just freed herself of the influence of a goddess, she wasn’t about to succumb to another assault on her will. Doing her best to ignore the strands of melody floating around her, she took a step backwards, determined to get out of this forest.

After taking another few steps back, Asiara realized how heavily she was breathing. She had recovered from her earlier run already, but still her heart was pounding heavily in her chest. The brief run through the woods had temporarily distracted her, but her arousal was still just as intense as it had been before she had seen the auburn haired woman. Now, she was aware of it again, only it, like her own thoughts, was starting to respond to the ebb and flow of the song that was penetrating her, calming her even as it turned her on. She could feel the vibrations of the sound teasing her sex, causing her thighs to quiver, and her breasts to pulse in time.

In fact, Asiara’s whole body seemed to be pulsing in time to the singing – only it wasn’t a rhythm that she had ever heard before. She couldn’t consciously make sense of it, but she knew that this sound was stimulating her body in ways that she couldn’t ignore. The earlier encounter with Calean flitted through her mind – the arousal that she’d felt; her discovery of the new heights of ecstasy she was now capable of; the spell he had tried to cast.

The spell! She had resisted Calean’s magic, she had to resist this song as well! Shaking free of the trance that had started to cloud her mind, she found that she had already walked back into the forest far further than her previous retreat had taken her. This sound was pulling her towards it without her even realizing it. Backing away a bit more frantically this time, Asiara sheathed her swords and put her hands over her ears in an attempt to block out the sounds that were having such an effect on her.

But her hands weren’t enough. The music was inside of her, teasing her most sensitive areas, coaxing her pleasure into a harmony of desire that she fought to resist. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on resisting; on holding on to the control that she had only regained from Dathaka earlier that morning.

But closing her eyes proved to be the worst thing she could have done. Without the sense of sight, her other senses became more sensitive – more aware. She still held her hands over her ears, but now it was the sense of touch more than any other that was responding to the music’s melodic strands. It’s vibrations hummed through her, causing her to shake with arousal. No person’s hands, not even Calean’s deft touch, could stimulate her breasts and nipples with such maddening, perfect stimulation.

When she opened her eyes again, Asiara found that she had somehow been traveling forward, walking only through the guidance of the song. A long, sensual gasp escaped her lungs as she realized that the sound had finally drawn her to out of the trees to a small glade. Through lidded eyes, she saw that she was in a clearing consisting of a small patch of grass and a large pond, its rippled surface reflecting the pale green light of the moon.

And as her eyes took in this lovely sight, the voice continued to draw her forward, wrapping itself around her, caressing her, thrilling her, controlling her. Fighting to regain control, Asiara focused on one last desperate attempt to flee from this music and regain control of herself. She stepped back into the woods, forcing her legs to move in reverse, even though every fiber of her being wanted to move forward – to let that song give her body the pleasure it craved.

This first step was followed by another, and then another. With each step, Asiara felt herself growing stronger as she proved her ability to resist. With her hands still clamped firmly over her ears, she backed further and further away.

The pond was barely visible now, as the glade began to recede into the underbrush, and Asiara continued to back away. Growing more and more confident. More and more in control. But then, her motion stopped – she had backed into someone standing behind her.

Asiara’s reactions were slow as so much of her focus was on resisting the song that threatened to take control of her. It took her a few moments to even realize what had just happened. In those moments, a soft, feminine tongue traced up her neck and then cool lips blew gently on her ear. Asiara’s body was so tightly strung with need that these sensations caused a deep, longing moan to escape her throat.

Before she could react in any other way, the woman’s hands grasped Asiara’s wrists and drew her hands away from her ears. Now able to hear once again, the full power of the music washed over her mind. That, combined with the touch she had just felt was simply too much. The power that the goddess had given to her body was of no consequence now. Asiara simply yielded to the demands of the music, making her way gracefully back towards the pond while her mind and body continued to seethe with sexual energy that seemed to fall into harmonic unison with the pulsing sounds around her. She was so enraptured by the sounds and the sensations that she was barely even aware of the rustling of leaves and snapping of twigs that signaled the retreat of the woman who had just been behind her. That woman had escaped the power of the music, but Asiara was proving far less lucky.

She still knew that something was wrong with all of this, but the sheer beauty of the music enraptured her mind. Maybe the experience with Calean had tired her, or maybe her sexual frustration had left her more vulnerable, but whatever the reason, she simply let the sound guide her, it’s subtle commands compelling her to move closer and closer to the water. As she neared the water’s edge, Asiara languidly reached towards her boots and slipped them off. Standing just beyond the water, she slowly slid her pants off of her legs, kicking them away, before unbuckling her sword belt and letting her blades fall uselessly to the grass covered ground.

Then, she waded into the water, feeling its sandy bottom on her feet and between her toes as the coolness of the pool caused her to gasp once again. She took several steps into the water, and then felt a compulsion to stop, as the singing now seemed to be thrilling through her entire being, body and mind. There was another sound added to it now – a sound that was coming from Asiara’s own mouth: the sound of moans.

But even these moans seemed to blend with the music around her, brushing away her own thoughts, filling her with desire, rifling through every sensitive part of her body.

Then, in the center of the pool, the water began to ripple, and rise, and slowly, gracefully, fluidly, coalesce. Through her lustful, will-less eyes, Asiara saw a face with two large, penetrating eyes and surrounded by lush, wavy, silver hair. She couldn’t tell if the face had broken through to the surface of the water, or if it had been formed from the water itself. Either way, the result was breathtaking, and Asiara could only stare, her body and mind obeying the unspoken command to remain still, as she saw the luscious woman’s lips moving, singing, producing the sounds that held Asiara so deeply enthralled, so helplessly obedient, and so desperately aroused.

The singing continued as the figure in the middle of the lake continued to rise out of the water, revealing an exquisite naked body, with light, flawless skin, and a figure as graceful and fluid as the substance from which she had emerged. She rose from the water until her long, slender legs had completely emerged, and she was simply standing in the middle of the pool, her alluring feet standing on the surface of the water as if it were solid ground.

Asiara was so lost in this erotic, enticing spectacle, that she didn’t even notice her own feet starting to sink, the sand at the lake’s bottom slowly engulfing both of her feet, trapping her where she stood.

But such trivialities refused to penetrate into her foggy, lust clouded mind. All she could do was stare and listen as the woman before her walked across the water; coming closer; allowing Asiara to see her in glorious motion. As she drew near, Asiara could see the pale green moonlight reflecting off of the woman’s wet skin, causing her to shimmer. The vision before her was almost as entrancing to Asiara as the song that continued to pour into her mind, engulfing her own thoughts and drenching her in sexual need.

Asiara could hear her own moans continuously – as if they were now providing a rhythmic bass that worked in counterpoint to the lovely melody dancing from the lips of the splendid woman who now stood before her. The humming of that sound, the vibrations of the air, seemed to strike every nerve in Asiara’s body, and she felt herself completely overcome with lust. As the woman stepped directly in front of her, Asiara wanted desperately to reach out for her, to take her in her arms, as she had done with so many other women. She wanted to push her down on her back, into the water, and to ravish her, making use of the beautiful body to finally achieve the release that she craved.

But she couldn’t move. The song continued to bind her, to control her. She could only stare at the object of her desire. The woman reached out, cupping Asiara’s breasts in her hands. She slowly started to circle her hands around each breast, teasing the nipples through Asiara’s thin shirt. Asiara could feel the shirt clinging to her sensitive skin, as the woman’s hands seemed to leave a trail of water wherever they caressed Asiara. Indeed, it wasn’t long before the woman began stroking Asiara’s sides, and as she did so, wetness slipped down Asiara’s skin, gliding over her naked hips and legs, lighting up her nerve endings and making her quiver in anticipation.

Next, the woman reached forward, taking Asiara’s shirt in her hands and, with a single powerful pull, ripped the fabric down the front. In one smooth motion, she slipped the ruined shirt off of Asiara’s body, leaving the beautiful warrior woman standing naked, ankle deep in the water with rivulets of liquid dancing over her body, driving her wild with lust.

And all the while, the song continued to waltz over her mind, controlling her; subduing her. The woman raised her hands just above Asiara’s breasts, and from her palms a cascade of water drops fell onto Asiara’s taught nipples, teasing her breasts, forcing her to tip her head back and scream in sexual frustration. She wanted to have this woman now, but the song continued to lock her in place, to force her to endure this erotic torment.

Then, abruptly, the singing stopped. For just a moment, the two women gazed at each other in silence. Then, realizing that the spell had been broken, Asiara launched herself at the woman, intent upon satisfying the desires that had been trapped within her all this time.

But as her arms reached for the woman, ready to grasp her and pull her into a passionate embrace, Asiara was shocked to find that her arms passed right through the woman, as though her body were nothing more than water! This unexpected result, combined with her not realizing that her feet were now trapped in the sand, caused her to fall forward, and before she knew it she was on all fours, with her forearms partially under water and her hands now stuck in the sand in the same way that her ankles already were.

Finally free of the music that had subdued her, she was able to realize the dire situation she was now in – trapped with this water spirit, whose intentions she still did not know. But her thoughts were almost immediately distracted as she saw the woman step around her trapped body, taking a position behind her. The woman knelt behind her, and began running her hands up and down Asiara’s back. The trapped woman responded immediately, as the water spirit, though seemingly made of liquid moments before, now had taken on a more tangible form, and was using her hands to massage and tease Asiara’s sensitive flesh.

It wasn’t long before the hands circled around and once again began to fondle Asiara’s breasts, pinching the nipples and causing Asiara to scream in sexual need and frustration. Through her own wailing, Asiara was only dimly aware of the water nymph as she withdrew her hands from Asiara’s breasts and, from the rear, slipped them between her legs, sending a whole new wave of sensation racing through the warrior woman’s body. The hands were skilled, and Asiara could feel the welcome tension in her sex that she knew signaled an impending orgasm. Knowing that its intensity would be unlike anything she had ever felt, Asiara braced herself.

But then, the stimulation stopped. Asiara’s cry of frustration, though, was cut short, as the water spirit took hold of her hair and pushed her face down, plunging her entire head under water. Asiara’s arousal was so intense that it took all of her self control to stop panting and hold her breath as the water engulfed her. As she remained trapped, unable to breath, the water spirit slipped her fingers back into Asiara’s sex and began to stimulate her once again.

It was more than Asiara could take. Her body was quivering on the edge of orgasm, and no matter how hard she fought, she knew that it would overtake her soon. Just as her willpower was about to break, the hand withdrew from her sex again, and a hard yank on her hair pulled her head back out of the water.

Gasping for breath, Asiara couldn’t believe what was happening to her. She had always been so powerful and dominant with all of her lovers. And yet, here she was, panting desperately in sexual heat, craving release, on all fours, as a beautiful woman fingered her from behind while forcing her head periodically under water.

What was more shocking, was how much all of it was turning her on. Rather than fighting against what was happening to her, Asiara only wanted it to continue – all she wanted was for this water nymph to push her over the edge, and for that, Asiara would obey any command. Her lust had come to control her far more powerfully than the song that had enthralled her before – Asiara’s newfound capacity for erotic ecstasy left her completely open and vulnerable to this woman who was driving her to erotic heights she had never before experienced.

With her dark curls clinging to her face and her mouth open, gasping for breath, Asiara waited for the spirit to stimulate her sex again. When she felt pressure on the back of her head again, she immediately yielded, letting the woman push her face back into the water, hoping only for the release that had come to consume her every thought and action. As she felt the water closing over her, the stimulation of her sex resumed, and within moments she was shaking on the very edge of climax.

But the climax still didn’t come. With another hard yank, her head burst from the surface of the water again, and air flowed into her lungs once more. Asiara’s helplessness only spurred her on. She desperately wanted to be plunged back under the water if that would bring her climax. She didn’t care that she was yielding herself to this spirit, her entire world was reduced to a single desire that was flooding her body and soul.

With another firm push from the spirit, Asiara felt her head being submerged once again, and with it her sex was submerged in a yearning, passionate need. That need was met when she felt the fingers working inside of her again, pushing her higher and higher into her helpless desire. Her lungs burned for air, but her body’s need for release was still greater. At that moment she would have sucked the entire lake into her lungs if that was what it took to reach climax. Asiara shook in her need. Waiting in frustration for the fingers to slip out of her again, to leave her panting and frustrated.

But this time, the hand remained firm on her head, and the fingers continued to stimulate her sex, the water that sprung from them mingling with the wetness of her sex to produce a perfect balance of friction and motion. Finally, even her goddess touched body could endure no more, and she felt waves of orgasmic pleasure crash over her; around her; through her. Clamping her mouth shut, trying to survive only long enough to feel the full weight of this release, Asiara felt herself become completely saturated with powerful, overwhelming pleasure. Her sex spasmed uncontrollably, and her hips shook violently. Her whole body was quaking in this tsunami of erotic ecstasy.

Whether from the continuing climax or the lack of air she didn’t know, but stars began to collect in her vision, and her thoughts were starting to fade. Again, and again, and again, the pleasure hit her, engulfing her, submerging her in a world of nothing but erotic release. Her lungs were ready to burst, and she had no choice but to draw a breath. But just before she was able to do so, all consciousness left her, and she knew only sweet, orgasmic darkness…

Champion of the Kingdom
The Lady
by Clare de Luna
Chapter 6

When Asiara’s eyes fluttered open, and she found herself back in her tent, lying in her own bed, her first thought was that it had all been a dream – a wonderful, satisfying, erotic dream. But that was impossible – the tingling warmth between her thighs was evidence that her climaxes had been real, and no sexy dream could have ever made her orgasm with such raw intensity.

Sitting up, she saw still more evidence that what had happened had been real. Her shirt was draped around her shoulders, ripped clean in half in the front, and it was still wet. Her hair, too, was still quite damp, the dark curls pressed against her skin were as disheveled as she should feel at the moment. But somehow, despite her confusion, the warm afterglow prevented any feelings of anxiety to seep into her mind. She just felt too good for that.

After a long, languorous stretch, she sat up in her bed and tried to make sense of how she had gotten back to the camp. The dim light of dawn was slipping in through the bottom of the tent, so she knew that some time had passed. Still, she had no memory of walking back to the camp. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, which kept straying to her last conscious memory – which in turn caused her to feel wetness start to gather between her legs – Asiara rose from her bed and slipped off her tattered shirt and the pants that she was somehow wearing again. As she drew a robe around her shoulders, she saw that her swords were lying next to the bed, as were her boots.

Still quite confused, she left the tent, not concerned that her robe left so much of her body exposed. After all, the army had seen her naked on the battle field recently, and she was quite certain that her troops respected her quite thoroughly. Giving them a glimpse of her beauty would only help to keep them under her thumb a bit more.

As she looked around the camp, taking in the quiet bustle that accompanied the morning duties of her soldiers, she saw a young message boy run up to her.

“Partheon would like to speak with you, M’Lady.”

“Very well, lead me to him.”

Asiara knew what this was about. Partheon was her second in command in military matters, and she hadn’t spoken to him since the battle with the Sersiphi. He would be anxious to go over the details of the battle and to discuss their plans going forward.

But Asiara found such topics somehow distasteful at the moment. Normally, military strategy would get her blood boiling only slightly less than her exploits between the sheets, but today it seemed oddly unimportant. Every time she tried to think about her responsibilities to her army, even to her Queen, she couldn’t help but let the tingling in her sex bring her mind back to the lake; to the beautiful water nymph; to submitting to that nymph.

And these thoughts turned her on.

No, military matters were the furthest thing from her mind. Right now, all she wanted to do was to find that lake again, and give herself to the nymph that lived there. And that is exactly what she would do when night fell once again.

Before then, though, she would have to face Partheon. Stepping into his tent, she greeted her trusted friend and advisor.

“Hello, Parth, how have you been?”

Partheon turned his balding head towards her, the grayness of his beard looking particular pale in the morning light. “Better than you, apparently. The watchmen told me they found you lying on the ground outside the camp early this morning in a state of… well, you know.”

“The battle yesterday was quite the ordeal, especially for me. I needed a little… well, you know.” Partheon grinned. Asiara was always glad to have Partheon around. The age difference between them helped to diffuse the sexual tension that made it hard for her to work with so many other leaders in the army. Without that tension, they were able to banter with each other quite freely – and Asiara suspected that Partheon found her frequent sexual adventures to be quite entertaining.

“I see,” was all he said, though his grin showed that he was using his imagination to fill in the details of Asiara’s most recent exploits. “Well, according to Calean, you had a pretty good bit of fun even before you left the camp to do whatever it is you did out there. He’s been bragging that he drove you so wild that you had to stab him to keep from dying from the pleasure.”

“Is that so? I seem to remember it slightly differently.”

“Of course. No one in the camp would ever believe him. I don’t know why you felt the need to stab him, but I’m sure it wasn’t because you couldn’t handle him. If anything, I’m guessing he wasn’t enough for you.”

Asiara just gave Partheon the same mischievous, sensual grin that had won the hearts of so many men and women before but that, with Partheon, was simply a sign of her affection for her advisor.

“Let’s get down to business, shall we?” As much as she enjoyed Partheon’s company, she wanted to get this conversation over with. She knew what he would have to say, and she knew that he wouldn’t like her response.

“We need to decide what we’re going to do and get the army on the move, Asiara. The Maurial army is aware that we were planning to attack, and they’re already marching. I don’t know if you still plan to engage them or not, but either way, we need to pack up and head out as soon as possible. I’m told that the men could be ready as early as mid-day today.”

“We’re not going anywhere.” Partheon’s mouth dropped in disbelief. “I want to stay camped here tonight.”

“Why? That’s madness!”

“The Maurial forces don’t know where we are. They won’t have heard of the Sersiphi uprising. If anything, they’ll be expecting us to be on the road headed directly to their kingdom. We’ll be safe from them here.”

“But even if they don’t attack us, they’re marching north, into the Queen’s lands. We either need to engage them or start recruiting more soldiers and planning where we’ll take our stand against them. Either way, we can’t stay here.”

“Parth, have I ever led us astray?”

“Not so far, M’Lady.”

“I have my reasons, Parth. We stay.” Not wanting to hear any more protests, Asiara swept out of the tent. He was right, she knew. They needed to leave this place. But Asiara couldn’t help but think about what had happened last night, and what further ecstasies might await her in that glade should she return.

With these thoughts in her mind, she returned to her own tent.

Flopping down on her pallet of hides, Asiara let her mind drift. She imagined being back at the lake, feeling those hands running over her body, leaving trails of wetness behind – the water droplets snaking over her skin, adding to the erotic intrigue. Her sex grew wet at the thought, and her own hands began to roam over her body, teasing her and filling her with an erotic tension that she knew could only be released by the nymph whom she’d discovered the night before.

And so she spent the day, fantasizing about what the water spirit would do with her. All day she teased herself, slowly building her sexual need, allowing herself to simmer in a powerful state of arousal.

By the time the sun had set and the green moon had risen, she was practically bursting with anticipation. She didn’t even bother to bring her swords this time. Still wearing her robe, she sauntered out of her tent and made her way past the guards – her withering look preventing them from questioning her as to her purpose or her attire.

Once in the wilderness, she made her way back to the small forest that she had entered the night before. She felt as though she were in a dream as she walked through the hills, the tall grass feeling wonderful under her bare feet. She knew that she was moving of her own free will, yet there seemed to be some pull that took her directly to her destination, without her even having to think of how to retrace her steps.

Before she knew it, she had entered the forest. And, as she did so, a familiar and welcome sensation flowed into her ears and washed over her mind. The singing added to the dreamlike state that Asiara already felt, taking away any need for her own thoughts and guiding her where it willed. This time, Asiara made no effort to fight the controlling power of the song – she made no attempt to hear words in its syllables, or to make sense of its rhythm or melody. She simply obeyed.

Slowly, she walked through the forest – the grass quickly being replaced with the gentle crunch of old leaves. Before long, she had arrived at the lake, and there, ready to greet her, was the nymph, sitting in the middle of the water, resting on the surface as though it were as solid as the ground under Asiara’s bare feet.

And the water spirit was singing, providing the glorious sounds that continued to coax Asiara forward. Asiara didn’t break stride – she walked towards the water, peeling off her robe as she did so. As her feet entered the water, she felt an erotic thrill dripping through her body, and as she stepped deeper and deeper into the water, she could similarly feel herself falling deeper and deeper under the spell of the lovely song that had claimed her mind.

As she waded closer and closer to the nymph in the middle of the lake, the spirit stood and started to move towards her as well. Asiara stopped moving when she was in the water up to her waste. The nymph was standing before her, but, since she still stood on the surface of the water, she towered over Asiara’s naked body. The warrior woman looked up at the beautiful body standing over her, taking in its lovely curves and sensual, fluid beauty.

After a long pause in which Asiara felt herself submit to this enchanting creature’s power, the nymph stepped forward and draped one leg over Asiara’s shoulder. Asiara felt water sliding down her skin and dripping over her breasts. But more importantly, she gazed at the smooth, beautiful, perfect woman before her. Whether acting on instinct or on command Asiara didn’t know, but without hesitation she leaned forward and thrust her tongue into the moist feminine folds before her.

The sound of the music continued, but it seemed to raise ever so slightly in pitch – and intensity. This new timbre of sound urged Asiara on, and she focused all of her own need for pleasure and release into her pleasuring of this wondrous nymph.

As her tongue worked over the soft, wet skin of the nymph, Asiara struggled to breath, as water seemed to cascade over her nose and mouth. But she didn’t relent. Gasping for air whenever she could manage, she channeled all of the erotic feelings and thoughts that had danced through her all day into the actions of her tongue, knowing that her own ecstasy would follow.

The more her tongue worked, the more intense the nymph’s song became and so, too, did the intensity of her watery secretions seem to increase. Asiara found breathing to be more and more difficult. As water flowed around her nose and mouth, she realized that she would drown soon if this continued so, in a last ditch effort to save herself, she pushed her tired tongue to work its magic with all the fervor she could muster.

The sound in Asiara’s ears seemed to settle into a long, enchanting note of pleasure as Asiara felt the nymph’s body tense, and then begin to quake. Still, Asiara didn’t let up, holding her breath, she licked and sucked as furiously and desperately as her tired mouth would allow. And then, finally, just as she was sure she could hold her breath no more, the nymph pulled back.

Asiara looked up to see the nymph’s blissful face, smiling even as she continued to sing her enchanting song, and felt her own arousal grow from the knowledge that she had succeeded in her ministrations. Pulling her leg off of Asiara’s shoulder, the nymph reached down and began to stroke her lover’s drenched hair, soothing Asiara with her cool, slick touch.

Then, the character of the nymph’s song changed. Though still complex and enchanting, it now became softer, more subdued. It reminded Asiara of a lullaby, relaxing and gentle. And, indeed, it was having the lullaby’s effect on her. As the soothing sounds caressed her ears and her mind, Asiara felt tension dissolve from her body. With the water swirling softly against her skin, she felt herself swaying slightly, and her eyes were becoming heavy. Arousal still ebbed through her body, but now fatigue was also influencing her, and the lovely song was lulling her to sleep.

It was more than Asiara could have resisted, even if she desired to disobey the nymph’s spells. Instead, she gave in to it, letting her eyes slowly flutter closed, and feeling the lake as it seemed to creep up her body. With a quiet, relaxed, and blissful sigh, Asiara let herself drift into sleep at the feet of the water nymph…

When she awoke, she found herself in a rather different situation. She was lying on a sandy embankment, beneath a large tree whose low lying branches and mossy leaves dipped into the water around her, forming a kind of natural bower. She was just at the edge of the lake, so that her legs were under water, and her upper torso was half submerged. Only her head was completely on dry land.

As her eyes fluttered open, she squinted in the moonlight as a small gap in the branches allowed the green orb of Neda to shine directly into her eyes. Turning away from the bright moon, Asiara looked around her, taking in the full erotic nature of her predicament.

Lying on her back as she was, she tried to look down to see her naked body, lying half submerged in the cool water. Moving her head proved difficult, however, as she suddenly realized that her movement was extremely limited. The roots of the tree towering above her had wrapped themselves around her arms, holding them away from her body and pinning her upper body to the ground. Similar roots had claimed her legs, keeping her trapped in a spread-eagle position. Snaking down from the trunk of the tree was a thick vine that had wrapped itself around her neck, limiting her ability to move her head, and making any motions on her part dangerous, as it caused the root to tighten, cutting off her breathing.

Lying helpless in this position, Asiara felt her nipples, already hard as the cool air chilled her damp skin, begin to throb as the arousal that she had been building all day continued to churn within her. And beneath the water, the subtle currents of the lake were driving her already aroused sex wild with desire.

Asiara struggled futilely to move, feeling the hard bark of the tree’s roots holding her in place. But her struggles weren’t aimed at escape – she was merely reinforcing in her own mind how helpless she was. The more aware she became that the tree had claimed her – had taken control of her body – the more incredibly turned on she became. She continued to pull and struggle, feeling her arousal grow all the while as she moaned desperately into the night air.

After several minutes of this, Asiara felt as though she had worked herself to a fever pitch. And then, a welcome and stunning sight arrived before her: the water nymph’s head emerged from the water between Asiara’s legs. Slowly, enticingly, the nymph’s features came to hover over Asiara’s prone form, with a wicked grin on her lips, and a glistening sparkle in her eye.

For quite some time she simply stared at Asiara, holding the trapped woman’s gaze. Then, she lowered her head slowly back into the water, stopping when only her eyes were still visible above the surface. Asiara was struggling to breath as she strained to look down towards the spirit’s lovely face. The cold green light of the moon was bright enough to penetrate the water – Asiara could see her own legs, straining against their wooden bonds; she could see her sex, so saturated with desire; she could see her hips, quivering as the water’s surface teased them.

But she couldn’t see the water nymph. It was as if she didn’t exist below the water – only the teasing eyes, and the top of the head, with its lovely silver hair, gave indication that the nymph even existed.

But if Asiara’s eyes struggled to verify the spirit’s position, her sense of touch had no such difficulties. Suddenly, Asiara felt firm, confident hands take hold of her own strong legs, gripping her inner thighs and causing Asiara to let out a long and lustful moan. Then, the eyes positioned themselves near her sex, which was just below the surface of the water. That was when Asiara felt the tongue begin to tease her, penetrating her feminine folds and causing new sensations of pleasure to ripple through her.

Desperate for the contact to continue, Asiara thrust her hips up, causing them to break the surface. As she did so, the water nymph’s head moved with them. For a brief instant, her entire face came into view, including the delicate, dexterous tongue that was driving Asiara’s need for climax. But then, with a powerful push, the water spirit forced Asiara’s lower torso back into the water, and, at the same time, her own form, other than the top of her head, which was still above the surface of the water, seemed to dissolve once again.

But the physical sensations in Asiara’s sex certainly did not stop. Losing control of her body, she tried to raise her hips once again, but suddenly found that that motion, like so many others, had been taken from her. A new vine had looped itself around her waist, trapping her body in its current position. She could do nothing to increase the pressure of the water nymph’s invisible, submerged tongue. All she could do was close her eyes and let the feelings wash over her, driving her closer and closer to climax, but always relenting right before she achieved release.

The water nymph seemed to know exactly how to stimulate her. Like waves in the ocean, she brought pleasure crashing down on Asiara’s body, only to then gently recede, eroding her self control but never quite submerging her in complete physical climax. Again, and again Asiara felt herself on the brink, but always, just as she braced herself for orgasm the tongue would ease up, leaving her desperate and frustrated.

Then, without warning, the vine around her neck tightened. Asiara heard her own moans slowly become choked off as the vine made it harder and harder to breath. At that same instant, the water spirit redoubled her attack on Asiara’s sex, licking hard at her most sensitive areas, and finally bringing her to the point of no return.

As her orgasm crashed over her body, Asiara felt the vine closing around her, making it impossible to take in a breath. Unable to moan, it was as if all of the erotic energy being released inside of her had no outlet, and her whole body began to shake and spasm as the erotic energy spilled over her sex and flooded every part of her being.

The spirit’s tongue caused climax after climax to cascade out of her, drowning her in pleasure and causing her to lose awareness of anything but her passionate ecstasy. She lost awareness of the vine around her throat; she lost awareness of her need for air; she lost awareness of her body’s bound state; she only knew of the pleasure that the water spirit was giving to her.

And then, as both the climax and the lack of air pushed her body beyond what it could take, she was aware of nothing…

Champion of the Kingdom
The Swim
Chapter 7

For the second time in as many days, Asiara woke up in her own bed with no memory of how she got there. Her robe was draped over her shoulders, but it was lying wide open, completely exposing her naked breasts to the cool morning air. As with the day before, she felt a deep, satisfied feeling flowing over her, and smiled broadly as she ran her fingers through her dark curls. She didn’t know why she was enjoying these late night trysts with the water nymph so much – after all, she was accustomed to being the one in control – but something about how helpless she had felt made her wet just thinking about it.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she sat up and looked around her to try to make sense of what time it was. From the sounds of bustle outside, and the brightness of the sun leaking through the gap between the tent and the ground she guessed that it must be close to midday. Flopping back on her bed, her hand strayed to her sex, where she started to gently stroke and tease herself as she let her mind wander. She knew she should get up and go talk to Partheon, who must be fuming by now, but somehow she couldn’t find the motivation. All that mattered to her right now was reliving the previous night and preparing herself for whatever this eve would bring.

After about an hour or so of this, though, she was given no choice. She heard a gruff voice outside of her tent.

“Damn it, Asiara, we need to consult. If you don’t come out here soon I’m going to assume that something’s wrong, and I’m going to come into your tent. I’ll wait thirty seconds.”

Sighing, Asiara slipped out of bed and tied her robe around her. As she stepped out of her tent, squinting in the bright sunlight, she saw her second in command staring at her, his fate beet red with anger and frustration.

“Asiara, we need to get moving. Our scouts have reported that the Maurial army is in the area. If they find us in disarray like this, they’ll make short work of us.”

With a far off look in her eye, Asiara hummed calmly before replying, “We have to stay. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Pardon me for saying this, Asiara, but what the hell is the matter with you? I’ve heard the reports of you slipping off in the night, then somehow reappearing unconscious on the edge of camp without anyone seeing you arrive. Whatever’s going on has to stop! You’re going to get us all killed!”

“I have been leaving for reasons that are my own. That is all you need to know. That, and that we are staying here for now.”

As Asiara said this, the thought of another evening with the water nymph flitted through her mind, and a blissful smile spread across her face. Partheon looked at her with a sincere and chastising glare.

“Listen, Asiara, we all know about your sexual appetites. Let’s face it, a few of our men have experienced it firsthand. But throughout this campaign you’ve never let it interfere with your duties to your soldiers. Or to your Queen.”

At that last comment, Asiara’s eyes flared for a moment. He was right, she was betraying her Queen’s orders by not moving. For a moment, she felt slightly dizzy as the full import of that realization hit her. She had served the Queen faithfully for so long – ever since… the exact amount of time was irrelevant. She had to obey her Queen’s orders.

But the water nymph made her feel so good. Perhaps she could stay for one more night. After all, this day was half over already anyway. With the image of her Queen’s palace in her mind, Asiara made a decision.

“Tell the men to make preparations today for an early departure. We’ll leave first thing in the morning.”

“Asiara, why not move today – tonight. We’ve been here too long!”

Upon hearing Partheon say the word “night” she couldn’t help but think of the lake, and what she would experience there. A distant, blissful look spread over her face. Quietly, she said, “Tomorrow. First thing in the morning.”

Partheon looked at her in frustration, but seemed to know that she wouldn’t change her mind. He started to stalk away, his armor clanking as he took quick, angered steps. After he had walked a short way, he turned back towards Asiara.

“He or she had better be good to be worth the risk you’re taking with all of our lives. And for god’s sake, take your swords with you this time. Not even your new abilities can save you if you’re unarmed.”

With that, he turned and walked away, shaking his head.

Asiara felt a wave of dizziness again as Partheon’s reaction forced her to think about the Annol army, and her duty to her Queen. But the pleasure she had felt these past two nights was simply too much to ignore. The Maurial army was probably only in the area because it was the easiest way to travel – that was why she had chosen to come this way in the first place. And they would have no reason to take the detour that had led Asiara’s forces to their current encampment. Her army would leave tomorrow, and all would be well.

And in the meantime, Asiara would prepare herself for whatever the night had in store. Returning to her tent, she slipped off her robe, laid back down upon her bed, and began stroking and teasing herself, getting her body ready for another night of unthinkable pleasure.

It seemed that days had passed before the sun finally disappeared from the sky. Asiara waited until the moon had risen high into the night air before slipping from her tent. She had taken a few steps before she realized that she was completely naked and weaponless. As eager as she was to return to the lake in the forest, she remembered Partheon’s plea. Returning to her tent, she draped her robe around her shoulders and grabbed her thick leather belt – the one with her two swords strapped to it. After buckling this around her waist, she set out once again.

For the first time, though, she didn’t walk boldly out of the camp, but instead waited for some clouds to douse the moonlight before slipping away under the cover of shadow. She was the Captain, and could do as she pleased, but her encounter with Partheon had made it clear to her that her troops were beginning to ask questions. She didn’t want to fuel their fire any more than she had to.

Her own fire, however, was burning quite hot, and as she got far enough away from the camp that she didn’t need to worry about any of the lookouts spotting her she broke into an almost frantic run, she was so eager to encounter the water nymph again.

Before long she was back in the forest, and almost immediately she heard the song that had conquered her will two nights ago. No longer running, she let herself move as quickly or as slowly as the song demanded, slipping through the trees towards her inevitable destination. As she stepped into the clearing, she saw the water nymph lying on her side in the middle of the lake; relaxing on the surface of the water as if it were a sheet of strong glass.

The nymph was also singing, and her voice penetrated Asiara’s mind, calming her even as it seemed to stroke her dripping wet sex. Asiara stepped to the edge of the pool, and then stopped, waiting for the command in the melody that would coax her into the water, or drop her into an enchanted sleep. Asiara didn’t care which one it was, she only wanted to experience whatever the nymph had planned for her.

As the song continued to float into her mind, Asiara felt a sudden compulsion to remove her weapon belt, and then to shrug off her robe, leaving both lying just at the water’s edge. Then, the water nymph stood in a smooth, fluid motion before walking gracefully towards Asiara. When she was standing at the very edge of the pool, her feet still resting on the water just before it met the land, she reached for Asiara, placing her hands on either side of Asiara’s head, cupping her face gently; tenderly.

Still singing softly, she stepped back, pulling Asiara slowly into the water. The warrior woman felt the lake close around her ankles, but she didn’t look down. Instead, she stared into the eyes of the beautiful nymph before her, letting their cold, blue brilliance capture her gaze even as the song continued to capture her mind.

Another step drew her slightly deeper, and as the cool water washed over her calf, Asiara heard another sound start to blend with the music that engulfed her: her own sighs and moans were now filling the air as her arousal continued to boil within her. The need for release had grown so intense that she was struggling to keep her balance as the nymph took another step back, and then another.

Before she knew it, Asiara was in the pool up to her waist, and still the nymph cupped her head in her hands, and stared deeply into her eyes. And all the while the lilting, magical melody played over Asiara’s thoughts, controlling her and guiding her forward, and spurring on her need for climax with every enchanting note. She could feel the tightness in her nipples, and the arousal humming through them in time with the song; her sex quivered in perfect harmony with the singing that claimed her.

Through all of this, Asiara suddenly managed a single, surprised thought: the nymph’s eyes were still level with her own. Through her flickering awareness, she realized that the nymph was in the pool up to her waist as well and, like the previous night, the parts of her that were underwater were nowhere to be seen.

But they were still to be felt. With a commanding tug, the water nymph drew Asiara’s body against her own, pressing her thigh against Asiara’s sex and pulling their bodies together. The nymph’s mouth sought out Asiara’s, swallowing the gasp of surprise and pleasure that escaped the helpless woman’s mouth. Asiara struggled to breathe as the nymph’s wet tongue explored her mouth, but her thoughts were only on one thing – the explosive pleasure that was rippling out of her sex and through her entire body. Losing control of herself, she began to rub her hungry sex against the watery thigh of the nymph, feeling it drive her higher and higher into her lustful haze. The song had ended with the nymph’s kiss, but Asiara was still completely under her control, as her sex would not allow her to disobey the creature that was bringing her so much pleasure.

Eventually, the nymph broke the kiss, leaving Asiara gasping for breath even as she was pulled several steps further into the water. She could feel it lapping at the undersides of her breasts, and could see the water nymph’s body continue to seemingly dissolve into the lake. Asiara could still see the nymph’s beautiful breasts, but below them, the glinting green moonlight revealed nothing but pure, clear water.

Asiara’s skin, however, was aware of so much more, as the nymph’s invisible arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close and pressing their hips against each other. Above the water, their breasts were now crushed together, and Asiara could feel her tight nipples being teased by the water nymph’s own. Panting her own intense arousal, Asiara wanted nothing more than to let go, to let the climax wash over her, and to relax her muscles – to float in orgasmic bliss on the lake’s surface as her body quivered in the moonlight.

But still, she remained standing, waiting for the water nymph’s direction to guide her to her ultimate pleasure. With another few backwards steps, the nymph took Asiara still deeper, bringing her into the lake up to her neck. Though only the nymph’s head remained visible, Asiara could still feel the creature’s lovely breasts pressed against her own, and could still feel the water nymph’s body stimulating her desperate sex. Almost totally submerged in the water, Asiara was now becoming aware of stimulation elsewhere on her body, as well. It was as if thousands of tiny currents of water were swirling frantically around her, teasing and exciting every nerve in her body. Screaming in arousal, Asiara reveled in the sensation, submerging herself completely in the feelings that permeated her.

Then, without warning, the water nymph surprised Asiara yet again. Asiara felt the nymph’s arms wrap around her back, gripping her at the shoulder and, with this leverage, the nymph lifted herself slightly before wrapping her legs around Asiara, trapping her invisible body against Asiara’s. Asiara expected to be dragged down with the extra weight, but she could feel almost nothing pulling on her – the nymph’s skin stimulated her, but her weight was inconsequential even as she began to writhe against Asiara, sending her still higher into her lustful frenzy.

Wrapped around Asiara as she was, the water nymph was no longer pulling Asiara further into the pool. Instead, she was grinding her body into the impossibly aroused woman’s own – building her desire for climax while teasingly refusing to push her over the final edge.

Asiara was overcome with lust. She could feel the sandy bottom of the lake below her feet, but how she managed to keep her footing was beyond her, as every muscle in her body was shaking with desire and arousal. Everywhere that the nymph’s body was pressed against hers she felt torrents of pleasure cascading upon her senses, and everywhere that was still exposed was saturated in the sensation that this magical water imparted.

Then, Asiara was pushed to her very limit. Her eager, hungry sex had grown so desperate that its walls separated, allowing a substantial amount of water to rush inside of her, filling her most intimate places. And as it did so, a million minute but powerful jets of water danced against the lining of her feminine channel, eroding the last bits of her will. In a fit of need, Asiara knew what she must do. Of her own volition, she stepped forward, taking herself further into the pool, taking herself deeper into its waters even as she sank deeper into her arousal.

The water moved up her neck, over her jaw and chin. It passed her cheeks and nose, engulfing her eyes and eventually wetting even the uppermost curls of her dark hair. As the water closed over Asiara’s head, she felt her arousal, already so intense, spike to an all new level, holding her on the edge of an explosive, spirit altering climax for just a moment.

Then, that climax arrived. With the water nymph’s completely naked body still writhing against her, and with the overwhelming stimulation of her skin and sex pushing her beyond what she knew was possible, Asiara climaxed so powerfully, so completely, that the thought of fighting for breath, or even of holding her breath was incapable of entering her pleasure filled mind. Without even knowing that she did so, Asiara opened her lungs and breathed deeply as the climax tore through her, but all that entered was clear, erotic water.

But the sensation only added to what Asiara was feeling. Rather than feeling as though she were drowning, she felt a sudden sensation of ultimate freedom, as pleasure seemed to occupy every part of her body and soul. The water in her lungs wasn’t robbing her of life, it was permeating her; changing her. And as it did so, the pleasure altered her even more. The waves of orgasmic bliss were so powerful, so torrential, that they seemed to be tearing her apart. Asiara felt the pleasure pulling her in a million different directions, exploding her spirit and dissolving her being at the same time. She lost herself in otherworldly nirvana as the writhing body on top of her seemed to dissipate, to move into her, to become one with her.

Asiara’s consciousness was fading even as her awareness of pleasure grew. The climax became her single thought, her single state of existence. Her body and her mind were dissolving into that climax, making her one with the pleasure, and making her one with the lake. Asiara could feel her independence eroding, she could feel herself – her soul – blending with the lake and the nymph that inhabited it.

But then, an odd vibration – more of a chant than a song – seemed to hum through the water; through her own body, which was quickly becoming indistinguishable from the water. As the sexual release continued to cloud every part of Asiara’s thoughts and awareness, she suddenly felt the water in her lungs, she suddenly felt the presence of the nymph, and then, just as suddenly, she felt nothing as a deep and impenetrable darkness descended on her, and that was all that she knew…

Champion of the Kingdom
The Battle
Chapter 8

Asiara floated in darkness for quite some time. There was no pain, though. There was no awareness. She was nothing. Then, there was sensation. An unusual sensation. Lips against her own, but not in a kiss. Pressure. Building. Convulsion.

Awareness raced back as Asiara felt herself coughing uncontrollably. As she did so, the water cleared out of her lungs, and she took several deep, longing breaths of cool air. For several moments, she did nothing but focus on gasping air into her body, trying to recover even as she tried to make sense of what had happened, and what was happening now.

She was cold and wet, she realized – the night air was chilling her. And her head was lying in someone’s lap now. She heard a voice – a soft, feminine voice. “It’s all right, my dear. I almost waited too long, but you’ll thank me later.”

Asiara had no idea what that meant. Struggling to open her eyes, she peered up at the woman who was now stroking her face, pulling the wet curls of her hair from her cheek. As she slowly managed to get her eyes to focus, she saw the woman’s face, framed in the bright moonlight as though she were an angel.

An angel with long, auburn hair.

Asiara was too weak to take action – she was too weak to move at all. But she did manage to croak out, “you…” Even in Asiara’s own mind it wasn’t clear if that single word were a question or a challenge. The woman simply looked down at her with soft, gentle eyes, and continued to stroke her face.

Still feeling woozy from all that just happened, Asiara let her eyes slip closed as she tried to recover. The cold was affecting her now, and she could feel herself shivering. She was also now aware that, other than her head, which was resting in the woman’s lap, her body was lying on wet, sandy soil. Fighting to open her eyes, she was able to make out her surroundings a bit. She was lying at the bottom of the lake, only now, the lake was empty of water. Asiara and her mysterious caretaker were simply in a large, damp crater in the midst of the dark forest.

“Relax, my dear,” the woman said, “you’ve been through quite a lot this evening. Just rest, Dathaka’s power will protect you from the cold.”

“What…” Asiara still couldn’t speak more than one word at a time.

“All will be revealed in due time. For now, just focus on restoring your strength – you’re going to need it very soon.”

With that, the woman supported Asiara’s head as she slipped her legs out from under it. Now kneeling over her, the auburn haired woman looked down at Asiara for several quiet moments before leaning down and pressing her lips against Asiara’s. Slowly, without realizing why, Asiara yielded to the kiss, allowing the woman to slip her tongue into Asiara’s mouth, engaging her in a deep and gentle probing of her tongue.

Asiara wasn’t sure why, but she felt her heart racing with that kiss. She also felt something else – something familiar. She remembered this woman’s tongue from Dathaka’s altar, but there was something more to this kiss. But, try as she might, Asiara couldn’t place it.

Then, the woman broke the kiss, stood up, and walked out of Asiara’s field of vision. She could hear the woman walk out of the empty lake and into the forest, and then she could hear only the rustling of the leaves in the calm, chilling wind.

Still trying to recover, Asiara laid at the bottom of the lake for quite some time, letting the moonlight wash over her. Eventually, she felt strong enough to sit up. She could feel the sand still clinging to her body and her face where it had been lying on the empty lake’s floor, but she was too tired to try to brush it off. Instead, she simply turned her head in every direction, taking in her surroundings more completely than she had been able to previously.

The lake didn’t look as large as it had before, now that it was empty. Scanning the sandy bottom, she noticed what looked to be several skeletons embedded in the ground. Judging from their size, Asiara was pretty certain that they were all male. Then, a gleam of metal caught her eye at the edge of where the water used to be. Her swords! The scabbard of Phyxilir was catching the moonlight, giving it a radiant brilliance.

The sight seemed to rejuvenate Asiara, and she stood slowly before striding out of the former lake that had almost been, if not her actual death, at least her undoing. Shuddering, both from the cold and from what had nearly happened to her, she reached down for her weapons and strapped them around her waist. She saw her robe lying on the ground, but decided to ignore it. As her strength returned she was finding the cold less and less bothersome, and right now she wanted to feel the breeze – to feel the air that she had almost forsaken – flit across her naked skin.

After looking at the empty lake one last time, she turned and made her way through the forest before emerging back into the hilly countryside that surrounded her camp.

“For now, just focus on restoring your strength – you’re going to need it very soon.” The words of the auburn haired woman echoed through her mind as a new and horrifying sight entered Asiara’s vision. Her camp was burning.

Breaking into a run, she did her best to make sense of what was happening, even though at her current distance she could see very little. Many of the tents were ablaze, and, even from afar, she could hear shouts and the clamor of battle.

As she drew nearer, she could see that the camp was under attack. The Maurial army was upon them!

Pushing thoughts of everything that had happened to her that evening to the back of her mind, Asiara took stock of the situation and quickly tried to plan her strategy. Even though the Maurial army had attacked suddenly in the night, Asiara quickly realized that her forces hadn’t been caught completely off guard. Partheon had no doubt feared such an attack, and told her soldiers to prepare for it. “Damn it!” Asiara swore to herself, “How did I not realize the wisdom of Partheon’s words this morning?” Of course, she knew the answer, as her sex stirred with the memories of what she had experienced in the past three nights.

Shaking her head, she took in the complete scene in front of her. Other than a few gently rolling hills, the land didn’t offer much in the way of strategic elements. The Maurials had a larger force than Asiara had expected, and they had used that to completely surround the camp before attacking. When they had attacked, they had begun with a focused thrust through the middle of the camp in an attempt to cut Asiara’s forces in two.

This had only been partially successful, though, as Partheon had anticipated this form of attack. He had instructed his forces to only put up a token resistance, while allowing the initial wave of attackers to make their way deep into the camp. Then, he had attacked their flanks from either side with a large number of soldiers that he had hidden in reserve, using the remaining magic users to attack the foremost enemies, while the other forces would pinch off the attack and prevent retreat.

The result should have been a decisive early victory for the Annol forces, allowing them to form up in a circle of their own, ready to repel the Maurial forces. However, while the pinching maneuver had gone according to plan, the second part of the plan had proven a complete disaster. Ideally, with the Maurial attack force cut off from its own army, the Annol warriors, with the help of the magic users, should have been able to cut down their assailants before reforming to counter the next Maurial assault.

Unfortunately, the remaining attack force was proving harder to kill than Partheon had anticipated. Asiara could see the bright lights that indicated magic blazing in the midst of the combat, but for some reason the Maurial forces didn’t seem to diminish. Meanwhile, from her vantage point outside of the melee, Asiara could see that the remaining Maurial army was preparing to attack with its full force. It had already rained fire tipped arrows into the camp, and was about to force the Annols to fight an army descending on them from without while still battling one from within. It would be a swift victory for Asiara’s enemies.

Unfortunately for them, Asiara had returned. She could feel the residual powers that Dathaka had left within her surging as she drew her swords and charged into the battle. She knew that if she could break through the circle of Maurial soldiers and reach her camp, she would leave an escape path in her wake. Once through, she would make quick work of whoever was providing so much resistance in the middle of the camp, and then could protect her army’s rear as it made its retreat. This would still count as a loss – that was unavoidable now – but it would save what was left of her army, and give them a chance to regroup.

As she met the first wave of Maurial forces, she was careful to move as quickly and quietly as possible. Coming at them from behind, she used her enhanced battle skills to cut down Maurial soldiers at a breathtaking rate. Her swords were blurs of motion as they severed several heads, and both of her blades were dripping with blood in a matter of moments.

Now aware of the threat Asiara posed, the Maurial forces in the surrounding area turned to face her. Asiara looked back at them with a grin on her beautiful face. They had assuredly heard tales of her prowess, but none of them could possibly be prepared for what they saw before them now. Like so many before them, they were clearly taken aback by her slight figure and lithe beauty – even more so because she stood before them completely naked – her sweat covered body glistening in the pale green moonlight.

And if any of them looked closely, they could see that she was also intensely aroused. The power of her climaxes at the lake had given her a brief respite from her sex’s hunger, but Dathaka’s gifts to Asiara on the battlefield brought with them the cost of an intense and literal blood lust. With every soldier that Asiara slaughtered, her body’s desire for climax grew, and even in these early moments of battle, she had already become quite powerfully turned on.

Reveling in the sensation, she plunged further into the army, allowing her blades to continue their dance of terror as they cut through armor, pierced flesh, and dismembered limbs. The Maurial forces, though, did not react as she had expected. Rather than quaking in the face of such a fearsome opponent, they began to gather around her. Whomever their commander was, Asiara was impressed with his or her ability to instill such bravery and confidence in these troops. They quickly formed a circle around her and attacked with a ferocity that, while lacking the divine abilities that Asiara possessed, was impressive nonetheless.

It didn’t take long before the sheer number of warriors surrounding and attacking Asiara became overwhelming. Phyxilir and Finisher were moving as quickly as ever, but their motions were becoming less deadly as they were forced to parry more and more attacks from Asiara’s enemies. After a few moments, it was all Asiara could do to ward off the many blows aimed at her – and only her newfound abilities gave her the speed and skill to keep herself unscathed in the midst of such a torrent of attacks.

But eventually, not even Dathaka’s aid was enough. A particularly intense and swift volley of sword thrusts came at Asiara all at once, and while she was able to block most of them with her swords, one particularly fast, and particularly deadly jab of a sword slipped through her defenses. Asiara looked down in shock to see a long, thin blade embedded deep in her chest, just below her breasts. All of the warriors who had been attacking her stopped as well – all staring at the sight of Asiara impaled on this sword – it’s blade embedded within her and protruding from her back.

But the shock that Asiara and her assailants demonstrated was not due to her sudden demise, but by the unexpected result of what should have been a deadly blow. As Asiara stared at the blade, she saw no blood pouring around its edges. Even more astonishing was that she felt no pain. Looking up, she saw the eyes of her attacker as they slowly turned from an expression of glee, to a look of confusion, and then, finally, of fear.

And the fear was well placed for Asiara, feeling no ill effects from the sword sticking through her chest, swiped both her swords at the neck of her attacker, taking his head off in a clean motion. As his limp body fell to the ground, his sword slid out of Asiara and, as it did so, her body seemed to heal immediately. It was as if her body simply flowed back into its usual form, showing no signs of the damage it had just sustained.

By now, the other warriors had recovered, and one brave soldier lunged at Asiara while she was still marveling at what had just happened. Brandishing a large two handed sword, he aimed for one of her bare legs and his sword hit its mark, slicing through her shapely thigh with ease. But rather than cutting through flesh and bone, the sword seemed to move through Asiara as though it were passing through water, and, indeed, Asiara’s flesh seemed to flow around the blade, allowing it to pass through her without leaving so much as a scratch.

Suddenly, Asiara understood. The water nymph! She had been trying to bind Asiara to her, to dissolve her physical form and make her a part of the lake. The auburn-haired woman had somehow stopped this from happening, but not before some of the transformation had taken place. As more and more blades penetrated her, Asiara watched in fascination as they all passed through her in the same way that a blade simply passes through water, causing it no harm.

Grinning from ear to ear, she launched herself at her assailants. Now freed of the need to protect herself, she could focus all of her energies on being a two bladed disciple of pure aggression. Feeling blade after blade slide through her body, causing her no pain, she put her own blades to similar use, but with much more devastating results.

And, just as before, every death that she caused was like a soft tongue teasing her most sensitive areas. Her body dripped with sweat, but her sex dripped just as much as her arousal enveloped her, giving her a rush easily as powerful as the thrill of combat.

Struggling to remain focused on more than simply slaughtering the nearest soldiers and feeling the resulting surges of sexual need, Asiara once again started to make her way towards her own beleaguered troops in the middle of the battlefield. Still cutting down Maurial soldiers with an almost half-hearted ease, she looked ahead of her to try to make sense of what was happening. Her army was still struggling to defeat the initial attack force, which seemed odd, especially since she could see that almost every remaining magic user that they had at their disposal was focusing his energies there. Whatever the reason, Asiara was also aware that the Maurial army at large was well aware of her presence, and was now hurrying to make its final assault while the advantage still belonged to them. She had to hurry.

Bursting through their line of warriors, she raced into camp, heading straight for the battle that still raged in its center. When she drew near, she could see the details of the fighting. Sure enough, her force’s magic users were concentrated in the area, poring their spells on the Maurials in their midst. But, to Asiara’s confusion, their spells seemed to be having little effect.

Asiara also saw an impressive figure in the midst of the battle: Neemara, the Maurial commander. Asiara had heard tales of her, and, unlike Asiara’s own slender form, Neemara lived up to every exaggeration and legend. She was a tall, powerful woman, with muscles that could rival even the greatest of men, and a sword large enough to penetrate even the thickest armor.

But it was her face drew Asiara’s attention. The tall woman’s face was completely obscured by a large and hideous mask. Made entirely of silver, it gleamed in the light of the fires that burned around them, and was twisted in a horrible expression of rage and battle lust.

Feeling a wave of arousal surge through her, Asiara charged.

Too late, she noticed that Neemara wasn’t the only Maurial enemy of note. She had been so distracted by her rival’s presence and the pulsing between her legs, that she paid no attention to the Maurial magi that stood just behind the giant warrior woman. As she had begun her charge, so too, had this magi begun a spell, and moments before Asiara was upon her foe, a bolt of magical energy slammed into her shoulder.

Asiara flew backwards, landing heavily just a few feet away from a tent that was collapsing as its supports burned away. Shaking her head to recover from the stunning blow, Asiara struggled to raise her left arm where she had been struck. Her shoulder throbbed with a dull ache, and a painful numbness had crept into her left hand. Nothing seemed broken or dislocated, but the energy in the magi’s spell had seeped into her body, draining her.

It also brought her back to her senses a bit. She was no longer engaging in a wholesale slaughter of enemies, and, as a result, the pulsing need in her sex had diminished enough that she was able to think more clearly than she had moments before. As she tried to assess her situation, her first action was one of necessity: move! She heard the final words of another spell and frantically rolled out of her current position. A split second later, a loud crack assaulted her ears as the place that she had been lying just moments before burst into a torrent of electrical energy that would have been her demise. This magi was powerful and, unlike the many soldiers on the field of battle, his attacks seemed to harm Asiara just as much as they would anyone else. Even more so than Neemara, the mage was a threat.

Moving cautiously, Asiara started to move towards the spellcaster. But before she had gotten very far, a massive sword arced towards her from her right. Despite her newfound powers, her instinct was to duck, and as Neemara’s sword swung harmlessly above her head, Asiara realized just how valuable that instinct had been. The blade passed mere inches from Asiara’s face, and she could feel the burning crackle of magical energy that the blade possessed.

Asiara now turned her attention to the warrior woman who had nearly ambushed her successfully. Unable to count on her body’s resistance to weapons, she would have to focus on Neemara, while still avoiding the magical attacks of the mage. The intensity of the battle seemed to reawaken the powers that Dathaka had left her with. It also reawakened her need for sexual pleasure. With a lustful glint in her eye, Asiara launched herself at Neemara with all of the speed and skill available to her.

Neemara, however, proved quite a worthy foe. Despite her size, and the immense weight of her weapon, she still moved with enough agility and speed to parry Asiara’s lightening quick attacks, and those that she couldn’t block clanged harmlessly off of her armor. Neemara’s own attacks were powerful, but Asiara’s reflexes were more than sharp enough to dodge the blows. The two warrior women seemed locked in a stalemate that could only end if one discovered some new advantage.

Unfortunately for Asiara, that advantage had arrived, and it favored her opponent. The words of another powerful spell began to fill the air, and Asiara recognized their intent. Her eyes grew wide with shock as a giant fireball erupted out of the mage’s fingertips and bore down on both her and Neemara. Using all of her physical prowess, Asiara leapt backwards, flipping away from Neemara and the fiery ball of death that was about to consume them. She felt the heat on her skin as the ball burst just a few feet away from where they stood.

Neemara wasn’t so lucky. The ball of fire engulfed her completely, covering her in its hot, destructive mass. At the same moment, an equally extreme heat thrilled through Asiara’s naked sex as the continued intensity of the battle drove her sexual need higher and higher.

But to Asiara’s horror, Neemara didn’t fall. In fact, she didn’t react at all. The fire washed off of her, and she turned towards Asiara, the lithe warrior watching in horror as the mask that Neemara wore moved, as though it were a second skin on the tall woman’s face. The corners of the mouth widened and turned up in a hideous grin as the powerful woman charged towards Asiara again, unscathed by the spell that had just struck her.

Despite the waves of pleasure that continued to cascade through her, Asiara knew that she was in big trouble. Neemara was proving a worthy opponent on her own, and Asiara had hoped that as long as they were engaged in battle the mage would be unable to intervene for fear of hitting his own captain, but apparently he had no such concern. It would be all Asiara could do to ward off the attacks of this powerful woman – to do so while running from the mage’s spells would be more than even her enhanced abilities could handle.

Relying on instinct, Asiara parried Neemara’s blows while she tried to think of what she could do to turn the tide of battle. All the while, one thought continued to pull at her mind – if she was going to die anyway, she could always drop to the ground and try to bring herself to climax one last, ecstatic time before death claimed her. As appealing as this sounded, though, she resisted the urge, even though she heard another spell brewing from the mind of the mage.

This time, though, Neemara had pressed her attack too powerfully for Asiara to leap away from the spell. As a wide bolt of pure, hateful energy streaked towards her, Asiara knew there was nothing she could do to escape. Choosing in her last moments, to focus on pleasure rather than pain, she let the passion and sexual need that had been building within her wash over her mind and senses, reveling in the feelings one last time.

Through her lidded, lust clouded eyes, she saw the energy race towards her. Then, suddenly, it stopped, as though breaking upon some invisible barrier. Desperately blinking through the wave of near climax that had engulfed her, Asiara narrowly escaped a well aimed swing of Neemara’s sword. Still off balance from being so resigned to death, though, she left herself open, and was prepared to feel the sting of Neemara’s magical blade.

Instead, the onslaught stopped. Collecting herself, Asiara looked around and suddenly realized what was happening. Calean! Leaning heavily on a wooden staff, his leg wrapped in heavy bandages, the Annol mage had limped into the fray. He must have cast some kind of defensive spell to protect Asiara from the magical bolts. Now, he was concentrating on a new spell – an offensive spell.

He would have to hurry, though, as Neemara was bearing down on him with surprising speed.

“The mage!” Asiara yelled as she ran to try to protect her own spellcaster, “Focus on the mage!”

Whether Calean couldn’t hear her over the din of the battle raging around them, or couldn’t bring himself to ignore the giant warrior woman charging towards him, Asiara would never know. Calean unleashed his spell – probably the most potent and violent one that he knew – right in the face of Neemara just moments before she reached him.

The warrior woman ran through the magical blast as though nothing had struck her. Calean stared for a moment in horrified surprise before turning to run. In his hobbled state, though, he wasn’t able to get far before Neemara was upon him. With a single strong swing of her blade, she cut the crippled mage clean in two, from his right shoulder to his left rib bone.

Now filled with almost as much anger as lust, Asiara flung herself at Neemara with a fury that she had never know she was capable of. She had had her misgivings about Calean, but he was a powerful ally, and, as long as he didn’t overstep his bounds, a good lover. Now, all of that was gone, and Asiara was determined to have her revenge.

Almost immediately, she found herself in a deadly cycle, as her anger fuelled her battle prowess, which in turn caused the fire in her sex to grow wild and powerful, and this only made her a more dangerous warrior. Neemara tried desperately to ward off Asiara’s blows, but they were coming tto fast and with too much energy. The expression on her silver mask changed from one of focused hate to one of apprehension, and then of fear as the giant woman, probably for the first time in her life, knew that she was overmatched. She continued to swing her sword in powerful arcs, trying to only leave her most armored body parts open to Asiara’s wild but effective swings, but eventually, the onslaught was too much. A hard, desperate swing that was hopelessly off target, combined with a well timed thrust of Asiara’s short sword knocked Neemara off balance. Knowing that falling would mean her end, Neemara fought to keep her balance but, in doing so, loosened her grip on her sword. Asiara followed her thrust with a strong kick to her opponent’s wrist, and she grinned in satisfaction as the large two handed blade fell to the ground.

Kill her.

Asiara wasn’t sure where that voice had come from, but she didn’t need to hear it to know what she must do next. No longer fearing a counter strike, Asiara carefully aimed her next thrust, and drove it home with all of her might. She felt Phyxilir slip between the plates of armor guarding Neemara’s side, and then relished the sensation of her sword driving deep into the woman’s torso.

Neemara dropped to her knees, her arms limp beside her. As she did so, the silver mask that she had worn fell from her, revealing a face that was as ugly and horrifying as the mask had been – perhaps more so now that the alluring silver sheen was gone. Blood poured from her lips as she looked towards Asiara for just a moment. Then, she fell face first on the ground. Asiara had defeated Neemara, captain of the Maurial army.

And with her victory came a wave of arousal and sexual need that rocked Asiara to her very core. She felt her release build within her and balance on the thinnest of precipices. Her whole body shook, but the climax was not yet ready to burst from her. She heard words of magic in the air, and knew what she must do. Throwing all caution and strategy to the wind, she acted on pure animalistic instinct as she turned and raced towards the mage who was conjuring another spell. Asiara paid no heed to what the mage was casting, nor how vulnerable she was to his spell. The lust had claimed her and she could only focus on trying to finally achieve the sexual release that her deadly performance on the battlefield had been building within her.

The mage, however, operated with a cooler head, and, realizing the inspired speed of his assailant, didn’t waste time on his most powerful spells. Instead, he sent a focused bolt of energy right into Asiara’s naked chest, blasting her backwards. She soared through the air and landed with a thud right back where she had begun her charge. The impact had caused her to lose her grip on Phyxilir, and she struggled to find the energy to lift Finisher. At the same time, the lust within her was nearly boiling over, and she moaned in frantic frustration and anger as her victory, and the release that she knew it would bring, was denied her.

Vulnerable as she was, lying naked on the ground with her sexual lust consuming her, preventing her from protecting herself from the next spell that would surely be coming soon, Asiara could only watch, half aware, as the mage began to chant and conjure. This would not be a simple, stunning bolt of energy. This would be a torrent of magical destruction that Asiara couldn’t hope to survive. Asiara’s final instincts of self-preservation drove her to act, but she was too weak to move, and instead, only managed to roll over onto her side.

She could see Neemara’s dead body, lying on the ground, a pool of blood collecting around her lifeless form. And there, on the ground just a small ways away, was the silver mask. But it was no longer the hideous visage of before. In fact, the mask had become shockingly plain – just an oval with holes for two eyes, two nostrils, and a small mouth hole.

Take it.

For the second time, Asiara heard that odd voice in her head and, for the second time, she saw the wisdom of its suggestion before she even heard its voice. Grabbing the mask, she placed it over her own face and, just moments later, she felt the full power of the mage’s power wash over her.

But it had no effect. Instead, the torrent of magical energy slid over her like a gentle ocean wave, leaving her unscathed.

And turned on. Suddenly seeing that her climax was once again available to her, Asiara stood and raced towards the mage once again. Brandishing Finisher in her hand, she was surprised to find that the mask stayed on her, even though she didn’t hold it against her face. Still, she didn’t have time or the focus to think about that – right now all that her mind could think of was ending this battle, and bringing herself to climax.

The mage managed another spell before she arrived, but this, too, bounced off of her without effect. When she reached him, she plunged her sword towards his face, piercing his eye until the blade sprung from the back of his head.

As the mage collapsed in death, Asiara collapsed in climax. Her victory surged through her in the form of searing, ecstatic pleasure. Letting go of Finisher, she let one hand stray to her breasts, kneading the sensitive flesh and pinching her taut nipples. At the same time, her other hand slipped between her legs, rubbing frantically as wave after wave of pleasure pierced her, tearing through her limbs. Every muscle in her body quaked and convulsed as the release slashed through every part of her. She could hear her screams and moans, far louder than any of death cries from the battle taking place around her. She quaked and writhed as stars clouded her vision and climax after climax crushed her awareness and slaughtered any thoughts that were not of her passionate, all consuming pleasure.

Enjoy it.

Again and again the pleasure thundered down on her, leaving her a casualty of her lust, unable to do anything but moan and pleasure herself. Her strong muscles tensed over and over as her powerful body was utterly overcome with sensation. Finally, unable to endure any more, she felt her eyes begin to roll into the back of her head and the fiery, painfully ecstatic feelings charging through her slipped away into a dark, exhausted nothingness…

Champion of the Kingdom
The Mask
Chapter 9

Asiara’s eyes fluttered open briefly, then immediately squinted shut as the sunlight threatened to blind her. Turning her face away from the open sky, she blinked a few times before sitting up, enjoying how her body still hummed with the afterglow of the climax she had just experienced. A bit dazed, she looked around her.

She was lying on a single large animal fur, surrounded by wounded soldiers in various states of distress. Some, she could see, were recovering from only minor wounds while others probably wouldn’t see the night. A course robe had been draped over her naked body, but seemed somehow superfluous to her now. After all, her troops had to be pretty used to seeing her naked.

Surrounding this small, makeshift medical area was a great deal of bustle as the remaining troops worked to pile the dead into two piles – the pile of Annol warriors who would be honored, and the pile of Maurials who would be left to the crows. Despite the size of both piles, Asiara felt a wave of elation – her army had somehow survived the fight that had appeared so hopeless the night before.

But had they merely survived the combat, or had they won a major victory over their fiercest rivals? And how many of her troops were left? Thinking back to the battle that had taken place the night before, she remembered that Calean had fallen, leaving her with no experienced mage. And the size of the pile suggested that her warriors were severely depleted. What about Partheon? Had he survived? Asiara was ready to find out.

Rising, Asiara spoke to the first soldier that she found.

“Is Partheon around somewhere?”

The young soldier stood at attention upon seeing her, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Y-yes, Captain,” the young man was clearly startled, whether by her nakedness or her authority she wasn’t sure. “He’s on the north side of the camp, sorting through the remaining provisions.”

“Thank you.” Asiara strode through the camp, drawing astonished stares from her men as they noticed her. As she made her way through the camp, she saw the wreckage that it had become. Most of the tents had burned to the ground, leaving only charred remains of the weapons and food, and in some cases people, that had once been inside.

When she reached the northern edge she saw Partheon standing next to a small pile of food and water skins. Three soldiers were helping to load these onto a couple of battered carts while Partheon watched and seemed to be taking stock of what was available. When Asiara approached, he looked up and his expression immediately became a battle ground of conflicting emotions.

“Damn you, Asiara! I… Look, what you did last night was amazing… I mean, we never should have been here… I told you we were vulnerable… But, we won… We beat the bastards, left them scrambling for the hills. But look what’s left… If you had only…”

He continued to stare at her for a few more moments, his look stern. Then, slowly, his expression softened.

“Ah, hell, I’m glad to see you’re alright.”

“Thanks, I guess. So the Maurials are gone?”

“Gone, dead, fleeing. Our losses were heavy, but theirs were off the charts. Once you took down their Captain and their strongest mage, they sort of fell apart. It was strange. They had been so completely organized and united when the fighting started, but once those two were gone they seemed to panic – any sense of fighting together seemed to disappear.”

“Well, thankfully we still had you to keep it all together once I passed out.”

“Indeed. Although I didn’t do much. Most of the credit belongs to the soldiers. Our guys seemed to band together like they never had before. It was quite a sight to behold.”

“I wish I had been able to see it. So how are we doing now?”

“That’s what I was just figuring out when you arrived. We’re pretty low on provisions, I’m afraid. Not that we’ll need that many… with how few men are left.”

“Well, let’s take a look.” Asiara walked towards the carts to glance at what her soldiers had managed to salvage. Partheon continued to give her an odd look.

“Um, Asiara?”

“Yes?”

“I’ve gotten pretty used to you being naked, but are you going to wear that strange mask all day?”

The mask! Asiara had forgotten all about it. Somehow, it didn’t feel like she was wearing anything on her face. No wonder she had gotten such strange looks from her troops. Reaching up, she could feel its cool silver surface under her fingers. With the slightest of pulls, it came away from her face, but oddly, her skin felt no different. She turned the mask over in her hands, looking at the magical item that had saved her life the night before. This mask, she remembered, had protected her from the mage’s spells and allowed her to end his life.

As she stared at the metal mask, though, she noticed something odd. She distinctly remembered that when she had reached for the mask in the heat of battle, it had been completely plain – a simple oval with holes for the eyes and mouth. But now, it’s shape had changed slightly. The cheeks had sunk in just a bit, giving the mask a bit of definition. The mouth hole had closed slightly, and the beginning of a pair of lips seemed to be rising out of the metal.

Puzzling over this, Asiara set the mask on the ground and began helping Partheon take stock of what was left of the army’s supplies.

There wasn’t much left. When they were finished, Asiara realized that they would have to be on a very tight rationing system for the rest of their journey. More importantly, she realized that that journey would have to be a return trek to the Queen’s palace. The Maurial army was defeated, but there was no hope of pressing their advantage and invading the southern kingdom, as they would likely starve in the process. Besides, according to Partheon’s rough head count, they didn’t have enough soldiers to launch any full scale assault.

Asiara discussed with Partheon the plans of their march back to the Queen and then took her leave. He would organize the troops and get them on the move. Meanwhile, she had to get her own things together and take a moment to collect herself after everything that had happened in the last few days.

Before she walked away, though, she picked up the mask and, finding it slightly awkward to hold in her hands, placed it back on her face as she walked. This would elicit more strange looks, but it might also add to her mystique. Her days of fitting in with the troops were clearly long gone, but if she could supplement her recent prowess on the battle field with an eccentric and intimidating presence off of it, she was sure she would still command their respect, and their loyalty.

And this loyalty might be put to the test slightly, given the outcome of this campaign. Asiara was supposed to be a military genius and nearly unbeatable warrior. But this campaign had not gone at all according to plan. The battle with the Persiphi had been far more costly than anyone would have anticipated, and then she had left her army extremely vulnerable to the Maurial’s assault.

Still there were some positives. The victory over the Maurials had been a significant one, and if they did return to the Queen, they would be able to restock and get some reinforcements. Then, the march through the southern kingdom would be easy. They would have fresh supplies and new troops, and a Captain fortified with a host of new abilities.

Yes, you will be unstoppable.

There was that voice again, although it seemed ever so slightly different than it had during the battle. Then, it had been oddly monotonic, with a strange sort of metallic ring to it. Now, she noticed an ever so subtle femininity to the voice.

After all of the strange things that had been happening to her lately, though, this one seemed somewhat tame, and she decided to ignore it for the time being. Instead, began to walk through the area where the battle had taken place. Her soldiers had already cleared the area of most of the dead bodies, and were now starting to sort through the weapons that were still strewn over the area, searching for what was salvageable.

Asiara did the same, but she was only looking for two specific blades. It wasn’t long before she found them. Moments after procuring a belt from a nearby officer, she strapped Phyxilir and Finisher around her waist. Armed once again, Asiara felt complete.

And powerful.

She had the speed, agility, and swordsmanship of a goddess. Her body was impervious to physical attacks – they simply passed through her as if her body were made of water. And now, as long as she wore this mask, magic would have no effect on her.

You are the ultimate power in the realm.

She grinned beneath the mask, which she suspected was the source of the voice. What it spoke was true, so she had no reason to be alarmed.

But there was another new truth that Asiara found herself perpetually wrestling with. Her sexual appetite had grown right along with her powers. Even now, as she focused on the very real tasks before her, she could already feel the familiar throbbing in her loins that seemed to be perpetually with her.

The day continued, and the troops continued to work hard. By the time evening had arrived, the dead had been collected in piles, the munitions carts were packed and ready to move, and the troops had organized into new units of command. Everything was ready for them to set out first thing in the morning. For now, they would burn the massive funeral pyre of their dead, and then try to rest before beginning their journey back to the palace.

When Asiara finally laid down under the open sky to rest, she pulled the mask off of her face. The night air was cool, but she still slept uncovered. The cool air, she reasoned, might help to douse her desires, which were once again building within her. Unfortunately, the brisk air and cooling breeze weren’t enough. The cold only further tightened her already hard nipples, and the heat that seemed to radiate from her sex was impervious to the night’s chill.

Still, the exhaustion resulting from everything that happened recently eventually caught up with her, and she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, she woke early. The sun had just risen over the hilly countryside, and only a few of her soldiers were already awake. Asiara felt her sex quiver slightly, but decided to ignore it. Sitting up, she reached for the mask, but found that it wasn’t there. She looked around, but it was nowhere to be found.

Had someone stolen it!

No one would dare steal from you.

Asiara’s hands flew to her face, and sure enough, there it was. But she was sure that she had taken it off before going to sleep. She pulled it off now, and looked at the strange object.

Once again, it had changed. The plain oval shape was now a thing of the past – the mask had clearly become more defined. Instead of a simple hole, the mask had a set of lips, and the center of the mask had begun to shape itself into a slender, delicate nose. The eyes had recessed slightly, creating a discernable brow, and a set of cheek bones seemed to be emerging as well.

After everything that happened recently, Asiara was immediately wary of the mask. She certainly valued its power, but she wasn’t in the mood to trust a power that she didn’t understand, especially one that seemed capable of entering her mind. Suddenly feeling quite resolute, Asiara became determined to regain some sense of her former self; some sense of normalcy.

Still holding the mask, she walked to a nearby cart and pulled out a few articles of clothing: a pair of sandals, a light shirt, and some simple breeches. Using Finisher, she cut most of the legs off of the breeches, as they were designed for someone taller than she. It was going to be a warm day anyway. Then, she pulled a piece of cloth from the cart’s canopy and looped it through one of the mask’s eye holes. She then tied the cloth to her belt. This way she could keep the mask close to her without having to wear it.

Shortly thereafter, her soldiers were all up, and ready to be on the move. Asiara mounted one of the few remaining horses, and the remains of her army started the long march back to the Queen’s palace: about a five day trek.

Asiara felt good riding at the front of her army once again. It felt as though she were back in control, which was something she hadn’t felt for the past several days. But she was done with strange goddesses and mysterious water nymphs. She was back in her element. She had defeated her foes on the battlefield, and now would return to get the forces she needed to make her victory complete.

As good as her return to her usual behaviors felt, though, there was still one nagging problem that preyed constantly on her mind. With each step that her horse took, the saddle moved beneath her, creating subtle friction on the sensitive skin between her legs. Her sex tingled incessantly, driving her to distraction.

The warmth of the weather wasn’t helping, either. She had begun to sweat, causing her black curls to plaster themselves to her skin, and her white shirt to cling to her body, exposing her hard, aroused nipples. She had hoped to convince her remaining troops that the old Asiara was back, but realized that right now, with her cut-off pants and clinging shirt, she was probably a more erotic sight than she would have been had she still been completely naked.

As frustrating as this thought was, though, it was also a huge turn-on.

By evening Asiara was beside herself. Yet, after they had made camp and she was lying alone, once again under the stars, she refused to touch herself. She was sleeping in her clothes, with the mask still tied to her side, and trying her hardest not to succumb to her desires. She couldn’t keep letting this constant need control her. She was determined to learn to live in this state of arousal and only give in to her passions when she chose. For now, it meant a fitful, sleepless night, but, eventually it would surely allow her to feel in control of her body once again.

The next day the weather hadn’t changed. Not wanting her army to be lead by the sweaty vision of eroticism that she had been the day before, Asiara found a baggy pair of pants and a long-sleeved shirt that was slightly big on her as well. Then, she placed a helm over her head. With these instruments on, there would be no way that her troops would be able to think of her in an erotic manner.

The outfit had the added benefit of being stiflingly hot. The discomfort that this heavy attire caused was welcome because it helped to distract Asiara from the heat between her legs. Though the throbbing in her sex never let up, the dense sweat coating her body and the high temperature beneath her helm somehow diffused her passions and made it far easier for her to keep her mind off of her desire for sexual release.

That night was equally positive, in Asiara’s mind. She had removed her helm, but otherwise kept the same clothes on that she had worn all day. The mask remained tied to her belt – it was becoming a constant weight as familiar to her as her two swords, which also never left her side. As the night wore on, Asiara found that she was able to sleep quite well, ignoring the ache in her sex as she finally claimed the rest that she needed so badly.

The third day of the march, the weather changed. The air was still hot and filled with a dense humidity, but clouds loomed in the distance, and the threat of storm was imminent. Still, the army plodded on – their supplies wouldn’t allow for delay, they had to press on even if the storm bore down on them directly.

As they followed a path around a tall outcropping of rock, Asiara began to feel the first warning drops of rain. In the distance, she could hear the deep rolling of thunder. She trained her ears in the direction of the sound, trying to gauge how far away the storm might be. Listening intently as she was, her ears also picked up another sound: soft, magical chanting.

“Take cover!” Asiara screamed. But it was too late. From atop the rock outcropping a ball of fire streaked down, only to burst right in the middle of the line of Annol troops. Before the soldiers could react, another spell struck – this one a bolt of magical energy that reduced a group of young warriors to ashes immediately.

Asiara frantically tugged at the strings holding the mask to her belt. Once she had freed it, she placed the mask over her face. Feeling utterly invincible, she jumped off her horse and began scaling the rock as quickly as her powerful body would allow. The mage that was casting these spells was clearly quite powerful – to cast two such powerful spells in quick succession would be something only the most adept spell casters in the realm could do.

But you have no reason to fear. No spell can harm you.

Asiara grinned to hear the voice again – a voice that was now clearly feminine in nature, and also strangely familiar. But Asiara had other things to think about at the moment.

When she reached the top of the outcropping, Asiara drew her swords, ready to strike. But she hesitated for just a moment out of surprise. Standing before her, just a few yards away, was the auburn-haired woman! Smiling broadly, Asiara relished the moment. Finally, she would have her revenge, and as long as she wore the mask there was nothing this woman could do to defend herself. Asiara heard the woman start to chant, but knew that whatever spell she fired at Asiara would have no effect.

Ignoring the magical words, Asiara lunged, swinging both of her swords, ready to feel the sweet sensation of metal slicing through skin and bone. She was even prepared to revel in the climax that she imagined would erupt out of her as a result of her bloodlust.

But her sword passed through air. The spell that the woman had been casting wasn’t an offensive spell directed at Asiara, it was a teleportation spell. The woman had vanished.

Asiara practically wept in frustration – and the frustration was dual in nature. She was angry that this woman continued to elude her. But even more enraging was the sexual frustration that coursed through her. For those moments that her blades had swept through the air, she had been filled with anticipation – she would yield to her passions, and achieve the release that her body had been craving for two days now.

But she had been denied, and now all of that pent up energy had bubbled to the surface. She felt as though she were just on the brink of climax, but could do nothing to achieve it. Dropping to her knees, she considered bringing herself off right there on the outcropping, but she wasn’t confident that she could even do it. This level of frustration seemed like something that needed more than simple masturbation to satisfy.

Asiara gulped in several deep breaths and tried to collect herself. Her troops, after all, must be busy trying to get things back in order, and tend to the men who had been killed in that brief skirmish. Pulling herself together, Asiara climbed back down the rock.

The casualties were thankfully minimal, although the Annol army had been depleted enough that any loss was significant. After quickly burning their dead, the remaining force resumed its trek.

They hadn’t traveled for more than a quarter of mile before the storm started to hit in force. Rain pelted down on them, and the sky was lit with flashes of lightning. The thunder boomed all around them.

But Asiara pressed on, hardly noticing the extreme weather, for an even stronger, more violent storm was raging within her. Her need for climax was continuing to claim her thoughts, and each clap of thunder seemed to send vibrations surging through her impossibly sensitive body. She had struggled to control her desires, but she knew that she was reaching a breaking point. She would have to do something soon.

That night, her forces did their best to set up camp in the still driving rain. They had traveled for several hours in the wet conditions, and everyone was eager to find some cover and try to rest.

Asiara, though, had no such plans. As the storm continued to rage around them, Asiara walked away from her troops. She had tried so hard for these past few days to convince her troops that she was back to her old ways – something that bringing herself off in the middle of camp wouldn’t allow. Still, there was no need to try to find a private area – once she had walked several meters away from the camp, the heavy rain would limit visibility and dampen sound so much that no one would be aware of what she was doing.

Rolling her animal skin out to protect herself from the mud, Asiara practically tore her clothes off. She unbuckled her belt and left it, along with her swords, lying on the edge of the skin. Then, lying on her back, she took a few moments to revel in the feel of the rain as it teased her sensitive skin. She could feel the droplets as they fell upon her breasts – dancing over her nipples. Rivulets of water ran over her sex, causing her to moan loudly, even as the thunder seemed to moan back.

Then, she let her hands begin to trace over her body. She massaged the rain water into her breasts, letting the sensations wash over her, screaming in delight as she finally gave in to the feelings that had been churning within her.

That’s it, let it go. Let yourself feel good.

The mask! Asiara only now realized that she had never taken it off after her encounter with the auburn haired woman. How had she not realized this before?

But her mind wasn’t prepared to answer such questions now. She let her left hand trail over her stomach, caressing, teasing. As her fingers approached her sex, she arched her back, her body craving stimulation even as she teased herself. The sky suddenly lit up as lightning arched through the clouds and, as it did so, Asiara’s fingers brushed over her sex, her moans once again mingling with the thunder that rolled over her.

It feels so good. Feel your passion. Let it guide you. Let it control you.

Asiara knew that there was something strange about this voice – about this mask. But she was beyond thinking about it. That voice – so familiar underneath its slightly metallic qualities – was helping her, coaxing her towards the orgasm that she so desperately needed. Her hand was moving more quickly now, and she could feel her muscles starting to tense as release grew steadily closer.

Wave after wave of pleasure careened through her, causing her to moan deeply. She arched her back, thrusting her hips high into the air, stroking herself all the while. Ready to reach climax. Ready to let go.

But the orgasm wouldn’t come.

Asiara closed her eyes and moaned in long, torturous frustration. So much sexual energy and need were building up inside her, but no matter how desperately she pleasured herself, she could find no release; no satisfaction. The rain continued to pour down on her, stimulating her sensitive skin. The thunder rolled across her, sending deep vibrations into her that only pushed her further. But none of it was enough. Nothing could give her the climax that she craved.

Lost in her frantic struggle to bring herself the relief that she needed, Asiara began thrashing on the fur that she had placed beneath her. Another deep, penetrating wave of pleasure radiated through her, bringing her right to the brink of orgasm, only to once again leave her heaving in frustration.

At that moment, another flash of lightning struck quite close. The bright light coaxed Asiara to open her eyes to just slits, as the erotic energy continued to course through her. Somehow, through her haze of lust and desperate, craving need, she recognized a shadow: someone was approaching her!

Beware! You are so vulnerable right now.

The voice was right. Pulling herself together, Asiara tried to ignore the quaking in her thighs and the heaving of her breath to look into the torrential rain and try to spot what she had just seen. It was difficult to make out any shapes in the rain, and her lust filled mind found it difficult to focus on anything but the yearning that had spread from her sex to engulf her entire body.

But that is exactly when she would strike, isn’t it?

The voice was right. The auburn-haired woman could be nearby, and she seemed to know how to take advantage of Asiara’s vulnerabilities. Stifling her moans, Asiara reached for her swords, drawing Finisher out of its sheath.

At just that moment, another flash of lightning struck nearby. This time, there was no mistaking it – a figure was moving towards Asiara as she lay prone on the fur.

Don’t wait for her trickery. Kill her now, while you have the chance!

The voice might as well have been Asiara’s own – pulling her shaky legs beneath her, Asiara lunged forward and thrust Finisher towards the approaching figure with all of her might. She half expected the auburn-hair woman to have some trick at the ready; to somehow evade or deflect Asiara’s attack, so the warrior woman was thrilled when she felt her blade penetrate flesh and sink deep into her victim.

And as it did so, climax finally came to Asiara. She and her victim both fell backwards, away from each other – one in death, the other in sexual ecstasy. Asiara’s entire body quivered as the pleasure raced through her, exploding all over her. Lightning continued to strike, and thunder continued to roll, and both only added to the intense, overwhelming pleasure that claimed Asiara’s body and mind. The dead body lying a few feet away disappeared from her thoughts. All Asiara could think of now was pleasure, passion, ecstasy.

The intensity of her pleasure filled her for quite some time. Her body thrashed and writhed in rapture, and her mind could conceive only of how powerful and wonderful her release was. She moaned continuously, bucking her hips and thrusting her pelvis into the air as her hands once again went to her sex, driving her into a still more fervent frenzy.

Come again. And again. Feel the passion flood through you. Feel it empower you. It makes you invincible.

Yes, she did feel invincible. She was enveloped in sensations of pleasure so thick that nothing could penetrate them. Over and over and over the climaxes came, more frequently than she had ever imagined possible.

Revel in your passions. They make you powerful. They make you unstoppable.

Yes, she was unstoppable.

As her pleasure began to slowly dissipate, Asiara began to have thoughts of something other than her climax. And this last thought continued to ring in her ears, in her own words. She was unstoppable.

The ultimate power in the realm.

A clap of thunder seemed to drive this point home. With the afterglow of her climaxes warming her, giving her a sensation of radiant warmth and satisfaction, this phrase swirled within her, stirring something; something she hadn’t felt for… a while.

Passion is a measure of your power. No one can resist.

No one. She was impervious to weapons, immune to magic, the most gifted swordswoman in the land.

More powerful than even the Queen.

Struggling to focus on the rain that fell around her, Asiara felt a wave of dizziness overtake her at that thought – was it a thought, or something the mask was telling her? Regardless, it was true. Why was Asiara submitting to her Queen’s commands?

Why would someone so powerful submit to anyone’s commands?

Asiara could defeat any foe. She could take on any force in the realm. She was all-powerful!

The kingdom should be yours.

Yes. The Queen must fall, just as her assailant had just fallen minutes ago. Remembering the shape that approached her, Asiara turned towards it. She was struck by the body’s size – she had been expecting the slim grace of the auburn-haired woman, but this was not a feminine body – it was the body of a large and powerful man.

Fear began to grip Asiara as realization dawned on her. Taking the few steps needed to reach the body, she dropped to her knees and looked to see whom she had just felled with her sword.

Another flash of lightning confirmed her worst fears: lying dead before her was Partheon.

Why had she acted so impulsively? Sure, her thoughts had been clouded by her lust, but if she had the collection necessary to draw her blade and attack, then surely she should have been able to realize that she needed to take a moment to know who was approaching her. She was the leader of an army of men, after all. There were any number of reasons that one of her soldiers might try to seek her out. So why had she acted so quickly? Especially given her resistance to any form of attack that she could imagine?

As thunder rolled over her again, the answer became clear. The mask! That voice had been inside her head, blending with her thoughts. It had convinced her that the person approaching was a threat; that she needed to act quickly before it could attack her.

But the mask also provided protection. Besides, without the kill, climax would never have come.

Those words seemed to come unbidden into Asiara’s mind, almost as if they were no longer coming from without – they were her own words, yet she knew that they were not her thoughts. Glancing down at Partheon’s blank stare – the expression of surprise and pain still frozen on his lifeless face – Asiara felt a surge of anger and willpower enter her mind. Reaching towards her face, she pulled the mask away from her skin.

Holding it in her hands, she looked down at the silver shape of the mask, even as the rain that now fell on her exposed cheeks for the first time tonight made it difficult to make out its features. This mask granted her such power, yet it seemed to have a mind of its own – a mind that sought to control Asiara’s own thoughts. She looked at Partheon’s dead body again, the full impact of what she had done now crashing into her mind.

But the sensation was odd. She was horrified to have acted with such recklessness. She was intensely aware of the consequences of losing such a loyal and talented officer. She was already beginning to wonder how she would explain this to her remaining soldiers – a group that must, by now, be questioning the sanity of their Captain.

But amidst all of her feelings, one that she had expected to feel was oddly missing. She felt very little personal anguish. She felt saddened, in the same that she always lamented the death of someone she served with, but no more. Surely Partheon’s death should be affecting her more severely. After all, he had served her for… she couldn’t quite recall how long, but she knew that he had been her primary military advisor for as long as she had commanded the Annol army. And yet she was only mourning him as she would a relatively new acquaintance.

Could this be the mask’s doing? Was it robbing her of her emotions even as it sought to control her? But that didn’t seem to make sense. After all, it seemed to be its very use of her emotions that had led her to kill Partheon. What was she to make of this mask? What was it doing to her? Still holding it in her hands, she looked down at it once again.

Lightning flashed on the horizon in front of her, its light glinting off the metal in Asiara’s hands. The warrior woman gasped at what that light revealed: staring back at Asiara in cold silver, was a perfect mold, a perfect simulacrum, of Asiara’s own sultry, beautiful face! Suddenly it struck her – the voice she had been hearing when wearing the mask, the voice that she had struggled to place due to its slightly metallic ring, had been her own.

Had the thoughts been her own as well? Was she more powerful than the Queen? Could she become the ruler of the kingdom? Once again, the world seemed to spin as these thoughts entered her mind, but still, she didn’t shy away from them. Why couldn’t she overthrow the Queen? Who would stop her?

Asiara looked down at the mask once again, then turned her eyes to Partheon’s lifeless body, lying still in the heavy rain. Her reaction to his death remained strikingly emotionless. “No,” she thought, “my reaction to his death wasn’t emotionless. At the time of his death, it was filled with passion! The mask allowed me to unleash the passion that had been building in me these past days.”

With her head spinning, she looked back to the mask in her hands. Her own eyes, her own sultry mouth, her own beautiful, impassioned face, looked back at her. Shaking, Asiara felt the temptation flow through her. And why shouldn’t it? The mask made her powerful. The mask gave her pleasure. It was her own face that it had adopted – her own voice. It didn’t control her, she controlled it.

Turning it around in her hands, she slowly raised the mask back to her face. As she felt the metal come into contact, once again, with her cheeks, her chin, and her forehead, she felt a deep, yearning passion flood her senses. But with it came another sensation – energy seemed to spring up around her, thrilling her body, charging her with lust anew. Her muscles began to spasm of their own volition, and the air around her seemed to crackle with power.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning arched through the sky, striking Asiara. Her vision was blinded with white-hot, electric energy. Her entire body quaked and convulsed as the electricity raced through her, filling her with a wholly knew, but no less pleasurable sensation of erotic rapture. In that bolt of lightning she felt all of her passion, all of her capacity for pleasure, coalesce and race through her in a blinding flash of pure, intense sensation. Her eyes rolled back in her head and every muscle quaked and shook as the power coursed through her.

And then, just quickly as it had arrived, it was gone. Asiara collapsed to the ground, and felt nothing more…

Champion of the Kingdom
The Revolt
by Clare de Luna
Chapter 10

When Asiara awoke, a dim grey light had penetrated the sky above her – morning had come, and the sun’s rays fought to push through the hazy clouds that still poured rain upon the countryside. The lightning and thunder had passed, and the torrential rain had eased into an insistent drizzle that refused to let the sun show itself and cast its warming rays upon the land.

Pulling herself into a sitting position, Asiara looked about her, trying to remember everything that had happened. At her feet, she noticed several pieces of metal lying in the mud where her face had been pressed only moments earlier. She picked these scraps up and examined them, wondering what they were and where they came from.

They were dull shards of what seemed to be scrap metal, lacking any sheen or luster – so unlike the mask Asiara wore. At that thought, she reached to her face, wanting to feel the cold, beautiful silver of her mask. But when her fingers reached her face, they felt only soft, mud covered skin. The mask was gone!

Could these scraps of metal be the remains of the mask, Asiara wondered? What had happened to it? How had it been destroyed, broken into so many pieces? And, more importantly, why did it now look so lifeless and drab? Where was the delicate glint and silvery beauty that had made it so unique, and that indicated the depths of its power?

The bolt of lightning flooded back into Asiara’s memory. That lightning must have destroyed the mask – only something so powerful could undo the magic that had created that artifact. But then another question occurred to Asiara. How had she survived? Surely if the lightening could destroy such a powerful item, it could harm her, as well, even with all of her recently acquired power.

Unless…

Asiara had no magical abilities, so she was unable to test her theory, but she suddenly had a strong suspicion that she knew what had happened. There were still a few lesser mages left amongst her remaining troops – it would be easy enough to get them to cast a spell upon her. Then she would know…

Her troops! This thought brought back the other important memory of the events of the previous night. Partheon! Turning around, her feet nearly slipping in the dense mud, she saw her advisor’s dead body lying where she had left it, now stiff in the grip of death.

How would she explain this to her troops? What would they think?

Then, another thought entered her mind. Why would it matter? As her memories of the previous night continued to become more complete – more vivid – Asiara realized that her thoughts of the previous night had been correct: she was now the ultimate power in the world. There were none who could defeat her. She was sorry that Partheon was dead, but his death had come as a result of her own passions – the same passions that would enable her to rise in her power; that would enable her to overthrow her Queen!

Allowing that thought to enter her mind caused Asiara to become dizzy for just a moment. But then she realized that this was her new purpose. Whether the mask had planted this thought in her mind or merely drawn out her true desires, it didn’t matter. Asiara was no longer marching back to the Queen’s palace to ask for new forces to command. She was marching back to take the Queen’s place!

The thought thrilled through her – seeming to stroke her sex with the intensity of the excitement that she felt; the intensity of her power.

Raising her head to the sky, letting the rain wash the mud from her beautiful face, her dark hair, and her naked body, Asiara let the rapture of this new purpose cleanse her soul, even as the falling water cleansed her physical form. She stood like this for quite some time, her eyes closed, reveling in the new sense of focus and power that was flowing through her; reveling in the erotic surges that she had come to crave.

When she was ready, she buckled her swords around her waist and walked slowly, confidently back to camp. Desire continued to throb within her, but it did nothing to break her stride. It wasn’t that she had learned to ignore it – she remained markedly aware of her arousal – but she was learning to enjoy her seemingly endless state of erotic agony. She was learning to channel it, to let it make her stronger.

When she arrived at her army’s camp, she found her troops grumbling in frustration as they tried to repack the supplies, the prospect of another day of trudging through the rain darkening their spirits. Asiara strode amongst them, aware of their apprehensive gazes as they saw her once again brazenly displaying her naked body. She ignored these looks, and instead moved to the supply wagon and, in a single fluid motion, leapt upon it. Turning towards her soldiers, she prepared to address them.

“I know that this campaign has not been what you expected. I have had my own share of surprises. But this morning, I came to realize that everything that has befallen us has been for a purpose. You have witnessed my growth in power, though I admit that it has often come at great cost. Many of you have lost friends. All of us have lost allies. Now it is time for those of us that remain to realize the rewards of our survival, and to benefit from the sacrifices of those who have fallen.

“Now, it is time for us to claim our rightful place in this kingdom. You have allowed me to lead you into battle. Now let me lead you to ultimate glory!”

Some of the younger members of her forces looked upon Asiara with their eyes blazing – the impact of her words inspiring them to want to follow her, to discover what rewards awaited them. And, she mused, she saw the desire in their eyes as well as they gazed at her slim, beautiful body – her nipples pointing out in the cool air and an erotic flush covering her face and chest.

But other soldiers still looked at her apprehensively. They must be wondering if they could really trust her, given what they knew of what had transpired in the past several days. One of the remaining mages frowned as he looked at her, and asked, “What does Partheon think of all this?”

“Partheon, alas, is the final casualty of my rise to power. He perished by my blade last night, but, in doing so, allowed me to see the ultimate purpose of our expedition.”

His frown deepening, and a hint of anger flaring in his eyes, the mage asked, “And what is that purpose?”

“To overthrow the Queen!”

At this statement, mumbling erupted amongst the troops. She could hear swords being drawn as the more experienced warriors refused to listen to such treasonous words. The younger, less experiences troops seemed dazed, unsure of what they should do, torn as they were between their gorgeous captain and their loyalty to their Queen.

“You have all seen my power – the Queen will fall. This will happen with or without your help, as none can stop me, but if you join me, you will be the first to taste the benefits of my rule. I will honor you all with gifts of land, and titles, and jewels. Our power will spread further than the Queen ever dreamed! We will return to the southern lands and conquer the Maurial kingdom. We will go north, and claim the Inidians’ lands. And in the east…” Asiara suddenly felt a weird sensation race through her, as if her mind were temporarily shutting down, but then that feeling passed. Recovering, she continued, “We will rule all of the lands – you will all share in my glory as the Empress of the Kingdom!”

Asiara waited, wondering what their response would be. The men looked at her, many seeming completely at a loss for what to do next. Others looked around, waiting to follow the example of some other, braver soul. Then, her answer came. She heard the chanting, mysterious words of magic.

“This,” she thought, “is as good a time as any to find out if my assumption was correct.”

Without so much as a flinch, she stood confidently as the small bolt of magical energy raced towards her. When it struck her, though, it simply dissipated, leaving no mark; having no effect. It was as she had thought – the bolt of lightning had drawn the mask’s power out of the silver metal, and given it to her, permanently. Grinning broadly, Asiara uttered one last command before turning her back on her troops and making her way to the edge of the camp, where her horse was tethered: “Those of you who will follow me, join me when those who refuse are no more.”

Asiara listened to the sound of battle behind her as she made her way slowly to her horse. She untied the strong animal from the tree that it was tethered to and slipped a bridle over its head. Based on the ferocity of the fighting that she heard, she imagined that her forces’ loyalties had been quite evenly divided. Swinging casually onto the bare back of her mare, Asiara kicked the swift animal into a canter. Ultimately, she didn’t care about the outcome of the fight. Whichever side won, there would be very few soldiers left, and she had little use for any of them. If any of her supporters survived and managed to reach her in what would soon be her palace, she would reward his tenacity then. Until then, she was too eager to wait for a handful of troops that would only slow her down.

It was odd, she realized, that her attachment to these men was as weak as her attachment to Partheon had proven to be. She considered herself a great leader – one who cared about the forces she led. In the past, she had always refused to remain on the back lines, always wanting to be at the heart of any battle so that she could fight alongside the men that she asked to risk their lives for her. As a result, she felt connected to her troops; concerned for their wellbeing, and appreciative of the dangers they faced on her behalf. But for some reason, these men meant very little to her – it was as if they were someone else’s army and she had simply been leading them because she had to. But why would she feel this way? They were her troops, after all. She had been leading them for… well, she wasn’t exactly sure how long, but nevertheless, she felt that she ought to care more about them than she actually did.

But then, she banished these thoughts. After all, she had bigger things to think about. She was about to confront her Queen, and to take her place. This was all that she should be thinking about at the moment.

Without the other troops traveling on foot to slow her down, Asiara crossed the countryside in astonishing speed. As the horse’s hooves thundered below her, it sent vibrations through her thighs, driving her wild with desire. But rather than allow these feelings to distract or frustrate her, she used them to fuel her sense of purpose.

She rode for several hours through the insistent rain. She couldn’t see the sun, but she gauged that it was just before midday when she entered the mountain range that signaled that she was close to the palace. It wouldn’t be long now before she confronted the Queen and took the throne from her!

With this thought ringing in her mind and stimulating her sex, she spurred her horse on even faster. The tall grey rocks that rose above her on either side became a blur as she made her way along the winding path that would take her to her destination. Neither the ruggedness of the terrain, nor the unpleasant weather would do anything to hinder her journey. The Queen would soon bow down before her, or she would die.

A couple of hours after midday, Asiara finally rounded the bend in the road that put her in view of the palace. She could see its dazzling brilliance in the distance, its white walls and crystalline spires reflecting bright rays of sunlight that seemed to only penetrate the rain clouds where the palace stood. This caused the wondrous building, with its seven tall, slender towers and countless decorative arches to seem to radiate a light of its own – a light that drew Asiara towards it. She could feel her horse’s labored breathing below her, but she ignored it – she was so close!

As she drew nearer the palace seemed to grow before her – the dazzling crystals that coated its windows and roofs were enchanting as they cast spectrums of light down on all who entered the magical city. Asiara simply stared at those lights, seeming to move towards them not only for her own purposes, but because they seemed to call to her.

When she reached the city’s main gate, she didn’t slow down. The guards, in their resplendent white armor, did nothing to stop her passing, for they had seen her coming from quite a ways off and knew that it was her. They had no knowledge of her treasonous plans, so they would make no move to prevent her from entering the city.

As she raced through the archway of the main gate, though, an odd image floated through Asiara’s mind – she saw herself in a hooded cloak, there was a dagger strike, blood on the white stones. Shaking her head as she galloped through the city’s main street, she looked over her shoulder, and everything was as it should be – no blood, the gate as it had been moments earlier.

Ignoring the brief vision, she continued on, making her way swiftly through the city. She could feel the confused and embarrassed gazes of the city’s citizens, as they saw the champion of their army riding through the city wearing nothing except for the belt that held her swords, her body and hair still wet from the rain that she had traveled through. Their stares only made the yearning in her sex grow. But she didn’t have time to stop or even to return their astonished looks. She made her way straight to the palace.

When she reached it, she leapt off of her exhausted horse. A servant raced towards her, asking, “May I take your horse to the stables?”

“If you wish,” was Asiara’s curt reply. She had arrived at the palace and couldn’t be bothered with such details. She strode through the doors of the palace, again encountering no resistance from the guards who saw no reason to block her entry. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw them blushing at her nudity, and this image was quickly followed with another. Only this second image was quite different from the first. It wasn’t these particular guards that she saw, but several just like them, their weapons drawn, their faces grimacing in pain as their life bled out of them on the floor. She saw one of these nameless guards lying dead at her feet, a sword still embedded in his chest. It was a longsword, like Phyxilir, but different from her current blade. Yet, the sword in her vision was so… familiar.

Asiara shook her head to clear it once again as she made her way towards the Queen’s audience chamber. Along the way, several servants raced to meet her, asking if they could do anything to help her – bring her food, or some clothes. Asiara simply ignored them. A sudden vision of these same servants cowering in fear, some of them racing away from her, fluttered across her eyes, only to pass moments later. By the time she reached the doors to the Queen’s room, the servants had given up trying to help her and had simply walked away, not in fear, but in exasperation – and a little bit of indignation.

At the doors of the Queen’s chamber, Asiara encountered her first bit of resistance. Two guards stood on either side of the door, and at her approach they lowered their halberds until they crossed in front of her.

“I wish to speak to the Queen,” Asiara said.

“The Queen is not receiving visitors at the moment, M’Lady,” one of the guards replied.

Dropping her hands to her swords, Asiara simply said, “I will see the Queen now. Please don’t force me to enter with fresh blood on my swords.”

Striking in unison, both guards moved with astonishing speed as they swung their weapons at Asiara, one aiming for her chest, the other for her neck. Asiara didn’t flinch. Instead, she allowed the weapons to find their aim… and then to pass right through her, harmlessly. Pulling her own blades from their sheathes, she swung each of them in opposite directions at her shocked and off balance foes, killing them both easily – the Queen’s own highly trained body guards each fell to a single, casual sweep of her blade. A wave of pleasure flowed through her sexually charged body as it responded to the brief moments of battle.

There had been two other guards before, even more skilled. They had fought valiantly, and Asiara recalled feelings of exhaustion – her own exhaustion – before the previous guards eventually fell. Blinking away these thoughts, she stared at the two dead guards before her, confused at these visions that kept creeping into her mind.

But she would have time to ponder these visions later. Now, the moment had arrived – she would enter the Queen’s chamber and claim her throne. In a few moments, Asiara would be Queen. And once she was in command of the Queen’s realm, it would be only a matter of time before she became Empress of all of the lands.

With a single strong kick, Asiara forced the door open and stepped into the large audience chamber.

For a moment, Asiara forgot her mission as the sheer radiance of the chamber overwhelmed her mind. The ceiling was impossibly high – so far above her that she couldn’t see it; she could only see the walls eventually seem to join together as the height of the tower stretched into infinity. And throughout the walls of the tower were windows – countless, arching, ornate windows – all allowing the afternoon sun to pour into the chamber from various angles, casting rays of light in an impossible kaleidoscope of directions.

It was as though Asiara had just stepped into a multi-faceted crystal that reached to the heavens.

As dazzling as all of the rays of light were, they were at their most intense in one particular point of the room. Rising in front of Asiara was a wide, slightly curved set of fifty stairs, forming a perfect circle from the outer reaches of the chamber to its distant center. It was at that central point that most of the beams of light, after refracting off of the many jeweled surfaces of the windows and walls, eventually landed. And in the midst of that light, Asiara could see a beautiful, radiant throne seemingly carved out of a single, massive diamond. The throne cast the light that struck it in a million different directions, and Asiara found her eyes trying to follow each and every one.

Right now, the throne was turned so that Asiara was looking at its back. The woman occupying it was blocked from her view. This was good, Asiara thought, as it gave her a moment to collect herself – the devastating momentum that had carried her to this point had dissipated slightly as she had been so overwhelmed by the sight of this magnificent chamber.

Why was she so taken aback by this place? She had been here before to consult with the Queen, hadn’t she? Yes, she was sure that she had seen this room before, but the specifics had oddly escaped her memory. The chamber seemed to inspire a sense of déjà vu more so than any real memory of having been here before.

And the Queen! Asiara suddenly realized that, in all of her haste to confront the Queen, in all of her thoughts of her loyalty to the Queen, she had never called an image of the Queen to her mind. A sudden image of the throne flashed through her mind. In this vision, Asiara was kneeling before it, receiving a gift – a sword… Phyxilir – from the Queen. But Asiara’s head was bowed, she could only see her own arms, and her own hands – hands covered in blood!

A wave of vertigo swept over Asiara as this vision, yet another source of confusion for her, penetrated her mind.

At that moment, an oddly familiar voice broke her thoughts.

“I wasn’t expecting you for a couple more days, Asiara. How nice of you to be early. Though I must say, you could have taken a moment to clean yourself up a bit.”

Asiara heard the voice echo in the large chamber, making it seem to come to her from all angles, just like the light; as though the tower itself were speaking to her. The voice seemed to break her out of her temporary trance, and reminded her of her reason for being here. Seeing no reason for dramatic speeches or prolonged dialog, Asiara, her swords already drawn, began walking up the steps swiftly, confidently.

“It is improper,” the voice continued, “not to respond when your Queen speaks to you.”

Asiara still refused to reply. She would speak when she reached the throne – when the Queen would have no choice but to heed her words or to feel the sting of her blades. She was just over half way up the stairs when the voice spoke again.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, it’s not like you’ve shown me the proper respect in the past few days.”

Following that comment, the throne slowly swiveled, revealing its occupant for the first time. As it moved through the light, the reflections shining off of that diamond throne were so bright, so breathtaking, that Asiara had to squint to see the Queen, to finally see the woman whom she was about to overthrow.

When her eyes finally adjusted enough to see the Queen, Asiara gasped. For there sat a stunningly beautiful woman, dressed in a long, flowing white dress that seemed to shine with the same radiance as the throne. And cascading over that dress were gorgeous, flowing locks of auburn hair.

“You!” Asiara’s ascent up the stairs had stopped, as she stood still in shock.

“Is that any way to address your Queen?”

“But… how? W-why?”

“Why what, my dear?”

“W-why… why did you send me to… the serpent… the lake…” Asiara stammered, her mind reeling.

“What about them?”

“Why… why would you do that to me?”

“I wanted to have the world’s most powerful warrior at my command.”

“But I don’t…” Asiara’s mind was racing, trying to make sense of everything that had happened to her recently. “You sent me there to…”

“I sent you there knowing that I would be able to capture you, and that the ritual would infuse you with so much power.”

“But, what if… I could have…”

“If Calean hadn’t freed you, I would have. Either way, your value would be greatly increased.”

“But then, the lake – the nymph…”

“Yes, I had been aware of her for years – known of her ability to coax men and women into her clutches. She would kill the men, but the women she drew into herself, infusing herself with their essence.”

“But I…”

“Escaped, with my help. I had studied her powers for quite some time and was rather certain that if I timed my attack right I could reverse the process – making you absorb her powers instead of the other way around.”

“But the army, the campaign.”

“Leading the Maurial forces to your camp was easy enough. Then I just had to trust that you would defeat their captain and claim the mask for yourself, which you did. Sure, we lost some soldiers, but it was a small price to pay to now have a champion who can’t be defeated.”

At those words, Asiara felt a jolt run through her as she remembered her reason for being here. Holding her swords at the ready, she started to slowly, cautiously stalk her way up the stairs, wary of this woman who had bested her at every turn – maneuvering her like a pawn on a game board. Hoping to distract the Queen if she could, she continued to speak.

“Well, your plan has backfired. You have given me too much power. I’m not here to seek your next command. I’m here to claim your throne.”

Asiara was stopped in her tracks once again as she was met with something that she didn’t expect: laughter.

“Asiara, my dear, do you really think that someone capable of manipulating the Dathakan cult into confronting you, of resisting and then overpowering an ancient water nymph, of convincing an opposing army to attack my own forces, would then fail to have a plan for controlling you once you’ve gained your powers?”

Asiara had heard enough, and she wasn’t going to let this woman work her tricks anymore. She was ready to end this. She resumed her ascent, taking the last few steps two at a time as she prepared her final strike – her sex pulsing with the erotic joy that she would feel when her blades took the Queen’s life.

The Queen sat calmly in her throne and reached for something in her dress. Finding it, she pulled it out and held it in front of her.

One final time, Asiara was stopped in her tracks, for there, dangling on a chain that the Queen held in her outstretched hand, was a single, dazzling, entrancing pendant.

It seemed as if every beam of light, every refracted ray from the many, many windows, every spectrum of color that radiated from the throne, every shimmering aura that danced from the dress of the Queen, entered that pendant, then burst out of its faceted surface, only to dance across Asiara’s mind – entering her, dazzling her, subduing her. Asiara simply couldn’t look away from the pendant – it trapped her gaze, pulling her into its glittering beauty, capturing her thoughts.

“N-no,” Asiara managed to whisper, in a voice that sounded meek and submissive, “H-how, I can… r-resist m-magic.” Even as she said the words, she felt her mind fall further into the pendant, which seemed to cast wholly new patterns of mesmerizing light across her eyes with each tiny movement that it made.

“My, dear,” the Queen explained, “this is no magic spell. This is a technique that I learned following much study outside of the mystical arts. You’ve seen this pendant before – and you have given yourself to it. You can’t possibly resist it now. I am not casting a spell upon you – at least not as you think of it – I am unlocking your own mind, your own deepest desires. And as you watch the pendant twirl one way… then the other… then one way… then the other… you will feel yourself being drawn further, and further under its power…”

As she said this, the Queen started twirling the pendant so that it did, indeed, turn one way… then the other… then one way… then the other…

Asiara felt herself falling, felt her eyes completely locked onto the pendant. And she also felt deep, fulfilling, powerful arousal. This wasn’t the arousal of her blood lust, or even the empowering pulsing of desire that had spurred her on during this confrontation. This was something different, something coming from within her – something that she couldn’t control.

“That’s it, Asiara, watch the pendant… watch it twirl one way… then the other… then one way… then the other… good girl… you’ve seen this pendant before… haven’t you…?”

Asiara’s mind was losing itself. She couldn’t think, she certainly couldn’t recall some distant memory. But yet, she knew the answer, and her Queen required her to speak.

“Yes…” her voice sounded like it was coming from a mile away, it was so quiet and meek.

“Yes… you’ve seen it turn one way… then the other… then one way… then the other… before. You’ve let yourself go as you stared at it… you’ve let yourself fall under its power… and you’re letting this happen again… aren’t you, Asiara?”

Again, Asiara knew the answer without the need to think about it.

“Yes, my Queen…” the words simply fell from her mouth.

“Yes… and you know that as the pendant twirls one way… then the other… then one way… then the other… that to give yourself to it… you must relax… let yourself go… relax… relax…”

Asiara heard a loud clanking sound as her swords slipped from her limp fingers, yet the sound seemed distant to her hazy, entranced mind.

“Good girl… relax… relax and kneel before me… as the pendant twirls one way… then the other… then one way… then the other…”

Asiara fell to her knees on the cold marble floor. As she did so, she felt something inside of her give way, and a rush of feelings flowed through her. It was as if new chambers of arousal and sexual need had suddenly opened, and she gasped as her submissive gesture drew her further into the pendant – further into its control; further into her own arousal.

“Yes… relax… watch the pendant twirl one way… then the other… then one way… then the other… feel all of your power subdued, passive… submissive…”

Asiara heard herself whine slightly at that word, as the erotic fire burning within her seemed to sear her mind, leaving her still more open to the pendant, still more open to its power, still more open to its control.

“Submit… feel your will slipping away… as the pendant twirls one way… then the other… then one way… then the other… relax… feel yourself growing tired… sleepy…”

Yes, Asiara realized, she was feeling tired. Not even the depths of her arousal could combat the fatigue that was settling over her mind.

“So tired… you’ve been traveling for so long… you’re still covered in the rain… and dirt of the road… you’ve fought such battles… and now the pendant… as it twirls one way… then the other… then one way… then the other… will finally allow you to rest… to close those tired, heavy eyes…”

Asiara was struggling to keep her eyes open. The lids were so heavy. She could feel her body swaying, even in its kneeling position. But she continued to force her eyes open – to stare at the pendant.

“Yes, keep looking at the pendant… as it twirls one way… then the other… then one way… then the other… it controls you… you must look at it until it allows you to sleep… but you want to sleep so badly… so tired… so subdued… so submissive…”

Each of those words seemed to stroke Asiara’s desperately hungry sex, even as lethargy claimed every other part of her body. Her eye lids were fluttering as their desire to close wrestled with the command to keep looking at the pendant.

“Soon, my dear… you will sleep… you will sleep and submit… obeying my commands… as you’ve done before… as you will do again… deeper… and deeper… as the pendant twirls one way… then the other… then one way… then the other… so tired… eyes so heavy… feel them closing… closing… sleeeeeeeeeep…”

Asiara’s eyes stopped fluttering, and instead slid slowly, gently closed as her body went limp. The last sensation that her deeply entranced mind was aware of was the cold marble pressed against her cheek, and her hard, sensitive nipples pressed into the stone beneath her.

And then, she was aware of nothing…

Champion of the Kingdom
The Revelation
by Clare de Luna
Chapter 11

Asiara’s eyes were suddenly free to move, and they fluttered open to a sight that was utterly breathtaking. She was kneeling before the throne, her fingers laced together behind her head, and her knees spread wide apart. The Queen still sat upon her throne, and was now looking down at Asiara – a look that seemed a mixture of admiration and condescension on her face.

But the light in the chamber had changed. Gone was the midday brightness that had nearly blinded her when it struck the diamond throne. Instead, the warm red hues of evening now filled the throne room, sending rays of honeyed light throughout the space that sought to pull Asiara’s gaze in a million different directions. Adding to this effect were the countless candles that now added to the light of the chamber. One burned in every window, as far up as the eye could see, and hundreds were spread out throughout the chamber, including several on stands surrounding the Queen’s throne.

But no matter how tempting it was to follow these beams of refracted amber and ruby light, Asiara’s gaze remained locked on the eyes of the Queen, who sat resplendent on her throne. The evening’s colors mingled with her auburn hair to create a devastating effect of beauty and luxury, and her eyes were alight with a green fire that seemed to complete the autumnal color pallet that filled Asiara’s vision. The arousal that Asiara had felt earlier, as she submitted to her Queen’s pendant, still raged within her, but now there was also an element of desire for this stunning beauty before her – the Queen was more strikingly beautiful than any woman Asiara had ever seen, and her haughty look only ignited Asiara’s already enflamed desires to still greater heights.

As desperately as her body yearned for this woman, however, Asiara struggled to remind herself of her initial purpose in coming here. As memories of the pendant slowly seeped back into her conscious mind, she realized that this woman had, once again, gotten the better of her. No matter how beautiful she might be, Asiara immediately began thinking of revenge – she couldn’t let anyone best her – she was the most powerful woman in the Kingdom!

But as she attempted to spur her body into motion, it refused to respond. She tried to move her arms, but they remained locked behind her head, helpless – the position causing her to thrust her breasts forward, showing the Queen just how stiff and aroused her nipples were. She tried to rise, or even to close her open legs, but her thighs would not move either, but instead remained in their position, exposing Asiara’s most private parts to the Queen’s commanding gaze. Frustrated, Asiara was prepared to at least defy her Queen verbally, but her lips refused to move as well. All she could do was to stare helplessly at her conqueror, completely paralyzed; completely unable to act.

What was so maddening about her predicament, though, was her inability to struggle. It wasn’t as if some magical force held her in place. If that were the case, she could fight against it, straining her muscles, pushing against the magical barriers. If she had been affected by some paralyzing poison, she could try to focus; to push her will into her limbs to try to spur them to action. But in her current situation, she simply had no control. Her muscles remained relaxed and docile, her back muscles kept her body erect, as did the necessary muscles in her arms and legs. But otherwise, they refused to act. Anyone looking upon her would see a submissive, passive, and utterly dominated woman exposing herself to her Queen. Asiara could do nothing to show any signs of resistance, no matter how much her mind wanted to reject the Queen’s power.

Her thoughts of frustration, however, melted the moment she heard the Queen speak.

“I must admit that even with the filth of your travels on you, you’re still a rather stunning woman.”

Asiara was suddenly aware of the feel of her skin – of the grit that had collected as she raced through the rain on her horse. Though her skin had dried, her hair was still slightly damp, and she knew that it must look quite disheveled at this point. Still, she knew that her disheveled look had disarmed many a past lover, and felt pride to know that it was having a similar effect on the Queen. Thoughts questioning why it was so important to her to impress the Queen with her beauty dissipated when the Queen resumed speaking.

“It is a shame that I have to send you away for you to be of greatest use to me. I do so enjoy what you’re capable of in a more… domestic setting.”

What? The Queen was speaking as though the two of them had engaged in some nocturnal activities before, but Asiara was sure she would remember that. Sure, there had been the episode on the altar when the Queen had enabled Dathaka to inhabit Asiara’s body, but she didn’t seem to be referring to that now. Once again, Asiara didn’t have long to think on these matters, as the Queen’s words suddenly drew all of her attention.

“Still, it is most important that I prepare you for the tasks ahead. You’ve been a very bad girl, haven’t you?”

Asiara knew that the Queen was expecting an answer, but her lips continued to reject her own attempts to control them. After a few moments, the Queen laughed.

“I seem to have forgotten just how deep you went – and just how obedient you’ve become. I should have known that you would obey my commands to the absolute letter.”

Asiara didn’t know exactly what any of this meant, but the word “obedient” had sent a shiver up her spine as her sex seemed to throb within its already deep state of arousal.

Then, the Queen leaned forward and placed her index finger on Asiara’s forehead. The paralyzed warrior woman could suddenly see nothing, as her eyes rolled up in her head. It was as though something happened to her – some chamber in her mind opened, and the Queen’s words suddenly reverberated within her, becoming her truth.

“Your inability to move will not include your mouth and tongue. You will be free to speak.”

The finger was removed, and Asiara’s eyes once again fell upon the Queen’s eyes, remaining fixed there. The Queen continued.

“So tell me, Asiara, what did you have planned, exactly, when you entered my throne room?”

Asiara felt her anger flare up briefly as she began to respond, as memories of her thwarted plans raced through her thoughts. “I planned to claim the throne for myself. I am the greatest warrior in the land.”

“That you are. But being the greatest warrior does not make you the most powerful woman in the Realm, as your current predicament proves. I must admit, though, that your ability to rebel speaks to the strength of your will. I was sure to control you very deeply the last time you were here.”

“The last time I was here?” Asiara’s head was swimming as she tried to remember the last time she had been in the chamber. She knew that she had been here before – the Queen had been her ruler for… quite some time. But it was all so difficult to recall.

“Tell me, Asiara, how long have you served as the Captain of my armies?”

“For…” Asiara continued to wrack her brains, but couldn’t remember exactly when she had stepped into that role. “I don’t know… I know that I’ve served you all of my life… but I can’t remember…”

Again, the Queen’s enchanting laughter filled the hall.

“Earlier today, when you made your way through my palace, did anything seem familiar to you?”

Deeply confused, Asiara thought back to those moments. She recalled the strange visions that had plagued her from the moment she had entered the city. “I…” she struggled to answer, not sure what to make of those visions.

“When Partheon died, how did you feel, Asiara?”

“How did you know that he died?”

“Did you not notice how far the sun has gone down? While you were entranced, I asked you many questions, and learned a great many things. So, tell me, how did you feel when he died?”

“I was sorry that he died. He didn’t deserve to go in that way, and I wish I hadn’t been the one to strike him down.” Asiara felt a strange feeling of foreboding spread through her as she spoke so freely with the Queen. She didn’t want to be so open, so vulnerable, but something about this woman drew it out of her. Besides, she was desperate to explain the many strange things that had been happening to her lately, and the Queen seemed to be willing to reveal a great deal.

“But were you upset. Truly upset?” the Queen asked.

“No.” Asiara remembered her odd indifference to the death of her second in command. “I felt like…” Again, words failed her.

“Let me help,” the Queen said haughtily. “You felt as you would upon seeing someone die after serving with that person for about a month.”

“Yes! That’s it, exactly. But I had served with Partheon for as long as I had commanded your armies.”

“And how long is that?”

Once again, Asiara’s mind refused to fill in that detail. The Queen answered for her.

“About a month, Asiara. You have only been in my service for about a month.”

“But… how?” Asiara struggled to wrap her mind around any of this. Her life had been devoted to serving her Queen, had it not?

“Those visions you saw, the ones that flooded your mind as you entered my palace today, those were events that occurred roughly a month ago. You were sent here on a mission. A mission from your Queen – your first Queen: Endaria, Ruler of the East. Ever the cunning and deadly warrior, you won several victories over my forces, but you were savvy enough to realize that a frontal assault on my palace would fail. So, you led a small strike team inside the city, before launching a surprise attack on the palace.”

This seemed to bring a whole host of memories back into Asiara’s mind: rising through the ranks of the Eastern armies, earning the position of Commander, marching through the Western lands, entering the city. All of these memories cascaded on Asiara’s confused mind. Those visions she had experienced earlier – she had lived them! She had led a small force on a concentrated attack on the palace. She had fought through the palace guards. She had battled the guards outside of the Queen’s throne room – a furious battle, requiring all of her skill to win. In the end, all of her team had been killed. She alone had confronted the Queen. And then…

“And then, my darling, you discovered that your own mind, your own desire, is your greatest weakness. The pendant captured your gaze, just as it did earlier today, and you submitted to me.”

“No…” Asiara felt tears trickle down her cheeks as all of these memories came back to her – not only of her failure a month ago, but of her life before that campaign. She had had a home, friends, and several lovers. She had had a whole life that, for the past month, she had had no memory of whatsoever.

“You can relax, my dear,” the Queen said, leaning forward again to wipe away the tears. “I will make you forget again. I will fill you with pleasure, and give you everything you’ve ever wanted.”

“I don’t… I can resist… I am strong…” Asiara once again tried to spur her body to action, but found that her muscles still refused to respond.

“Yes, my dear, you are strong. Remarkably so. And that is the paradox that makes you so valuable to me. When Dathaka took control of your body, it was a testament to your willpower that you were able to still inhabit a corner of your mind – a goddess that fearsome would have driven a weaker woman out of her body completely, but you held on, waiting for the chance to reclaim yourself. And the water nymph – most of her victims she claimed in a single night, killing the men and drawing the women into her own spirit. But it took three nights for her charms to wear you down to the point that she felt she could claim your soul. And the mask – it has bent the will of every person who has used it, but rather than succumbing to it, you bent it to your will – forced it to become a part of you rather than allowing it to make you an extension of its desires. No, Asiara, you are strong indeed.”

Asiara felt herself swell with pride upon hearing these words – and with determination. If she could resist all of those other forces, she could eventually resist the Queen. She had, after all, already done it once – breaking free of the Queen’s influence and deciding to revolt.

“I am strong enough to overcome your power,” she said, defiantly. “Maybe not right now, but eventually, you’ll slip; let your guard down.”

The Queen gave her another look of condescending admiration.

“Let me ask you something. If you are so strong, why did you not claim the Eastern throne? Why did you obey Endaria?”

“Because, she was the Queen. It was her right to rule.”

“As it is mine, and yet you’ve challenged me twice.”

“But she was… she was… my… my Queen.”

“And you liked obeying her, did you not?”

“Y-yes…” Asiara choked out the word.

The tears were flowing once again, but not out of a sense of loss as they were earlier. Now, Asiara was feeling overwhelmed by something she had gained – a new insight into herself that she had refused to acknowledge for so long. It was as if several barriers had given way in her mind, and a terrifying freedom was taking hold of her.

And as each barrier vanished, it was as though new pathways of pleasure were opened up to her. Through her tears, she could hear her breath becoming heavier as the full implications of what the Queen was saying not only affected her mind, but her sex as well. She could feel the wetness coating her sensitive folds, and her nipples were jutting out even more wantonly than before.

“It was easy to claim you a month ago, just as it was easy to pacify you again today. You are so powerful. Even before this last campaign, your skills in battle, and your ability to seduce anyone that you came in contact with imbued you with such a feeling of invincibility. But I sensed something else in you – a deep anxiety, and overwhelming fear. Isn’t that right, my dear?”

“Yes.” Asiara knew it was true.

“And what are you afraid of?”

“Myself. My own power. Sometimes, I feel so out of control, so reckless.”

“Yes, and so, even as you revel in your strength – your prowess on the field and between the sheets, your ability to control and command other people – you crave obedience. You crave submission. You crave servitude. You love to command, as long as you ultimately report to someone more powerful than you.”

For one last moment, Asiara’s mind resisted these ideas. For one last moment, she tried to hold onto the sense of invincibility that had led her to confront the Queen. But under the cool, withering stare of those enchanting green eyes, the last barrier in Asiara’s mind finally gave way.

“Yes…”

The Queen caressed Asiara’s tear stained cheeks as she spoke softly to the broken, submissive woman. “I will give you that sense of submission. I will be the one to control you. The pendant has no magical properties, it simply allows your mind, the deepest, most private parts of your mind, to be unlocked. And now that they have been unlocked, you will obey me, will you not?”

“Through a sigh that was as filled with arousal as it was resignation, Asiara whispered, “Yes, my Queen. Please, dominate me. My power is but a sword for you to wield.”

“Very well.” Upon hearing the Queen utter these words, Asiara’s mouth spread into a wide smile of pure joy and her sex continued to pulse with need. But this was a need that radiated from more than just her wet sex and engorged nipples. It was something that dwelled deep within her. Her entire body shook with a rapture that she had never felt before. Her desire to reach sexual climax was now joined by an equally compelling desire to abase herself before her Queen, to submit completely to her desires, to be her servant – to be her slave.

But Asiara’s rapture was suddenly interrupted as the Queen sat back in her throne, and her face took on a stern, reproachful look.

“As charming as I might find your current willingness to submit, that doesn’t change the fact that you have been a very bad girl, does it?”

“No, my Queen.” Tears filled Asiara’s eyes once again, but now they were due to her awareness that the Queen was angry with her.

“Such disobedient actions cannot go unpunished, can they?”

“No, my Queen. Please punish me.”

With a loud snap of the Queen’s fingers, Asiara suddenly felt control of her body come back to her. But her desire to rise up against her Queen was now a distant memory. Able to make her limbs move of her own accord, the first action that Asiara took was to crawl towards her Queen. Then, she bowed deeply and began licking and kissing the Queen’s feet as she begged, “Please, my Queen, please punish me. Please, I’ve been bad, I need your punishment to purify me.”

The Queen allowed Asiara to worship her feet and beg in this manner for quite some time. Asiara could feel the wetness between her legs growing with each word, with each lick, with each kiss. But even more importantly, she could feel the deep, fulfilling pleasure radiating from within her as she abased herself before this powerful woman, this dominant, commanding ruler.

Finally, the Queen had had enough.

“Stop! It is time for your punishment to begin. Lay across my lap.”

Asiara immediately complied, laying her body across the Queen’s lap so that her butt was thrust into the air. She remained in this position as the Queen began to gently caress the fleshy cheeks, occasionally drawing agonizingly close to Asiara’s enflamed sex. Trapped in this humiliating position, all Asiara could do was wait for the inevitable punishment to begin.

At last, the Queen obliged.

Smack! Asiara felt the Queen’s hand come down firmly on her bottom, causing her to gasp in pain; in humiliation; in arousal. Smack! Another blow, this one on the other cheek, sent her further into a blissful spiral of submission. Smack! Smack! Smack! Again and again, the blows rained down on her bottom, driving her wild with a sense of complete helplessness. She reveled in the sensations and knew, at that moment, that the Queen didn’t need the pendant to control her. The Queen was more than her ruler – she was her mistress. Asiara would obey any command the Queen gave her. Smack! Smack! Smack! Each strike reverberated through Asiara’s body. Her breasts swayed beneath her with each impact, and she could feel the skin of her buttocks slowly growing warmer.

What would her troops think if they could see her like this: laying across the Queen’s lap, being spanked as though she were a naughty child? She was a great military commander – a fearsome warrior. But now, she had been reduced to this. And she reveled in every moment of it – in every smack of the Queen’s hand on her increasingly sensitive bottom.

Finally, the Queen stopped and, with a gentle shove, pushed Asiara back to the floor. Before Asiara could pick herself off the floor and resume her kneeling position, the Queen reached for her, grasping her underneath her jaw and forcefully pulling her towards the throne. Asiara could feel her back pressed against the throne, and pressure from the Queen’s hand tipped Asiara’s head back, so that it was resting in the Queen’s lap.

Breathing deeply as her arousal continued to flood her senses, Asiara could see the Queen reach for something next to the throne. Then, the object entered her field of vision. A red candle! The Queen lowered the cylinder of wax until its flame was hovering over Asiara’s heaving breasts, and then, with a small motion of her wrist, she tipped it to the side.

The line of wax that dripped across Asiara’s sensitive breasts caused her to cry out in surprise, and as more fell upon her, the fiery sensation elicited a deep moan that was equally expressive of suffering and longing. Hot rivulets burned and teased her skin, drawing her nerves to the very surface. She found herself thrusting her breasts forward, yearning for the next drop, the next burst of pain that would seal her submission to her Mistress. The Queen continued to let the wax drain out, until all of the melted substance had been drizzled over her sensitive skin – covering her soft breasts, coating her hard, sensitive nipples.

The Queen replaced the candle on its stand, and Asiara saw her reach for another one – this one black. Once again, she held it above Asiara’s outthrust chest, then tipped it over, allowing the hot wax to splash against her skin. She felt the wax strike her flesh, sending fiery sensations washing over her, sliding over her breasts and running down her flat stomach. Some even made its way over the insides of her thighs before hardening.

All the while, the Queen held Asiara’s head back, looking down at her, holding her gaze – trapping Asiara’s dark, smoldering eyes with her own sparkling green ones. Asiara could only surrender. The feeling of the wax hardening on her skin as her Queen held her in such a submissive and vulnerable posture filled her with such erotic need, such desperate sexual agony, that she yielded herself to the powerful woman that held her. Her Queen held her. Her Queen controlled her. Her Queen owned her.

When the Queen finally released Asiara from her grip, the warrior woman looked down to see her chest covered in the now hard wax. A mosaic of red and black droplets of wax colored her pale skin, covering her breasts like a kind of waxen armor. Long strands of the substance ran over her stomach and over her thighs – visual reminders of the hot sensation that still burned across her skin; visual reminders of her punishment; visual reminders of her submission. Asiara found the sight to be intensely, deeply arousing, and she moaned with the sensations of yearning that now filled every part of her body and mind.

Asiara marveled at this vision for a moment, then raised her head. When she did so, she let out a gasp, followed by a subdued, resigned sigh – for there, directly in her line of vision, hung the pendant. Immediately, her eyes locked on to it, as it twirled one way… then the other… then one way… then the other…

“Yes, Asiara,” she heard the Queen say, “focus on the pendant again. Let it take you down, down, deeper, and deeper… and this time, my pet, you will find your true self in your descent… you will find your deepest thoughts… your most powerful desires…”

It was true. As Asiara felt herself falling, her arousal seem to permeate every part of her; threatening to burst from her in a violent torrent of release. It was as though she were sinking into a pool of her lust, and her body was but a permeable barrier – the lust and passion and need saturated her entire being, but also engulfed her. And it surrounded her more totally, more completely, every time the pendant twirled one way… then the other… then one way… then the other…

“Deeper, and deeper, my slave… watch the pendant… feel it take you… give yourself too it… give yourself to me… my slave… my slave… sleep my slave… sleeeeeeeeep…”

With a single long moan, that erupted from somewhere deep inside of her, Asiara let go, closed her eyes, and fell into oblivion…

Champion of the Kingdom
The Training
by Clare de Luna
Chapter 12

No loud snap brought Asiara to her senses this time. Instead, a gentle command drew her eyes slowly open. The fiery colors of the evening sun had died, and now the Queen’s chamber was coated in night. But as Asiara lay on her back, staring into the far reaches of the vast tower that rose around her it wasn’t darkness that met her eyes, but thousands of tiny pricks of light, as the candles that had been present during the evening now seemed to have multiplied, filling the hall with soft yellow light, yet still leaving the alluring balance of shadow.

The only sounds she heard were her own deep, longing moans. But these weren’t moans of frustration – they were moans of rapture. Asiara’s body was strung so tight with the need for climax, but this state of tension was merely an expression of her Queen’s control, so she reveled in it. She wasn’t sure if she was still under the compulsion of the pendant, or if she were simply submitting to her Queen consciously, but either way, Asiara remained motionless in the absence of command.

She was lying on her back with her legs and arms in a spread eagle. She could feel the cool marble floor beneath her, soothing her still warm buttocks. In addition, she felt ropes around her wrists and ankles, pulling her limbs taught, trapping her body in the same way that the pendant had trapped her mind. Just thinking of this brought Asiara’s attention to her sex as her hips writhed slightly, as though trying to increase friction with an invisible lover. She also noticed that her skin felt different, somehow – the grime from the road seemed to be gone. Her hair, too, felt different. She could feel some of the curls against her skin, and they seemed clean, perhaps even slightly scented.

Suddenly, Asiara saw the Queen, standing at her head, looking down at her. The auburn-haired beauty bent down to caress Asiara’s face – to run her hand through her clean and styled hair. “You are truly a stunning specimen, my dear.”

“Thank you, my Queen.” Asiara whined out through her moans.

“The wild disheveled look had an allure all its own, but this is much more becoming. What do you think?” With that, the Queen spoke a few words that Asiara didn’t understand – words of magic. The air above Asiara seemed to shimmer for a moment before coalescing into a flat, reflective surface.

What Asiara saw took her breath away – and drove her wild with arousal. For there, in that reflection, she saw herself in all of her beautiful and submissive glory. She had clearly been bathed, and her skin had been coated in anoil that, in addition to muting the pain that lingered from the candle wax, caused her to practically glow in the sensual candlelight. Her hair had been cleaned and set, framing her stunning face, which revealed her wildly excited state through a smoldering and erotic intensity that lurked beneath the surface of her expression. Her breasts jutted into the cool air – her nipples proudly erect and yearning for attention. And her body was trapped in that spread and vulnerable position, with ropes attached to small stone rings protruding from the floor. What Asiara saw was the perfect image of tamed and subdued beauty; what she saw was her total submission to her Queen.

In an instant, the mirror disappeared. The Queen stood and reached behind her own back. In a single deft motion, she released the tie on her dress and, with a simple shrug of her shoulders the sparkling garment dropped to the floor – revealing all of the Queen’s naked beauty to Asiara, who gasped at the sight. The Queen’s figure rivaled Asiara’s own – though replacing Asiara’s athletic smoothness with a slim and supple grace that was equally alluring. And her auburn hair cascaded over her back and breasts, framing the glorious orbs with a fiery intensity that stood out even in the soft candlelight.

Taking in the image of stunning perfection above her, Asiara’s moans and whines increased in intensity. She had taken many a woman to bed before, but none compared to the vision above her. And never before had any woman made her feel so helpless – so completely at the mercy of another to provide or deny her pleasure.

Bending down once again, the Queen placed a knee on either side of Asiara’s head, speaking as she did so.

“I know how much you must desire some release, my dear. But you must service your Queen before you take your own pleasure. I’m going to enjoy this, as I know that you are as skilled with your tongue as you are with your blades.”

And with that, the Queen lowered her own naked sex onto Asiara’s eager mouth.

Asiara thrust her tongue hungrily towards the sex that was before her, licking and sucking with all of her might. She channeled each bit of devotion and servitude that resided within her, and focused it into the attentions that she was giving her Queen’s sex.

And her attentions were being rewarded. Now that her own moans were silenced as her mouth and tongue were so diligently occupied, it was the Queen whose moans of pleasure echoed off of the throne room’s towering walls. And with each sound, Asiara’s inspiration grew – she moved her tongue more insistently, sucked more intensely, and pleasured her Queen with a passion that was as overwhelming to Asiara as her own arousal, which continued to grow. She could feel the Queen’s thighs clenching around her face, and this only spurred her on. Pleasing her Queen was all she knew – all she cared about.

Then, a new sensation flooded Asiara’s responsive senses. Delicious pain shot through her nipples as she felt the Queen pinch each rock hard nub in her fingers. The Queen began to rock back and forth on Asiara’s face, and her hands fell into rhythm with her hips, pinching and releasing Asiara’s impossibly sensitive nipples with each thrust of her sex over Asiara’s mouth.

As Asiara continued to worship her Queen’s sex, the thrusts came more quickly, and became more powerful, and Asiara increased the intensity of the work she was doing with her mouth to match. She could feel the tension in the Queen’s thighs increase, and the pinching on her own nipples was growing firmer and more severe. But this pain in her nipples only spurred Asiara on all the more, and as the Queen’s moans increased in volume and pitch, all Asiara could think about was bringing this magnificent woman, who had dominated her so completely – showing her parts of herself that she didn’t know existed – to the most thunderous and satisfying climax that she could imagine. She would, she knew, trade her own pleasure, remaining in a deep and everlasting state of sexual denial and frustration, if it would enable her to push the Queen to the ecstatic heights that were now her sole goal.

She felt the Queen release her nipples – the hands now flying to the Queen’s own breasts, where she proceeded to massage and tweak her sensitive flesh. Her screams of pleasure reverberated off of the walls, traveling up the tower only to, eventually, be reflected back down, creating the illusion of a thousand different women, all growing dangerously near the peak of their pleasure.

With a few final thrusts of her exhausted tongue, Asiara felt a flood of her Queen’s sweet nectar pour into her mouth and down her face as the Queen’s sex ceased its thrusts and froze in a sudden state of quivering ecstasy. The whines of pleasure changed from repetitive, high pitched squeals to a single long and devastating scream of climax. Inspired by the Queen’s orgasm, Asiara continued to pleasure her sex, pushing the dominant woman further and further into her release, causing her thighs to quake and her sex to continue coating Asiara’s face with the evidence of her pleasure.

Finally, just as Asiara feared that her tongue was too tired to continued to perform, the Queen’s moaning stopped. Shakily, she rose to her feet and looked down at Asiara, a look of deep and satisfied admiration spread across her face as she gazed down at her slave. Asiara’s face had become so covered in the Queen’s own secretions that it now shone in the candlelight with as much radiance as her oil covered body.

And now, with her servicing of the Queen no longer occupying her, Asiara felt a tidal wave of arousal crash upon her. The pleasure that she had given to her Mistress filled Asiara with such a sense of pride and servitude that she felt that her body was ready to burst from the intensity of her own need. Though still only perched at the brink of release, Asiara could feel her own thighs quaking, her own sex quivering, with the same depth of passion that the Queen had demonstrated as she reached her ecstasy. Her moans returned, and she tipped her head back slightly as the pleasure momentarily overwhelmed her mind and body. Through slitted eyes she gazed up lovingly at her Mistress, whose own look of satisfaction, affection, and power sent shivers through Asiara’s soul. Only words from her Queen were able to force Asiara’s to focus on something other than her desperate, driving need.

“You really are a gifted lover, Asiara. It’s such a shame that I will have to send you away again. But I didn’t work so hard to imbue you with so much power only to keep you around as my personal sex slave.”

“P-please,” Asiara barely managed to pant out between her rasping, hungry breaths, “l-let me stay. Let me p-pleasure you.”

“No, my pet, you must lead my army – my true army.”

“W-what, t-true army?”

“My dear, the army that you led South was just a diversion – a sad-sack group of some of my left-over warriors who weren’t skilled enough to join my elite forces. My true army has been in the East, claiming the Eastern kingdom. They have returned now – the campaign was swift and decisive, since Endaria’s greatest champion was no longer available to lead her forces.”

Asiara’s sex pulsed at this last comment. What would Endaria think if she could see Asiara – her former Captain – tied as she now was, her oiled body vulnerable and desperate for the Queen’s attentions, and her mind and soul even more so? The question only drove Asiara still further down her spiral of lust and desire.

“No, my pet,” the Queen continued, “it is time for you to lead my forces once again. The South is ripe for the taking, and this time you will encounter no diversions. Then, we will turn our attentions to the North. But first, we must finish your punishment.”

Asiara was shocked at this last statement. She had thought her punishment was complete – her buttocks and breasts were still tender from the Queen’s earlier actions. What more did she have in store? What more was necessary? Asiara had already realized the depth and power of her devotion to her Queen. Still, if this is what the Queen wished, Asiara would submit to it, even beg for it if that was what it took to prove the full scope of her servitude.

“Please, my Queen, punish me further. Make me your obedient slave.”

“That is exactly what I plan to do. For you see, your little revolt has revealed something to me. Your desire for submission is deep within you, so powerful, that you apparently need to feel my dominance at all times to be truly satisfied. That is why you attempted your little revolt today – as powerfully as I might have broken you when you were in my throne room a month ago, once you were on the march, you began to miss my power; to crave demonstrations of my control. So, you challenged me in order to force me to assert my dominance once again.

“And alas, as much as I have enjoyed breaking you all over again, I can’t have you potentially squandering my real army just so that you can experience a new revelation of my power. That, my pet, is why I must still punish you – to ensure that your submission and obedience will be permanently etched into your soul. Behold!”

With that, the Queen waved her hand and a pendant seemed to materialize out of thin air, hovering just a few feet above Asiara’s head. Immediately, the bound woman’s eyes locked onto it as the multitude of candles found its glittery surface, creating millions of dazzling sparkles that captivated and subdued Asiara’s thoughts.

She was able, though, to realize that this was not the same pendant that the Queen had used earlier. This one was larger, about the size of an egg, and on one end the crystal tapered slightly before flaring out into a small disk, perhaps two inches in diameter. These thoughts fluttered over her mind, but quickly vanished as the pendant, regardless of its shape, reflected that entrancing, controlling light into Asiara’s eyes.

“That’s right, Asiara, stare at the pendant. The pendant is a symbol of my control; of my ability to subdue you, to place you under my spell no matter how powerful you become. Feel the pendant enter your mind, opening it to me.”

Asiara could feel this – as the other sights of the throne room seemed to melt away, the pendant came to claim her vision, her thoughts, her being – it was all that she could see, all that she could think about.

Meanwhile, all that she could feel was her arousal, which was growing still more and more powerful. She heard deep, frantic moans and knew that they must be hers, as her sexual frustration built to a fever pitch that she feared she could not endure. Her oiled body was writhing on the stone floor, straining against its bonds as she thrust her sex into the air, desperate for any contact, anything that could push her that final bit over the edge into what she knew would be endless depths of pleasure.

But the pendant held her there, taunting her with the nearness of her release, while refusing to grant it. A voice floated into Asiara’s mind.

“Yes, feel it build within you. Your pleasure is great. Stronger than anything Dathaka could give you. Stronger than anything the water nymph did to you. Stronger than anything the mask could promise you. This is more than pleasure of your body – it is pleasure of your mind; pleasure of your soul. My control touches you in places that you never knew were possible – never knew existed. Feel it, getting closer, and closer…”

Asiara stared at the pendant, feeling herself utterly controlled, utterly open to its influence. The voice – her Queen’s voice – filled her mind with words whose truths she could not deny – they were in her, a part of her. But still, she was held in a frozen state of arousal, just on the brink of an abyss of pleasure.

Was this to be her punishment? Would the Queen simply drive her mad with frustration? Was she to control Asiara through the ever elusive promise of this epic release?

She received her answer to those questions just moments later.

“The time has come, my pet. Your punishment is about to begin. Feel it build one final time, feel your arousal prepare you, bringing you closer, and closer. Now, my slave, feel your climax take you, feel it claim you!”

With those words, pleasure tore through Asiara’s body, erupting out of her sex and racing through every atom of her being. She tensed her arms and legs, pulling against her bonds while arching her back, thrusting her nipples high into the cool air of the chamber. Her head was tipped back and her deep, passionate moans were now replaced with an intense, frantic whimper as the pleasure flooded her senses. Still, her eyes remained locked on the pendant as it reflected the candlelight over her oiled body. Her thighs began to shake uncontrollably as wave after wave of pleasure shot through them. She froze in this position, simply allowing all of the pleasure to course through every part of her. She wasn’t quite sure how this wonderful feeling was punishment, but she welcomed it nonetheless.

The pleasure seemed to simply flow through her endlessly. The Queen had unlocked parts of her mind and soul that she had closed off for so long, and all of the rapture that she was experiencing now was flowing through those new chambers of her being, looping around and around, refusing to let her go.

And those chambers seemed to grow larger as she stared at the pendant, feeling the pleasure reinforce her devotion to its dazzling brilliance; feeling its dazzling brilliance enflame her pleasure. The shaking in her thighs started to spread over her entire body, and her whimpering seemed to rise in pitch as the pendant affirmed her devotion to the Queen; affirmed her submission; affirmed her obedience.

“Yes, my slave, feel the pleasure – obey my command to reach the climax that you so desperately desired. Can you feel that?”

“Yes, my Queen. Thank you, thank you!” Asiara’s voice practically squealed her response as the pendant focused her thoughts on her Queen’s words and her epic pleasure.

“Feel it again – obey me and climax again!”

Asiara was still writhing in the rapture of her climax, but now a whole new crescendo of release and pleasure struck her body. Her eyes grew wide, which seemed to allow the pendant to grow still larger in her eyes – and in her mind. Her hips were gyrating forcefully, and sweat from her body’s exertion had begun to blend with the oils on her body, resulting in a dazzling sheen that reflected the light of the pendant, binding her to its entrancing gleam.

“Again. Let your obedience and your submission take you further into my power, and with my power you fall further into your pleasure.”

Asiara’s muscles were growing tired as her frantic thrashing continued. The pleasure was so immense, so overwhelming that her body couldn’t contain it, and the only thing that allowed her to maintain a grip on her sanity amidst this mind-altering ecstasy was the pendant, anchoring her mind, controlling her thoughts.

“Again. Feel another release, as the pendant controls your pleasure, and your pleasure enslaves you to the pendant.”

Asiara could hear her own whimpers now become screams as the pleasure reached such heights that it seemed to burn through her body. Her mind was lost to her, she could do nothing to resist or stop these sensations even as they escalated to painful new levels. Her exhausted muscles had stopped their thrashing as she no longer had the energy to outwardly react to the climax that she was feeling. Instead, the torrential sexual energy simply flowed through her, building inside of her, eroding any lingering resistance within her, making her more and more beholden to the power of the pendant; to the power of the Queen.

Finally, the sensations seemed to wane ever so slightly, and Asiara gasped, trying to catch her breath, trying to allow her body to recover even as her mind remained trapped in the depthless spiral of submission that was her devotion to the pendant. But then, a single word nearly tore her mind apart. “Again.” The pleasure raced through her – she could no longer tell if it radiated from her sex as the full intensity of the sensation seemed to claim her entire body – her entire being.

But now, the sensations were so overpowering that Asiara ached with the release that they brought. Far more than receiving a spanking from the Queen or feeling hot wax on her breasts, this searing pleasure was placing Asiara in an agony of sensation that she had never felt before. The rapture and ecstasy of her climax was also the excruciating peak of her capacity for suffering, the feeling was so intense. Indeed, this was punishment – a punishment of devastating pleasure. Her screams had practically stopped as all she could do was to gasp for air, trying frantically to overcome the burning in her lungs as her body started to fail her.

“Again.”

As yet another wave of pleasure struck her, Asiara could see stars forming on the edges of her vision. Her body was finally giving out, unable to endure the pleasure and pain that were coalescing inside of her, pushing her mind into realms that she had never experienced, making her more and more dependent on the pendant to maintain any concept of who she was beyond her seemingly maxed out capacity for sensation.

But rather than simply yield to the bliss of unconsciousness, Asiara fought the haziness descending upon her, willing her body to struggle against surrender. For she must stare at the pendant. Hanging above her, it commanded her attention, demanded her surrender, controlled her actions. She must try not to submit to the feinting spell that threatened her, for she could only submit to the pendant, and the Queen who controlled it.

But not even Asiara’s strong will could fight off the limitations of her body forever, and the stars in her vision began to grow. As they did so, the pain and the pleasure seemed to recede slightly. Still craving her Queen’s will – still reveling in her punishment – Asiara focused on the pendant still more intently, feeling her efforts yield still more intense feelings of pleasure and pain as her worn out body continued to fail.

But then, she heard words that she couldn’t understand – words of magic. As the Queen’s spell fell over her, she felt the stars in her vision recede. Somehow, the Queen had given her a new capacity for feeling – a greater ability to absorb this erotic punishment. A long, sharp whine of despair escaped her lips as her sweat drenched body went completely limp – surrendering to the sensations that bombarded it with no recourse to move or act.

“Again.”

The pleasure swarmed her, annihilating any part of her that resisted her Queen’s desires. Every part of her was lost in rapture. Every part of her was lost in deep erotic suffering. Pleasure was all that she knew. Pain was all that she knew.

At last, Asiara realized that there was only one way that she would possibly endure this – only one way that her broken body would not be forced to climax until her heart gave out. She gave herself completely and utterly to the pendant, making no effort to confront or overcome the pleasure or the pain, she simply opened herself to it. Becoming one with the pureness of the sensation, becoming one with the will of the pendant, becoming nothing but a slave to its powers, a vessel of submission, an essence of obedience.

Her consciousness did start to fade, but this was not the feeling of passing out that had threatened her before. She simply had no further reason to be aware. Pleasure and pain engulfed her body, tearing through her more violently than it had at any point, but Asiara’s soul was numb to the feelings as it was now totally enraptured by the pendant that hung above her. She offered it her total submission in exchange for its rescuing her from punishment she could no longer endure.

Her obedience to the next command was instant, and complete. The Queen spoke a single word, and Asiara immediately became the Queen’s will.

“Sleep.”

Asiara knew no more…

Champion of the Kingdom
Epilogue
by Clare de Luna

Asiara stood at the gates of the city, looking out at the massive army that had gathered before her, just outside of the city’s sparkling white walls. Many times larger than the one she had previously commanded, this force was also far more skilled and well trained than any she had ever had the privilege to lead. Wearing only a silver pair of slippers and her sword belt, Asiara’s pale skin seemed to almost glitter in the bright sunlight of the clear day.

In perfect unison, the soldiers below her stomped to signal their eagerness to follow her. They knew of her powers, and were confident that she would lead them to victory on the battlefield. They had just returned from the East where they had conquered Endaria – that name seemed to have some meaning, but its significance rolled off of Asiara’s mind – and were now ready to spread the Queen’s influence still further. The southern armies were still weak following Asiara’s unusual victory over them a week earlier, so that is where they would strike first. This would leave only the northern kingdoms for the Queen to claim before she could name herself Empress of all the Realm. It was Asiara’s one and only purpose to see that that day would arrive – and soon.

Turning her back on the army, Asiara looked towards the Queen’s palace and bowed deeply. As she did so, she felt her buttocks clench around the large crystal pendant that was lodged deep within her. She was sure that the sun was striking the flat crystal disk at this odd pendant’s base – the disk that prevented her anus from drawing it in completely – and that it would refract that sunlight, sending a bright gleam that all of her forces could see.

Asiara’s sex spasmed slightly at that thought. She felt a wave of pleasure march through her as she imagined how she would feel this instrument of her Queen’s control shifting within her as she rode off to battle, or how it would constantly remind her of her purpose as she felt herself clench around it on the battlefield.

But even more enticing were thoughts of the nights that she would spend alone in her tent. Removing the pendant, devotedly washing it before holding it before her own eyes. Letting it fill her consciousness, letting it control her – feeling its power as it refused to ever allow her to escape from her Queen’s dominance and control. She welcomed this constant reminder of her submission. She reveled in its ability to continually force her obedience.

Only another series of stomps from the army behind her broke Asiara out of her daydream. Just the thought of the pendant had begun to place her in trance. Now remembering her purpose, she straightened once again, robbing the army of the view of her lovely naked buttocks, and the symbol of her submission that she carried there. Letting them gaze upon her naked breasts, she raised Phyxilir to indicate that their march would begin. With command of such an impressive army and her own epic powers, she would be unstoppable. She would conquer their enemies. But she would do it all in the name of her Queen. She was the Queen’s servant. She was her submissive. She was her slave. She was her Champion…