The Knight and the Acolyte
Book 5: The Vault’s Treasure
Chapter Five: Nimble Fingers
By mypenname3000
Copyright 2016

Note: Thanks to B0b for beta reading this.

Chaun – The Free City of Raratha

I smiled as I glanced at the seven halfling wives roaming the riverboat named The Halfling’s Harem. The memory of each one of the gasping and heaving beneath me, thinking I was their husband, made my dick throb in my leather pants. Captain Natan had no idea I cuckold him with each of his wives.

I hoped at least one of the halfling females were pregnant with my child. All seven would be amazing, but I doubted I was that lucky. My eyes flicked to each of them as they waved goodbye from the ships railing to our partner. I pictured each one of their bellies growing round as my child grew in them.

Natan would raise my bastards. No one would know my sons were changelings until they hit puberty. By then, Natan would have no idea who the changeling was that had cuckold him. My dick ached so badly. I wanted to find another married woman, take on her husband’s appearance, and breed her, too.

It was addictive.

“Chaun,” Angela called. “Chaun, we’re leaving.”

“Hmm?” I asked, blinking out of my thoughts.

“We have business to be about, remember?” Angela arched her eyebrow. She stood holding the reins to her massive warhorse Midnight, the knight dressed in her armor.

Sophia giggled, “What are you thinking about, Chaun?”

“That groom you had a crush on as a girl,” I answered Sophia. “What was his name? Eric?”

Sophia’s cheeks went crimson. The lesbian acolyte hated being reminded she once had lusts for a handsome, young man. She raised her head and answered, “I really don’t remember. That was so many years ago.”

“I could refresh you,” I shrugged as I stared at her. I could see Eric in her mind. My body yearned to become him, but I fought against it. I maintained my disguise as a Thosian human. It was close to the appearance I had before I hit puberty and I learned I was a changeling.

I usually adopted it when I hid my true nature. Humans, and other races, did not like changeling. We had a well-deserved reputation of cuckolding men and making them raise our bastard children. It was dangerous to use my real appearance in such a large city.

“Let me become Eric and you can act out those girlhood fantasies.”

Sophia stuck her tongue out at me.

Thrak laughed. The crowd on the docks kept a wide berth around the orc barbarian. Raratha was a cosmopolitan city, and an assortment of races from the known world passed through its ports. But an orc was not one of them. His hulking height would make him stand out without his brown-red, scarred skin and bone piercings adorning his face.

With them, they made people flinch.

“Yes, let’s get to the inn,” Faoril said. “Everyone is watching. We stand out. We need to get out of sight before rumors spread. Then Sophia can cast her divination spell so we can find the thief.”

“It would be wise,” the naked Xera said. Beside Thrak, she garnered the most attention with her tall, willowy body, green hair, and pointed ears. No one else on the docks stood naked and unabashed. “It would be ill-advised for the Doge to learn we traveled together.”

My eyes flicked up to the Saltspray Palace sitting on the bluff overlooking the city. I had not stepped into a court or place of power since the prince of Kivnar found me abed with his wife, and my lover, Princess Adelaide. The Bardic College of Az stripped me of my right to perform to appease the prince. But if I appeared with Angela and Sophia, they would call on me to perform.

It would be wonderful to use my talents on those who could fully appreciate the beauty then the low inns and common taverns I had frequented since my disgrace. Excitement bubbled through me. Lady Delilah had promised me a court to perform in if I aided Angela.

I closed my eyes as I held tight to the reins of my horse Maiden. I imagined the splendor of the court, the wealthy merchants of Raratha clapping politely as I took to the stage then the hush silence would settle over them as I sang one of the High Songs. There would be no drunken laborers laughing or whores blandishing their wares.

My audience would respect my craft.

“Chaun?” Sophia asked. “You’re doing it again.”

“Yes, yes, sorry,” I said, shaking my head. “Just thinking about performing.” A smile crossed my lips. “Raratha is one of the richest cities in the world. The Doge may only rule a city and the land surrounding it, but he is as powerful as the King of Valya or Secare. And he will demand my talents when we present ourselves.”

“Not if we stand here forever while you daydream,” Sophia said. She mounted Purity, her white mare. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Yes, yes,” I nodded, excitement bubbling through me. I turned to mount my horse when a street urchin bumped into me. “My pardon.”

The child didn’t answer, but scampered off and vanished into the press of the crowd. I blinked and shook my head. I went to mount my horse when Xera rushed past me, her green hair flowing behind her.

“Xera?” Angela asked.

“The halfling stole Chaun’s coin purse,” the elf shouted, “when she bumped into him.”

I blinked. “What?”

Xera melted into the crowd, weaving after the child that had bumped into me. My hand slid down to my belt. Instead of finding my coin purse hanging from my side, I felt nothing. The cords tying it to my belt had been severed.

“Las’s cum,” I gaped.

“The thief,” Sophia giggled. “I think it was a female.”

Faoril let out a mournful sigh. “Xera knows the directions to the inn?”

Angela nodded. “Yes, let’s get out of the street and wait for her to return. Perhaps we won’t need Sophia’s spell.”

“I didn’t even realize it,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief as I stroked the cut ends of the string. “She bumped into me for a heartbeat. How did she cut it so fast?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Xerathalasia

My heart beat with excitement as I raced into the crowd after the halfling. She dressed like the other children playing on the docks, using her short stature to blend in with them. She kept her hood up to hide the metallic bronze of her skin. The local humans were mostly Valyan stock, with bluish skin. But in the dense crowd, it would be hard to tell her apart from the human children.

Smart.

“Move, move,” I said to the humans who gaped at my naked body. Humans were lusty creatures, yet they kept themselves clothed. It made little sense to me. “Out of the way.”

The thief had spotted me chasing her. Already she wove through the crowd, her small stature allowing her to slip around the humans bustling through the crowd with ease. But not me. I had to push and press through them, my naked body rubbing across robed men and women.

It was hard to follow the thief’s progress through the crowd. It appeared that she made her way towards an alley. I had hunted in the dense underbrush of my home forest. I was skilled at spotting my pray through gaps in leaves and foliage.

This was no different.

I twisted my body and pressed between a pair of humans, jostling them. They yelled at me as I broke into a momentary hold in the traffic allowing me to take several running steps before I crashed into the flood of pedestrians. I caught glimpses of the halfling. She had gained distance on me and had almost reached the alley.

This would not do.

The alley lead between wooden buildings. They looked as easy to climb as the trees in my home. I could race across the roof and avoided the crowd. It was the only way I could catch her. I may even be able to get ahead of her.

“Please move,” I shouted. “I need to get through.”

“Where are your clothes?” a scandalized woman of middle years gasped as she stepped aside for me.

I grit my teeth as I twisted around a man pushing a wheelbarrow and went right into the path of a stout man wrapped into a robe. I crashed into him. His bulk almost threw me off my feet, but I snagged the cowl of his robe to hold myself up right.

“Now, really, miss,” the fat man groaned as he knocked away my hand.

“Sorry,” I answered. “I’m chasing a thief.”

The man’s face glowered and he straightened his cowl. “Quite all right. I suggest handing the miscreant over to the guard and letting them hang the ruffian.”

For theft? I didn’t inquire more. I had to get to the building. The halfling had vanished down the alley. She ran fast on her tiny legs. I would lose her if I didn’t make the rooftops right now. I elbowed a slim man out of the way as I raced for the side of the wall. The man screamed profanities at me as I leaped.

My fingers caught the eaves. I swung my naked body onto the tiled roof with ease. The tiles made the footing uneven, but my bare feet had little trouble traversing the treacherous ground. I let my legs stretch and ran at full speed.

The thief darted around a corner, throwing a look over her shoulder, searching for me in the crowd. She didn’t spot me on the rooftop. I smiled and leaped to the roof on the other side of the alley and ran across it diagonally, hoping to cut off the thief.

I reached the other side of the roof. The buildings here were built close together, the streets narrow. A maze of turns and twists stretched out before me. The halfling was nowhere to be seen. I swallowed, my heart thudding. She must have turned down another street when she was out of sight.

“Matar’s cock,” I groaned and leaped across the street, running fast. My ears twitched. I strained for the sound of her footsteps.

There were hundreds of footsteps echoing through the air. The warren of side streets around the buildings bustled, too. Boots thudded on the cobblestone. The slap of bare feet echoed. Soft-soled slippers whisked. Even wooden shoes clattered. I strained for the thief’s bare feet running. The quick slap-slap.

Rising out of the cacophony, my ears identified a pair of slapping steps to my right. I changed my direction of running. I leaped over another short street onto the opposite rooftop. People shouted from below as I raced across the roofs, honing in on the slapping footsteps. They slowed, the thief relaxing, thinking she had eluded me. The steps grew to a confident strut.

I had her.

I raced across a narrow rope stretched between two buildings across a wider street. Clothing hung from it. The rope swayed as my feet danced across it to the other side. People applauded below. Why? It didn’t matter. I had to reach the thief.

Her footsteps took her around the corner of the roof I was on. I crouched, moving slower as I scampered across the roof. I reached the edge and peered down, spotting her holding Chaun’s purse. She leaned against the wall right below me and opened it up.

I dropped down, twisting around to face her as I landed.

The halfling betrayed only the smallest amount of surprise. The coin purse jingled in her hand. Her sapphire eyes widened. And then she darted to the right. My hand latched out, seizing the roughspun robe she wore.

Laughing, the thief slithered out of the robe and darted away from me, exposing her slim body in tight leather britches and a band about her small breasts. Without the robe on, she would be hard to mistake for a child with her womanly curves.

But I was swifter. My other hand lashed out and seized a fistful of her short, metallic-red hair. The thief let out a gasp of pain as I hauled her back. She spun and dropped the coin purse before drawing a pair of knives.

“I don’t want to harm you,” I said as I let go of her hair and dodged the first swing of her knife.

“Oh, then what do you want to do with me, elf?” the thief asked as she pivoted on the balls of her feet. Her blades gleamed in the sunlight streaming between the buildings.

“Hire you,” I answered. “You are very skilled. I almost didn’t notice your theft. I most certainly didn’t hear you approach my friend.”

Excitement gleamed in her eyes. “So, what, that purse was a job interview? The best thief that can steal it you want to hire.”

I decided not to admit the whole truth. “We need to find the best thief to help us,” I told her. “Is that you?”

The halfling grinned, flashing her teeth. “Why, yes it is.” She sheathed her knives and moved towards me. She shoved her foot beneath Chaun’s coin purse, rolling it onto the top of her foot, and kicked it up into the air at me. “I am the best.”

I caught the coin purse as she closed the distance and, to my shock, kissed me right on my clit.

Electricity shot right through my body. “What?”

“I love elves,” she moaned and kissed my clit again. “I’d love to work with you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minx

I had been so worried that I had lost the elf in the crowd. Adel’s plan hinged on me getting caught without making it look like I wanted to be caught. The whole con was predicated on it. So when I realized I ran a little too well, I feared I had bungled the entire plan. When Xera had found me, I had been contemplating what to do next.

I really hadn’t wanted to go back to Adel and tell her what happened. And then the elf dropped from the sky, her large breasts bouncing as she landed before me. My eyes couldn’t help but shoot between her thighs, hoping her dick would sprout.

Women with dicks were so hot. Maybe instead of retiring in Baraconia like I planned with my wealth from selling the High King’s sword, I should settle in Orcona, the nixie city. They were all hermaphrodites, their cocks always sprouted unlike elves.

In the meantime, I couldn’t resist Xera’s cock. Plus, it was amusing as the elf squirmed while I kissed and nibbled on her clit. Her pussy had a flowery taste, different from Adel’s. Xera reminded me of marigolds.

“What are you doing?” Xera panted.

“Just getting to know you,” I giggled. “If we’re going to be working together. I’m Minx.” I leaned in and kissed her clit again. Like Adel, Xera’s height put her pussy right at mouth level.

“Xerathalasia,” the elf moaned, her large breasts heaving. “But you can call me Xera.”

“Pretty name,” I said, pretending I didn’t know. I licked my sticky lips before adding, “Mmm, you have such a pretty clit.”

“Thanks,” she moaned as I latched my lips on it and sucked again. My tongue swirled about her bud. I couldn’t wait to stimulate her enough for her dick to sprout just like Adel’s would. Racing through the streets had made my blood pump.

That always made me horny for Spray’s dick. And Xera’s elf-cock would be just as wonderful as my nixie lover’s shaft.

Xera made such sweet moans as I licked and sucked on her clit. The fingers of my left hand dug into her butt while my other digits stroked her wet, hot pussy lips. My tongue explored her clit. It throbbed hard from its cute sheath.

“Minx,” Xera sighed and trembled.

People passed us. Some paused to watch. That made it even kinkier. My pussy itched. My hips shifted in my leather britches. I couldn’t wait to have my small hole stretched out by the elf’s big cock. It would be amazing.

My teeth nipped her clit while my fingers caressed her pussy lips. She bucked and moaned. Her juices flooded out, dripping down my fingers to my hand. I loved the sticky feel. I latched my lips around her clit and sucked hard as I shoved a pair of fingers deep into her pussy.

“You are so affectionate,” gasped Xera. “Oh, wow, Sophia will love you.”

It was hard not to mention I knew exactly why Sophia would love me. Adel had briefed me on all the party members. They all sounded fun to play with—dominating Angela, Sophia the lesbian priestess, Faoril and her naughty magic, the massive Thrak, and the beautiful Chaun. But Xera excited me the most.

She could sprout a dick.

I sucked even harder. I wanted her dick to appear. My cheeks hollowed as I sucked. I loved the obscene sounds my mouth made as my two fingers probed in and out of the elf’s hot, juicy cunt. She shuddered and writhed on my fingers, gasping for all the streets to hear.

“Right on the streets,” a woman disapproved. “I had heard elves were immoral creatures.”

“I know,” another woman said with a sniff.

I lifted my lips from her cunt and glared at the pair of women walking by. “And you two don’t lick each other’s cunts while your husbands are fishing the bay?”

The women’s blue cheeks darkened. “We don’t do it in public,” the first woman said. “Harlot.”

“Sorry,” Xera moaned. “My friend is a little too—”

I cut off her words by sucking hard on her clit again. Xera’s squeal echoed down the street. The two women walked away, their hips shifting. I bet they were off to frig each other. Probably while watching us from a window.

Hypocrites.

“Minx,” Xera panted. “Oh, wow, yes. Keep tonguing me. Mmm, you love my clit.”

“Uh-huh,” I panted and slipped a third finger into her pussy.

Her flesh clenched on my fingers as she shuddered. Her hands seized her heavy breasts. Her fingers dug into her pillowy mounds as she threw back her head. Her hips undulated and humped against my lips as she brought herself closer and closer to exploding.

I wanted her cock to swell and explode down my throat. She had to be close to sprouting. Adel’s dick would already be growing by now. I couldn’t wait for the elf’s dick to expand into my mouth, stretching my jaws until she was too big for me to swallow.

Maybe Xera needed more stimulation for that.

I curled my fingers and made a fist, then fucked my hand deep into her cunt. Xera gasped and her hips bucked. Her moans echoed through the streets. I hoped everyone enjoyed the show. I wanted them all to jerk off and rub their clits watching us.

That made me so hot.

I reamed my fist over and over into the hot, sucking depths of Xera’s cunt. She cried out in her musical language. She had to be close to sprouting now. The heat swelled in her pussy. Her flesh clenched down on me.

“Matar’s cock,” she screamed.

Juices gushed around my arm in a fountain, soaking me to my elbow. Her pussy spasmed about my fist. She thrashed and moaned as her orgasm seized her. I pulled my lips away and stared up at her in shock.

Where was her cock?

“Oh, yes, Minx,” Xera moaned as she shuddered through her orgasm. Her ears twitched as they poked through her green hair. Her face contorted with bliss. “Yes, yes, yes. Sophia will love you.”

“Why didn’t your cock sprout?” I demanded. “I need to be fucked so hard by it.”

“Huh?” Xera moaned as another shudder wracked her body.

“Your cock. Where is it?” I pulled my drenched fist from her pussy.

“I’m not in heat.” Xera sucked in a deep breath. “It’s over a week away.”

“But I stimulated your clit. That can make it sprout early.”

Xera laughed. “I don’t know where you learned that from. The hermaphroditic races are all different.”

My forehead furrowed. Then how had Adel’s cock sprouted when I stimulated her? She lied to me. It didn’t surprise me. Adel would try and betray me and keep the sword for herself, but that was down the road.

Did that mean Adel wasn’t an elf?

“And there’s not different elf races?” I frowned. “Are you from the Ten-It Forest?”

“No, the Deorc,” Xera answered. “But our cousins in the Ten-It Forest are no different than us. Elves are elves. Why do you ask?”

“I guess I shouldn’t listen to stories,” I laughed before licking at her fingers. So what made Adel different? Was she actually an elf? “Mmm, I made you cum hard.”

Xera nodded. “You did. We should get going though. My companions are waiting.”

I squeezed my thighs together. My horniness remained, but Xera couldn’t sprout her cock right now. “Okay. Companions, huh? Like that idiot who let me steal his purse.”

“There is a reason we need a thief.”

I glanced at Xera. “Why? You’re pretty nimble. You caught me. I thought I had lost you entirely. How did you find me?”

“I listened.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thrak

The private room we rented at the Maiden’s Dew had small chairs. It creaked beneath me every time I shifted as I sat at the table. It felt flimsy made. I feared it would collapse into kindling beneath my size at any moment.

We sat around the table explaining everything to Minx. The halfling thief stood on her chair to meet our eye level, an excited glint in her eyes. She hadn’t batted an eye at the prophecy or fighting a dragon, but when we told her we needed to break into the Great Vault, she almost came.

“That is amazing,” Minx said, bouncing on her chair. “Of course I’ll help you out. I’ve dreamed of getting into the doge’s vault.”

“That easy, huh?” Sophia asked as she stared with open interest at Minx.

“Yep,” the thief said. “I am tired of picking pockets. This is exciting.” She clapped her hands together. “I dreamed of breaking into the vault with Fox.”

“Fox?” Faoril asked. “A pet.”

“My sister.” Minx’s excitement slipped, replaced by pain. Grief.

“Oh, would she be able to help?” Sophia asked.

Angela placed a hand on Sophia’s arm. “I don’t think she can.”

Minx shook her head and then her smile came back. “No, no. She can’t. She’s…well…”

“Sorry for your loss,” Sophia said.

“Anyways,” continued Minx, “I can help you. I’ve wanted to break into the Vault forever.”

“What will you need?” I asked.

“Well, I’ll need to see the Vault first, inspect the lock and all. So you’ll have to smuggle me in to the palace somehow.”

“The Doge does love giving tours of it to his guests,” Sophia said. “I bet we can figure out a way to bring you in with us. Perhaps you could be a serving girl.”

Minx shook her head. “I would never pass. Not tall enough. Too halfling. You know, bronze skin. It makes me stand out from the locals.”

“We all stand out from the locals,” giggled Sophia. “Though the women are beautiful.”

“I bet you could hide beneath Sophia’s robes. You’re short enough.”

“That won’t work,” Faoril objected. “It’ll be so obvious. You’ll be walking bowlegged. Both our robes hang to flush to our hips and waist.”

“It’ll have to be you, Angela,” Sophia grinned.

The knight frowned. “How? There is no way she can hide beneath my loincloth.”

I nodded in agreement. “Yes, if Sophia or Faoril’s robes will not work, neither will that strip of metal.”

Chaun strummed a note on his lyre. “Well, I think I know exactly what Sophia is planning. Angela, how much do you know of the local fashion?”

“Not much.”

“The ladies where hoop skirts,” grinned Sophia. “It makes them have wide hips. Plenty of room to hide Minx beneath your skirt.”

“You want me to wear a dress?” Angela asked, wincing.

“Have you ever worn one?” I asked, leaning forward. My chair creaked dangerously beneath me.

“Not in a long time,” Angela muttered. “I never liked them.”

“Well, I need to inspect the vault,” Minx insisted. “I can’t go in blind. I need to know what tools I’ll need and obstacles to overcome. The Doge prides himself on the impenetrability of the Great Vault.”

“What of a spell?” I asked Faoril.

“You did turn our horses invisible,” added Chaun. He leaned back in his chair, clearly not afraid of it splintering beneath him. His boot went up on the table. He sat relaxed. “What if you turned her invisible. Then she would have free rein to roam the palace.”

“It doesn’t work well if a person moves,” Faoril explained. “It is too obvious that the spell is compensating to bend the light around the subject. And I’m no shadowmancer. The horses did not move when I hid them. So unless Minx wants to stay stationary, my magic will not work.”

“There’s probably spells warding the Vault,” added Minx.

“And you can deal with spells?” Faoril asked with a frown.

“Well, I may need your assistance,” Minx shrugged. “But I know the signs. Many of the wealthy hire mages to ward their property. Many red robes come down from Esh-Esh to make a living. The merchants are always wasting their money on frivolities.”

“When we present ourselves to the Doge,” Sophia said, “we merely have to inquire about a tour. We set it up and then Angela can wear one of the dresses the Doge will lend her and smuggle in Minx.”

“The Doge will lend me a dress?” frowned Angela.

“Of course he will,” Sophia laughed. She shook her head. “You’re a count’s daughter, Mistress. You should know that.”

“My father didn’t have spare dresses to lend to visiting nobles,” Angela muttered, her eyes narrowing. “I’m not sure I like your impertinence, Sophia.”

“Sorry, Mistress,” smirked Sophia, “I guess you’ll just have to spank me.”

“Can I watch?” grinned Minx.

“Ooh, yes, you can,” Sophia nodded. “I like her, Mistress.”

“You like any woman,” Angela sighed. She closed her eyes. “And, I assume you and Faoril can’t wear the dresses because of your occupations.”

“Yes,” Faoril nodded.

“Uh-huh.” Sophia slid her chair closer to Angela’s. “But don’t worry, you’ll look gorgeous in it.”

I shifted in my chair. I had no place in the plan. I stood out too much. I would have to lounge in the inn, finding ways to amuse myself as my companions took the risk of breaking into the Vault. My hand clenched.

I would almost prefer assaulting the Doge’s palace. But we were in civilized lands. Angela was uncomfortable enough breaking into the vault. She would never lead a charge on the palace to take what we needed.

Pity. It would save time.

Faoril patted my arm. “I know. Waiting can be hard. But we are in Raratha. There are book merchants. Imagine what you can find.”

A smile crossed my lips. “That is one way to pass the hours.”

“Well,” Chaun said, strumming his lyre again, “we should present ourselves to the Doge. It’s nearing sunset.”

“And I have to attend to some business,” Minx added.

“Such as?” Chaun asked.

Minx only grinned at him and hopped off her chair. “How do we communicate?”

“I will go shopping in the morning,” Faoril said. “We can stroll through the market near the inn and speak with you. We’ll try and schedule an appointment to inspect the Vault tomorrow afternoon. I assume you can break into the guest apartments without being spotted.”

“Yes,” Minx nodded.

Faoril leaned over and kissed me. “I expect you to find interesting books. We’ll have plenty of time to read as we sail to the Isle of Birds.”

“What?” Minx asked.

“That’s where the next piece of the sword is,” Angela answered. “Hidden on Mount Peritito. I hope you understand that breaking into the Vault is not the end of our quest.”

“I understand,” Minx nodded, her eyes greedy. “We’ll need a boat. I have just the idea.” Her eyes flashed to me, a grin spreading on her lips. “Yes, yes, you’ll be perfect, Orc. Pirates will be scared of you.”

“Pirates?” spluttered Sophia.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Acolyte Sophia

“I can’t believe pirates are getting involved now,” Angela groaned as we rode up the paved street that wound up the bluff, passing the palatial estates of the rich and powerful of Raratha on our way to the Saltspray Palace.

“Well, they won’t care that we’re thieves,” I shrugged. “Come on, Angela, we’re on a quest.”

“It definitely will make your tale even more exciting,” agreed Chaun.

“See,” I beamed. “An exciting tale.”

“I don’t want an exciting tale,” Angela groaned. “I just want to kill the dragon and come home so I can be a full knight. I don’t want any of you to get hurt.”

“Thrak will make sure they won’t betray us,” grinned Faoril. “He’ll keep them in line.”

Chaun chortled.

“So relax, Mistress.” I smiled at Angela. “Now straighten your back. We need to look grand and impressive. We are on a quest to rid Mount Peritito of imps. It is a noble quest. The avians need our help.”

Angela nodded her head as the foamy-blue walls of the Saltspray Palace grew closer and closer. Memories of my youth when I visited with mother flashed through my mind. It had been such an adventure to visit the Doge and his palace. I had been awed by the first sight of the sea stretching out for eternity from my bedroom window. The waves crashed into the cliff below the window, forming a spraying mist that drifted up the cliffs and cooled the palace.

“You look excited,” Angela said.

“I am,” I nodded. “The palace is amazing. Wait until you see the view from our bedroom, Mistress. You’ll love it. It’s so romantic.”

A grin crossed Angela’s face. “I bet it is.”

The palace dominated the cliff ahead. The grounds before it were well maintained, the grass shorn short by the gardeners and decorated with flowering plants and bushes. Stately trees provided shade for marble reading benches and statues of beautiful maidens and handsome youths dotted the ground, carved from marble or alabaster. Fountains sported, the water jetting from the mouths of fish and monsters, or from the nipples of busty women and the cocks of hung men.

I found that more than distasteful. It was like the statue peed into the pool.

Servants paused to watch our party approach the large entrance to the palace, but none moved to interfere with us. They all appeared to be gardeners, carrying sheers, rakes, hoes, and other implements as they tended to the grounds.

The path, made of crushed gravel of a dozen separate hues, led to a circle driveway before the palace’s entrance. I imagined a line of coaches arriving to bring the rich and powerful of Raratha to a ball hosted by the Doge, the ground lit by colorful lanterns. Even in the day, the porch impressed, the large roof held up by a dozen fluted columns. The doors leading in were twice the height of a man and made of a wood stained a deep blue. A pair of guards wearing bronze armor and holding halberds flanked the open doors.

From inside, a third guard emerged, his helmet plumed to indicate his rank. He moved down the stairs and waited with stoic patience for our approach. As we planned, Chaun cantered forward, strumming his lyre, and bowed to the guard.

“Well met, Lieutenant,” Chaun said, his voice ringing. “I have the honor to present Sir Angela ev’Xarin, daughter of Count Francis of Xarin, Knight-Errant of Deute who has undertaken a perilous quest to the Isle of Birds to do battle with the villainous imps that plague Mount Peritito. Accompanying her are Sophia ev’Tith, daughter of Duchess Catherine of Tith and acolyte of the Temple of the Pure; Journeyman Mage Faoril Lesibourne, graduate of the Collegiate Tower; and myself, Chaun, graduate of the Bardic College of Az.”

The guard blinked at the eloquence of Chaun’s words. “Welcome, Lady Knight,” he bowed, “and Lady Sophia. The Doge of Raratha will be honored to receive such illustrious guests and give what aid and succor he can to a Knight upon her Quest.”

“My thanks,” Angela said as she dismounted, her armor clanking. “My companions and I are in need of a repast.”

“The majordomo has been summoned. He will see you properly accommodated.” The lieutenant stepped forward and looked at Midnight. “A fearsome brute, Lady Knight.”

“Yes, he is,” Angela said with fondness, patting her horses neck.

“Our grooms will see him well foddered.” The lieutenant glanced at approaching men in laborers clothes. “Ah, here they come. You may leave your mounts with them. Your belongings shall be brought to your quarters. While you wait, there is a small antechamber that you may recline. Servants shall be along with chilled wine to refresh you while your quarters are readied.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Knight-Errant Angela

“Delicious,” Chaun praised as he sipped at the chilled wine.

Sophia nodded her head in agreement as she sat on the divan and sipped her crimson drink. “An expensive vintage.”

“Not the swill I have been forced to imbibe in recent years.” Chaun stretched. “I have missed this.”

My armor clinked as I shifted.

“You can sit down,” Sophia said, patting the divan next to her as she looked at me.

“I’m fine.” I didn’t like this. We were here telling lies about our purpose all so we could rob our host. The piece of the sword was important, but I hated our method for claiming it. I ground my teeth as my stomach twisted.

If we were connected to the theft, it would forever stain the Knights Deute. Why had I let myself be convinced this was the only way? Surely the Doge would recognize the importance of killing Dominari. He did not need the piece of the High King’s sword.

I swallowed. Perhaps, after we inspect the Great Vault, I could convince him to part with it. Then we wouldn’t need to commit such a low and dishonest act. Sophia could be wrong. The Doge may not be the miser she made him out to be. She was young when she visited.

“Noble guests,” a woman’s purring voice said from behind. I turned to find a slippered servant, her skin bluish, swathed in a sea-green toga made of silk. Her flesh bled through the fabric wherever it touched, her nipples dark shadows. Her dark-red hair fell in a mass of curls about her youthful face.

Sophia made a purring moan.

“The Doge requests an audience with you before you retire to your quarters,” the servant said. “When the audience finishes, your quarters will be readied for your use and meals delivered for your evening repast.”

“How wonderful,” Sophia said, speaking with the refined air she had when we first met. Months of travel had roughened her tongue, or so I thought. She took a sip of her goblet before leaving it on the silver tray resting on the low, marble table before her divan. “Shall we, Mistress?”

Sophia offered her arm to me. I took it and nodded. Faoril put away Fireeyes’s journal into her robe—I hated when she read it—and stood, joining Chaun and following us from the room. The servant led us through the corridors. The entire palace was gorgeous. Expensive items set on plinths or hung from the walls. Everything was made of the same foam-blue stone, all the doors stained a deeper shade. The stone wasn’t natural. It had to be enhanced by a mage.

Wealth surrounded us.

Music tinkled and drifted out of a pair of open doors at the end of long corridor. Voices murmured from within there. The music soothed, almost blending in with the talk of the court. The servant led us into a large audience room. Wealthy merchants and their wives dressed in rich togas broke off their conversations to glance at us. In the room’s corner, a lamia played at a large harp, her fingers flowing across the screen. Her cat-like ears, rising out of red hair striped with black, twitched at the sight of us, and a grin showing sharp teeth spread across her alabaster face.

I had heard of the race of catgirls. They were rare outside the foul Empire of Shizihuth far to the east. Her tail twitched behind her as she made her music. Other than the ears and tail, she looked like a petite, human woman.

“Las’s balls,” Chaun groaned behind us.

“Ah, my guests,” a bald man in a gold robe said. He broke from a group of noblemen, a crystal wineglass in hand. He let out a booming laugh and threw his arms wide in greeting. His beard was thick, black, and woven together before ending in a square cut several inches below his chin. “Welcome, welcome to the Saltspray Palace.”

My cheeks flushed as everyone stared at us. I put my hand on the pommel of my sword and performed a sweeping bow. “Your excellency, I am honored that you would give me lodging in your beautiful palace.”

“I am always honored to help a knight on her quest,” he grinned, “particular a beautiful flower of the Knights Deute.”

The heat increased in my cheeks. I must be as red as my hair. “The Knights Deute shall remember your friendship.” My stomach twisted. He was a kind man, freely welcoming us.

The Doge inclined his head. He motioned, and a servant appeared holding a tray of crystal wineglasses filled with a variety of red and white vintages. I took a white and brought it to my lips, taking a sip. The flavors burst to life on my mouth.

“A fine vintage,” the Doge nodded. “Grahaten White.” His eyes flicked to my companions. “A larger party than a knight normally has.”

“Master Chaun merely wishes to find an epic to compose,” Sophia said as she stepped up. “And Journeyman Mage Faoril agreed to aide us with the imps. They can be…pesky.”

The Doge smiled. “And you have grown from that slim girl hiding behind her mother’s skirt. Where were you hiding such confidence, Lady Sophia?”

“I needed inspiration to find it,” Sophia answered and took a glass of wine. She appeared so at ease. She belonged here. Her mother raised her to socialize. I didn’t know what to say to the Doge. Would he be interested in swordsmanship?

“And where did you find this inspiration?”

Sophia smiled at me. “Well, Lady Angela is quite inspiring to watch in a battle. It is hard not to be stirred to courage around her.”

The Doge’s laugh heartened me. He was a good man. I could broach the topic with him and convince him to part with the piece. I would not have to dishonor myself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chaun

“I thought they burned the lyres of disgraced bards,” a feline voice purred behind me, drawing me from the conversation between Sophia, Angela, and the Doge.

I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath. Why had I not realized that a bard would attend the Doge of Raratha? With his wealth, he could afford to patronize even two. I never should have come to the palace.

“Only if they could find my lyre,” I answered, turning to face Relaria.

The lamia bard shifted her hips in the white, linen tunic she wore. It left her long legs almost bare, the hem only falling to past her slim ass. Her ears twitched as she studied me, her tongue licking across her ruby lips.

“You always were an eel, Chaun,” she purred, a wicked grin spreading on her lips.

I suddenly felt like the mouse.

“You didn’t think I was an eel the night I made you yowl a dozen times. The sounds you made beneath me.”

A shudder ran through her. “Do you still have the scars from my claws?”

“They have faded.” I brought my goblet to my mouth as I struggled to think. Was there anything I could offer her to hold her silence? If she told the Doge my secret, and he learned of Prince Gruber’s reward, I would be clamped in chains and sent to Zeutch to have my head parted from my body’s company.

And if the Bardic College learned I still passed myself off as a Bard, they would be equally inclined to see me dead, though more likely by poison than the headsman.

And Relaria knew it.

Her tail flicked around her body and brushed at the front of my hose. I shuddered as she rubbed at my cock. I couldn’t help the excitement swelling through me. My cock hardened beneath her tail’s playful caresses.

“What do you want, Relaria?” I asked, taking a cool sip of my wine.

Her fingers reached out and her fingernails became sharp claws. She ran them down my shirt. I shuddered at the rasp of her claws and the pressure against my skin. Those claws had stirred such passion in me the night I took her hard. My dick ached more.

“Why, to remember old times.” Her clawed hand reached my crotch. She squeezed. I groaned as her sharp claws tore through my hose and pricked my cock. She didn’t draw blood, but a little more pressure and she could rip my dick off. “Come along, Chaun.”

I didn’t fight as she led me through the crowd, her ears and tail twitching while she licked her lips. No one gave us much of a glance. Clearly, I wasn’t the first person she had dragged off by the cock. None in the palace found it salacious.

We reached her quarters, and she led me through gauzy curtains onto a balcony overlooking the Nimborgoth. The waves crashed below and a cool spray drifted across my skin as we approached the railing. Her fingers tightened, and I winced as she stopped before the ocean.

“Mmm, it’s hot, isn’t it?” she purred, leaning in to lick at my mouth with her rough tongue. “If I squeeze any harder, your dick will tear right off. And yet you are as hard as iron in my hand. The danger excites you, doesn’t it?”

“Yes,” I groaned as my dick throbbed. Pinpricks of pain mixed with my excitement, enhancing it.

“Make me yowl and I <em>may</em> forget what I know of your crimes, Chaun.”

Her hands moved to my shoulders. She squeezed. Her claws dug into my flesh. I winced as she purred in delight. She pushed me down to my knees as she leaned against the railing. The impulse to push her off shot through me.

“I wouldn’t do it,” she purred. “I’ll pull you over with me.”

I believed her.

Relaria’s tail caressed my face as I kissed at her bare, inner thigh. Her toga parted, revealing the red-and-black stripped pubic hair adorning her pussy. Lamia were daughters of Las, a race of all women. And like the races spawned by Las, changelings included, lusts drove their behavior. I sucked on her thigh as her tail brushed about my cheeks and neck, the ticklish delight racing down to my throbbing cock.

“Don’t pussyfoot around,” Relaria moaned. “Sucking my thighs isn’t going to make me yowl.”

“Are you an expert on making women cum?”

“I’m an expert on making them scream,” she purred, her claws digging harder into my flesh. Blood trickled down my back.

I groaned as I sucked and nibbled on her thigh. The pain made my heart race faster. Her hands pulled on my shoulders, forcing my head to disappear beneath her tunic and draw nearer to her tart pussy. She rubbed her hot flesh on my cheek as I sucked on her thigh while her purring moans mixed with the crashing surf.

Her tail pushed down the back of my neck and into my collar. I shuddered as her fur tickled my spine. I turned my head and licked at her tart pussy. Her tail twitched and her purrs grew louder. I couldn’t see through her tunic draped over my head, but I pictured her head swaying side to side as the pleasure built through her.

“That’s it,” she moaned. “Mmm, you always knew where to lick me.”

“You know what I truly am,” I answered. “Pleasing women is ingrained in me.”

“Then please me. Get me ready for that cock of yours. I hope it’s still thick.”

I licked through her folds again. The pain in my shoulders spurred me. I wanted to make her cum, to make her release me. I wanted to tame her cunt. If I gave her enough pleasure, drowned her in bliss, she would follow me around like a kitten.

But if I failed to please her, the entire Quest may be in jeopardy.

I dug my tongue deep into her folds. I licked and sucked through her flesh. I put my all into it. My hands stroked her inner thighs, teasing her, making her twitch and writhe as I probed the hot depths of her pussy. My fingers massaged higher and higher up her thigh, nearing her pussy. My lips sucked on her thick labia, her fur tickling my cheeks.

“Yes, yes,” she purred. “Mmm, you haven’t forgotten.”

My tongue flicked up to her clit. I nipped it. Her fingers tightened and a yowling gasp escaped her lips. Her purring grew louder, rumbling through her body. Her claws clenched and relaxed, kneading my shoulders, the scratches making my dick ache harder.

I shoved two fingers into her tight depths. Her pussy clenched down on them and she yowled again, shuddering on the fence. Her hips undulated, humping and smearing her flesh against my licking tongue. I fucked my fingers faster and faster in and out of her depths.

“Chaun. Mmm, you are eager to please me. You know what will happen if you fail.”

“I do,” I groaned between sucks on her clit.

My fingers curled through her hot pussy. I scraped them along the top of her sheath. She gasped and bucked. Her hips humped into my licking mouth. Her purring yowls merged with the crash of the shores as she came.

Juices flooded into my mouth. A tart flood that made me shudder. Her pussy clenched about my fingers and her tail twitched as it caressed my back. It shoved deeper down my shirt, swaying aback and forth, the ticklish pleasure shooting to the tip of my dick. I groaned about her clit, nibbling on it, giving her more and more pleasure.

Her fingernails scratched at me. My shirt tore beneath her passion as she kneaded my shoulders. Her thighs tightened about my head, pinning me in place. She yowled and screeched as her pleasure swelled higher and higher through her.

“Oh, Chaun, yes,” she moaned. “Ooh, you haven’t forgotten how to use your lips.” She pulled my head out from beneath her skirt. “But it’s not enough. Not by a long shot. You need to please me with that cock.”

I licked my lips and nodded. “I’ll make you cum so hard the entire city of Raratha will hear you.”

“You better.” She laughed as I rose, my heart thudding.

My fingers fumbled at the laces of my hose. I shoved the woolen cloth down, my cock spilling out hard and throbbing. She reached down, grasping the pale shaft. Her hand stroked my dick, her claws grazing my skin. I shuddered every time and throbbed harder in her hand.

It was such a rush.

“You can make this bigger,” she purred, licking her lips. “I want to yowl loudly on your cock.”

Her tail brushed the tip. I groaned and swelled my dick as the sensations rushed through my body. I grew it longer and thicker. Her claws dug into my cock. I feared her claws would pierce my dick as it expanded.

But she didn’t. Maybe she didn’t want to ruin her impending fuck.

“Now show me how you use this cock,” moaned Relaria, her ears twitching. “Drive it into my depths.”

“They’ll hear you on the other side of Raratha.”

“Such bravado.”

Her hand pulled away. I thrust my dick into her tight, liquid depths. Her cunt felt different than a human’s. Tighter and rougher, her pussy ridged inside. Her cunt clenched down on my dick, the ridges increasing the pressure on the tip of my dick as her cunt stretched around her.

“I am a Bard of Az,” I groaned into her ear. “I know how to play every instrument to perfection. You will cum hard.”

“Yes,” she hissed, her thighs wrapping about my hips. “Fuck me.”

I slammed into her hard. She leaned out over the railing, the ocean crashing into the cliffs far below us as my dick slid in and out of her furnace. Her tight grip and ridges made my dick want to erupt right away.

Her claws dug into my bag. The cloth of my shirt ripped. Pain burned in lines across my back as she scratched me. The heat inspired me to thrust harder as my hands kneaded the cheeks of her ass and brushed her wagging tail. Her ears twitched as she gasped and yowled her delight. Her purr vibrated from deep within as her hips met my thrusts.

“That’s a cock I haven’t felt in years,” she groaned, her claws digging into my shoulders again, adding more pain.

My balls ached. I fought against my orgasm. It was hard, but I was a consummate bard. She had to be played to perfection. I couldn’t cum until she exploded on my dick. I leaned in and sucked at her neck as my fingers worked towards the crack of her ass.

I sent a finger probing and found her sphincter. I thrust into her bowels.

She shuddered beneath me and her pussy rippled about my dick. It was such a wonderful experience. She massaged down the length of my cock as I plunged in and out of her cunt. The ridges caressed my dick. Every stroke made it harder and harder to control my orgasm.

I sucked harder on her neck as I fought my pleasure. I fingered her ass. I embraced the pain of her claws. My back burned with agony while my cock burned with rapture. The two sensations washed through me. The pain numbed as the excitement built and built.

The world fuzzed.

“Relaria,” I groaned, my balls smacking into her flesh. I shoved a second finger into her asshole. “Cum for me. Sing for the city. Let them know you are being fucked.”

“Yes,” she moaned. Her purring grew louder. “Rithi’s perfect voice, yes.”

Her bowels clenched down on my fingers. Her tail swished faster, brushing my naked as I as pumped into her. I they shoved between my thighs and caressed my balls. I groaned. They tightened, the pressure swelling through me.

Her ears twitched. Her mouth opened. Relaria’s fangs flashed as she yowled at the top of her lungs. Her claws dug deep into my back. Blood flowed down my skin, hot trickles. The pain slammed into my mind, transforming into bliss as her pussy spasmed about my dick.

I moved to her twitching, triangular ear. The fur caressed my lips as I whispered, “Let everyone hear you sing.”

I slammed my cock into her depths. My balls erupted. The pleasure shot through me. The world spun about me. I teetered, almost falling over the edge of the railing and taking her with me. I grabbed it, holding on even as my cock unloaded blast after blast of cum into her depths while my vision fuzzed.

The pain, the rapture merged and became one.

And then it crashed out of me. I slumped against her, nuzzling at her neck, while I waited to find out if I pleased her enough to avoid the Doge’s irons.

To be continued…

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