himself in the Wolfyn encampment which was now set up in the home of Squire Darah, the governor of the Midlands, who had wisely fled the onslaught of savage invaders. Unfortunately, the squire had not informed his servants of his departure. Nor had he bothered to mention his plans to his pretty young wife who was now seated in the lap of the Wolfyn lord’s commander, a young Wolfyn named Ulf. The woman did not look happy as her captor vigorously kneaded one of her plump breasts, for his nails were long and they marked her skin.
“You are hurting me,” the woman complained as the nails drew blood.
“You have wonderful tits,” Ulf told her. “Our females do not.”
“Do not hoard the wench all to yourself,” another young Wolfyn complained.
“Would Hrolleif share such a prize?” Ulf demanded of his men who sat about Squire Darah’s hall. “There are plenty of women for you among the servants.”
“Just because the lord is your uncle,” grumbled another Wolfyn, “you think you are entitled to the cream because he made you commander of the invasion force. Why did not he lead us himself? I’ve never know Hrolleif to run from a battle.”
“He’ll be here when it is time to take The City,” Ulf replied. He pushed the woman from his lap. “I dislike it when you sulk, Fernir. Here, amuse yourself. You may all have her to play with if it pleases you.”
The group of young Wolfyn stripped the garments from the squire’s wife.
“She is very smooth,” one said running a furry hand down the woman’s back.
They pulled her down on the floor of the hall and began to sniff and lick at her.
The woman screamed as a cold snout pushed between her legs and a long hot tongue began to lick at her most private parts.
“Ummm, she tastes good,” the Wolfyn said, looking up with a grin and ignoring the woman’s distress. He rolled her onto her stomach and growled into her ear, “On your hands and knees, my pretty bitch, and see how Wolfyn take their females.” And in fear of her life now she scrambled to obey him. He mounted her and took his pleasure of her. He was followed by several, but not all, of his companions who enjoyed the squire’s wife and then, satisfied, left her in a moaning heap upon the hall floor.
“Don’t you want her?” Fernir asked Ulf. “Her sheath is hot and tight.”
“I do not like sharing my females,” Ulf said softly. “It is too animalistic.”
“We are animals,” Fernir said.
“Nay, we are half-animal, half-human,” Ulf responded. “If I had my choice I should prefer to be one or the other.”
“If I could be one,” Fernir said, “I would choose to be all wolf.”
“You have not the balls to be the Alpha wolf,” Ulf remarked insultingly.
“I wouldn’t want to be the Alpha wolf,” Fernir surprised them all by saying. “I don’t want responsibility for the pack. I want to run free with it, fighting over and mounting the females, taking my share of the kill. This human body I am encumbered with is too difficult to control and maintain. In my heart of hearts I am more wolf than Wolfyn. And I know that some of the others feel the same way, too. Would you choose if you could to be one or the other of our interbred species, Ulf?”
Ulf thought for a long moment and then he nodded. “Aye, I should rather be mortal-as long as my face were as handsome as it is now,” he opined.
The other young Wolfyn laughed at that remark.
“I’d stay as I am,” another said. “Wolfyn have bigger rods than mortals.”
“Not necessarily,” Ulf said. “Their rods are all of various sizes. Some bigger than others. They are no different than we are.”
“I’d like to have two rods like the Twilight Lord,” chuckled a Wolfyn named Hrote. “Imagine the pleasure you could give with two rods to a woman.”
Prince Kaliq, clutching his cloak about him, stepped back into the shadows once again and removing the garment, was back in his own chambers. He was not interested in the young Wolfyn’s fantasies, but he had learned all that he needed to know. The Wolfyn, like any other species, could be tempted by something that they dearly desired. Now he must devise a way to reach each of them. And when he did, he would make the Wolfyn an offer that some of them would be unable to refuse. Hrolleif, the Wolfyn lord, had just so many fighters. If even a quarter of them preferred being all wolf or all mortal, and were willing to accept the prince’s offer to make that dream come true, then the Wolfyn horde would be weakened.
Lara had struggled to stop any bloodshed. He and his brothers had made equal attempts. But the Twilight Lord would not be denied. He wanted more power than he had any right to have. He wanted Lara. He would have neither in the end, but he would cause a great deal of carnage in the effort. Prince Kaliq sighed. Mortals were bad enough when they were at odds with one another. But when the magic kingdoms fought it was far worse because magic folk really did know better. And Kol knew that the balance between the light and the dark must be kept. Neither Hetar or Terah could be allowed to fall into darkness lest the balance be tipped.
15
LORD JONAH’S WIFE, Vilia, looked directly at Lara. “You are more beautiful than ever, if such a thing is possible,” she said.
“Thank you,” Lara replied politely, “but we are not here to discuss my beauty.”
“Then why have you asked for this meeting?” Vilia wanted to know.
“You love Hetar, do you not?”
Vilia nodded. She sat with Lara in Lady Gillian’s privy chamber.
“And you know that Gaius Prospero is a fool.” It was a statement, not a query.
Vilia burst out laughing and nodded. Then growing more serious she said, “Aye, he is a fool but a powerful fool. One who has managed to gain the support of the magnates and can manipulate the High Council to his ends.”
“True,” Lara agreed. “But he cannot win against the forces of the Twilight Lord without the aid of Terah. You are not silly enough to believe that Terah has ever been a threat to Hetar, Lady Vilia. If Terah was the threat that Gaius Prospero claims, then why would we have insisted on our trading vessels meeting in midsea, and forbidden Hetar from even coming in sight of our shores for all the centuries these two nations have been involved? Until the past few years, neither Hetar’s government nor its people, save for the Coastal Kings, even knew of Terah’s existence. Terah wishes to remain as it always has, untainted by foreign influence and at peace.”
Vilia sighed. “What is it you want of me, Domina?” she asked.
“You yet have influence with your former husband,” Lara began. “We need you to convince the emperor that without Terah, Hetar will fall. And when it falls it will enter into the darkness that surrounds the Twilight Lord. Gaius Prospero, so adept at escaping the consequences of his actions for all these years, will not escape Lord Kol. The Twilight Lord will execute him, for he knows the kind of man that the emperor is, and not one of his allies will step forward to speak for Gaius Prospero. And then Kol will put one of his own in the emperor’s place to rule Hetar for him. His laws will be harsh and he is not a creature given over to merciful behavior.”
“How is it that you know so much about the Twilight Lord?” Vilia asked.
Lara took a deep breath and began to speak. When she had finished telling her tale, Vilia’s beautiful face was a mixture of both shock and admiration.
Finally she spoke. “I think you are far more powerful than you have ever been to have survived so terrible an adventure. I think your husband is a brave and compassionate man that he can live with the knowledge of what you had to do and yet still loves you. But why does he care what happens to Hetar?”
“Kol’s plans were always to dominate our worlds,” Lara replied. “But he also wants me back. He has come to me upon the Dream Plain and threatened Magnus Hauk and our children if I will not return to him. He attacks Hetar first to show me that he will not deviate from his plans. He wants me to see the destruction he will wreak upon Hetar, and then he will attempt to convince me that if I return to him he will show mercy to Terah. But he will not. He will destroy it even as he does Hetar. The Twilight Lord represents the darkness, but there must always be a balance between the darkness and the light. If Kol is allowed to conquer our worlds that balance will be lost. We
