Tales of Dylak-Leem - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - The Goblin's Mistress

It was just around early evening in the Wanton Wench, and the tavern's usual crowd of mercenaries, adventurers, criminals, and ne'er-do-wells was slowly drifting in off the streets of Dylak-Leem. Egrid Hardtusk sat at the bar, nursed her brandy, and watched the room. One of the reasons the half-orcish bodyguard favored this place was because the clientele provided her with a never-ending source of amusement and the occasional fight. Then too, sometimes you could pick up a profitable freelancing job.

Egrid chuckled, fangs baring a bit as she took another sip of brandy. Ever since she'd started regular work for Urdo, picking up those jobs had become less urgent. Urdo paid her well to serve as an enforcer and bodyguard; he knew that she wasn't just seven feet tall and covered in wiry muscle, but was also a skilled fighter with sword or polearm, or barehanded for that matter. She was talented, and was paid accordingly.

Still, a nice little side job made for additional money to go on a spree with, or buy an edge for use in battle. And then there was professional reputation to think about. If Egrid never did anything that would be talked about by those in the trade, it would affect how big a share of the loot she could demand.

Tonight looked to be starting off pretty quiet though. Keo and Lise were sitting at one table, all dark cloaks over black leather, looking like the pair of thieves and grave robbers that they were. The two women were supposed to be skilled, but they had a certain lack of judgment that made Egrid reluctant to have much to do with their ventures. Besides, from the look of the bag they had on the table, they'd just gotten done with a job.

The rest of the crowd were small-timers, riff-raff, and street scum. Nothing of interest there...

Well, hello. Egrid blinked as she spotted an elven woman making her way through the crowd. You didn't get many elves in Dylak-Leem, and this one... Elegantly coiffed brunette hair, silver earrings, a well-cut white dress... a noble line, Egrid guessed. Not bad looking either. Egrid always did have a hankering to try elf, although she'd never had the opportunity. Now what was she doing in a place like the Wanton Wench?

To the half-orc's surprise, the elf walked up. "You are the soldier of the goblin Urdo?" she asked hesitantly.

"A soldier, not the soldier," Egrid replied. "I work for him, at any rate."

"Does... does he heed your words?"

"Heed my...? Well, when I shout, 'Get down boss, they've got fucking crossbows,' he's pretty quick to comply. He doesn't go asking me what he should have for breakfast or how to conduct his business dealings, and I don't offer."

The elf frowned, glanced about the room, then leaned closer, exposing a generous cleavage with a carved white gem on a silver chain nestled between it. "Can we speak privately, in a booth?"

Now what did she have in mind? "Of course," Egrid agreed, standing. After a second's looking around, she took the elf by one arm and steered her through the smoky taproom to a shadowed booth in the back. Both sat, the elf somewhat pensively.

"So who are you, and what's your business with me?" Egrid paused, realizing that might have been a bit blunt. "If you don't mind me asking," she added.

"I am Lady Tesaiel, of House Ordome," the elven woman said, voice soft and hesitant. "I am here on behalf of my sister."

House Ordome... Egrid knew more than she'd ever wanted to know about the elven noble lines, homework from a hit several years back that had wound up going south, badly. She'd had to hide in a barn for over a month, getting food brought to her by a farmboy in exchange for initiating him into the wonders of fucking. Far from her worse lover, but a steady diet of farmboy got old really, really fast.

House Ordome, she recalled, was one of the dead houses, largely annihilated. A few scions here and there, loose ends, but no longer existing as an organized force.

What that meant to Egrid was that the woman she was dealing with did not have the resources of a noble house behind her. Just a name and a lineage, which might open doors, but probably not wallets.

"What does your sister want with me?" she asked, vaguely hoping it wasn't a duel. That would ruin the mood in a hurry.

"She doesn't... I mean... she..." Lady Tesaiel stumbled to a stop, then resumed. "My sister's name is Lanthel. She was involved in a... political scheme... and sentenced by law as a slave. Your employer has purchased her."

Of course, Urdo's new purchase. Egrid hadn't actually seen her yet, but she had heard that Urdo had paid a pretty penny for this new concubine at today's auction. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Lady, but the boss isn't going to let your sister go free just because I ask him. For that matter, it's not my place to make such requests. She cost him a small fortune." No wonder; an elf of noble pedigree didn't enter legal slavery very often, and would be quite in demand.

Egrid vaguely recalled the case that had led up to it; a conspiracy to attack and burn the temple of the Third Snake God. It had been exposed, and everyone involved had gotten five-year slave terms. She shook her head again. That sort of thing was just bad business to get involved in, unless you were being paid a lot.

"I know. I am aware that the goblin will not relinquish his... prize so easily." Tesaiel's face twitched, and she stared at the table for a second. "I would like to make a trade with him."

"What sort of trade?"

"My sister for... for myself," the elf said, looking up to meet Egrid's eyes. The half-orc stared back, first in surprise, then in speculation as what Tesaiel was asking for sank in. She began to mentally undress the elven woman, slowly stripping her in her mind and liking what she saw.

Lady Tesaiel flushed red, seeming to sense exactly what Egrid was doing. She continued to make eye contact though.

"Have you really thought this through?" Egrid said, feeling her own breath coming a little quicker. "He did buy your sister as a concubine."

"Yes. I know. That's why I... I have to... she is my younger sister."

Egrid nodded, breaking the gaze first. "Okay. I'll take you and your proposal to the boss. I can't promise you he'll go for it, mind you. But the idea might tickle his fancy."

"My sister is willful, and difficult to manage," Tesaiel said, sounding a little rueful. "He would find me more compliant."

"He might like that," Egrid said noncommitally. Then she stood. "Shall we go ask him right now? Before, ah, your sister gets broken in?"

"Yes," Lady Tesaiel said faintly. Egrid helped her out of the booth, and guided her back through the taproom to the door.

It was a cool spring evening outside, and the two of them began to make their way through the streets of Dylak-Leem. This wasn't the best part of town, and several times they got speculative glances from lurkers in alleyways that made Tesaiel shiver a bit and move closer to Egrid. For her part, the half-orc trusted to her size and the sword at her hip to deter any muggers.

After a while they reached the great spice market, and the air filled with the odors of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and more exotic substances. Lady Tesaiel's gaze drifted southwards, towards the marble quays, and Egrid knew she was looking towards the slave block where her sister had been auctioned off earlier in the day.

Exiting the market by Squid Street, they cut briefly through the temple precinct. The odors of spices gave way to the sickly-sweet smell of incense and oils. Some of the structures they passed were silent; from others came low chanting. From the temple of Gar-Yek the Burning came the sounds of lovemaking; a sacred prostitute, servicing a worshipper.

They cut through the garden of the Temple of Evil Plants, batting aside the tendrils that tried to snake under their garments, and climbed up a small street that led into the hillside suburbs. This was a well-to-do area, and as they walked the houses got more and more elaborate in size and ornamentation. From a couple of them came music and laughter; parties being hosted, wine being drunk.

Tesaiel seemed lost in her own thoughts. Had she been to many of these parties, Egrid wondered? Surely she must have moved in a very different sort of world from a sellsword half-orc.

Well, not any longer.

Finally they reached a metal gate set in a high stone wall. Egrid opened it with a key, and ushered Tesaiel through it. "Don't go out of my reach, don't make any sudden moves, and whatever you do don't run," she cautioned.

"I have no intention of running. I told you that I-" Tesaiel trailed off in alarm and froze as she spotted the three huge, black-furred forms converging on them from across the parklike yard. "I... soldier...?"

"My name is Egrid Hardtusk, lady. And yes, they're krav wolves. Don't move and they won't hurt you as long as you're with me."

The three krav wolves closed in around them, and Egrid took Tesaiel's arm firmly. "Heyo boys. Good boys. She's with me."

There were some inquisitive growls as the massive krav wolves pondered that. Then one of them reared up on its hind legs, its forepaws driving into Tesaiel's slender shoulders and pushing them back into the gate. She flinched and half-closed her eyes as the beast's muzzle came up to her face, its hot breath filling her nostrils, its white fangs snapping just short of her nose. Then it began to lick her face, like a wine taster trying a vintage he wasn't quite sure of.

"Good boy, Fenrir. Just let him know you, and he'll back off in a second."

Something poked Tesaiel in the stomach. She looked down, and her eyes widened in shock. The krav wolf's erect penis, nine inches long and swollen bright red, was rubbing against the front of her white dress. She opened her mouth, still staring at the thing.

"Yeah, Fenrir does like the ladies," Egrid commented. "Sometimes he gets indulged. If your sister stays and proves as difficult to handle as you say, she might wind up on the receiving end of that organ."

Fenrir finished his taste inspection of Tesaiel's face and moved his tongue down. First it lingered a second along the veins of her neck, then it dipped to her collarbone, then lower still.

Tesaiel gasped in shock as the krav wolf's tongue washed over her breasts. She gave a little moan of dismay, and felt the wolf's stiff penis push a little harder against her abdomen. The warm tongue lapped around her cleavage, then down to the tip of her left breast, and began to tease one nipple...

"Okay, that's enough of that." Egrid firmly gave the big krav wolf a shove. With a reluctant growl, he slid down and backed away. His gaze, though, remained fixed on Tesaiel.

"Just walk along with me to the big house," Egrid said. "Slowly."

Shaking slightly, eyes still glued to Fenrir's penis, Tesaiel followed her closely. "My people believe that krav wolves are evil beings, with dark hearts," she said softly.

"Hmm. I don't know about evil, but they're very aggressive," Egrid replied. "They also have a certain bond with goblins, which is one of the reasons the boss uses them as guards for his estate. It's pretty hard to get past a pack of krav wolves."

"I can... imagine." With an effort of will, she tore her gaze from Fenrir's hindquarters and walked to the front door of the estate with Egrid. The big krav wolf trailed along behind them, eyes watching the sway of her rump as the pace of her steps increased.

Finally they stepped inside the foyer, and Egrid shut the door firmly behind them. Tesaiel visibly relaxed, then seemed to remember where she was and tensed up again.

"Wait here," Egrid instructed. "Don't leave the room. I also don't think I need to tell you not to go back outside."

Tesaiel nodded fervently.

"Be right back," Egrid said cheerfully, and left. She walked through a gallery, up a flight of stairs, and down a small maze of corridors until she came to an office door, at which she knocked.

"Come."

Egrid opened the door and entered, nodding to the goblin behind the big teak desk. "Hey boss."

"Egrid," Urdo replied, craning his spindly neck up from his papers. "Thought you had the evening off."

"I do. Ran into a lady at the tavern with a business proposition I thought you might be interested in."

"Really? How novel," Urdo said lazily. "What kind of proposition? Related to our main business? Because that sort of thing should be going through an overseer, not me."

"Nah, I wouldn't bother you for work. See, this lady is the sibling of the elf you bought this morning. She wants to do a trade."

"What kind of trade?"

"Her for her sister. You get her, sister goes loose."

"Interesting. What's in it for me?"

"Well, to start with, I don't know about your purchase but the sister is smoking hot," Egrid said. "Fenrir was all over her; for a second I thought he wouldn't back off when I ordered. And she's said she'll cooperate. According to her, her sister is a bit hard to manage."

"Yeah, that part I figured out for myself," Urdo muttered, fingering a bite mark on the tip of his long green nose. "I think I like this idea. Is she on the property?"

"Downstairs waiting."

Urdo pondered for a second, then nodded. "Okay. Bring her to guest bedroom two, then go collect our new slave from her cell and watch the interview from the observation post. If I give you the high sign, let her leave. We ain't freeing her legal; we're just pretending she ain't a slave. If her sister stops proving satisfactory, deal's off, and we collect her."

Egrid nodded. "Got it. I'll bring her in."

Urdo smiled a toothy grin of anticipation, and slipped from the room. Egrid half-chuckled. This promised to be quite a show.

---

The walk upstairs seemed to take forever to Lady Tesaiel. Finally though they arrived at a door, which the half-orc opened, then gently pushed her through. She expected Egrid to follow, but instead the door just shut with a decidedly final sound.

The room she found herself in was a small stone chamber, with high vaulted ceilings and a window alcove overlooking the yard. There was a carved wooden chest against one wall, a roaring pine fire burning in a small hearth behind a metal screen, and two bearskins on the flagstone floor. A heavy wooden bed carved with nymphs and gargoyles stood opposite the hearth, set with an ornately patterned quilt in red, blue, and gold.

On the bed sat a goblin in a red silk sleeping robe. Tesaiel had heard of goblins all her life, but never actually seen one before. In the forests of the northlands, they were savage marauders who had fought many a battle with the elves and other civilized races, but Tesaiel was not a warrior, and no goblin had managed to despoil the elven realms in centuries. She knew of them, but only as stories.

This goblin seemed to match the stories, aside from being clad in fine Shen-Lagathi silk and looking relatively clean. He was short, much shorter than her, with long wiry arms and a powerful frame. He was an olive green in color, with a long, pointed nose, equally long batlike ears, clawed hands, and a too-broad mouth that she could see from his smile contained needlelike teeth. His eyes were red and quite sharp, and they slowly ran over her, making her squirm.

"So, you wish to trade your services for those of your sister?" the goblin asked in a surprisingly friendly tone.

"Yes," she made herself say.

"Here's how this will work. If I agree to this deal, your sister gets to go home tonight. She can live out the rest of her five-year slave term acting as free as the birds, so long as she doesn't leave Dylak-Leem. She's still a slave, we're just agreeing to pretend that she isn't. Now you, I can't enslave. That'd be illegal. But you will act the role of slave and follow all my orders. You can of course leave at any time, but that will mean our deal is at an end, and I'll collect your sister. Once her five year term is done, we're through unless you wish further employment in some capacity. Does that sound agreeable?"

She had hoped that she could get the term of slavery lifted completely. But she knew that wasn't going to happen; it would give the goblin no hold on her, and she couldn't expect that. At least the creature was offering her a basically fair deal, rather than trying to hold her permanently. She didn't like it, to put it mildly, but Tesaiel supposed this was the best deal she was going to get under the circumstances. She once again mentally cursed Lanthel for getting into this fix.

"Yes," she said again.

"Good," the goblin said, smiling. "We have a deal." He paused for a heartbeat. "Take off your dress."

Eyes blazing, she opened her mouth to protest, stung by the creature's impudence; then stopped as she realized that she was about to break the bargain seconds after making it. Her mouth shut with a snap, she swallowed, and then she hesitantly began to fumble with the buttons of her dress. Her hands didn't quite seem to want to work right, and it seemed to take forever to get her back unfastened. Finally she slipped her arms out of the sleeves, and pulled the dress up over her head, placing it in a heap on the wooden chest. Then, timidly, she turned back.

The goblin studied her as she stood there, naked aside from two lace armbands and the pendant with her family crest that dangled between her full breasts, glinting in the light of the fire. The cold air from outside, combined with the slight heat of the fire on her left side, made her acutely aware of her nudity. Instinctively she moved one hand to shield her crotch, the other to cover her breasts. Flushing a bright red, she looked down, trying not to look at the goblin examining her.

Examining her. What if the goblin decided the deal wasn't working? That he preferred her sister? Hadn't she said she'd be cooperative? The idea was to make him want to keep her, wasn't it?

Slowly, she moved her arm down from in front of her breasts, then moved her hand away from her pelvis, revealing a trim bush of reddish-gold pubic hair. It was a different color than the chestnut brown of her hair, and she'd always been pleased by it, her personal secret. Secret no longer. Her cheeks burned as she stared down at the bearskins. She could feel the goblin's eyes running up and down her body, lingering in those places she wished most to conceal, seeming to size her up. She bit her lip.

The goblin stood, and shrugged off his robe. Tesaiel heard her own sharp intake of breath as he stood there, as naked as she was. From between his legs jutted an erect, hard, green phallus, the tip ending in a sort of purple-green ball. She could seen black veins along the shaft, and lumps and bumps that made her think of oversized warts. She took an involuntary step back, trying to look at the floor, the walls, anywhere but his crotch.

"You elves deem goblins to be a lesser species. Barbaric, savage mongrels, yes?" He sounded almost amused, she thought.

How should she answer? The last thing she wanted to do was to anger him, yet it was obvious that what he said was true. Elves held goblins to be evil, filthy, savage vermin, an unclean race to be exterminated when possible. Nor were elves the only ones to hold this view. Goblins were not exactly loved.

Honesty was the best policy, she decided. "Yes," she said, trying to gauge his reaction.

"I know. Being a goblin among civilized folk, you can't help but know. I clawed my way to the top despite it. In my line of work a little reputation for savagery goes a long way, as long as you can still be relied upon to do business in a civilized fashion. What Dylak-Leem terms civilized, anyway," he said with a laugh. "That was why I bought your sister."

"I don't understand," she said.

"I know what my people are. But they're MY people. And to have others look down on us... on me... is a wound. A wound that can only be salved by reversing the situation. By having an elf of noble family strip naked at my command, and then stand there, awaiting my next order. Does it sting your pride?"

Her nose lifted slightly. "Yes."

"I knew it would. Goblins to you are not creatures you'd be caught having to tea, let alone... other things." He chuckled, a high-pitched sound. "Turn slowly around, and then back. I want a good view."

Tesaiel slowly turned to face the door. She could feel the goblin's eyes on her ass, and for a brief second she had the wild idea of tearing open the door and fleeing. But, of course, she couldn't. She had crossed the river, and there was no going back. With a quivering sigh, she turned back to face the goblin again.

"Not bad. I think I like what I see better than what I saw of your sister."

Even with the situation being as terrible as it was, Tesaiel felt a slight bit of triumph and smug satisfaction at that. Lanthel was boyish and slim in build, with golden hair that she wore in a braid; not ugly by any means. Tesaiel though had a fuller, more rounded figure, curved in all the right places, and generous breasts that put her sister's to shame. She had been pretty sure the goblin would prefer her body, given the choice.

"Just need a better look... open your lips for me, would you?"

Did he want to check her teeth? Obediently, she opened her mouth.

The goblin shook his head. "Not THOSE lips."

She paled as she caught his meaning. "You want me to..."

"Should I do it myself?"

"No!" Her hand flew to her pelvis. She pushed her fingers through her trim bush, placed them slightly inside her cleft, and spread open her labia. The goblin gazed at her, and she almost imagined she could feel his red eyes going past her fingers, past her spread lips, and down the exposed, red hole. She squirmed.

"Take your other hand and stroke your button."

"Why do you want-"

"What's your name?"

"Tesaiel. Lady Tesaiel. Of House Ordome." Somewhat stupidly, she added, "I'm officially a baroness."

"Very good. Well, Tesaiel, my name is Urdo. And as for your question, the why is because we made a deal, and I expect you to obey. Now do it."

Biting back a reply, she lowered her other hand to her clitoris, and with one trembling finger began to stroke it.

She had done this from time to time in the privacy of her own chambers, at night. Not often, although it was the only form of carnal pleasure she got, not being given to affairs or lovers. It felt worlds removed from standing in the middle of a firelit stone chamber, pussy spread, a goblin watching her stroke. She had never felt so exposed. She had never dreamed that anyone so low would ever see her do something so intimate. Yet here she was, doing it.

She continued to finger herself, not feeling much of the pleasure it normally gave. Normally after a minute or two of playing she would start to get wet. As things were, she felt the sensations from her clit, but the rest of her body ignored them.

She could feel her cheeks burning red. To do this in front of a goblin! She would have been mortified to do it in front of an elf!

After a time, the goblin's voice came again. "Place one finger inside you. Keep stroking."

Biting her lip, she took the hand that was holding her lips open and slowly inserted a finger into her vagina. Now her body responded a bit, by reflex, and she could feel her pussy clench around the intruding digit.

"Move it in and out."

She complied, feeling her breath grow a bit quicker, wincing slightly. She had ridden enough to have no more hymen; well, then too there was that once with Lord Andaru, but she didn't think that had really gone far enough to affect the matter. She wished she were wetter; her finger was chafing against her delicate dry tunnel, especially the nail.

The goblin - Urdo, he had called himself - watched her with evident enjoyment. She could see his penis, which had been mostly erect, get larger and stand straighter. She shuddered. She hadn't expected goblins to be so endowed. And this one was sporting an erection because he was watching her finger herself in front of him. Her digit went in and out, the knuckle pushing against the gripping wall, and she swallowed.

"All right, you can take your finger out now."

With a bit of relief, she pulled it out. Her finger was only slightly damp; taking a risk, she stopped stroking her clitoris, even though the goblin hadn't told her to. He didn't seem to mind, though, and she let her hands drop to her sides. Again she felt those red eyes roaming across her body.

The goblin turned around and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Step forward."

What now? Fighting off a sense of panic, Tesaiel hesitantly took a few steps forward. Her bare feet were tickled by the soft bearskin; Egrid had confiscated her shoes before letting her in the chamber, citing security. She drew closer and closer.

"Get on your knees."

Reluctantly, she dropped to her knees on the bearskin. Her face was now slightly below Urdo's level; she had a good view of his long, pointed chin. And an even better view of his erect phallus. With the exception of the krav wolf outside, she had never seen a male member at such close range. Her eyes dipped down to it, as if drawn by magnets, and she gaped a bit in horror.

The goblin reached out one clawed hand. She flinched as it caressed the side of her face and then slid through her shoulder-length chestnut hair to cup the back of her head. It rested there for a moment, then slowly but firmly began to push her head forwards and down.

At first Tesaiel didn't resist. Then as she realized her face was going closer and closer to the tip of that penis, she began to push her head back.

"Tesaiel," the goblin said reprovingly.

"But... but I can't, I mean, I, I..." she babbled.

"Can your sister, then?"

She closed her eyes, her stomach knotting up. She had come here for a reason. There was no use pretending otherwise. She stopped pushing back.

"That's better." The hand slowly pushed her head down... down... the purple-green tip loomed larger and larger, like some sort of obscene plum... and like a plum, going directly to her lips...

She made a noise of revulsion as the thing touched her lips. She knew what was going to happen next and what was going to be expected of her; she was inexperienced but not young or naive. Lifting her chin, her lips curling, she opened her mouth. The thick green penis pushed inside.

She was surprised, almost shocked to taste a bit of soap. At least it was clean, she thought, then almost laughed hysterically. Yes, as clean as a goblin's cock could be. Very sanitary.

The hand began to guide her head up and down, and the shaft slid in and out of her mouth, bumping against the back of her throat. His balls thumped against her chin over and over, and his coarse black pubic hair tickled her cheek and nose. She could feel the goblin's breath coming a bit quicker as she got into a rhythm. The pendant of her family swung back and forth on its chain between her swaying breasts, the white gem glinting in the firelight.

"Use your tongue," the goblin instructed. She gamely began to caress the side of his shaft with her tongue, hearing him hiss as she moved up to the tip. Maybe this would convince him that he didn't need her sister. It HAD to. This couldn't be for nothing.

She knelt there, her head bobbing up and down between the goblin's legs, her ass slightly raised and shining white in the fire's glow. Now in addition to the soap, she could taste his cock, a thick taste that oddly reminded her of forests and pine branches. Not an unpleasant taste, which surprised her. She would have expected it to taste foul.

The goblin's hand stroked her hair as his breath came quicker and quicker. He began to thrust his hips slightly upwards, while pushing her head down. She began to suck and knead his shaft with her tongue, hoping that this would move things faster...

"Ready?"

"Mrrph.... mrhhhpf?" she replied

The goblin made a growling sound, and suddenly her mouth was full of a salty, warm liquid, flowing down her throat, over her tongue, pooling around her teeth. There was so much of it that she swallowed by reflex to keep from choking. The creature had spilled his seed in her mouth! She was drinking it right now!

The hand left the back of her head and she straightened with a jerk, the cock flopping free of her lips. Green-white semen ran down her chin, a few drops falling down to land on her breasts. Tesaiel coughed and took a deep breath, shakily rising to her feet from the bearskin. She could still taste his penis, mixed with the salty tang of the cum, and she could feel a warmth in the pit of her stomach. Had she really just done that? She was glad that her parents were decades dead, unable to see what their house had fallen to.

The goblin sat back on the bed. "Not bad. There's a cloth in the chest. Go ahead and wipe your face."

Gratefully she took a few steps back and opened the carved chest; leaving alone the many boxes it contained, she took a white square of linen from it. Delicately she mopped at her mouth and chin, then dabbed at her breasts, cleaning away the drops of semen. Once that was done, she sat down on the chest, looking hopefully at her white dress.

"So you're officially a baroness?" There was a faint tone of mockery in the goblin's voice, and her nostrils flared as she lifted her head.

"Yes." Her voice was steady and held the assurance of breeding. "The title of Baroness Emerald Moon is traditionally accorded to the head of House Ordome. As the current reigning lady of the house, I am due that honor, and am so addressed when formally announced." Her voice could not conceal the pride she felt in that.

"How strange. Among my people, a title means nothing without the power that goes with it." The goblin smiled, his needle teeth glinting. "Perhaps your title is more to give status to the one who owns you?"

"Nobody owns me," she said, allowing a touch of defiance to creep into her voice for the first time. "You own my sister. I am here because I choose to be. Remember that."

For a second she thought she had gone too far, but after a second of thought Urdo just smiled wider. "I know. Somehow, Baroness Emerald Moon, that's even better than owning you." He studied her, and she reflexively covered her breasts and crotch with her arms, her modesty still alive and kicking despite the beating it had taken. "You would never have let yourself be made a slave, would you?"

"Lanthel is a fool. A little fool." She didn't hide the contempt in her voice. "Throwing in with those fanatics without a thought for the consequences... what did she think would happen? She needs to be respectable, like me. To bear in mind our position."

"Yet you came here for her?"

"She is my sister, and I am the eldest and head of the House. I have to shield her."

"I see." The goblin crooked a finger at her. "Come join me here on the bed."

Maybe he just wished to talk some more. Tesaiel stood, the odd feeling of warmth still in her stomach, and hesitantly walked over to sit on the edge of the carved wooden bed. Her arms still covering her breasts and pelvis, she glanced over at one of the gargoyles adorning a post, trying not to look at the goblin.

Urdo gave a faint, high-pitched chuckle. "Swing your legs up on the bed."

A tingle running down her spine, Tesaiel slowly pulled her long legs up and scrambled over until she sat on her knees and butt in the middle of the bed. The goblin sat with his back against the wall, watching her. She shivered.

"Very respectable indeed," Urdo said. His eyes glinted. "Do you remember how you fingered yourself in front of me?"

"Yes," she replied, flushing.

"Lie down and do it again, just as you did it."

She stared at him, the hope that he was sated guttering and dying. He grinned back. Overcome, she dropped her head into her hands, cheeks burning at the indignity of it all. To touch herself for him, take his member into her mouth, swallow his seed... a filthy goblin. It was almost too much to bear.

She sat like that for several seconds, then she heard the goblin clear his throat. She could not let him become too impatient, she knew, or he might think better of the deal they had made. She had chosen this path, she reminded herself.

Lifting her face, Tesaiel leaned back in the bed, allowing her head to rest propped against the headboard so she could see what she was doing. She kept her legs closed as much as she could manage while still giving her access to her snatch, and reached down with both hands. Biting her lip, she inserted one finger into her vagina, and with the other hand began to stroke her clitoris for the second time that day.

Right away she noticed a difference from the first time. Her breath stated to catch and quicken as little waves of sensation spread through her pelvis. It felt good, and she could feel the warmth in her stomach start to spread to her thighs and breasts. Why was her body responding now, she wondered? As her finger slid in and out, she could feel it start to grow slick as her pussy moistened in response to her ministrations.

"Did you know that goblin semen contains a mild aphrodisiac?" Urdo told her pleasantly. "It's probably the only way goblin females can tolerate goblin males enough to have the myriads of children we need for the breed to survive. You'd think it would be much in demand, like every other supposed love-aid, yet for some reason it isn't."

Her nipples were hardening. Probably from the cold. "Maybe it doesn't affect elves," she said, trying to keep her voice from quavering as she continued to pleasure herself.

"I suppose we'll find out," the goblin said. "You certainly drank enough of it."

She had. Tesaiel flushed again as she remembered gulping down his seed. She looked up from her work to see him watching her intently. She looked away with a demure expression that ill-fit her current activity, then realized what she'd seen and looked back.

The lumpy green penis was rising again, the purple tip steadily growing bigger and bigger and pointing at her. Tesaiel sucked in her breath. "Didn't you spend yourself in my mouth?" she blurted.

"If there's one thing you should learn about goblins, Baroness Emerald Moon, it is that we are resilient and full of endurance." He favored her with a wide grin, looking from her frantically working hands to her quivering breasts. "Are you wet yet?"

"N-no." It was a lie. She was. Her body was eagerly responding to her hands, even more than it usually did in the privacy of her bedchamber. How much of that green cum had she swallowed? The taste of it still hung in her mouth.

"And yet I see beads of moisture there..."

"It's... it's sweat... from the warmth... of the fire...."

"I see. Well. I suppose I'll just have to help matters along." Rising to his knees, the goblin waddled across the bed to her. She stared at him in alarm, watching as he bent over her.

"What are you...!" she broke off in shock as he reached down to cup one breast in his right hand. Clawed fingers slid up to tweak her nipple, and she squealed, feeling a shudder run through her body. Then he bent his head down over her breast, and began to lick her areole with his long, slender tongue.

"Ahhh... that's..." she gasped, her fingers faltering as they worked at her snatch. The sensation was electric, just as the image was terrible. The needle teeth nipped at her, and she yelped, then stifled a moan as the licking resumed. Her fingers continued to work at pleasuring herself. Should she stop? She hadn't been told to stop... maybe she should keep going...

The goblin was almost draped over her now, and she yanked her head back in dismay as his hardening cock poked her in the stomach. It lay there, olive green on her smooth pale skin, and she could feel it pulsing, growing larger by the second. It rubbed insistently against her, and she looked away for a second in disgust, fingers moving inside her even faster.

The goblin lifted his head from her breast, causing her to make a noise that an instant later she feared he might have took for a whimper of disappointment. "Are we wet now?"

"Y-yes," she heard herself reply. There was no point in lying to him; her finger and the red-gold cunt-curls around her pussy were covered in a glistening sheen.

"Good." He straightened, then made his way around the bed to stand on his knees facing her. "Now, spread your legs for me."

"But..." her fingers faltered and stopped, her hands flying up to her cheeks in shock. "Do you really mean..."

"Yes. Do it."

Feeling a sense of unreality, and still flushed warm, Tesaiel slowly and reluctantly opened her thighs. Could this really be happening? The goblin advanced up her legs, gripped one in each hand, and lifted then even further apart, exposing her moist snatch.

"Has any other Baroness Emerald Moon, noble head of House Ordome, ever had sex with a goblin?" Urdo asked.

"N-no..."

"Well, this will be a first, then," he said. Then he bent forward, took his now erect penis in one hand, and set its head at the entrance to her vagina. Tesaiel gasped, her eyes growing as wide as saucers, and her tunnel felt another flood of warmth at the sensation of the cockhead pressing against her inner labia and clitoris.

"You don't own me," she stammered out. "I choose to do this."

"I know," the goblin said, and then pushed his penis into her.

Tesaiel cried out as he filled her tight hole, bearing down on her. She squirmed and wriggled, not wanting to just lie there and be taken, and felt a flood of warmth as her body betrayed her mind, eagerly welcoming the goblin cock with waves of wetness and pleasure. She tossed her head one way and then another as he slowly moved up and down on her.

The goblin sprawled forward atop her, pushing her down into the mattress. The clawed hands moved up to squeeze her breasts, and he brought his mouth back to one diamond-hard nipple. She could feel the lumps and bumps of the goblin penis sliding in and out against her drenched sex, a steady, thrusting rhythm, and she moaned with a mix of mortification and pleasure. She was being fucked by a goblin, and all she could think of was how defiling it was, and how much more intense and pleasurable it was than using her finger.

Tesaiel moaned again as that long tongue explored her breasts, lapping along the sides of the white globes before coming back to tease the brown rosebuds topping them. Her breath was coming in panting gasps now, and she could feel sweat trickling down her body as it quivered under the goblin's thrusts. The white gem pendant bounced and jumped on its silver chain between her breasts, a bit of goblin saliva marring it.

Her pussy was as wet as she had ever known it, and gripping the thrusting cock almost painfully tight, making her hands grab the surface of the quilt and squeeze for dear life. She'd had no idea she could feel so full, that it would be so large inside her... especially since goblins were otherwise quite small... The treasure house she had kept guarded for so long was being thoroughly ravaged.

"Good?" the goblin asked, lifting his head from her breast.

Her eyes flashed in anger, and she tossed her head slightly. "N-no, it- Ah! i-is n-not- OH!"

Chuckling, the goblin resumed his licking. Tesaiel gripped the covers even tighter, eyes transfixed by the sight of the naked goblin buttocks between her creamy thighs, thrusting in and out, up and down. She could feel her juices running down to dampen the coverlet, and cried out as a particularly deep thrust sent waves of pleasure through her body. She had to watch that, she told herself. She couldn't let him think she was being pleasured by him... by his goblin cock... by his goblin cock stretching her aching pussy as he fucked her over and over again...

"Ahhhh! Ohhh!" she moaned in pleasure, writhing under him. The warmth between her hips was like a fire now, and Tesaiel threw her head back as, against her will, she began to orgasm. Her legs clamped around his waist, pulling them even closer together. Now he was practically slamming her ass into the bed with each pump of his pelvis, and without thinking about it she let go of the covers and reached up to grab his lower back. Her fingers kneaded the olive-green flesh as she shuddered and made soft cries, her orgasm rocking her body with pulses of physical delight. She could feel her wetness running down her asscrack as she convulsed under his weight.

The goblin's thrusts began to quicken as the intensity of her orgasm faded, returning something like coherent thought to her. She realized her hands were stroking Urdo's upper hindquarters, and quickly let go. Her swollen snatch felt achingly sensitive to each thrust, and it seemed like she could feel every ridge and lump as it slid against her soft, tight walls. Her legs were still clamped around his waist, and she tried to shift them, without much success.

He was going faster and faster, and she cried out again, a mixture of pain and pleasure as he took her ravished sex harder than it had yet been taken. To her amazement, shame, and anticipation, she could feel a second orgasm starting to rear its head. His balls thumped against her thighs like a drumbeat, matching the pounding of her heart, and she gripped the quilt again.

Then, suddenly, Urdo gave one last, long thrust, making her cry out with pain and sensation. A hot, wet flood, fountained inside her cunt, the flow almost like a shock, gushing towards her womb and down around the pulsing shaft filling her. The goblin pressed down, groaning an animal groan, his crotch grinding into her drenched sex as her legs tightened even more in reflex.

They lay like that for a few seconds, panting, winded, tensed. Then, with a startled gasp, Tesaiel unclasped her legs, letting them fall back down to the surface of the bed. She watched as he raised himself off her belly and then sat back, pulling his slowly shrinking penis out of her with a moist slurping noise.

Her red-gold bush was matted and soaked with her own juices and green-white goblin semen. As she stared, more of the stuff dripped from her still-open pussy. She hadn't known sex was so messy. The promised second orgasm began to fade unfulfilled as Tesaiel looked over her ravished, glistening body and the reality of what had just happened began to sink in.

---

After closing the door, Egrid did as she had been bid and strolled through the mansion and down to the small cellblock they kept under it. The place was hardly a dank dungeon; the walls were stone, but the cells were kept well-heated and supplied with a bench and whatever the prisoner could be trusted with. Still cells, though.

The cell Egrid approached contained an elfmaid with blonde hair kept in a braid, a snub nose, and a scowl. Her body was rather slim and boyish under a slave's frock that ran from her neck to the top of her thighs, leaving practically all of her legs exposed. Not as womanly as her sister, but not bad either, Egrid thought.

"One of that green wart's thugs?" the elf said snidely. Definitely a sharper personality than her sister.

"That's right," Egrid said cheerfully. "Just going to bring you somewhere else in the building for a bit, and then we'll see."

"You'll have to drag me."

"I can drag you if you want. But if you come along and behave, maybe you can get out of here tonight."

The elf laughed. "Yeah, right."

"I'm serious... Lanthel, wasn't it?"

"Yes. And I know how much your boss paid for me." She smiled in pleasure. "I was up there on the block in silver chains while half the city leered at me and kept bidding higher and higher. I even posed a bit and stuck my ass out to make the price go even higher, to screw over whoever bought me as much as I could. There's no way he's going to let me go."

"Your sister is here, negotiating with the boss," Egrid told her. "Between you and me, I think she's got a good shot."

Lanthel frowned, looking surprised, then slightly concerned for the first time. "Tesaiel? I'm surprised she would even deign to speak to a goblin. Usually she stays cloistered in the small estate we have left. I hope she doesn't give him everything we have left. Not that that would be even a fraction of what she'd need to un-buy me."

"Well, we'll see. Are you going to come with me?"

Lanthel thought it over, then nodded. Grunting in satisfaction, the half-orc took a silver collar and chain from a shelf. Opening the cell door, she fastened the collar around Lanthel's delicate neck, and kept hold of the chain end. "Just so that you don't get it into your head to dash off all of a sudden."

"The thought had occurred to me," the elf admitted casually.

Egrid snorted, and gave the chain a short tug. With a sour look, Lanthel followed her out of the cell, and they made their way up out of the prison.

Lanthel moved ahead slightly as they went up the stairs, and Egrid watched the sway of her ass admiringly as it peeked out from under the slave frock. Her hips weren't as curved as her sister's, but still looked like they could give a good time. The half-orc licked her lips.

The elf glanced back, eying Egrid with an amused look. "Admiring the view?"

"Oh yes," Egrid admitted, unembarrassed. She had never been shy about liking the ladies, or anyone else for that matter.

"I could practically feel your eyes sliding up my ass. Just like your boss. I bit him," she added smugly.

"Are you going to bite me?" Egrid said, smirking.

"Don't get your hopes up."

They came up to a landing, walked through a door, and started down a long hallway hung with nudes, mostly human.

"So you were going to burn down the temple of the Third Snake God?" Egrid asked.

"Something like that. If I ever catch whoever betrayed us, I'll cut their tongue out," Lanthel said. "Those slithering bastards LAUGHED at us as we stood in the dock. Their time will come."

Egrid just shook her head. She didn't pretend to understand the grudge the elf obviously had, but then political and religious strife was something she'd always steered well clear of. She stuck to simpler issues, like, was there money in it.

Finally they came to a small alcove. Set against the far side of it was a small glass window, slanting down. Lanthel glanced over at her escort uncertainly as they approached it. "What is this?"

"It's an observation port into the room where your sister is negotiating with the boss. It's set along one of the roof vault beams at a special angle, so we can see in but they can't see us. Useful for keeping an eye on things, or people."

"I see. Well, I guess we'd better see if my sister is having any luck." Lanthel approached the window and peered down. Then she gasped in shock.

Looking through the port, Egrid could see why. Tesaiel was lying naked on the bed, her hands between her legs, pleasuring herself. Urdo sat beside her, watching with obvious interest.

Lanthel stared down through the glass, completely at a loss for words. Egrid just enjoyed the view. Tesaiel looked as good as she had imagined nude, and that fingering...

Urdo moved to take one round breast in his mouth, and Lanthel gasped. "S-she's letting him touch her! My sister! Tesaiel!"

"She is, isn't she?" Egrid agreed. "More to the point, she's still fingering herself."

"So she is," Lanthel said, biting her lip.

They watched as the goblin suckled at her tit. "Do you think she'll let him put it in?" Egrid asked.

"No! Never!" Lanthel said. Her eyes went back to Tesaiel's self-pleasuring. "Maybe."

The blonde elf was staring to breathe a little more quickly herself, Egrid noticed. Interesting.

Below them, Urdo had sat up and was saying something. They watched as in response, Tesaiel slowly spread her legs. "Oh sister," Lanthel murmured, the sound containing an odd mix of pity and... arousal?

The goblin stuck it in, and the two began to move in unison. Lanthel sucked in her breath, and slowly moved one hand down to her crotch.

Egrid shook her head in bemusement as she realized how much the blonde elf was getting off on watching the goblin fuck her sister. For that matter, Egrid was starting to get pretty wet herself. Should she do something about that?

What the hells. Snaking one scarred hand around, Egrid stealthily brought it behind Lanthel's ass, and then up. Her fingers slid along the smooth cheeks, then past them to tighten around the elf's crotch.

Lanthel squealed, now clearly breathing hard. She didn't take her eyes from the viewing port. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Egrid said, her fingers probing until they found the entrance to the elf's snatch. Unlike her sister, Lanthel had shaved it bare. She was also already nice and moist, from the feel of it.

"Well, hurry up and do it, then," Lanthel said, a half-annoyed, half-amused tone in her voice. "I don't know how long Tesaiel will last."

No need to tell her twice. Egrid shoved two fingers deep into Lanthel's cleft, making the elf gasp with pleasure. The blonde was stroking her button with one hand, and now the other hand went to one breast to caress her own nipple. Her eyes remained fixed on the bed below, though.

The half-orc dipped her free hand into her own pants to stroke herself as she finger-fucked the elven maiden. Lanthel gave a long sigh, her back arching slightly. A few drops of liquid began to fall from between her legs to drip on the flagstones.

"The boss is really going to town on her," Egrid said, looking over the elf's shoulder.

"I don't know how Tesaiel is enduring it."

"Enduring what?"

"Having his cock rammed into her, over and over and over, making her - Ah! - moan as her delicate womanhood is ravaged by his thick green OH!" Lanthel let out an elvish curse as Egrid slipped a third finger inside her. "I'm small! Be AH! careful!"

"You ARE small," Egrid agreed. "I can barely see your tits bounce through that smock. Not like these." She lifted her hand from her own pants to unbutton her shirt, letting her own massive breasts tumble out. They were a dark brown-green with jet black aureole, and Egrid pressed them against the back of Lanthel's shoulders. The elf tittered a little and pressed her head back and down into the pillowy spheres, grinding her labia into Egrid's hand as she did.

Below, Tesaiel had wrapped her legs around her stunted paramour and was convulsing in orgasm. Her flushed sister drank in every second of it as the drops of liquid on the flagstones became a small flood, and before long she let out a strangled cry and turned her head sharply, biting down on one of Egrid's breasts as she began to climax.

Egrid cursed, not really hurt but surprised, and after a second the teeth let go. As the shudders started to lessen, she pulled her three fingers out of the elf's sopping cleft. Grinning, she brought them up to Lanthel's face and drew them across the delicate lips. A dainty tongue slid out to lick the moist fingers.

Below, Urdo was pulling himself off the prostrate elven noble. He sat back, leaving his lover spread and panting, and subtly raised one hand in a signal.

"Looks like you get to go home," Egrid murmured, stepping back and buttoning her shirt. She hadn't had as much time as she would have liked to work on her own pleasure, but business first. "Tesaiel will be staying."

Lanthel slowly got her wind back, looking back down through the viewing port. "My poor sister," she murmured.

"C'mon. I'll take you downstairs, we'll put a robe on you, and I'll walk you back to your home. It's not safe out at night."

"After you," Lanthel agreed, and with once last glance at the viewing port, they turned and walked off down the hall.

---

Tesaiel sat on the bed, knees drawn up, slumped against the cool stone wall. Next to her a cool breeze flowed from the window alcove set into the wall towards the bed's middle, and she gave a faint shiver, very aware of her nudity, of the beads of moisture still dotting her body. Urdo had gotten up, and was walking over to the carved chest.

She listened to the crackle of the fire in the hearth. Her own scent came to her, smelling different and alien, a mixture of lavender, her cum and his semen, and the twin odors of elf and goblin sweat. It reminded her of dark, tangled woods and forgotten glades, of woodsmoke and wet rope. It was quite different than how she normally smelled, even after pleasuring herself in her lace-decked bedchamber. Like a different person altogether.

Tesaiel stared down at herself, face pensive and tired. Her labia still was covered in the pale green goblin seed; she considered trying to wipe it off, but decided to keep her hands clean. When he dismissed her in a few minutes she could bathe, or at least get a towel. She sighed, her head hanging.

Urdo took a wooden box from the chest, and opened it. From it he extracted two elven crystal wine glasses and a bottle of red wine. Deftly he poured both glasses, then, a cup in each hand, he walked back over to the bed to sit propped up next to her. "Here," he said, offering her one.

She took the offered glass with a bit of gratitude; after the experience she had just gone through, she could use a drink. Taking a dainty sip, she was pleasantly surprised to find the wine to be a good vintage, better than she would have at her own table. Her next sip was a longer one.

"You were pretty good," the goblin said, taking a long drink. "I definitely enjoyed that."

"Of course you did," Tesaiel said sourly, her nose raising slightly. "I told you I would be better than my sister."

"Don't you think your sister would have been as much fun?"

"Certainly not." Her pride was stung, ridiculously. "I was much better than she would have been." She was convinced it was the truth. Lanthel could never have taken the goblin's penis as well as she had just done. She was far superior.

She stared glumly into the ruby-red wineglass, her knees swaying a bit as she slumped a bit further down so that her butt was on the coverlet instead of pressed against the stone wall. She couldn't believe what she had just done. When she had conceived of her plan to rescue Lanthel it had all seemed very remote and unreal, the implications alarming but unformed in her mind. Now they were very real and very formed, formed in the image of a goblin fucking her as she writhed on this very bed and moaned...

Tesaiel hurriedly took another gulp of wine, face flushing.

"I assume you have training as a hostess?" the goblin asked. "You can politely serve food and drink to guests?"

"Well enough for any house of yours," she said, letting a bit of her disdain show in her voice.

"Can you write a good hand?"

"I can." Her calligraphy was excellent.

"Good. Those two skills will keep you useful."

"I am extremely useful. You're fortunate to have me, even at the price."

"Full of yourself, too." Urdo glanced at her, a curious expression on his sharp features. "Haven't been humbled at all?"

"Not even remotely. I told you. I chose to do what was done tonight." She looked away.

They sat there for a time in silence, listening to the pine logs crackle in the grate, Tesaiel sipping slowly at her wine.

The goblin finally looked over at her and grinned. His gaze ran over her bare chest, then down to her matted bush. She noticed and flushed, moving her free hand to cover her sex.

"It's a bit late for that." He chuckled, a high-pitched noise. "Did I give you pleasure?"

"You presume," she said coldly, and took a sip of wine.

His eyes glinted red. "Look here," he said, pointing to his groin.

Her eyes dipped down unwillingly, and saw the olive-green penis coming erect again, the purple tip engorged and flaring. She choked, spilling wine on her breasts as she saw it rearing up to point one baleful eye at her. "You cannot be serious," she sputtered. "You just did it! You should be spent!"

"As I said, goblins have great endurance," Urdo said, dark amusement in his voice. He took the half-empty wineglass from her unresisting hand, and set both glasses on the floor beside the bed. "Now, turn around to face the window, on your knees."

"But we just..." She cut off her protest as he raised a finger. Flushing crimson, Tesaiel got up onto her knees and turned around to face the window alcove, exposing her buttocks to the goblin. With a little shove, he pushed her forward and down, until her face and the front of her breasts were pressed up against the window. Her hands reached down to grab the bottom of the alcove, to keep herself from falling.

It was cold in the window, and Tesaiel shivered as a drop of ruby wine slowly slid down one breast to bead at her hardening nipple. In this position, her pert ass was slightly hiked in the air, and her already-ravaged snatch exposed to Urdo's view. She knew what he was probably going to do, and found herself growing a little wet. Silently she cursed the aphrodisiacal properties of his seed, then wondered if she would get that second orgasm after all.

The goblin placed both clawed hands on her ass and squeezed, causing her to flinch and make a startled noise. He slowly caressed both cheeks, the taloned fingers leaving faint red marks when he pressed down hard, and then moved his hands down to spread her swollen outer lips. She bit her lip, hands clenching on the floor of the alcove, and waited.

Without warning, she felt his fully erect penis punch into her, sending her lurching forward with a gasp. His clawed hands gripped her torso as he began to slowly hump her, causing her breasts to sway back and forth.

Tesaiel had thought she was sensitive the first time he had deflowered her. Now, already fucked once, her vagina informed her that she was mistaken. She could feel every bump, ridge, and contour of the goblin organ as it ravished her tight cunt, thrusting in and out, making her moan with mingled pleasure and pain. She felt herself growing wetter and wetter, the vanished second orgasm rearing its head again.

She moaned again, then forced herself to stare out the window. She couldn't let him think she was enjoying this. The pendant with her family crest swung back and forth between her heaving breasts, rhythmically tapping against the windowpane. Outside was a cool night with a full moon. Tesaiel had a good view of the yard and the gate she had come in by. She was startled to see two yellow orbs glowing in the moonlight, gazing up at her. A little shudder ran through her as she suddenly knew it was Fenrir, sitting, watching.

As she watched, two people appeared, walking out of the house. The half-orc guardswoman, and... yes, it was her sister. It was Lanthel, wearing a long blue robe. As she watched, the two of them walked towards the gate. The goblin was letting her go.

Tesaiel's next moan had a tone of triumph to it. She had preserved her sister's purity, and at least one of them would remain unravished. She had won.

"You sound happy," Urdo said, quickening his thrusts.

"Y-yes... n-no... I... AH! AH!" She threw her head back as her orgasm started to rock her quivering, slick body. "Oh gods! OH! OH! AHHHHH!"

"Well, you'll have a while to make up your mind which it is," the goblin said, panting a bit himself as he slowly pumped away at her. "My third time, I'm always slow to come."

---

As they walked out the gate, Egrid heard Fenrir whine. Odd, the big krav wolf hadn't even looked at Lanthel. Turning back, she glanced at where he sat, staring fixedly up at the house, then followed his gaze.

Egrid had good night vision. Dimly, in an upper window, she could make out a face with two bare white breasts below it. Below and beneath them, something glinted as it swung back and forth, a white carved gem on a silver chain.

Shaking her head, Egrid turned back to Lanthel. "I'll walk you home now. Think you can give me a cup of brandy in payment?"

"I think that can be arranged. Tesaiel has a good vintage laid down; I'll raid her cellar." Lanthel gave a half-smile. "I'll let you in."

"Just what I hoped." Egrid smiled broadly, and the two began to make their way through the moonlight basalt streets of Dylak-Leem. Behind them, for a long time, the krav wolf stared obsessively up at the shape in the high window, his tongue lolling out, his yellow eyes glowing.

To be continued?

---