Tender Mercies: Book 1 - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Preparations

Another two days of waiting saw Kelnozz return on Luingirth's back. He was greeted warmly by his companions, and was surprised enough by the growing size of the army that he forgot to question Nordan on his strange new relationship with Kayala. Then again, he supposed he should be questioning Kayala, since he knew Nordan could overlook almost any fault provided the woman was warm, wet, and willing (the willing part not always required).

The dwarves from Rifton and the Stone Isles arrived a week later, swelling the ranks of their army to close to twenty thousand. Confused as to where the additional numbers had come from, the newly appointed dark elven commander learned that men and women had been coming in from all directions, solely or in groups. Martin's work to unite the resistance under their cause appeared to be working, but their problem was now in finding Martin. The ranger and Fyrentennimer had left Kelnozz and Luingirth in Rifton with the intent of gaining the support of the resistance, nearly three weeks later, he was nowhere to be found, and all of them knew that if they did not march soon, they would never meet the evil armies in time to stop them.

---

"They'll come through here," Martin said, as much to himself as to his companions.

A large valley lay ahead of them. On the outer edge of the Periphery, steep hills and broken terrain prevented siege engines and the like from coming through, but it was not so steep as to prevent large numbers of troops to passing through. At the far end of the valley lay a deep chasm. Across from that was more low, broken hills and then the Lost Lands beyond.

"What makes you think they will come through here?" One of Martin's three companions asked him.

Martin turned to face the three woodsmen he had recruited to scout with him. "Have any of you ever been across the Periphery before?"

All three shook their heads, indicating they had not. "I have, many times now. Mostly along the southern edge," he explained. "It is harsh, treacherous, and all but impossible to cross in many places. An army could cross, provided all were skilled climbers, fully equipped, and had months of time at their expense. Our foes know that time is critical, and this is the best place they could cross over."

"Why is it so few people have crossed over?" One of the woodsmen, named Robert, asked.

"The Periphery is home to a great number of monsters, as well as regular patrols of orcs, ogres, light elves, and other evil humanoids." Martin answered, feeling proud of his greater experience.

"Giants?" One of them asked.

"Yes, I suppose so, though I haven't seen any of them yet myself," Martin responded, nodding his head.

Jason, the man who had asked the question, pointed. The others turned to look and saw six giants coming towards them from behind.

"Aye, giants," Martin muttered, slipping his bow off of his back. "This must be the route, if they have scouts this close to the outer edge of the Periphery. Jason, run back to Fyrentennimer and return to Silverton, mark the way well, for you must guide them here."

"What are you going to do?" Jason asked, clutching the axe at his side firmly.

"We're going to kill some giants and hold the pass."

Jason's eyes got wide, checking again, he saw that the giants were all three times as tall as any of them. "Wait until we get them committed to fighting us, then sneak around behind them." Martin instructed. Jason nodded and waited while the others prepared their bows and weapons.

As soon as the giants came around a bend in a small gully, Martin fired his bow for the first time in combat since he had acquired his new arm. He had spent hour upon hour training, striving to be as good an archer as he had been before, but his results were not satisfactory to him. This time, however, his arrow flew true, striking the giant in the shoulder. Martin scowled, he had been aiming for the giants throat. Two more arrows thudded into the giant, one in the hip and another in its chest. None stopped it, nor its five companions behind it.

The archers continued to rain arrows upon the group of giants, felling the first one in the second volley and driving another to the ground with a well placed arrow in the groin. The giants returned fire then though, picking up large rocks and small boulders from the gully they moved through and throwing them back. Caught unprepared for such a tactic, Robert was crushed under the first hurled rock. Jason, Martin, and the other woodsman, Kevin, sought cover from the dangerous rocks. Jason grabbed up Robert's bow and quiver on the way and began firing back at them himself.

The three archers had rid themselves of another giant by the time they reached them, but Kevin's leg was broken from a thrown rock that bounced off another boulder to catch him from behind. A final volley of arrows and Martin shouter to Jason, "Run boy, run!"

Jason was off like a shot, darting around the giants before they could react. Two turned to follow him, but Martin charged at them, wielding his bastard sword in both hands while Kevin fired at them to gain their attention. The giants turned back, seeing Jason fleeing instead of trying to flank them. Battle was joined.

Martin danced away from the wooden club of the first giant and lashed out, his sword biting into its forearm. Another had a giant sized sword that even Nordan would have been hard pressed to wield with two hands, let alone the one arm the giant used. It crashed into the rocks beside Martin, showering him with sparks and stone splinters.

The third giant advanced on Kevin, who was grimacing in pain as he tried to retreat and gain distance so he could continue to use his bow. The arrows he shot at the giant pursuing him did not slow the giant at all, and in his haste, he even missed the immense figure a few times. The giant raised its giant sized warhammer in preparation of ending the threat Kevin posed.

Martin lunged forward and hacked at the side of the sword wielding giants leg, feeling as though he was hacking wood more then anything else. The giant roared in pain, but did not fall. As Martin retreated he saw the danger that Kevin was in and after a feint towards the club using giant, he turned and ran up behind it, a stray arrow narrowly missing his head in the process.

Kevin strove to knock a fresh arrow but the giant about to crush him made his fingers suddenly unsure. Then the giant suddenly fell to its knees and then back, with Martin already turning from it, blood running down the edge of his blade from where he had hamstrung the giant. Kevin offered a quick prayer to Carson and finished knocking his arrow. Aiming carefully, he loosed it and smiled as it flew true and pierced the downed giants throat at an angle that took the point up into its brain.

Martin did not have far to run, the other giants had followed him. He caught a glancing blow off his hip by the club, and because of the momentum pushing him out of the way, was spared being split in two by the giant with the sword. He thrust out, off balance, and felt the tip of his sword sink into the swordsmen's thigh.

Recovering his balance, Martin saw Jason disappear over a rise in the gully, he had gotten away safely. Turning his attention back, he ducked under the sword that slashed at his head, but was caught square in the ass by the other giant with the club, driving him forward to the ground and stunning him for a moment.

Kevin continued to fire arrows, turning the sword wielding giant into a veritable pincushion. It finally turned to finish him off, but misjudged its balance and tripped on a rock, driving it to one knee. It struggled back to its feet, holding an arm in front of its face to protect it from Kevin's arrows. Kevin put two arrows in the forearm of the giant, cursing as he was almost out of arrows.

Martin rolled away from the giant and struggled to his feet as quickly as he could. Fire shot up his spine from his newly broken tailbone, but he forced the pain aside and lunged towards the giant, stepping inside the range of the next swing that came at him. Reacting quicker then Martin thought they could, the giant lifted its leg and drove his knee into Martin's chest, knocking him to the ground on his back.

Martin rolled to escape the quickly descending club, struggling to suck air back in at the same time. The ground shuddered where the club connected, sharp stone pieces drawing blood from the exposed skin on his neck and arms. Martin came up to one knee and swung his sword as hard as he could, cleaving cleanly through the giants ankle.

Roaring in agony, the giant collapsed. It dropped its club and clutched at its brand new stump of a leg. Martin rose up and moved as quickly as he could to slash at the back of the giants neck. His sword rose and fell twice to be certain, then he turned to see how Kevin faired.

Kevin had exhausted his arrows on the giant, firing them into the giants stomach and chest as it approached him. The giant staggered a bit from all the blood it had lost, but it raised its sword and took the remaining two steps necessary to get in range with Kevin. Kevin had dropped his bow and drawn his long sword. Standing with one leg nearly useless, he waited for the giant to swing.

Swing it did, knocking Kevin to the ground by smashing his sword with all its power. Recovering from the swing, the giant raised its sword for the killing blow but was distracted by a fist sized rock bouncing off the back of its head. Looking back it saw Martin limping towards it as quickly as he could. Judging the distance great enough, it turned back to finish of Kevin and was surprised to feel a white hot agony in its belly. Looking down, it saw Kevin's back on his feet, clearly favoring the one that worked, with his longsword buried in the giants belly halfway to the hilt.

Snarling in pain and anger, the giant took one hand off its sword and backhanded Kevin, knocking him to the ground senseless. It pulled the sword out of its stomach and examined the wound. Blood poured freely from it and the pain was intense, but the giant did not consider the wound mortal.

It remembered Martin then, and turned back around to deal with him. Martin was not where it had expected him to be, however. A whistle brought his attention over to the rock Martin had been hiding behind earlier. The giant stared down the length of the arrow shaft Martin had drawn, blood loss slowing its understanding and, more importantly, reaction time. Martin let go and smiled in grim satisfaction as the arrows flight was prefect, slamming into the eye of the giant and sinking in so deeply that the metal tip protruded from the back of the giants head.

Martin let his bow slip down to his side, then he sank to his knees and rested against the rock, breathing heavily. Kevin groaned a few moments later, rousing Martin from his pain induced stupor. He struggled to his feet and limped over to check on his companion.

"Well done, lad," Martin said, kneeling beside the downed woodsman and examining his injuries. The broken leg was easily the worst of his wounds, so Martin looked about for something to help him.

Spying the giants club, he rose to fetch it. Using his magical hand and a half sword, Martin cut the club into three separate foot long pieces. He returned to Kevin and giving the man one of the pieces of wood to bite on, he quickly set Kevin's leg. Kevin groaned in agony and left marks in the seasoned wood. Martin took the wood back and, using some rope from his pack, made a splint around Kevin's shin.

"Rest here, I'm going to check to make sure they're all dead," Martin said, struggling back to his feet with a groan and hobbling off to check on all the giants. All of them had been slain, the one with an arrow in his groin by Jason as he had ran past him to return to Fyrentennimer.

Martin returned to Kevin and found him sleeping. Martin sat down beside him painfully and tried to rest on his side. He kept an eye on the pass through the Periphery, determined to do his job as best he could until the army arrived.

---

There were many times when Alesha had to remind herself she was not in Viconia any longer. She had been ready to leave her house wearing her armor and sword, but Brian had reminded her of the troubles she would run into.

He had gone strangely quiet ever since Alesha had not only survived the terrible wound Rosa had inflicted with the butcher knife, but had survived without a scratch. He could explain away the other things that had happened as strange and unusual behavior, even his own. He could not explain the miraculous healing that his sister had undergone, even after the power he had felt transferred through him during their incestuous sexual encounter.

"Brian, take care of Jeff and clean up around here, I will be back later," Alesha said, her tone commanding again. She had gone upstairs and slipped into a short brown leather skirt, white bikini top, and the same knee high griffin hide boots she normally wore. Regrettably she left her sword in her room with her armor.

"Yes Mistress," Brian said, responding automatically to Alesha as she went into the garage to get her car. Not understanding why he had said it, he found himself dragging Rosa's body into the kitchen and towards the back door of their house.

St. Petersburg, like many cities in Florida, was known for the many bodies of water scattered throughout the area. And in Florida, where there is water, there are alligators. The Koronski family was fairly well off, their father being a partner in a law firm. As such, their house was good sized and even had lakefront access in their backyard.

Dusk had just started to set in, allowing Brian the perfect cover to do what he needed to do. Dragging the body of their maid across the lawn, he took her to their dock and carefully pushed her off the end. Seeing her floating in the water concerned him, and he looked around quickly to figure out what to do. His answer was in the form of the anchor in the sailboat they owned. He pulled it out of the boat and managed to loop the rope around her a couple of times before he let it sink in the water. Only ten feet deep at the end of their dock, it was enough to take Rosa beneath the water at least five of those feet.

Brian came back inside and saw the mess that Jeff had made of himself. Disgusted, he kicked the man once, hard. Jeff curled up in a fetal position defensively, mewling pitifully. Brian could tell the man's mind was gone. Sighing, he dressed him in his clothes again and led him to his convertible Firebird. Jeff had gone strangely silent. Brian checked repeatedly, but the guy simply seemed to be in a trance.

...They arrived at their destination, a resort called the Suncoast. Known as a large gay resort, Brian forced Jeff to look at him and he stared deeply into his eyes. "Jeff, go to the guard at the gate and pay him the cover charge to enter, then go in and head for the leather bar. Do whatever you want to in there, but never think of Alesha again and never return to our house!"

Jeff grinned stupidly, nodding his head as a child with a new toy. He got out of the car and went up to the doorman, clumsily pulling out his wallet and giving the doorman some money to let him in. Then he went inside, moving around the grounds looking for the infamous leather bar. Brian knew that once Jeff was in there, some of the rougher and scarier men inside would take care of him, whether that was taking him under their wing or submitting him to even crueler and more perverse things then he had already been introduced to. Brian shuddered at the thought and quickly drove back home to clean up the blood and other mess still in the house before his father got home later that night.

At no point did he stop and wonder why it was he was doing what he did, nor did he stop to consider why it was he was able to order Jeff around so easily.

... Alesha drove around the seedier sections of St. Petersburg, looking. It was not until she saw it that she knew what she was looking for. The Slavepit. A Goth club, she knew she was home. Showing the doorman her ID (it had taken her a moment to remember to take her purse with her), she went inside and looked around. It was already swinging in the bar, with the promise of being much fuller later. All manner of men and women were inside, dressed in black clothing and leather, with lots of studs and spikes and collars. Extreme make up was in appearance too, black eyeliner and lipstick being the most, but some took things as far as possible, dressing in costume and even fake fangs to pretend to be a vampire.

Alesha smirked at the last, and decided she could use some of those herself. A simple thought and a touch of magic and her canines grew longer and pointed, she smiled felt her new teeth with her tongue. 'Yes, those will do nicely,' she thought, and sat down at the bar to study the club.

"Hey there, it just might be your lucky night!"

Alesha turned to the man who had spoken to her. Only a little taller then her, he had black hair almost as long as hers, and spiked bracelets on. Pierced eyebrow, nose, chin, and tongue, she could only imagine he had other piercings as well.

She smiled at him, showing her new fangs, "Yes, I think it is."

Taking that as acceptance, the man said, "Who knows, maybe it'll be my lucky night too… Can I buy you a drink?"

Her smile never dropping, Alesha said, "No, your luck ran out five minutes ago."

The goth punk's smile faded and he shrugged. "Can't blame a guy for trying," he said, turning away to try and pick up another girl somewhere else.

"I could use that drink though," Alesha said as he was half turned around.

The guy spun back to face her, an annoyed look on his face. "You just told me I wasn't going to get lucky with you, why should I waste my money on you bitch?"

"It'll only hurt for a minute, I promise," Alesha said, her face changing to that of a pouty girl.

"New teeth?" The guy asked, confused as to whether he should spend any more time with Alesha or not.

Alesha smiled and nodded her head. The guy laughed and stepped closer to her, leaning forward to kiss her. Alesha returned the kiss, her arms circling around him and reaching up to caress the back of his head with one hand, his shoulders with the other. She broke the deep kiss and smiled at him, her tongue licking her lips suggestively. His hands roamed over her body as well, caressing up and down her back and grabbing at her ass.

Alesha let her tongue glide down the stubble on his neck, finding the sensation pleasant. Coming to rest where she wanted to, she opened her mouth wider and sank her teeth into his neck. He spasmed against her, surprised. He tried to fight back, but she held him tightly to her, her lips sealed over the twin wounds and drinking deeply and feeling the energy pour into her being with his essence. He struggled against her, hitting her in the back with his fists and kicking at her with his legs. Alesha sent waves of pleasure into him, but even the pleasure did not override his desire to continue living. After a few minutes, Alesha licked each hole in his neck, using the power she had gained from him to mend the wounds. She pulled away from him and let him go.

He stumbled back away from her, his hand going to his throat. He felt around, but could feel no wound. Pulling his hand away he looked at it, there was no blood on it. He glanced around nervously, then looked back at her. "What the fuck was that?"

Alesha opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue, it was coated red with his blood. His eyes got really wide and he checked his neck again. Sitting down heavily on an empty barstool, he just stared at her a minute. She had closed her mouth and was smiling sweetly at him, but he could tell there was something powerful and sinister in her smile as well.

"What did you do to me? Am I… did you make me… I mean…"

Alesha said, "I told you your luck ran out tonight."

"Are you a vampire?" He asked, almost whispering. He paid no attention to what she had said.

"Is that what you want to be?" Alesha asked, smiling maddeningly at him.

"I dunno… I mean, it'd be kinda cool. But I'll never see the sun again, will I?"

Alesha laughed scornfully. "You fool. You will serve a purpose, but as my example, nothing more."

He looked confused. Glancing around again, he looked back at her to see her hold up her hand, palm open as if to catch something. Following the direction, he saw one of the bullwhips on the wall as decoration come flying off the wall and land in her hand. He gasped in surprise and jumped to his feet. He looked around quickly and found the exit and began to head for it.

Before he could get lost in the crowd, Alesha sent the whip sailing towards him. The tip parted the leather jacket he wore effortlessly, cutting painfully across his back. He stumbled forward, falling into a table and collapsing to his knees. The crowd around them stopped talking, turning to watch in shock. It spread quickly, and by the time the man had turned around to face her, tears running down his face, even the band had stopped.

"What do you want?" He pleaded, trying to crawl away from her.

In answer, Alesha made the whip crack in the air, then sent it snaking towards him again, wrapping around his ankle. Using only one hand, she pulled on it and he came sliding back towards her on the slick floor. The bouncers were now moving through the bar, coming towards her. Big men, they expected to have no problems with the smaller woman. She looked at each of them, causing them to halt in their tracks. They stood by, watching helplessly as Alesha let the whip rise and fall expertly, stripping the mans jacket and shirt off of him and leaving bleeding gashes across his chest and arms.

He screamed in fresh agony each time the whip fell, gasping for breath and pleading with her in between lashes. Finally Alesha stopped, his shirt torn and the decorative leather jacket ruined. He was sobbing quietly on the floor, laying there and looking like a roman slave flogged for poor behavior.

"Stand up," Alesha said, not entirely sure his tortured thighs would obey him. He stumbled slowly to his feet, teetering once or twice before he made it. The amount of blood he had lost from earlier, as well as the fresh dripping gashed on him, made him totter unsteadily on his feet. In spite of the pain, he was so tired, he just wanted to get away from her and be able to lie down and close his eyes.

The pain and fear he exuded was nearly as pleasant to her as his blood had been earlier. Neither compared to the power she derived from sex, but in a pinch it certainly did wonders for her.

Alesha walked up to him, whip tapping lightly at her hip. She walked around him and studied the crowd. They were interested, disgusted, aroused, and terrified, all at once. Alesha completed a full circuit around him and stopped, looking at him. She glanced down at his pants and sent a surge of power towards his cock. It flared to life, standing out in his leather pants plainly. She smirked and with another magical assault, caused him to gasp and collapse to his knees, an intense orgasm shooting through his tortured body.

Alesha shook her head, disappointed that he had fallen. She turned away and, using the same trick she had used when she had first gone to Mezarbolle, caused him to be immolated in cold black fames that sucked the warmth and the life from him. He died quickly, screaming all the while.

"Who's next?" Alesha asked, gazing out at the crowd. Some people nearer to the doors turned and tried to run, but with a glance at the door, they slammed shut, magically unyielding to the strongest shoulder.

Another man pulled a switchblade and charged at her. Alesha let him get close then exploded into action, driving her hand into his wrist and breaking it. The knife fell from limp fingers, but it hit the ground about the same time as her kick to his chest drove him to his knees. He gasped for breath and stared at her, stunned. Smiling cruelly, she walked behind him and grabbed his hair, pulling his head back painfully. Terrified, he looked up at her.

A shot rang out then, then another. Alesha jerked both times, then looked down at herself. Two bullet holes leaked blood from her body, one just above her right breast, severing the bikini top string, the other bullet hole was in her belly, just to the left of her belly button. She used her magic to patch the two wounds up immediately, and felt a wave of weakness rush through her. Her power was dangerously low, but only she knew it.

She saw the man who had shot her staring at her, pistol in his hand. Like everyone else in the crowd, he had seen her jerk and had seen the wounds. Then they had seen them heal before their very eyes. He dropped his gun and fell to his knees. Satisfied, Alesha looked down at the man who still remained kneeling with his head jerked back. Bending over, she sank her teeth into his throat, drinking deeply from him. She drained him to the point where his heart had little to pump, and fluttered quietly to a stop. Alesha lifted her lips then, feeling drunk with the new power surging into her. Streaks of blood ran down her chin and neck, draining perfectly into the valley between her breasts.

She let go of the dead man, seeing him collapse limply to the ground. She also noticed that her severed bikini string allowed that part of her bikini to flop down, revealing her breast for the patron's enjoyment. She smiled, not caring in the least but figuring it would further distract the spectators.

"Why did you shoot me, when now you worship me?" Alesha asked, her voice ringing out clearly in the silent nightclub.

The man who was now kneeling looked up at her fearfully. "I'm sorry, Mistress, I did not know who you were!"

"And who am I?" She asked, as curious to hear his answer as everyone else was.

"I… I still don't know," he admitted. "But you must have been sent by Satan to have such power!"

Alesha laughed scornfully. "Nay, pig, you are wrong. I am Alesha! I am the chosen, but it is I who have sent myself! I worship a being far greater then what this world calls Satan. His powers are greater, and so are his rewards for faithful service."

A few people openly feinted now, their ability to comprehend what was going on at a limit. Considering them no longer a threat, Alesha released the bouncers from their magical binds. One charged at her from behind, but the kneeling man scooped up his pistol and rolled to the side, coming up in a firing position. Two more cracks sounded in the bar, the first one stopping the bouncer, and the second sending him crashing to his back as his blood and brains leaked out the hole in his forehead. The other three bouncers stayed where they were, terrified.

Alesha smiled at the man with the gun and sent a magical wave of approval at him. He grinned proudly, feeling he had done well. He tucked the gun back into his jacket where he had hidden it before. The man was bald with a long beard and powerful muscles. A thick leather riding jacket hid his gun, with jeans on his legs and cowboy boots fit for riding a motorcycle on his feet.

"What kind of hog you got?" Alesha asked him, singling him out for a moment.

"Fuck that," He spat out, forgetting for a moment who he was talking to. Then immediately he realized his error by the narrowing of her eyes. "It's a Honda Valkyrie, bigger and better then any hog I've ever seen."

Alesha nodded once then turned to study the crowd. "I'm establishing a new order!" She called out. "Join me and you will be rewarded!"

"What the fuck is going on here?" A man called out, walking out from behind the bar. A door was open where he had been during the entire order.

Alesha spun to face him. "Who are you?" She demanded, squeezing onto his mind with her magic.

He groaned and trembled. "Alan… I own this club," He said quickly.

"Not anymore," Alesha responded. "My question is, do you agree with me or do I have to kill you too?"

She released him then, letting him act on his own so she could be certain of his actions. He looked to his bouncers and said, "Why the fuck haven't you kicked this bitch out of here?"

One of the bouncers motioned to the already dead bouncer. He looked at him and looked back at Alesha. "Who let this chick bring a gun in here?"

"Nobody did, Alan," the biker said, "I shot him."

"Charlie? Why the hell are you shooting my help? I can't help you out this time!"

Charlie, Alesha's surprising ally responded by saying, "Alan, this babe is the real thing. All that shit we used to ride for and try to get going… she does it man!"

Alan looked around nervously, afraid that his image as a businessman was about to be ruined. "What the fuck are you talking about?" He growled.

"Enough!" Alesha said, tired of their chatting. "Give me the club or die, simple as that. I have a lot of preparations to make, and this will be a good place to begin them."

"What, are you going to shoot me now, Charlie? How many times have I saved your ass and given you a place to crash after you got outta jail?" Alan said, scoffing at a woman being in charge.

"Man, I don't need to, she can kill you just as soon as look at you," Charlie said, almost pleading with his friend to relent.

Alan reached in his own suit jacket and pulled out a gun. He pointed it at Alesha and smiled. His smile faded when he saw her grinning. A woman off to the side started screaming then, and she tried to run to the door. Without meaning to, Alan turned and shot her three times in the back. He stared in horror at her corpse and then at the gun in his hands. He tried to drop it but found he could not do it. Then his hand came alive again, betraying him by pointing the gun at his own face. He stared nervously down the barrel, feeling his finger begin to squeeze the trigger.

"Shit! Okay! Okay! You win, you can run the place!" Alan said, still staring at the gun in his hand. His finger had relaxed, but it still pointed at his face as a reminder.

"A wise choice. Next time don't take so long or I won't be as forgiving," Alesha said, releasing control of him altogether finally. "First things first, Charlie and Alan, take care of those bodies and clean up the blood."

She waited impatiently while the two struggled to pull the bodies into a storage room and then mop up the blood and gore on the floor. When they were finally finished the stood in front of Alesha. Alan had been thinking furiously, and had begun to accept that Charlie might have been right after all.

"Now, anybody that wants to join me, can. Talk to Alan or Charlie about it. You'll remember that much at least."

"What do you mean?" Alan said, concerned.

Alesha did not bother responding to him. Instead she shaped her magic and fashioned a spell that Talifernon had taught her for just a case such as this. In seconds, everybody but Alan, Charlie, and her had blank stares on their faces. They moved to an empty table and sat down at it before Alesha snapped her fingers and the band started playing and the conversation returned to full volume, just as it had before everything unusual started. Alesha then reached behind her and untied her ruined bikini, letting it fall to her lap and ignoring it.

A few people glanced over at Charlie and Alan a few times. Eventually one guy made his way over to them, glancing around nervously. He sat down without being asked, not even noticing Alesha was there or that her breasts were plainly visible. For that matter, nobody seemed to notice her at all.

"Hey, I heard somewhere that you guys are into some cool shit," He began, staring at his hands. "I uh, I was wondering if you need any help with it?"

Alesha smiled, things were working nicely. By the end of the night, she had nearly twenty disciples, all of them former Satanists or just people disgusted with life and wanting something different. She had also changed the clubs rules to be clothing optional, and when Alan pointed out the city would not allow it, she just smiled and told him not to worry about it, she would take of anybody who had a problem with it. Considering how she had handled problems so far, he shuddered to think of what would happen.

...Alesha returned home after the bar closed, driving her camaro into the garage and shutting the door behind her. She changed her teeth back to their normal shape before heading inside to find her father waiting up for her. "Have you seen your mother… Where the hell is your shirt?" He said, pointing at her.

Alesha groaned, she had forgotten about her father. "Um, it's at the club, it was bloody so I figured I might as well take it off," She said, not wanting to waste any time.

"What? You've been shot?" Her father stammered, his anger changing to concern as he took a step forward.

"It's okay, I healed it," She commented, walking past him towards the stairs to the bedrooms. "Have you seen Brian?" She asked.

"He's in his bedroom, sleeping," He said, a little stunned by her behavior. "Have you seen your mother?"

Alesha stopped at the foot of the stairs, one foot on the third stair that raised her leg high enough so that when she turned to face her father he could easily see up her short skirt and see she was wearing nothing under it.

"Yeah actually. After she fucked me with her tongue this afternoon I had to kill her. Sorry dad, she was great in bed, but I zapped her into my sword."

His face grew red and he started towards her, the intent clearly to slap her and demand the truth from her. After he had taken a couple of steps, Alesha stopped him easily, taking control of his mind. After a moment of reflecting on how she had sex with her brother and mother, she might as well induct her father into the incestual coven. "I'm a little tired right now, how about you pull your cock out and fuck me with it? Then you'll forget about mom and continue to do your job Bill. Just like you always have." She pulled her skirt up to her waist to show her naked crotch to her father.

The shock on his face made Alesha laugh. Even more so when he looked down and realized that he had already dropped his pants and his erect cock bobbed in front of him. Alesha removed her foot from the stair and spread her feet on the ground as she turned away from him and bent over, resting her elbows on the stairs. She looked back over her shoulder and grinned lustfully at her father.

Her father, stepped forward. half reflexively and half under Alesha's power. He grabbed her miniskirt and pushed it up over her ass. Still denying any of this was happening, he looked down to see himself guide his cock into his daughter's wet pussy. "What am I doing!" He groaned, refusing to believe he was fucking his daughter. Even worse, the way Alesha's cunt squeezed his cock he knew how incredibly it was going to feel.

"Oh daddy!" Alesha enjoyed the pleasure of having her father fuck her. Her body was magically tuned for sex, and she had to admit it did not matter when or where, nut she could handle just about anything and enjoy it. "Your cock feels so good. Did you ever imagine fucking your daughter?"

A noise at the top of the stairs made her look up. Brian stood there in a pair of boxer shorts, a strange look in his eyes as he watched his father fucking his sister at the bottom of the stairs. Alesha smiled affectionately at him and waved for him to come down the stairs. When he reached the step above her elbows, she had him sit down on the stair in front of her. With one hand, she reached into the front of his boxers to pull her brother's dick out.

"You have no idea how wonderful it is to find someone with a cock that springs back to life as well as yours does!" She said, kissing and licking her brother's shaft. She held his cock up and lowered her mouth to lick and suck at his balls, hoping they had not been so tortured earlier that day that they had nothing left. She used her mouth to send a tingling sensation as her magic restored his vitality. Lifting her head, she looked into her brother's eyes as she directed his cock into her mouth, gobbling his entire length quickly. "Mmmm."

Her father grunted behind her, lost in the lust of fucking his daughter. Even though he had the stamina to hold back, he felt something was blocking his orgasm, which made him strive all that much harder for it. What he had no way of knowing was that it was Alesha was using her magic to hold him in check. Every minute he would pull his cock out of her pussy completely, then push it back into her drenched pussy slowly until his crotch pressed against her ass, filling her completely.

Alesha considered telling her father that he did not need to worry about hurting her, but she decided she liked giving him some control on how to fuck her now that his incestual lust was also fogging his mind. Having her briother's cock in her mouth while her father fucked her, being filled from both ends, was incredibly erotic. It was not long before her first orgasm rocked through her, squeezing her pussy muscles around her father and her lips and throat around her brother. It reminded her of the time in the swamp when Kelnozz had fucked her mouth and that troll, Grabbil, had his big green cock in her pussy.

The memory spiked another, more intense orgasm in her, and the clenching muscles made it difficult for her father to thrust for a moment. Then he squeezed her ass with his palms and continued to thrust roughly into her. "Oh honey. I'm fucking you!"

Brian grabbed his siter's hair, pulling her head roughly down on him. She relished it, fucking him with her throat. One of her hands cupped his testicles, feeling them tightening and draw up. Coupled with his quick breathing, she knew he was about to fill her with his incestual seed. "Oh sis!" His cock twitched and his hot cum raced through his cock to fill his sister's mouth.

Alesha drove her ass back at her father, trying to bruise him. He grunted and held onto her hips and pulled himself into her deeper and harder. The feeling was incredible, with her pussy rhythmically clenching and milking his cock. Alesha pulled her head out of Brian's lap and turned to look at her father, she opened her mouth to show him that it was full of her brother's cum. Then she closed her mouth and swallowed the load with a grin.

Her father groaned at the erotic display, and it took him over the edge of his climax. He pushed his hips against Alesha's ass and emptied his own load of cum deep inside his daughter. "Ohh, you and your brother. You and me..." He gasped for breath.

Alesha flexed her pussy around his shaft, milking every last bit of cum out of him she could. When at last he was spent, she moved up one step and cupped a hand over her pussy as her father's wet cock withdrew. She felt tired and enerrgized as she stepped around her brother and continued up the stairs. Her father stood at the foot of the stairs staring at his daugther's hand holding her pussy closed as she went into her room. He put his pants back on then went off to bed himself, still in the trancelike state.

Brian followed Alesha to her room, entering it after her and smiling nervously. "Sis, um, I mean, Mistress, can you show me how you do all these things?" He said, correcting his mistake without realizing it.

Alesha smiled at him and stripped off her skirt and boots. Sitting on the bed cross legged, she nodded and said, "I'm going to teach you a lot of things, Brian. You're going to be my right hand man while I'm here, and when I'm gone, I want you to carry on after me, okay?"

Brian nodded, staring at her beauty and having a hard time not staring at her boobs or pussy. "Thanks, I took care of Jeff and Rosa. And it looks like you took care of dad."

Alesha smiled, "Yes, he's definitely taken care of. Mom was hot in bed, but I bet I'm better. Now go to bed. Tomorrow we'll start your training."

Brian smiled and wandered off to his own room. Alesha grinned to herself. Things were working out well, in a month or two at the most she should have enough people to perform the ritual that would open a rift between Earth and Viconia. Brian would anchor it on this end with what she taught him, and she would be able to go through to the other end. Then, once Viconia was in her hands, she could return to Earth through Brian's link and take over Earth as well.

Alesha drifted off to sleep and dreamed of power and of the domination of worlds.

---

"Well, do we try to stop them from building a bridge, or do we go for help?" Kevin asked Martin. The ranger scowled, knowing that in the extra week they'd rested, neither one of them were healed remotely enough to face a company of light elven engineers. Especially when there were giants providing labor for them.

He was about to admit that they needed to retreat when they heard the sound of someone scrambling up the path towards them. They crouched down quickly and readied their weapons. Jason's head popped around a rock, smiling brightly when he saw them.

"You guys moved, if wasn't easy finding you!" He said, motioning behind him.

Kelnozz, Nordan, Kayala, Vallanius, Throin, and a dark elf the ranger did not recognize slipped into the shallow gully beside them. The unknown elf turned out to be a healer, for he immediately moved over to examine them, muttering under his breath as he inspected their wounds. Nodding approvingly at the splint on Kevin's leg, he began chanting lowly and pressed his hands against Kevin's leg. Kevin grimaced in pain at first, but then his features relaxed and he grinned. Flexing his leg, he took the splint off and tested it with his full weight.

"Amazing! You are a true cleric! I haven't seen any of them in all my life!" Kevin said, thankful tears flowing. Martin raised his eyebrow, he knew the elves had priests, but he did not think they actually had the powers to heal.

"Thank Karthor for finding you worthy of receiving his blessings," the priest said, turning to examine Martin. "What ails you, friend, you seem fit and hail."

Martin blushed and muttered, "It's my tailbone that's broken, hurts like the blazes when I sit on it."

"What was that?" Kelnozz said, pretending he did not hear his friend.

Martin scowled and said, loudly enough for all to hear clearly, "My arse is broke, okay?"

They all chuckled at that, even Throin cracking an unusual grin. The healer went to work on him then, taking care of his injury in short order.

"Ye were right, they be making a big bridge, fit for an army!" Throin said, staring at the other end of the valley where the light elves and giants toiled to build a bridge over the 50 foot chasm.

"Any idea how close the army is?" Kelnozz asked, staring thoughtfully at the bridge.

"Nay, I tried to scout it out, but I couldn't move much. Plus the far side of the valley and the Lost Lands are crawling with those buggers," Martin motioned towards the evil humanoids.

"Well, do we let them cross to do battle, or do we cross and do battle with them?" Nordan said.

"If they be half the engineers dwarves are, the bridge be rigged to collapse with the pulling of a pin or two," Throin said.

"Aye, but if we fight them on this side, they can retreat and collapse it behind them, moving elsewhere to cross," Vallanius said thoughtfully.

"How close and how big is your army?" Martin said to Kelnozz.

Kelnozz frowned at referring to it as his army, but answered anyhow, "More stragglers join us everyday, last count a week ago was a 20,000, half that being dwarves, 5,000 elves and 5,000 humans. They are camped a day south of the Periphery. A camp with no fires to alert the enemy."

"1,000 of the humans being my people, worth three or four men at least!" Nordan said, puffing out his chest.

Throin laughed at that and commented, "Aye, and worth half a dwarf or so!"

Nordan scowled at him, then realized the dwarf was messing with him He chuckled with him and clapped him on the shoulder in a sign of respect.

"How long have they been working on the bridge?" Kelnozz asked, noticing that it was nearly finished.

"Three days," Martin said. When the others looked at him with astonishment he shrugged. "Giants make good workers, we watched them ourselves, either tonight or tomorrow it will be completed, though I judge it strong enough now to support a good fifty men at a time. More, if those giants weigh as much as I think."

"Well, we need to find out how far the army is from here," Kelnozz said, looking to the sky as an idea came upon him. "And we need to know what it's going to take to destroy that bridge."

"Destroy the bridge? How will we fight them then?" Nordan asked.

"Not now, after they be crossing… Keep them stranded from their supply train and without retreat, we crush them like a piece of steel caught between hammer and anvil." Throin said, picking up on Kelnozz's plan instantly.

"Kayala, how strong is your magic?" Kelnozz asked. Seeing her frown at him, he laughed and said, "I mean, can you keep a small force of men invisible, as well as a large catapult?"

Kayala blew out a deep breath. "I think so, but I will need to be close and it will tax me severely."

Kelnozz nodded. "I must find Luingirth and learn how far they are from us. Take a squad of dwarves into those hills over there and begin construction of a catapult guaranteed to take that bridge out." Kelnozz pointed across the valley to a place much closer to where the bridge was being built, but far enough away that it would be behind the wall of the valley. "Hide them well, and make sure they all know the gravity of their situation." The elf addressed the last to all of them, for once discovered, the position would be quickly overrun.

"Let someone else do it, the army can not stand to lose another commander!" Vallanius said, grabbing Kelnozz's arm to keep him from leaving.

Kelnozz looked at Vallanius and shook his head, "Any other dragon will instantly be known to be an enemy. And where I am going, only someone who works as well with Luingirth as I do stands a chance of returning with the information. The elven armies did well enough with you leading them, Vallanius, if it comes to it, you can do it again."

Vallanius started to protest but saw in Kelnozz's eyes it would be a waste of words. He took a deep breath and nodded his head. Kelnozz turned and departed at a jog, heading back to find Luingirth.

"He'll be fine," Martin said, coming up behind Vallanius. "I've only known him a short while and I've seen him get in and out of situations no other man could." Vallanius nodded, he knew Kelnozz skills well, he had personally instructed the younger elf in the usage of weapons during his younger days, but that did not stop him from being concerned about him.

---

Under the cover of a cloud filled night sky, Kelnozz and Luingirth streaked to the north, crossing the Periphery with ease, due to their extreme altitude. After a little over two hours of flight, they saw the signs of a large force camped ahead. Within moments, they could see thousands of campfires ahead and below of them. Luingirth banked away, making certain they did not get to close to it. After only a moment, Kelnozz signaled Luingirth to fly away to the east. After a few minutes of flight, they would turn north and see how well the baggage train was.

They flew east a little more then Kelnozz had originally planned, but he needed to be certain that they were not spotted. As they turned, he caught sight of something a bit further out. Redirecting Luingirth to check it out, he cursed aloud. A second army. Not as large as the first, it was still clearly very large. Acting on a hunch, they returned to the west, passing the original army and traveling far enough to confirm Kelnozz's fears. A third army lay camped.

Had they taken the bridge and marched across, they would have met the van of the evil forces, then both of the other armies would have swept down on them, flanking them and destroying them. Alesha may not be in charge, but the plans she had laid were brilliant and brutal.

Returning quickly, Kelnozz was amazed at the lack of security. Did such a large force consider themselves impervious to attack? He wished he had the men and the positioning to teach them a lesson. He supposed a flight of dragons could strike some serious damage, but each dragon lost would be a terrible blow. From the looks of things, at least they outnumbered the enemy. Perhaps four thousand in each flanking army, with an additional ten thousand in the middle.

---

"Great one, the renegade dragon was just sighted scouting our positions," Lord Kinslayer reported to Ancaruin, who had taken the form of a powerfully built humanoid with flaming red hair and eyes.

"Excellent, should he return after tonight, destroy him," Ancaruin said, leaning back in the chair he sat in. "And allow the men to resume their normal camp assignments on the morrow."

"Yes, great one!" The elf said, leaving the tent and conveying the orders to the captains of the armies. Narellin Kinslayer chuckled evilly. He had to admit, the human woman had a great military mind. three armies designed to enfold and destroy any force they encountered, as well as crowding the campfires with nearly three times as many men as they should have.

Continued in Chapter 17

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