This material is copyrighted.  It has been posted to Alt.Sex.Stories Text
Repository (www.asstr.org), the alt.sex.stories newsgroup and to
StoriesOnline (www.storiesonline.net) If it is found anywhere else, it has
been used without the author's express permission, and the author should be
notified immediately.



Chapter 19: Words and Blood



I set the box down and stood up. "Vincent! Attend me!"

He hurried over immediately. "I want four strong men to
carry this palanquin to my tent immediately. Tell them to be
careful, because if they draw a whimper from within it, I'm
likely to hurt someone very badly. I want the two best
horsemen and the six fastest mounts made ready. Send the
horsemen to my tent when they are ready. Go!"

He turned and raced back to my assembled force.

"Carlton!"

"Yes, Your Grace?" He spoke at my elbow.

"Put together something to ease her pain. Probably something
she can inhale, I don't think she will be able to swallow
anything now. Then I want you and the surgeon to examine her
thoroughly. Look for other injuries, especially something
that would be fatal, but not immediate."

"Yes, Your Grace." He made his way to where the surgeon
observed, then the two of them went to the hospital tent.

"Iris, go find Mystique and Travis." Travis was the officer
in command of the soldiers that had accompanied me. "Bring
them to my tent. Kaylene, come with me." As I spoke, four
strong young men approached. I was pleased to note that they
were of uniform height. "Carry this palanquin to my tent. Be
very careful, there is a badly injured child inside it. Make
her cry, and you'll bleed."

They looked at each other, then at me, then stooped down to
carefully lift the platform. I knew I'd shocked them. I have
never been one to threaten my subjects, or to offer
undeserved punishments. But something they saw convinced
them I meant exactly what I'd said this time.

"Kaylene, I need you to write dispatches for me, one for His
Majesty, and one for Her Ladyship, Marquise Eleanor." As we
made our way to my tent, I could see Mystique and Travis
headed toward it, as well as Vincent and two young men I
didn't recognize. At the doorway Carlton and the surgeon
were filling a censer with aromatic wood shavings and what
looked like poppy paste.

When the men carrying the palanquin arrived, Carlton set the
censer inside and lit it, then closed the drapes surrounding
it. "She should be unconscious in a few minutes, Your Grace,
then we'll let it air before we begin our examinations."

I nodded. One thing I'd learned over the long decades of my
existence was to let those I relied on for their expertise
do what they did best, without my trying to second guess
them. "We'll be inside, then."

I stood in the center of my tent as my batmen removed my
armor. As they worked, I spoke to the two chosen horsemen.
"You will carry dispatches to the King and the Marquise. I
expect these dispatches to result in the sending of
additional forces to us. If so, you will accompany these
forces back here. Because speed is essential, you will each
have two extra mounts. Use them well."

I then proceeded to dictate to Kaylene the dispatches. I
described the actions of Terrence, and informed them that I
intended to take action as soon as possible, and that I
intended to annex the County until such time as a new Count
or Countess was appointed. When Kaylene finished writing the
messages, I signed and sealed them, and sent the riders on
their way.

Then I turned to Mystique and Travis. "I intend to declare
Terrence a traitor, and force him to respond to the charge.
I hope he'll make a personal challenge, but I'll settle for
his Champion. If he doesn't except personally, I want his
castle infiltrated, and on the signal his forces decimated
and Terrence brought to me alive. Prepare the proper plans
and be ready to initiate it within three nights."

"Yes, Your Grace," said Mystique.

"Your Grace?" Carlton stood in the doorway to the tent.

"Yes Carlton?"

"Your Grace, the girl is dieing. Besides the obviously
sadistic assaults, her attacker crushed her ribs in such a
manner as to puncture her lungs, and also inflicted great
damage to her liver and lesser damage to her kidneys. It is
obvious that their intent was a slow death. And I'm sorry to
say, we can do nothing to save her. With your permission,
I'd like to end her suffering."

I was about to grant his wish when Iris leaned down and
whispered in my ear. My eyes widened as she spoke, and I
motioned Kaylene and Mystique to join us. The others watched
as we huddled together, unable to hear what we said, but
occasionally seeing us gesture and watching the play of
emotions and ideas across our faces.

"Alright, it's worth a try. Carlton, you and Felix bring
Cynthia in here and lay her on my bed. Bring that alabaster
box with you."

Felix, the surgeon, looked like he wanted to argue, but
Carlton simply touched his arm and led him back out.

Kaylene went to fetch a bowl and several clean cloths, as
well as one of my daggers. Mystique led Travis from the tent
and instructed him to study the blueprints of the castle His
Majesty had supplied.

At last, only Iris, Kaylene, Mystique, Carlton and the
surgeon remained with me in the tent. "Carlton, open the box
and show Felix."

The surgeon looked inside, then looked at me in outrage.
"How could they?"

"It doesn't matter at the moment. I want you to place them
back where they were removed from, though."

"Your Grace, I can't replace them! The damage is beyond my
ability to repair..." Then he swallowed as he realized what
I hoped to accomplish. "Is it possible, Your Grace? Do you
think it will work?"

I gave a small shrug. "I don't know. If it doesn't, she
won't be any worse for our trying. So, if you please?" I
indicated the items within the box.

As Felix carefully placed the items, Kaylene opened my wrist
with the dagger as Mystique held the bowl to collect the
blood that flowed out. When the bowl was full, Kaylene held
the wound closed while it healed. Iris looked to see Felix
was finished, then dipped a cloth in the blood. As Carlton
held Cynthia's mouth open, she let drops of blood flow from
the cloth onto the injury.

We knew the blood was having some effect when whimpers of
agony and groans began to emanate from the unconscious
child. Iris wet the cloth again, and washed the girls
eyelids with the crimson liquid. As we watched, the blood
was absorbed into the skin and Iris again bathed the eyes
with blood. The whimpers quieted down, and Cynthia's eyelids
began to flutter as if she dreamed.

"OH PLEASE, DADDY!" she suddenly cried out, and her eyes
flew open in terror. She looked at the unfamiliar faces
surrounding her, and tried to sit up. "Who are you? Where is
my daddy? Please, tell daddy I'll be good! I'll always be a
good girl!"

It was Kaylene that moved to reassure the child, and offered
her comfort. It was soon evident that we had enjoyed more
success than Iris had dreamed. And we learned that Terrence
was even crueler then we'd known.

First, he'd told the child of her mother's fate, and then as
she'd sobbed her distress, he'd told her what he intended
for her. Finally, he'd watched as his friend Salazar had
beaten her. She'd finally fainted when Salazar had poked his
finger into her eye. That was the last thing she remembered
except for pain and movement.

"I'm sorry Cynthia. Your daddy's daddy has sent us to punish
him. You won't be able to go home to him again."

She thought about what Kaylene had told her. "Will you
punish Salazar, too? He's very mean. All the girls are
afraid of him."

When I spoke, she studied me closely. "I think that Salazar
needs to be punished, yes. We'll make sure he can't hurt
anyone again."

She climbed down off my cot and approached me. With her
hands on her hips, she looked me in the eye and demanded:
"Who are you?"

With a smile, I stood and bowed deeply to the little girl.
"My name is Alexander Halc'on de Pena."

"I heard my daddy talking about you! He said you were a,"
here she used a horribly obscene phrase. "He called you a
Duke, too. What's a Duke?"

When my ears stopped burning at her use of that phrase, I
explained about Dukes and Kings and Counts.

She nodded then yawned largely. By agreement, we let Kaylene
attend to the child, and the rest of slipped out. The sun
was high, so I dashed to the nearest command tent with the
rest following.

"Alright. Tomorrow at dawn I want our Herald to stand before
Gaiford's gates with me and denounce Terrence as a traitor.
Hopefully, this will outrage him, and he'll offer challenge.
But I think him too cowardly to fight himself, so likely
I'll meet his Champion. That's fine, I don't mind killing
his henchmen one at a time. But I want to know more about
this Salazar."

I turned to Mystique. "Can we get to our spies and debrief
them tonight?"

"Aye, Your Grace. But we may have difficulty getting out
before dawn."

"I understand. Talk to them about infiltrating our people
the next few nights. See how many they think we can get
installed."

"Yes, your Grace."

"This ends on the fourth night. Terrence will be in our
hands, and his forces will be compliant or dead. Make sure
our people are well rested, and fully prepared."

I dismissed my officers, and had one of the servants set up
a doublewide cot in the inner room. Then I took out the bag
of my Garden's gemstones. I reached in and selected one,
then sent a runner to find Felicia, and inform her that she
was invited to join me as I rested.

With a body servant accompanying me, I made my way to the
river. I undressed and bathed quickly, washing the morning's
stench of armor and sweat off, then hurried back to the
command tent. When I got there, Felicia awaited me.

Felicia was unusual among my Blossoms. She had the same
light brown skin and dark hair of her sisters, but she was
unusually tall, taller even than I. She was also endowed
much more generously then her sisters.

As she followed me deeper into the tent, she unlaced her
tunic. When we reached the waiting bed, she was stripping it
off and unbuckling her leather skirt. As it fell to the
floor, I slipped out of the robe I'd pulled on after my
bath, and kicked of my slippers.

Felicia bent over to unlace her sandals. When she did, I
knelt behind her and spread the cheeks of her bottom apart,
and ran my tongue along the crack of her ass before
caressing the tiny pucker. She moaned with delight. When her
sandals were removed, she bent at the waist and stood with
her legs spread widely apart. As I continued to lick her
bottom, she began to play with her sex, running her fingers
up and down her slit and probing inside herself.

She fingered herself to her first climax with my tongue
exploring the pink opening of her bottom. Then we moved to
the bed and she lay half across it. I straddled her chest
and slid my erect cock into her mouth. She eagerly sucked on
my offering until my climax was close, then I slid out from
between her lips and lay my cock between her full breasts.
As she held them around it, I began to stroke into the
crevice between her breasts, and she would pinch and tug her
nipples to hard erections. I thrust faster within the soft
tunnel, and then let out a groan as my shaft spat its reward
across her chin. Before a second eruption could escape,
Felicia wrapped her lips round the tip of my cock and sucked
hungrily, swallowing the juices that flowed from my loins.

We rested for a while, cuddled on the oversized cot. When I
felt myself beginning to stir, I reached around Felicia and
began to fondle her marvelous bosom. I grasped and squeezed
the large globes gently, and when her nipple stiffened under
my caress, I would roll and pinch them between my
fingertips.

Within moments, I could tell her hand was between her legs
and stroking herself to readiness. Then she rolled onto her
back and groaned, "Take me!"

I lifted her legs up and apart by her knees and drove my
shaft inside her with a single hard deep stroke. She gave a
short yelp then began to grind against the invading staff. I
pulled her closer and began to thrust fast and hard into
her. I lifted up a bit, so my cock would rub against her
clit as I moved within her, and quickly had her nearing her
climax.

When I knew she was on the brink, I pulled her upright so
that she was sitting on my lap, my cock buried fully within
her. Then I struck, slashing into her throat and sending her
into a screaming climax that ripped my own orgasm from the
depths of my groin. Her vagina convulsed around my throbbing
cock, milking my seed from within me even as I drank the
life from her throat.

Slowly we relaxed in each other's arms, and I kissed her
injured throat. A short time later, we slept.

At dusk, one of her sisters came and led Felicia to her own
bed, and another took her place in my bed to make love and
feed me again.

Dawn found me again in my armor, standing before the walls
of Castle Gaiford. Beside me stood a barrel-chested young
man in the bright clothing of a Herald.

"Repeat my words so all will hear." I instructed him. He
nodded obediently.

"I am Alexander Halc'on de Pena, Duke of Warrington, and
envoy of His Royal Majesty Garrett V. His Majesty instructed
Your Count, Terrence, to present to me his daughter and
Heir."

"I hereby declare Terrence Traitor to the Crown and Coward
for the brutal torture of his daughter and her abandonment
upon this field. I demand Terrence stand before me and
answer these Charges."

The walls of the castle were lined with soldiers, and my
words were causing consternation and dismay among the
assembled troops. I'd planned on this, as well. Terrence was
going to have to offer some response to maintain discipline,
and I wasn't disappointed.

I was looking up when he arrived with his own Herald.

"I call you Liar, Alexander. My beloved Daughter was healthy
and unharmed when I turned her over to you, as commanded by
Our King. If she is now injured, it was by your doing. For
your actions against my Family, I demand satisfaction, and
send forth my Champion to procure Justice and Vengeance.
Behold Salazar, my Champion and your death!"

The gates opened and a knight rode out and charged at me.

By rights, I should have been given opportunity to mount my
own steed, and meet Terrence's champion as an equal.
Instead, I had time to draw my sword and send my Herald off
to safety before the big gelding struck me and threw me to
the ground.

As Salazar turned for another pass, I stood up and readied
myself. First business was to put us on equal footing. I
didn't think I'd be allowed to mount my own courser, so I'd
have to unseat Salazar. On the next pass, I ducked under the
smashing blow of his mace, and slashed into his mount's
haunch, opening a deep and bloody wound.

Two more passes earned me a deep dent in the shoulder of my
armor, and Salazar a horse that was barely able to remain
upright. He knew it, though, and rode it to the end of the
field before dismounting. Then we charged each other and met
with the ringing tones of blade against blade.

The battle was surprisingly balanced. We each took wounds
and injuries, but finally, I swung a blow that knocked his
helm off and stunned him momentarily. I was approaching to
demand that he yield when he looked up with a beastly snarl.

I took a step back as he stood, and gripped the seams of his
cuirass. I watched in shock as it split apart and he dropped
it to the ground, followed by his leggings. He glared at me
with animal-like eyes, then let loose a screaming howl, and
began to change form before my eyes.

Within moments, he was in the most dangerous form of his
kind, upright like a man, but armed with fang and claw. He
leapt and knocked me to the ground, trying to find a weak
point in my armor. In the end, he managed to pull my helm
free.

When he tossed it aside, I was able to force him upright.
And four silver-tipped crossbow bolts exploded his skull
like a melon. I pushed the corpse off before it could
collapse upon me, and stood with difficulty.

"Behold, People of Gaiford! Your Count's Champion is
defeated after showing itself to be a spawn of the Abyss,
and proving your Lord false! Support not this master of
Deceit! His fall is on the horizon, and his henchmen will
fall with him!"

Then I turned my back on Terrence and walked back to my
forces, praying to the goddess that none of Terrence's men
took a shot with their own bows.

