Copperknob - Chapter Three
Imprisoned and desperate, Jace offers his body and soul to an arcane architect in a frantic, soul-shattering attempt that could save them all - or tear him away forever
Copperknob
Chapter 3
He plunged in, going deep.
I couldn’t see him behind me, but I could feel him coming.
I felt his arms slip around me, his body clenching tight.
Like I could go anywhere.
His grip tightened, pulling me back.
I gave in to him.
Fighting would be futile.
He had me.
I was his.
The end of a rope splashed near us. He pulled me through the freezing water with surprising speed and grabbed it.
We were being pulled up. Towards the ship.
The Iron Thrust.
I looked back as we rose, catching my rescuer’s, my captor’s, face in the pale lantern light of the ship.
His skin was tinged green with long, slick seaweed-like hair. Coral-pink eyes. Small finned ears. Silvery gills along his neck.
I had never seen one before.
But I had heard many stories.
A Nithrin.
Two men waited on the deck above us. One was broad, bald, and muscled, covered in tattoos, his beard dark and heavy. The other was slim, blond, sharp-eared, an Elfin.
They hauled us in. I collapsed onto the deck, my near naked body shivering violently.
“Restrain him!” a deep growling voice barked.
The large man grabbed me, hauling me up into a crushing hold.
The Elfin darted away.
The power inside me - from the pleasure shared only moments ago with Oakenhorn - had dimmed in the freezing water.
But it was not gone.
I tensed.
Reached for it.
Focused it outwards.
It burst from me.
The man holding me was thrown back across the deck, slamming hard against the boards.
The Nithrin lunged toward me.
I flicked my hand. He flew backward, over the rail, vanishing back into the sea.
“Bring him down!” the voice roared.
Something sharp struck my neck.
Like a bee sting.
My hand went to it.
The world blurred.
A small dart.
My knees buckled.
The deck warped beneath me.
Heavy footsteps thundered close.
I looked up.
A hulking shape loomed over me - dark, broad and shaggy.
Monstrous.
The wood rushed up to meet my face.
I was gone.
Heavy metal chains bit into my flesh as I was dragged across sand, the friction grinding my naked body raw.
I didn’t have it in me to struggle.
I had no strength.
I felt sick.
Had they poisoned me?
My bound wrists were wrenched tight above me and I forced my head up. A large, fur-covered, claw held them both with ease.
We stopped.
“Show respect,” a deep, gruff voice growled.
I was thrown down, my face hitting sand. I could hear breathing. Bodies moving. Several of them.
“Mistress Danica,” the deep voice growled respectfully.
“Rhalf,” a woman replied. “You have done well. Who do we have here? Let me see them.”
Her footsteps crunched slowly across the sand.
“You must be Yael,” Danica continued. “Plainsfolk. Priestess of Kel, Goddess of the Dead. Your experience over souls will prove… insightful.”
“Why have you kidnapped me?” a quiet, steely voice asked.
“Needs must,” Danica said lightly, drawing closer. “And you must be the Nithrin mage - Shambala. Potion brewer extraordinaire. In these dark days, what we need most is a healer.”
I heard someone spit, followed by a loud thud and painful groan.
“Show respect,” Rhalf barked again.
“Dark-haired Elfin,” Danica went on. “You must be Dax of Deepwood. If we are to survive, we will need the power of the ancients. I’ve heard of your brilliance, Dax.”
“Perhaps you should have asked more nicely,” a man replied.
“Niceties are earned here,” Danica said. “I hope you all remember that while you are here. This is about survival – no matter the cost.” She paused. “And who do we have here?”
I was yanked upright by my harness, the thick, furred arm wrapping around my throat, making it hard to breathe. The world was still blurred, but I could see her now.
A figure, cloaked in black and purple, arms folded. Short. Broad.
“Plainsfolk. Clearly male,” Danica assessed. “But you’re not Sakuran of the Velvet Shrines, nor Lord Grey of Mornington, or Mendoza of Fort Tune.”
“We found him in the ocean,” Rhalf said. “We thought he was one of the other prisoners and that one had escaped. He is not. He’s a mage.”
She stepped closer and studied my face. I, in turn, saw hers beneath her hood. Amethyst eyes. Jet black skin freckled with points of light that shimmered like stars.
I knew the stories.
The People of the Deep. A Dwimmerdwell.
She stared deeply into my eyes, unblinking.
“Interesting,” she said, grabbing my face, her heavy black, star-speckled hands protruding from her sleeves.
“Cop-per-knob,” she said slowly, as if the word was etched far back into my irises. “Initiated. Recently. By whom?”
I tried to speak, but my dry mouth wouldn’t obey. I let out a rasp.
Her gaze dropped to my chest, to the amber gem.
“This is interesting,” Danica said.
“We thought so, Mistress,” Rhalf replied.
“It’s ancient,” she murmured, curiously. “Perhaps even… genesis? Its power is layered far beyond its physical form. Are the gods on our side?” A faint smile touched her lips. “This is a gift. Have you tried to remove it?”
“Yes,” Rhalf said. “Every way we could think of. Short of severing limbs.”
“An ancient power wrapped up in a puzzle,” Danica replied. “Keep that option as a contingency. Take them all to the cell.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
Rhalf hoisted me onto his shoulder, my face pressed into the thick fur across his back. My wits were coming back to me - I was certain now. He was a Sathyr. Horned, bestial people of the mountains.
I twisted slightly as he carried me, managing to catch glimpses. Behind stretched a vast cavern, lit by hundreds of torches. At its center was a great lake. And within it, beside a small dock, the ship.
This soon fell out of sight, as we entered a dark passage. It began to twist round, and we climbed steadily up. Drops of water fell from above us as he walked, and the clinking of the chains echoed.
We halted and he dropped me onto the now rocky ground, dragging me toward a wall. I looked up to see him - a horned, round, bestial face and sharp yellow eyes. He lifted a massive piece of wood that barred a thick wooden door and moved it to one side. The door grated open.
He undid the chains tying each of the prisoners, who were all dressed in rags, and unlocked the hand cuffs from who I assumed were Dax and Yael. Shambala remained cuffed.
“In!” Rhalf ordered.
The others shuffled in.
“You!” he shouted into the cell. “You look strong. Bring him in. NOW!”
Rhalf undid the chain from me but also kept me cuffed.
A man came out. Bare-chested, grizzled and hairy, with deep blue kindly looking eyes, clad in torn leather trousers.
“Hey there, fella,” he said, with friendly lilt. “Can you walk at all?”
I tried to get to my feet but staggered against the wall. He jumped in and grabbed me, his hand gripping my ribs as he half dragged me in.
The door closed firmly, followed by a resounding thud of the bar falling back into place.
The cell was large, rough granite walls lit bright by sunlight from a substantial opening opposite the door. The sky was clear blue and the waves crashed. Wooden benches scattered the room, large enough to sleep on. Shambala, Yael and Dax had gathered by the opening.
“Long way down,” Shambala said. “Even for me.”
“These are made of Dwimmerdwell steel,” Dax examined his cuffs. “They will dampen your mage abilities.”
Shambala nodded.
“I’ve seen others die trying that jump,” a hoarse female voice said. “Rockier than it looks. Gets VERY messy.”
We reached one of the benches and the man eased me down on it. I slumped unsteadily, still weak and wincing with pain. I caught a glimpse of the woman - long shaggy dark haired, tanned skin, wild eyes, and dressed in rags.
“My name is Bachias,” the man said. “My companion is Captain Helena of the Motion of the Ocean.”
“Forget it, man,” the dark-haired woman said. “It’s the Iron Thrust now. The Motion is gone.”
He prodded my tender body.
“I don’t suppose any of you is a healer on the off chance?” Bachias asked, at each of them.
I glanced up at Shambala. He stood reluctantly. Dax and Yael shared his expression.
Yael tilted her head curiously.
“I can see an ultimately kind soul,” she said, quiet and matter of fact.
Shambala looked at her unimpressed. “Don’t make me regret this,” he said, begrudgingly. He walked over to me. “Lay down,” he ordered. I didn’t need telling twice. I could barely stay upright. I slumped onto the hard cold surface of the wooden bench. He placed his slightly webbed, blue tinged hands onto my chest beneath the harness and held them there.
They felt cold and damp.
“I would be very surprised if you could use your powers right now,” Dax told him.
“I might not have my mage powers,” Shambala said. “But us Nithrin have gifts of our own.”
He ran his hands along my body, over my chest and slowly down my stomach, weaving through the hairs. Where he touched, he left behind a thick, slightly blue liquid. He made his way down my crotch, and over my legs, wherever I was bloodied and bruised.
It felt like he was washing all the pain away. My vision sharpened.
“There,” Shambala said. “Not perfect, but it will help. Let it soak in. You will need to rest, and you may still be sore a while, but the narcotic they gave you will dissipate, and your wounds will heal much quicker.”
“Thank you,” I rasped.
“Do we have water?” Shambala asked, looking around.
“Here,” Bachias said, reaching to a nearby bench and handing him a tattered waterskin. Shambala brought it to my mouth and I drank, thirstily.
“Slowly,” Shambala said as I gulped.
Bachias brought me a blanket. “I appreciate nudity is one way to make friends, but…”
He wrapped it around me.
“Copperknob, was it?” Shambala said.
“Yes.”
“Sleep,” he instructed, placing his hand over my eyes. It felt like soothing liquid was flowing from his hand into my very brain.
And I slept.
I woke, my teeth chattering.
It was so cold.
Dark.
I could hear the sea crashing.
Someone moved nearby.
“You awake?” Bachias whispered.
“Yes,” I managed through chattering teeth.
“Takes some getting used to - this cold,” he said. “We’re in the northwest mountains.” He moved closer. “Scoot up. There’s room for two if we lay close.”
I reached for the edge of the hard bench and shifted. I did feel stronger now. He lifted the blanket and crawled in behind me. His muscular, hairy body pressed against mine.
He was naked - I felt the weight of him against me, his heavy flaccid cock finding its place against my ass cheeks. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling the blanket tight around us both.
“I don’t mean any funny business,” he whispered. “But men need to do what they need to do at times like these. Try to sleep. I’ve got you.”
It didn’t take long before I was warm again. He radiated heat. I was grateful. He had been instantly kind to me.
After a short while, I could hear his breathing deepen and knew he was asleep.
I was glad my back was to him. My cock had grown hard. All I could focus on was him resting on me.
I wiggled my ass cheeks - just a little - testing for a reaction.
I couldn’t help it.
Nothing.
Just the steady rise and fall of his breath.
This is kindness, Jace, I reminded myself.
Not seduction.
Calm yourself.
I repeated these words to myself, over and over, until, eventually, I fell back to sleep.
When I woke at dawn, I was alone on the bench. I stirred and looked around. Bachias and Helena were up, a small fire cracking near the center of the room. I wrapped myself in the blanket and walked towards them, still slightly unsteady.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Bachias said in a low voice. “We’re privileged. Our captors have never gifted Helena and me firewood before. Bread and bacon too. We’ve almost had to live off scraps, raw seagull and rotten vegetables these past few weeks.” He held up the pan. “They’ve even given us a frying pan…”
He set it over the fire.
I sat cross-legged next to them, blanket around me and my cuffed hands resting in front of me.
“I do not eat meat,” Dax said from behind us, stirring. He looked bedraggled.
“Bread it is then, sir,” Bachias said. “Please, join us.”
Dax got up and walked over to Bachias. Bread was handed over, and he returned to his bench.
“Or not, as you please, my Elfin friend,” Bachias shrugged, laying the bacon into the pan.
“Where are you from?” he asked me.
“Fort Knight originally,” I said. “But I’ve travelled the North extensively.”
Bachias smiled. “Helena and I are from Hope City. Been sailing together for years now, ain’t we? The two of us against the world.”
“She took my ship,” Helena muttered bitterly, starting to rock back and forth. “My ship.”
Bachias glanced at her with quiet concern, then back to me. “Seen the creatures?”
I nodded.
“As hideous as they say?” he asked.
“Beyond nightmares,” I said, uneasy. My mind flashed back to the horror at the Greys’ manor.
“Do we help Danica then?” Helena said, spitting. “That’s what she’s doing, right? That’s why she’s taken my ship? My ship!”
“She killed our crew, Helena,” Bachias said. “She’s a monster.”
“Yes, yes,” Helena said, flicking at the air as if batting the thought away.
“Perhaps our new friends will help us escape,” Bachias said, hopefully.
A loud bang echoed from the door and we all turned. It swung open and Rhalf strode in.
“Up, up!” he roared, throwing a sack to the ground.
Dax, Yael and Shambala stirred.
“You three,” he pointed at them. “With me. Now.”
They rose hastily and left, casting the rest of us concerned looks.
“Danica has her favourites,” Helena muttered.
“Those three were taken for a purpose,” I said. “From what I heard.”
“And not you?” Bachias asked.
“No,” I said. “I was incidental.”
I kept it vague on purpose.
“Bachias,” Helena said. “Bacon’s burning.”
“Shit.” He rushed to the smoking pan.
After we ate - which was challenging with the cuffs - Bachias went to the sack Rhalf had left and rummaged through it. He pulled out vegetables, a dead chicken, and a pair of wool trousers. He tossed them to me.
“As much as I’ve enjoyed seeing your dingle-dangle poking through the blanket,” Bachias laughed. “Definitely a rascally chap you’ve got there.”
I probably should have felt embarrassed, but I was past that. With the cuffs, it wasn’t easy. I got one leg in, but the blanket slipped and I dropped them both, nude once again.
“Want a hand?” Bachias laughed.
I smiled but shook my head. I reached down and pulled them up.
They were tight, making my package bulge outwards, and were short at the legs, but they were something.
“Fit for a prince,” Bachias jibed. His eyes flicked toward the opening. “Careful, Captain.”
I turned. Helena was sitting right on the edge. We both got up and walked to her.
“Stop your mithering,” she muttered. “I used to sit on the edge all the time on the Motion. My ship.”
Bachias sat beside her, his legs dangling off. He lifted an arm to steady me as I sat next to him. The ocean stretched endlessly before us. I glanced down at the sheer drop to the foaming sea below, then quickly looked away. I still didn’t love heights. Seagulls skimmed low over the water, hunting.
Bachias took a deep breath. “What a wonder our planet Hothos really is?” he said. “Even now, in torment, I feel lucky to be alive, you know?”
I didn’t reply. Lucky was not the word I would have used.
“Is Copperknob a mage name?” he asked.
I blinked.
“Sorry to pry,” Bachias said.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Yes. A mage name. Still getting used to it.”
“All very new, it sounds.”
“It is,” I said, thinking on it. “It’s been horrible and terrifying, and wondrous and strange. But looking back, I’ve never felt more right. I am a mage. It was during one of my first magical experiences that I realised I preferred men - sexually. My tutors saw it before I did. In that moment, I found out who I really was - and despite it all, I’ve never felt so content.”
“That’s how I feel when we’re sailing,” Bachias said. “It’s where I am meant to be. I grew up as one of ten boys - can you imagine.”
I laughed. “No. I was on my own growing up. Just my father, our travels and tavern stories.”
“Well, truth be told, it was all rough and tumble,” he said. “Boys being boys. Bare-chested wrestling, wicked fights. It was all I ever knew.”
Helena pushed herself to her feet.
“I’ll leave you two to your flirtations,” she said dryly, walking away.
“Aye,” Bachias said, then continued. “It felt only natural, when I grew up, to join a motley crew of lads and go on adventures. In it together. Facing whatever came on the high seas. True comrades.”
His hand settled on my leg. He looked at me, his bright blue eyes sincere.
“But perhaps, like you, I didn’t realise I was misreading the signs. Perhaps my joy of male companionship is something more.”
“I could have told you that years ago,” Helena shouted back.
“Shut up, you,” Bachias laughed at her, then turned back to me. “All I’m saying is - I’m pleased to meet you, Copperknob.”
“Please,” I said, taking his hand in both of mine. “Call me Jace.”
“Get off me!” Dax’s voice rang beyond the door.
We both stood.
The bar lifted with a heavy thud. The door burst open and Rhalf stormed in. Dax followed, held fast by the burly sailor from the ship.
Rhalf charged straight for me.
I tried to move, but his hand closed around my throat before I could react. He lifted me clean off the ground.
“Get off him!” Bachias shouted, charging forward.
Rhalf swung his massive arm and knocked him aside, sending him crashing into the wall.
Helena moved in an instant, leaping at him and driving her fist into his face. He barely flinched. With his free hand, he caught her by the rags and hurled her toward the edge.
Everything slowed.
I couldn’t breathe.
I watched her fly.
She hit the rock with a crack, rolled, and slid off - stopping just short of the drop. Her hands clawed at the stone, looking for a hold.
“Take him to the alchemist lab,” Rhalf ordered, pointing at Bachias.
The sailor released Dax, grabbed Bachias, and dragged him out.
I couldn’t cry out. Rhalf’s grip tightened. His claws bit into my neck.
He turned me toward Dax.
“This is what happens if you don’t comply, Elfin,” he snarled, and drove his fist into my ribs.
Something cracked.
The pain exploded through me.
“Do it, Dax!”
The pain swirled inside me. It was different than before. Dark. Indescribably wretched. I tried to gather it - force it out.
Heat surged at my wrists where the cuffs were, burning me.
I cried out, looking at Dax.
Rhalf struck me again. There was so much pain.
“I will murder them all if you don’t comply,” he said. “Slowly. Like the sacks of meat you all really are.”
The world spun.
I tried to cough.
I couldn’t.
I tasted my blood.
I was drowning in it.
“Okay!” Dax screamed. “I’ll do it! Stop hurting him.”
Rhalf dropped me.
I hit the ground hard, coughing uncontrollably, blood spilling from my mouth.
“Get Shambala to heal him,” Dax said, his voice suddenly hard. “Then I’ll do as you ask.”
Rhalf grunted and turned away.
Small, firm hands touched me, pulling my body over so I was face down.
Helena.
Then nothing.
I jolted.
I was in so much pain.
I felt something pang inside my body.
A rib popped back into place.
Cold metal. My wrists were shackled above my head.
I felt hard wood against my back.
I opened my eyes, gasping a deep breath.
It was barely lit. Shambala was there, his cool, wet hands on me. He wore clean clothes now, a loose-fitting waistcoat and trousers. He was concentrating, his eyes studying my once again naked body. He wasn’t shackled. He used his hands, and his magic freely. He glanced up and saw that I was awake.
Another rib popped back into place.
The pain lessened.
“We all need to be much wiser,” he whispered simply to not just me. He turned his head and Dax came into view. He was dressed cleanly too, in a white shirt, dark trousers and leather gloves. There was a pencil behind his left ear and a pair of goggles tied on his head.
“What do they want from you?” Dax asked him.
“It’s not clear yet,” Shambala said in a hushed voice. “They have given us a barely adequate alchemist laboratory to share.”
Shambala grabbed both of my sore arms and wrists and massaged them. The pain reduced significantly.
“Mine is barely adequate too,” Dax continued. “Yet, not uninteresting.”
“Speak later.” Shambala said and hurried away.
Dax watched Shambala leave, then turned back to me with cool, clinical detachment. My stomach tightened. His eyes scanned over my naked, shackled body. My wrists were locked tight above my head, stretching me taut, helpless. The cold metal bit at me - I wasn’t going anywhere.
He reached into his trouser pocket and drew out the small, jewel-encrusted scope, and leaned in close.
“Stay very still,” he murmured, voice low, almost a command. “I need to see how it responds.”
His gloved hand settled on my bare stomach. The leather was cool, smooth, his pressure firm. My skin quivered beneath it.
“What are you doing, Dax?” I asked.
“Quiet, please,” he said, coldly.
Dax’s head tilted slightly, his brow furrowing.
He did look cute when concentrating.
“Fascinating,” he said softly, as though talking to the device rather than to me. “Definitely more than ornamental. Not containment. Conduction perhaps. A conduit?”
He leaned closer. He took the pencil from his ear, then traced the blunt end slowly and purposely down my stomach. It was cold. It tickled. I stifled a laugh. The pencil curved lower, skirting the base of my cock, then slid down the inside of my thigh. My hips jerked once, involuntarily.
The shackles rattled.
Dax’s gaze never left the gem. He let the pencil rest just beneath my balls, pressing lightly, holding me there. Was this examination and torment?
My cock was fully hard now.
He moved downwards, his cheek settling just a fraction above my throbbing cock, breath hot over the sensitive head. “The harness itself appears to be structural support only - maybe more. The true power lies within the gem and perhaps these copper filaments.”
His gloved fingers brushed the leather that wrapped my hips, then trailed down, circling the base of my cock. I bit back a groan, my wrists pulled uselessly against the shackles, the bite of metal strangely making me even harder.
He noticed, but he offered no acknowledgment.
“It’s not quite the same as ancient Elfin interfacing. It might be using emotional frequencies to influence surrounding matter.” He exhaled slowly through his nose.
“Ridiculously advanced. But what’s the point of it?”
His eyes flicked back at my penis, a bead of pre-cum now gathering at the tip. He looked at it for a moment, then flicked the head once with his gloved finger – sharp - I cried out, the sound echoed in the quiet room, but Dax didn’t even glance at my face.
“I think if pain was the stimuli we would know by now,” Dax said.
He paused, head tilted slightly as he studied my cock with that same detached curiosity. He reached out and touched the head of my penis with the tip of his gloved finger – now light and gentle.
It was so sudden and specific that my whole body trembled. A sharp, electric jolt of pleasure shot straight through me. My cock twitched, and a thick bead of pre-cum spilled from the head, dripping down over his finger.
The gem pulsed against my chest, dim, but present.
My breath caught.
Good… if he keeps touching me like that… I could get out of here.
Get me to near orgasm and I would be gone.
I could leave.
My hips gave an involuntary little twitch toward his finger.
The shackles rattled again above my head.
Dax didn’t react to my movement. He simply watched the gem’s pulse with cool interest, then muttered another small note to himself.
He touched my glans again, two fingers this time, almost experimentally. Another thick drop of pre-cum leaked out over his fingers.
The gem pulsed gently once more.
I hadn’t orgasmed in weeks. It wouldn’t take much. My thighs were starting to tremble.
“Interesting” Dax muttered. “But why?” He looked over his shoulder.
I followed his gaze in the dark room. In the shadows, something big dominated a corner.
Someone screamed.
A woman.
Yael?
“What was that?” Dax cried, uneasily.
There was a crash.
Shouts echoed down the corridor.
I heard the door to the room crash open.
“Out!”
It was Rhalf’s voice.
Dax scurried past me. Rhalf’s shadow engulfed me and yanked off my restraints, pulled me by the arm, out of the room and down a long rocky corridor. After a few moments, we reached the cell door. Rhalf let go of me, lifted off the bolt, and opened the door.
“In!”
Dax walked in and I followed. Helena was there, looking concerned.
Rhalf closed and locked the door behind us.
“What’s happening?”
“I don’t know,” I said, rubbing my sore wrists.
I found a nearby blanket and covered myself.
Rhalf had not re-bound me.
I could escape.
I just needed power.
“Get off me!” Yael’s voice echoing along the corridor. It took a few moments, but the door was unlocked and opened again. Yael came through, tears openly falling from her eyes. She fled past us and fell sobbing into a corner.
Shambala followed her, looking ashen.
The door was shut once again.
“What is happening?” Helena asked again, forcefully.
Before anyone could answer, there was a loud, penetrating, bestial scream, its echoes flooding the room and the world outside. Gulls squawked, alarmed. A commotion followed.
Men yelled.
“Where’s Bachias?”
“He’s…” Shambala started but lost it. A tear fell down his face. “He’s gone.”
“Gone?” Helena said, urgently.
“Dead?” I asked.
“More than dead,” Yael said, weeping. “Destroyed.”
My eyes flickered immediately to Helena’s face. Anger. Confusion. I put my hand on her shoulder.
“It’s what they wanted Yael and I to do,” Shambala said. “We did not know until they did it.”
“Did what?” Helena yelled, firmly.
“They injected him with poison,” Shambala said. “Venom from those creatures. He started to change almost immediately. Becoming one of them. I was asked to study it and formulate an antidote to save him. It happened so fast. I failed. He was consumed by it, and it destroyed his soul.”
“His soul?” Dax gasped.
“It does not just kill you,” Yael sobbed. “Change you. It destroys your soul. Like you never existed. No afterlife. Nothing.”
“No!” Dax slumped to the ground.
Helena let out an almighty scream. She bolted from my grasp, straight to the opening to the sea. I leapt at her, tackling her to the ground.
“Get off me!” she screamed, punching at me.
I held her tight.
There was a resounding boom and the ground shook, forcing those standing to their knees. What followed was the most piercing scream I had ever heard. High-pitched and ghastly - it chilled my soul.
“The creature, I presume,” Shambala said. “It was getting loose when they hurried us out, but…”
Helena was wailing. She couldn’t contain it. I changed my position and held her more for comfort than restraint.
“He seemed a good man,” I said.
“The best!” she sobbed.
“He didn’t deserve this,” I added.
“No-one deserves that,” Yael said.
I barely knew him, but he had been kind and open. He just seemed to be finding himself. For a moment, I thought I would help him find himself.
Now he was gone.
Hours passed under that blood-red sky, the weight of Bachias’s destroyed soul heavy on us all. When twilight fell, I finally spoke. “We have to stop them!”
What use was this power if I could not make a difference?
Whatever Danica’s motives - this was not good.
“How?” Shambala asked.
“By working together,” I said. “Helping each other.”
They all looked at each other.
“I have a plan,” Helena growled, at last. “I will murder her.” She got up and strode away to her bench.
We all barely spoke for the rest of the day, and all retired to sleep early.
It wasn’t a peaceful sleep.
The creature screamed in infrequent periods – all through the night.
And when it wasn’t screaming, thoughts of Bachias raced through my mind.
Who was next?
Helena?
Me?
The person of least use.
The next person to fail?
We had to stop this!
The next morning came – a field of grey in the sky.
I woke, the lingering smell of yesterday’s burned bacon momentarily making me forget the day before. Helena sat by the opening, staring at the sea, muttering quietly to herself. Shambala and Yael spoke quietly together. Dax sat alone, elbows on his knees, staring hauntedly at nothing.
I caught Helena’s eye. She looked at me for a moment, then gave a small nod and stood. She walked over and sat beside me.
“You’re not going to stop me, are you?” she whispered, hoarsely.
I shook my head. “No.”
“Good.” She let out a slow breath. “Because I meant it. I’m going to kill her.”
“Whatever it takes to get us all out of here,” I said quietly. “Let’s do it together, if only you and I.”
She studied me for a moment, then gave a short, tired laugh of relief.
A little while later, Shambala came over and sat on my other side. Yael followed, settling close.
“We’re going to help you both.” Shambala said in a low voice. “If you’re serious about escaping together, then yes. We’ll help.”
“What they did to Bachias,” Yael said coolly. “Perhaps it’s all our fate if the monsters win… but this kind of experimentation cannot be allowed to continue.”
I felt myself relax. I didn’t realise how tense I was.
“You’re sure?” I asked.
Shambala gave a tired smile. “No, but it’s the best of the bad choices we have.”
Yael reached over and briefly touched the back of my hand.
“We’ll be careful,” she said. “But we’re with you.”
I nodded and looked up.
Across the room, Dax remained alone, looking devastatingly broken.
Later that afternoon, Rhalf came for Dax and I.
I glanced at the others as we left. Helena gave me a small, sharp nod. Shambala and Yael watched us go quietly.
We walked in silence, entered the dark study and listened as Rhalf locked the door.
He looked different today. Still clean, still composed, but there was a tightness around his eyes that hadn’t been there before. The goggles were pushed up onto his head.
“Clothes off, please,” Dax ordered, but there was a hint of softness.
I stripped. Dax motioned to the wooden rack, I walked there and he secured me as I was the day before, arms stretched above me. The cold metal bit into my now sore wrists the moment the last cuff clicked shut.
He walked a slow circle around me, his eyes moving over the harness and the gem. When he finally stopped in front of me, he reached out and touched the gem directly with one gloved fingertip.
It did nothing.
Dax’s brow furrowed.
“Are you okay?” I asked quietly.
He didn’t answer.
His hand moved lower. He didn’t use the pencil this time. Instead, he traced two fingers slowly along the underside of my flaccid cock, around the base.
The touch was light. Curious. Almost careful.
He didn’t look at my face. He kept his eyes on the gem as he repeated the motion around my cock, slower this time. It stirred only slightly.
Then he stopped.
For a long moment Dax just stood there, staring at the gem, his face distorting as if it had personally offended him.
Then, he stepped away.
Without a word, he crossed the room and pulled back a set of heavy curtains that I had not noticed in the gloom.
Daylight spilled into the study.
The sudden light revealed far more than I had seen yesterday. Workbenches. Books. Tools. Stacks of notes.
Then I saw it.
Something enormous.
It was built from huge, rounded plates of iron and bronze, vaguely human in shape but massive. Copper filaments ran through gaps in its unfinished body, exposing gears, crystals and strange machinery beneath.
Beside me, cloth rustled.
I turned.
Dax was removing his gloves. Then his waistcoat. Then his shirt. He folded each item neatly and placed it on a nearby chair until he was naked.
He was lean, pale and hairless, apart from the dark hair on his head. Faint scars crossed his torso and arms.
Dax caught me looking.
I looked away quickly.
I heard him step down into water. When I glanced back, I realised there was a stone bath built directly into the floor in the far corner of the room. He lowered himself into it until the water reached his shoulders and went still.
The room was quiet. The creature screamed somewhere in the distance, but it sounded far away. The crash of the sea echoed faintly through the walls.
My gaze drifted back toward the construct. Three times my height. I studied the metal frame and the faint Elfin writing etched into the plates.
Water splashed.
I looked back to him.
Dax climbed out, water running down his chest and stomach. I glanced at his cock as he stepped onto the stone. It was different from what I was used to - ribbed along its length, with three distinct bulbous sections that thickened and narrowed again. Even soft, it was noticeably different in shape from Plainsfolk penises. It was the first Elfin one I had ever seen.
Dax’s attention was already elsewhere. Back on the problem. Back on the harness. Back on me. He was leaving a trail of water in his wake.
He stopped in front of the rack.
For a moment he studied the restraints around my wrists. Then he reached up and unlocked them.
The metal clicked open.
I lowered my arms with a groan as blood rushed painfully back into my hands.
Dax watched for a moment. Then he nodded toward the bath with the slightest of smiles.
He walked away and stepped back into the water, then looked at me expectantly.
I followed him in.
The bath was large enough for both of us to sit without touching. Hot, thermal perhaps, steam curled between us as I lowered myself into the water opposite him. Dax had closed his eyes, his expression unreadable.
Eventually, I broke the silence.
“Will you help us, Dax?”
He didn’t answer right away. He opened his eyes and his gaze dropped to the water. Conflict now reflected on his face. Slowly, he shifted forward through the water until he was closer. His ungloved hand hovered for a second, like he was still deciding whether to do this. Finally, without a word, he reached out and placed his bare hand against my bicep.
The moment his bare palm met my skin, something inside me broke open.
It wasn’t like any touch I’d ever known. It went straight through me - deep, raw, and overwhelming. I felt him. His presence flooded into me, like something infinite and alive, brushing against the deepest parts of who I was. My grief, my fear, my hope, my curiosity, my stubborn desire to help - all of it laid bare under his touch.
His hand moved up to cup my face. It was too much. Too intimate. More intimate than anything I’d ever experienced, even during sex. My very soul was being touched.
A sharp, breathless sound escaped me, and I flinched back from the intensity of it.
The echo of his essence lingered inside me.
It was terrifying, wonderful and grounding all at once.
Dax’s own breathing had changed - slower, heavier. He had felt it too. His eyes had gone dark, locked onto mine.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
When he finally did, his voice was low and rough.
“Danica wants us to animate that construct,” he said, nodding toward the massive shape in the corner. “An ancient Elfin defender. It needs power, and that’s why she needs you.”
Dax’s thumb hovered lightly over my cheek, not touching. He seemed to hesitate for a second before speaking. “The Elfin naturally connect through the soul as well as the body,” he said quietly. “My own… ability… it’s strong. Hypersensitive. Overpowering. For both of us.” He paused again. “That’s why I’ve always stayed away from this… but now we don’t have any other choice...”
I sat there, heart still racing.
He had been honest with me. He had shown me something he clearly feared.
Part of me wanted to pull away.
Another part wanted to understand.
And despite how overwhelming it had been, I found myself wanting to feel it again.
I moved closer.
I slowly, carefully, reached out - watching his expression. I placed my hand on his chest, over his heart, and let my palm settle against his bare skin.
The connection surged back instantly - deep, primal, and just as powerful as before. This time, I didn’t flinch. I kept my hand where it was, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath my palm as our souls met and intertwined.
Dax’s breath caught sharply. He looked startled, as if the connection had hit him harder than he expected. He didn’t pull away, but his fingers twitched slightly against my arm.
We stayed like that for a long moment, the connection flowing powerfully between us.
Then, quietly, he spoke again.
“If we can succeed… we can use the construct to fight back.” He was quiet for a moment before adding, “I don’t know if I’m ready for this. This is hard for me. But I’m willing to try.”
I smiled at him.
“Thank you for being so open with me, Dax.”
We spent the morning talking openly and freely at last. I told him about being a mage and the journey with my harness, exploring together my experiences with it.
“I’ve been thinking,” Dax said later that day. He glanced toward the massive construct in the corner of the room.
“That thing… it’s complex. I think we need to start smaller.” He paused, then looked back at me. “Get the basics right.”
I stepped closer to the workbench. “Go on.”
Dax gestured at the large scattering of materials and components laid out across the table.
“They have given me quite a lot I can work with. Enough to attempt something modest.”
We stood in silence for a moment, both of us looking over the parts.
“What were you thinking?” I asked.
He gave a small shrug. “A cat or a dog? A bird, perhaps, like a Cockerel.”
It came to me instantly.
A memory.
Moonflower’s voice at breakfast in Euph’s castle.
‘When the time comes, Copperknob, choose cock.’
I started sifting through the scraps of metals. My eyes caught another pile on the floor. I started picking relevant pieces.
“A cockerel,” I said, decisively. “If you can do clever parts, I can build the design.”
“A cockerel it is.”
Over the next few weeks, this became our routine. Each morning, Rhalf or another of Danica’s crew would escort us from the cell to the lab. The door was always locked behind us, and the evenings we were taken back together. The work filled our days, both in our elements.
Dax’s knowledge of arcane architecture shaped how we approached the structure, while I focused on form and movement. The cockerel, or “Cock”, slowly took shape on the workbench.
Outside of the work itself, things between us continued to shift. The experience we shared had formed an understanding, an intimacy, between us. Dax still avoided deliberate touch, but sometimes our hands would brush when passing tools, and the connection would flicker between us - brief, but enough to make us both pause for a second before continuing. By the end of the third week, the cockerel was complete.
We stood side by side in the quiet of the lab. The finished bird stood on the workbench between us, its bronze feathers and bright gems catching the sunlight.
Dax just stared at it, the slightest smile on his face.
“This has turned out magnificently,” I said, proudly.
We stared at it for quite a while.
We both knew what came next.
I met his eyes. My heart was already beating harder.
He stepped towards me, awkwardly.
“Are you ready?”
“No,” he said, his voice trembling. “But I don’t think we should wait. Our captors don’t have an abundance of patience.”
I nodded my agreement.
“Strip,” he said.
“You too?”
He blinked and nodded.
We undressed.
The only sounds in the lab were the soft rustle of clothing and the sound of the sea. I pulled my shirt over my head and dropped it to the floor, then pushed down my trousers. When I looked up, Dax was watching me. His eyes moved slowly down my body.
I gave him a wicked smile.
He began to undress more slowly. He removed his shirt first, revealing his lean torso and those faint scars. When he pushed down his trousers, his cock sprang free - already hard. It was noticeably different from mine: ribbed along its length, no visible veins, with three distinct bulbous sections that thickened and narrowed again.
Dax caught my eyes wandering down, his cheeks flushing slightly.
I was hard too. There was no hiding it. Much larger than he was – veiny and thick.
“Get on the rack,” he said.
I walked over and lay back on the wooden frame, my arms resting loosely above my head. Unrestrained.
Dax moved to the side bench and returned with the thick cables, Elfin runes etched throughout. He carefully attached them to my harness, then ran the cables across the floor and connected them to the leg of the cockerel on a nearby table. He climbed onto the rack and settled between my legs.
Slowly, he leaned forward and took my cock into his mouth, his lips sliding smoothly down my length.
There were no words.
The warmth of his mouth around my cock flooded around my entire being. Intense pleasure tangled up what felt like worship. His tongue pressed firmly along the underside as he moved, then circled the head on the next pass. One of his hands wrapped around the base, stroking in time with his mouth while the other rested on my thigh.
He pulled back off me a moment and the surge faded. I panted, taking a moment to recover from the intensity of the feeling.
Then, I nodded at him to go again.
He took me deeper, working steadily up and down my throbbing cock. His tongue flicked just beneath the head on every upward stroke, and his hand twisted slightly on the downstroke. It felt good - too good - the intensity made it almost unbearable. His desires were my desires, my needs were his needs, flooding through us as one.
The gem on my harness was glowing a steady orange.
The arcane cables running from it pulsed with a faint green light as the energy started to flow.
He took a breath, tickling the head of my penis with his tongue, and then slowly, deliberately took me all the way down. My hips jolted, I couldn’t help but push in all the way. His lips and tongue tightened around me as I started to fuck his face.
I gripped the edges of the rack, breathing hard through my nose, calming myself. I couldn’t come. Not if I wanted – needed - to stay. Every pass of his tongue, every pull of his mouth, sent another surge of that overwhelming closeness through the connection, making it harder and harder to hold back.
“Stop, Dax!” I growled, grabbing his head.
He pulled back quickly, and my wet cock flopped onto my stomach.
My head fell back against the rack.
“That was probably the most incredible thing I have ever felt,” I said
I took deep calming breaths.
Then started to laugh.
I couldn’t help it.
I was filled with so much warmth.
To my astonishment, a smile cracked Dax’s serious face. A genuine warm smile.
“I liked that too,” Dax said. “Elfin penises are all the same. Plainfolk have great variety, and yours, well, is big and felt so great in my mouth. Loved the throbbing. Tasted good too. Sweet.”
Something scraped beside and we both turned. The mechanical cockerel was moving, its gems glowing. It scratched at the tabletop.
We looked at each other in jubilation and laughed.
The evening came and we were escorted back to the cell by one of Danica’s men.
Helena was standing near the fire, and for a moment I almost didn’t recognise her. She was wearing a deep red dress - simple, but fine. Her hair was brushed and pinned back, and there was even a faint trace of colour on her lips. She looked beautiful.
She turned when she heard us enter, and her expression shifted from surprise to something more guarded.
“Helena?” I said, unable to hide my confusion. “How?”
She glanced down at the dress, then back at us. Her jaw tightened slightly.
“Danica’s invited me to dinner,” she said, her voice carefully even.
“There’s been a lot of flirting going on,” Yael said.
“It’s part of my plan,” Helena replied.
The idea of Helena sitting across from Danica, dressed like that, made my stomach twist.
“Behave,” I said, half joking. “Until we’re all ready.”
“Can’t promise,” she said, with a wink.
There was a rush of air from the opening in the rock wall.
The mechanical cockerel flew in.
Its bronze wings caught the firelight as it landed heavily on the stone floor, claws scraping against the rock. It steadied itself, then turned its head, scanning the cave before its gaze settled directly on me.
The room went quiet.
“Hello, Cock,” I said warmly. “How did you get out of the lab?”
The others gathered around to see it.
“So that’s what you two have been working on,” Helena said quietly.
“A first step,” Dax told them. “Might be a useful scout for us, at least.”
The cockerel waddled over and stopped in front of me. I rested a hand on its chest. Warmth emanated beneath the bronze.
“I’ve been busy too,” he said, folding his arms. “I’ve got a great number of different concoctions brewed. Enough to slow them down or cause problems if we need it.”
Yael nodded beside him.
“I’ve been working with the spirits in the caves,” she said quietly. “They’ve shown me a few possible ways out of this place. Nothing certain yet, but there are paths worth exploring.”
I stayed quiet, my hand still resting on the cockerel’s chest. The warmth beneath the metal felt steady, almost reassuring. Around me, the others were already thinking ahead. For the first time since I’d been brought here, it felt like we were a team.
The bolt of the door was lifted and Rhalf pushed it open. He stepped inside, his large shaggy frame filling the entrance.
“Helena?” He growled. “It’s time.”
His eyes landed on the cockerel standing near me.
His deep yellow eyes darkened.
“What the fuck is that?” he growled, marching angrily toward the cockerel and I.
It made sharp metallic screech, spread its bronze wings and launched itself toward the opening in the rock wall, disappearing into the night before Rhalf could reach it.
Rhalf turned on us, fury in his eyes.
“Danica will hear about this,” he snarled.
He grabbed Helena by the arm.
“Come on. She’s waiting.”
Helena didn’t resist. She glanced back at us once, her expression unreadable, before Rhalf pulled her out of the cell.
The next hour passed tensely. We sat near the fire, the space feeling strangely empty without Helena there. I kept glancing at the opening in the rock wall, half-expecting the cockerel to return, but it didn’t.
Eventually, the door opened again.
Rhalf stood there, his face still hard.
“You two. With me.”
Dax and I were pulled to our feet and marched out of the cell. We were led through the winding stone passages and into the open cavern.
Then I stopped.
Just past the entrance was a dark oily creature. It was pinned beneath a massive rock that had appeared to have fallen from above.
My skin crawled, memories flooding back from Mornington.
What remained of Bachias was twisted and broken. One clawed hand twitched weakly against the stone, as if it were still trying to move, trying to get to us. I stared at its ruined face to see if I could catch even a glimpse of the man who had once comforted me when I was freezing.
This was no longer Bachias.
Only a monster.
It stared back at me – looking me straight in the eyes.
Hunger… insatiable hunger.
It was etched in my brain for the rest of my life.
“Keep moving,” Rhalf barked.
We walked away. It screamed a penetrating scream that reverberated through the cavern.
We were brought into a large chamber overlooking the lake. Danica stood near the centre amidst some of her men. Helena was beside her, the red dress looking so bright against the drab cold stone.
Danica turned as we entered. Her eyes moved between Dax and me.
Four of her men walked to us and grabbed Dax and I by our shoulders.
“Whose idea was the cockerel?” she asked calmly.
I opened my mouth, but Dax spoke first.
“Mine,” he said.
Danica’s gaze shifted to him.
Rhalf stepped forward and struck Dax hard across the face. Dax staggered but was held upright by the men.
“Stop!” I shouted, lunging forward, only to be yanked back, arms twisted painfully behind me.
“Again!” Danica ordered.
Rhalf drove his fist into Dax’s stomach. Dax dropped to one knee with a grunt. Blood trickled from his lip as laughter rippled through the chamber.
Helena’s face twisted with rage.
“Burn in the fires of the nine hells,” she snarled, and lunged at Danica, punching her solidly in the stomach.
Danica backhanded her hard across the face, sending her stumbling. Rhalf was on her instantly, slamming her down onto the cold stone.
Helena headbutted him. Blood sprayed from his nostrils, but the large Sathyr only grinned wickedly. He hauled her up by her hair and drove two brutal punches into her stomach.
“Stop!” I yelled, straining against the men holding me.
Out of nowhere, Cock streaked in with a metallic screech and smashed straight into Rhalf’s face. The impact rang through the chamber with a metallic crack. Rhalf stumbled, snarling, but kept his grip on Helena.
Danica’s eyes flashed with fury as Cock wheeled away and perched high on a rocky ledge.
“Get that thing,” she said coldly. “Take her. She can be the next one for the experiment.”
Helena was dragged away, still kicking and cursing, her red dress torn.
“If Shambala and Yael can cure her in time,” Danica called after her with vicious sweetness, “perhaps she’ll get another date.”
Helena’s voice echoed through the chamber, raw and defiant.
“Give me back my ship!”
Rhalf turned back to Dax, who was still on the ground, breathing hard. He grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hit him again, then once more for good measure.
Blood ran from Dax’s mouth and nose.
When Rhalf was finished, he and another man dragged Dax to his feet. I was pulled up with them. We were taken back through the passages, past the trapped, broken creature, and returned to the cell.
They threw us inside. Dax hit the ground hard and lay still, his eyes open. I dropped to my knees beside him, my hands shaking as I tried to see how badly he was hurt.
The door slammed shut behind us. For a moment, I just stayed there, not sure where to touch him that wouldn’t cause more pain. The others were moving toward us, but everything felt strangely slow.
Helena taken, Dax’s blood still warm on my hands, Bachias reduced to nothing but hunger and frustrated screams. The cave suddenly too quiet, too cold. We were losing this.
“What happened?” Shambala asked, his voice low and urgent.
Dax stirred and I helped him sit upright.
“Helena attacked Danica,” I said. “They took her. She’s going to be the next one you experiment on.”
Yael closed her eyes for a moment. Shambala’s expression darkened.
“Tomorrow then,” he said.
Dax wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand and looked up at us. His face was already swelling, one eye half-closed, but his voice was steady when he spoke.
“Tomorrow it is,” Dax agreed.
Shambala crouched in front of him, studying the damage.
“I can heal this,” he said.
Dax shook his head.
“No,” he said. “These are mine. I earned them.”
Shambala didn’t argue. He simply nodded and stood up again.
Yael spoke next, her voice quiet but clear.
“I’ve had some success with the spirits. There are ways out of this place, but the ones we’ve found are dangerous.”
“There is no more time for exploration,” I said. My voice came out rougher than I intended. “Pick the best one.”
No one disagreed, but it hung there. There was no relief in it - only the cold understanding that we were out of time.
Dax pushed himself to his feet with a quiet grunt of pain. He looked at each of us in turn, his expression hard but focused.
“Whatever it takes,” he said.
There was no hesitation in his voice.
I met his eyes and nodded.
“Whatever it takes,” I said.
Shambala met his eyes and gave a single nod.
“I’ll do what I can to slow them down,” he said. “Buy you as much time as possible, but don’t tarry.”
Yael placed a hand on my arm, her touch light but steady.
“I have faith in us,” she said.
The next morning, Rhalf escorted us back to the lab as usual. Dax moved stiffly beside me, his face still swollen and bruised from the night before. He didn’t complain, but I could see every step hurt him.
Once we were inside and the door was locked behind us, Dax walked straight over to the hulking construct. He opened its chest and went through the various cables, mechanics and gems, and then checked the connections and the runes etched into its surface. Every now and then he would pause, wincing.
I came up behind him and rested a hand gently on his back.
He turned to look at me. His expression was tired but resolute.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
I held his gaze for a moment, taking him in, and then nodded.
“Whatever it takes,” he said, seriously. “I mean it!”
We moved the construct closer to the bed – which was a mighty task. Dax connected the thick arcane cables from the construct to the frame of the bed itself. Once everything was in place, he looked at me.
We undressed slowly.
Dax moved carefully, his body clearly still in pain from the beating. He pulled his shirt off. His toned torso was marked with dark bruises - some already turning purple along his ribs and across his stomach. There were more across his shoulders and upper arms, stark against his pale Elfin skin. Even battered, he was still beautiful.
I stepped closer and reached out, my fingers brushing lightly over one of the darker bruises along his side. I didn’t press - just traced the edge of it with my fingertips. I felt the connection of our souls, joining, soothing him for a moment.
I pulled away.
“You should have let Shambala heal you,” I said quietly.
Dax looked at me, his expression tired but steady.
“It keeps me focused,” he replied. “I am no stranger to pain.”
I didn’t argue. Instead, I leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his collarbone, just above one of the bruises. Then another, lower, near his ribs – feeling the tease of connection each time. My hands stayed gentle as I helped him finish undressing, my touch lingering on the places that looked the worst.
“You are beautiful, Dax,” I told him. “Despite all this.”
Dax reached for me then, his fingers sliding into my hair as he pulled me into a slow, deep kiss. Now familiar waves rushed again, and I could feel my own cock pulsing hard with it.
He pulled back and guided me toward the bed.
We climbed onto it together. Dax reached for lubrication, rubbed it generously onto my penis, the flow of energy flowed through it and made it jolt.
He straddled my hips, positioning himself above me. He reached down between us, guiding me to his hole, and slowly began to lower himself. I felt the head of my cock press against him, meeting that resistance and, eventually, passing through.
It was not only Elfin penises that were ribbed, I discovered. As he sank down, inch by slow inch, taking in my hard length, I felt ridges and ripples surrounding and stimulating my entire cock.
“FUCK!” I gasped with pleasure, holding onto his hips.
The texture felt wondrous - combined with the flowing joy of our caressing souls.
Tears were falling from my eyes.
He slid all the way down me, his hands braced on my chest, giving himself a moment to adjust to my girth. The deep, warm rush spread through my pelvis and my chest and into my gut.
We were connected, together, in more ways than one.
Then Dax began to move.
I watched him as he rose slowly, almost all the way off cock, until only the head remained inside him. He sank back down again, taking all of me in one long, controlled motion. The ridges inside him dragged along my cock with every descent and every rise, creating a constant, textured, glorious friction.
Up.
Down.
Slow.
Deliberate.
I stared into his eyes.
He could see I was in paradise.
And he was enjoying this.
I saw it.
I felt it.
And he felt me.
He worshipped me.
We worshipped each other.
The gem in my harness was glowing bright. Runes also glowed - a ball and curves from last time, but new ones – one like a fiery sword, and another – three circles around a heart.
What did they mean?
I looked up at the construct.
Its eyes were glowing – faintly – but present.
We were doing it.
Dax’s eyes were rolling back – the joy clear in his face.
My pleasure grew steadily, and I began to feel that familiar, dangerous tightening. It felt so good inside him.
The gem on my harness was glowing brighter now, pulsing orange in time with the green light running through the cables toward the construct.
I was getting too close.
“Dax,” I breathed, my voice already strained. “Slow down, please.”
He didn’t.
If anything, he sank down harder, taking me deeper. His head tilted back slightly, eyes half-closed as he rode me with focused intensity. Our connection flared in response to my growing excitement, and panic, wrapping around us both like a living thing made of passion.
I tried to push him back, my hands pressing against his chest.
“Stop,” I said, firmer this time. “Dax, I’m getting too close-”
I pushed harder against his chest, panic rising. For a heartbeat I thought he might stop. His rhythm faltered, his eyes met mine - dark, conflicted - then he leaned in and kept going, plunging deeper as if determined for my load – that he could never get.
Faster.
Deeper.
Riding me.
My fingers dug into his bruised skin, torn between yanking him down harder onto me and shoving him away, our souls soaring together in raw, conflicting ecstasy.
“Dax!” I yelled at him. “Stop. I can’t-”
My hands tightened against his flesh as I felt myself being pushed closer to the edge. I tried to pull away, but he held me tight inside him. Our connection made it almost impossible to fight - every time I tried to resist, it flared hotter, pulling me deeper into him.
“Dax!” I actually cried. “I’m going to-”
The bed didn’t feel solid anymore.
I was falling - or being pulled.
My hands slid from Dax’s hips as the world started to tear apart around me. His weight, his heat, the tight grip of his body around me - it all began to slip.
I tried to hold on, fingers digging into his skin, but everything was coming apart. Our connection was breaking. It flared one last time, raw and overwhelming.
“Copperknob-” Dax’s voice sounded so distant, like he was already somewhere else. “I’m sorry.”
He looked at the construct.
“Look!” he said. “You saved us.”
I glanced that way. The room was swirling, but I saw it. The construct’s head turned towards us. Its eyes – brightly lit and pulsing - locked onto mine.
Sound warped.
Light fractured.
For a second I could still feel his hands on my face.
Then I was gone.
I hit the ground hard, rolling through tall grass.
The sun was bright, almost blinding after the dim light of the lab. My body was still trembling from the near-orgasm.
“Fuck you, Dax!” I roared into the ground. “FUCK! YOU!”
I heard shouting.
I pushed myself up quickly, breathing hard, trying to get my bearings.
I could hear the now familiar wet, guttural screams of the creatures.
I looked around.
In the field ahead, a group of five young men, soldiers, were running for their lives. Three of the dark creatures chased them from different directions and with incredible pace, gaining fast. One of the men fell to the ground, struggling as a creature loomed over him, claws raised.
I reached for the power still crackling inside me. It answered instantly. I flung my hand forward, and a blast of raw energy tore across the field, slamming into the creature and throwing it far back, high into the air, with a shriek.
I raced towards the man – who was around my age - with dark hair, olive skin, warm hazel eyes - handsome.
He looked me over - naked, apart from the harness - glowing with power.
“Are you a god?” he asked in a rough voice.
“No,” I told him. “A mage.”
I reached to him and helped him to his feet.
“Thank you,” he said gratefully. “I’m Roque.”
“I’m Copperknob.”
The other two creatures approached us.
I reached for my power.