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Chapter 4
After only a few minutes of hiking east, I discovered I had a shadow. The curious fox trailed behind me. Its orange fur danced at the edge of my vision, but it jumped behind a tree or into bushes every time I turned my head. It soon became a game of whether I could spin fast enough to catch it, a game that felt like the fox played along with me. Without meaning to, I had acquired a traveling companion.
And I had to admit, it was rather nice.
The empty, lonely feeling that stirred in the pit of my stomach dissipated while I walked with my new friend.
When the sun was further in the sky, hunger pains stabbed at my gut. The vitality potion had worn off. I stopped to reach inside my traveling bag and pulled out an apple. I didn't have much food left, but I wouldn't make it far if I didn't have something to eat.
After the first bite into the crisp fruit, my new friend withdrew from its hiding place and scampered up to me, ogling my apple. The hopeful face that stared up at me was irresistibly cute. I tossed the apple to it.
"It's really not fair," I said to the fox. "I came prepared for the journey."
The fox looked up from eating the apple and cocked its head to the side. It's large amber eyes showed faint signs of recognition, like it understood my words. But it quickly returned to its snack.
"Well," I said, "that's your lunch. What about mine?"
The fox's ears perked up and looked off in the distance as if pondering something. Then, with a quick glance back at me, skittered off in the direction we had been headed.
"Nice meeting you," I called after it, expecting this to be the last time I'd see my new friend.
However, the fox paused, glanced back at me, and made a few sharp yelps. The message was clear: follow!
Many things can be said about me, but I prided myself on my ability to follow directions. I quickly fell in step behind the fox, often having to jog slightly to keep up with its four-legged speed. I did wonder whether it was a good idea to follow a fox I had just met, but the connection we had shared at the pool-however brief-assured me that I could trust my traveling companion.
We jogged along for a while. On occasion, the fox would get too far ahead but quickly realize and come back to find me. Every time it returned I'd laugh and make jokes aloud, asking why it left me or telling it to be patient.
I was having...fun, probably for the first time since I left the palace.
Sure, the steamy encounters I'd had with Aiden, Kahl, the couple in the forest, and even by myself at the waterfall had been enjoyable, but could I describe them as fun? This was certainly the first time I remember laughing.
The fox's small cackle signaled we had reached our destination. It crouched down and creeped forward, staring straight ahead. I crouched as well and peered through the bushes in the direction of the fox's gaze.
Through the green leaves, there was a small clearing. A few cut trees indicted the clearing had been widened by the hand of men. Brown tents surrounded a fire pit. A small camp.
I counted three men around the camp, all doing various chores. One cooked over the fire, the pleasant scent of roasted pheasant drifting through the trees. The pang in my stomach ached again. Another sharpened weapons, longswords and axes, dragging the whetstone over the bladed edges. The last had just emerged from one of the tents and took up a post to stand watch, peering out into the woods but luckily in the opposite direction.
The men were all shirtless, and their strong, muscled torsos I knew all too well: soldiers.
My first thought was one of excitement, seeing the half-naked men in front of me. But that excitement soon turned into a vibrating fear when my gaze fell upon a tunic draped over a log. A golden sun emblazoned on a shockingly red fabric, the symbol of the Sun-Emperor. A lump formed in my throat.
They were soldiers of the Arturian Empire.
They must have traveled this far north to avoid detection while slipping across the border, like I had. But why were they here? Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.
But I couldn't stop them. There was no way I could take them all on my own. These men were not farmers and servants, they were trained soldiers, used to battle. I had the element of surprise, but would I have enough magic? I shuddered at the thought of what these soldiers could achieve if they made their way further into Selenia.
I continued to watch them. My fox friend scurried forth, unafraid of the emperor's men. It was busy sniffing around their gear and the backs of the tents, looking for food. I tried to send magic messages with my mind to bring the fox back to our hiding spot, but it didn't work. It was too hard to concentrate and summon what little control over earth magic I had.
The fox kept its sneaking, and I listened in on the men's conversation.
"Hey, Corden, how long do you think it will take to get to the palace?" asked the sword sharpener. He was the youngest of the men and had pale skin and brown hair that turned to blonde at the ends.
"Do I look like a fuckin' map maker, Jayme?" replied Corden with a brusque voice. Sweat from the fire heat coated his black skin, making it glisten. Though his words were harsh, Jayme laughed. It was the banter of soldiers.
The palace was their destination. But why? There were only three of them.
The fox had made its way next to the fire pit without being seen. Corden the cook hadn't noticed, looking in a different direction. But the roasted pheasant sat on a simple metal plate next to the fire. The fox's eyes fixed on the bird as if held by magic.
I was about to try again to magick the fox back when a gruff voice from behind me spoke.
"Well, what do we have here?"
I turned my head slowly to spot a soldier I hadn't seen yet. He must have been somewhere beyond the clearing, probably scouting around and looking for stray passersby like me. He was shirtless as well with tanned skin and the defined torso of a soldier. His body was decorated with various tattoos, some I recognized as symbols of the Empire, a blazing sun, a red star. Symbols of fire. He was the most frightening of the soldiers, with a bald head, a hard square jaw, and a scar across his face that made him look sinister. And sexy.
I stared at his chest because, of course, even in the midst of mortal peril, I couldn't help but think of what he might look like if he slid his pants down and allowed his cock to spring out. The fact that I crouched in front of him didn't help. He stood over me, and my face so close to his crotch I could feel the heat of his body.
I chanced a quick glance down at his pants. His dick clearly outlined and bulged against leather breeches, just like mine often did. But his was much larger.
"Here, boys!" he called out to his comrades, letting them know he'd found a spy.
Before I could react, Corden and Jayme grabbed my arms and dragged me into the clearing, my traveling bag falling along the way. They pulled me close to the fire before they let go, and I dropped to the forest ground. My robe unlatched and fell off my shoulders, exposing my naked torso. My fox friend had scurried away during the scuffle; it was nowhere in sight. The soldiers began to circle me as the one who had found me came forward, standing over me again.
"What exactly were you hoping to see, pervert?" he said with a cold but jeering voice. "You were hoping you'd find some naked soldiers so you could beat off in the bushes?" He looked me up down as he walked back and forth in front of me.
Better for him to think of me as a horny voyeur, rather than the enemy king's emissary.
"Well, boy!" the soldier shouted and placed his boot on my chest and pushed me back, making me fall flat on to the ground.
It didn't hurt, except the sticks and rocks that scratched at my bare back. I don't mind a little rough play; I quite enjoy it. And with a group? Even better. But these weren't the same as the guards I sucked and fucked in the barracks next to the palace. They were the enemy. I needed to remind myself of that.
"Just off him, Jory," the soldier whose name I didn't know said. "Be done with him."
A wicked smile crossed across Jory's face, and fear surged through my chest. He was only slapping me around a bit before he killed me. And who knows how long it would be before he got bored.
I cycled through the list of spells in my repertoire. I had Gale, the spell I used on Kahl and Aiden. There were no walls for these men to crash into, instead they would just sail however far away the wind took them. I couldn't be sure the force would knock them unconscious, but it might be enough for me to get away.
I closed my eyes and said the words in the ancient language. Again, the sound of wind chimes and the scent of flowers drifted through the air. My cock stiffened as my magic flowed.
Fire flashed.
It burned the flowers and filled the air with the smell of smoke.
The chimes faded.
My breath hitched in my throat. I thought I choked on smoke but when I dared to breathe again, the air was clear. It was only then I realized the inferno was only in my mind.
Sweat prickled along my back and conflicted with the creeping cold feeling that seeped into my bones. A dark presence had surrounded me. It cut off my spell and turned it to ash.
The magic I was able to summon was only enough for a small breeze. It blew through the hair of the soldiers, and they were none the wiser that it came from me. Whatever it was that crawled into my thoughts, it was stronger than anything I felt before and was able to control my own power.
And then the presence left, as soon as it had arrived. Evaporated, like water on hot stone.
I'd played all my cards. My magic was my only means of self-defense, and without it, these men had me fully within their control. My only hope was to talk my way out of harm. Maybe I could even use seduction? I certainly had a lot of practice pleasuring guardsmen, military soldiers couldn't be so different.
Jory moved in closer, the leather of his pants practically brushing against my lips.
"I'm tellin' ya, Jory. Get rid of him."
"Shut up, Fen," Jory shot back over his shoulder.
I couldn't help but stare at his bulge again. It was larger than it had been earlier.
Jory followed the direction of my eyes. "You see something you want, boy?" he said to me as he grabbed his crotch and ran his tongue over his teeth.
I licked my lips in response. Could I possibly play this right? Could I get gang banged and get to keep my life?
"Looks like we got ourselves a cocksucker here boys," said Jory, now outright stroking his cock through his pants.
My own cock had stayed stiff despite the disruption to my magic. It had moved quickly to its skyward position and stuck out of the top of my pants, peaking over my waistband.
Jory noticed and a snarl escaped his lips. "Fuck, I knew you were a cockslut. You're in luck. None of these assholes like taking cock, either in their mouth or their hole. We've all had to go without ever since we started this operation. You might just get to taste some cock today." He tore at the button his pants and released his member from the constraint.
My eyes widened. It was huge. It had been a while since I'd seen a cock that big. No wonder the other soldiers didn't want to take it.
Jory laughed to himself, knowing my thoughts full well.
"We gonna get to fuck him too, Jory?" asked Jayme, apparently in disbelief that Jory was willing to share.
Jory must be their leader if the others had to ask permission from him to fuck me. He placed his cock in line with my lips, still stroking it. I opened my mouth to show I was ready to suck his dick, but he didn't stick it in just yet.
A tinge of fear mixed with my arousal. If Jory fucked me first with his monster of a prick, taking on the others afterwards could be too much, even for my well experienced hole.
"Only after I get my fill." Jory continued stroking, his pants only undone enough for his dick to be free but not enough for them to fall down.
I hoped he kept his pants on when he fucked me. There was something erotic and exciting about a man who didn't undress completely to fuck. I never understood why I thought that, but it excited my cock all the same.
Jory glared at me with lust and ferocity in his eyes, his massive cock still growing in his hands. Finally, he stepped forward and positioned his dick so that his cockhead rested on my tongue. I closed my lips around it.
And the ultra-masculine, big dick, dirty talking Jory, leader of his troop of Arturian soldiers, came immediately.
"Oh, fuck. Fuckin' hell. Fuck you, you slut. Shit." Jory's face scrunched together as his seed flowed into my mouth.
I didn't mind the quick orgasm. The palace guards often did the same thing, especially if it was their first time getting sucked by another man. In truth, it excited me. Knowing I helped get a man get so close to the edge that the slightest touch of my mouth sent him over, it made my own cock twitch.
I milked Jory's cock for every drop. As I swallowed his come, a rush of energy flowed through me. My magic strengthened at the power of Jory's seed. Was it enough to overcome the images of fire that stopped my spell? I didn't dare risk it.
After he finished, Jory backed up without saying a word, a blush of red on his face, either from his orgasm or the embarrassment of coming so quickly. Maybe a bit of both. He tucked his cock back into his pants but kept them unbuttoned. I don't think he was done with me yet.
Corden took his place.
I hadn't noticed the other men taking out their cocks before. Corden's was almost as big as Jory's with large veins running the shaft. Jayme's was average size, but he jerked his with the vigor of a man who had just discovered his own cock, apparently loving the spectacle he watched. Fen's cock remained in his pants, and he walked around me, out of my line of sight.
I wasted no time sucking Corden's dick. My lips felt every thick vein as I went down his long shaft.
Corden let out a long grunt. "Fuck, boy. We've been needing this."
I slicked Corden's dick with my saliva and added my hand to the movement. My mouth, tongue, fingers, and palm worked together. I went down to the base, letting his cock slip deep into my throat, then went back up, rotating my hand along the way, a method I had mastered a long time ago.
Corden's moans of pleasure ensured me that I did a good job.
Jayme still beat his cock fast and hard. If I had jerked my own cock with that force, I would have came within seconds. But he only kept watching with the intense focus of a hawk.
"How is he?" Jayme asked with an excited pitch. His eyes had gone large and darted downward at my dick, my cockhead now fully sticking out of my pants.
Corden placed his hand on the back of my head and shoved his cock all the way down my throat. I took every inch with pride.
"I think he's the best cocksucker I've ever had."
Jayme must have enjoyed hearing that because he quickly shot his load. No warning, no change in his breath, no telling the other men, no moans or grunts. Only thick ropes of come that shot toward me. Some hit my stomach and one warm drop even fell on the tip of my cock.
Jayme didn't stop stroking, and his cock stayed hard.
"Oh fuck, that's a good cockslut. I'm gonna feed you real soon." Corden now thrusted his cock in and out of my mouth, fucking my face. His hands wrapped around my head, so he could treat it like any other fuckhole. His cock slipped in and out of my throat. It would be sore for a day or two along with my jaw.
Not that I cared, I could suck their cocks all day into the night. I waited for one of them to take me from behind while I continued to suck his brother-in-arms.
"All right, Corden," Jory said, standing up and pulling his cock out again. It hung down, not yet hard. "Move out of the way. I want another go."
Corden didn't take his hands off my head. "Fuck you, Jory. You had your time. I'm about to blow anyway."
Jory was obviously used to being obeyed. "I said move out the fuckin' way. He's going to get me hard again so I can fuck him senseless."
"Come on, Jory." Jayme added his protest to Corden's. "At least let Corden get off too. We've been in these woods for days now with no release."
"What are you talking about 'no release'? You jerk that little dick of yours every chance you get. And not very discreetly, either. This forest is full of your seed."
Even after being called out by his leader, Jayme still didn't stop his frantic jerks.
"I can't help it, Jory. I have to come at least four times a day, or I can't sleep at night."
Despite the arguing, Corden's cock never softened. And after a bit more back and forth with Jayme and Jory, Corden added his own load to my mouth.
"Take that fuckin' load boy," he growled.
Milking Corden's cock wasn't required as he buried it deep in my throat when he came. My eyes watered as his seed pumped straight into my gut. I had to flex my throat muscles to swallow his come and keep from choking, but soon his grunting ended, and he pulled his cock back.
"Fuckin' slut," Corden said.
"Finally." Jory moved into position so I could suck his cock again. "I can't wait to fuck that boy pussy."
I barely had time to breathe before another cock was in front of my face. But I wasn't complaining.
"Fuck, Jory. He's a wizard!" Fen yelled from behind me.
We all looked in the direction of his voice. He was bent over my travelling bag and was going through the contents. There were no more potions for him to find, but he'd discovered my spell-journal. He held it up for the others to see.
"He must not be a very good one," said Jory. "He hasn't used any magic on us." His lip bent upward as he looked down at me and waved his cock around in front of my face. He still wanted me.
I risked leaning forward and taking his cock in my mouth. Jory let me. He wasn't at full hardness yet, only halfway. But I knew I could get him there. I ran my tongue along his shaft. No instant orgasm like last time.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Jayme stare at me more intently than he had before, never taking his hand off his own cock.
"You know what they say about wizard jizz?" said Jayme. His eyes flashed with desire, not registering his own words.
"No, Jayme. What do they say about wizard jizz?" asked Jory, only half listening.
"They say it tastes like honey." Jayme inched closer to me.
Jory took his cock from my mouth and a silence fell over the group. Each man turned their heads slowly to look at Jayme.
"What the fuck, Jayme?" exclaimed Jory. "Why the hell do you know what wizard jizz tastes like?"
Poor Jayme. This would not win him any favors.
Jayme realized his error and started to backtrack, "It's just something I heard," he said quickly. "From one of the other men," he added, hoping it would help.
"And why the fuck were you all sitting around talking about drinking wizard jizz?" said Corden.
It was an old story. It was perfectly acceptable to have a man suck your cock or even to fuck him, but if you even think about turning the tables, you're met with insults and who knows what else from your comrades.
"We weren't," defended Jayme. "It-it just came up."
I chanced a glance in his direction. He had finally stopped stroking his cock and stared at the ground.
"We should kill him, like I suggested," said Fen. Then he nodded toward Jayme, "So you won't be tempted to drink his wizard juice."
Jory looked a bit turned off. The thought of tasting my seed, as sweet as it might be, did not appeal to him. I had managed to get his cock almost back to full hardness, but now it hung low again, back to its soft state.
"You might be right," Jory admitted. "Who knows what tricks he's got. He looks pretty keen on us fucking him. Maybe he needs our seed to get back some of his power."
I had secretly hoped a few loads inside would renew my strength. Even just swallowing Jory and Corden's come had strengthened me. With even more, maybe I could have overcome whatever blocked my magic.
"Besides, this isn't the mission," Fen said.
Jory may have been in charge, but Fen was the voice of reason for the group.
"I know what the fuckin' mission is, Fen." Jory did not like people questioning his authority. He knelt in front of me, his head level with mine. He gripped my chin in his hand and put his mouth close to mine.
I felt his hot breath on my lips and neck. I wanted nothing more than to kiss this dangerous man, but I knew that wouldn't go over well.
"You see, we're on our way to kill your king," he breathed into my face, his voice barely above a whisper.
Even with his threat, his closeness made my cock pulse and throb.
How could they hope to even get close to the King of Serenia? Seeing as how they would kill me anyway, I had to ask. "There's only four of you. There's no way you could possibly make an attempt on the king's life," I stammered. I swallowed down some of the fear. My throat ached from Corden's cock thrusts. "How would you even get close to him?"
Jory only grinned wickedly, "Ah, but what you don't see is we were in the process of changing into those." He motioned with his head to inside one of the tents. A shock of blue fabric peeked through the open flap.
Vestments of the king's guard. Somehow, the Arturian Empire acquired at least four uniforms of King Rennick's personal guardsmen and were going to use them to slip into the palace and assassinate the king. It was a fool's errand, surely. But even if they had a chance of being successful, why not make the attempt; these four were expendable.
"You shouldn't say anything, Jory," protested Fen, again.
It made Jory even angrier.
"You should mind your place!" Jory yelled back.
Fen finally backed down, holding out his arms in defeat.
"What difference does it make? We're going to kill him anyway." Jory stood up, his exposed and hanging cock almost hitting me in the face. He walked to the pile of freshly sharpened weapons and picked up a sword. He returned without saying a word, dragging the tip of the sword along the ground. His shoulders slumped; his mouth turned downward. He was disappointed. Disappointed he would have to kill me. Disappointed he wouldn't get the fuck he wanted.
This was it. I hadn't even made it across the border, and I was going to meet my end at the hands of our enemy. I had failed the king; I had failed Talin-Na; and I had failed myself. If only I could send a message to Talin-Na before I died. They would wonder about my mission for days and might never know my true fate.
I called to the birds in the trees so that they might deliver the message for me, but when I reached for my magic, it wasn't there. An eerie quietness had overtaken the forest.
Jory lined the sword up with my neck, getting ready to pull back and make his killing blow. The cold metal touched my hot skin as he selected the best spot. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see my fate as it was delivered to me.
A swift, shooting sound broke through the air, like something flying at fast speeds. A guttural groan of pain followed. My eyes shot open and watched as the Jory dropped his sword and grasped at a spot on his upper arm, where a black arrow stuck out from the skin, blood pouring from an open wound.