Stormking, Part 3

The story so far: Gods, my luck is strange. I'd managed to survive the wreck of the Xeshite luxury liner, "Princess Xura" after an attack by the mysterious elven renegade sorcerer known as The Stormking, only to fall afoul of pirates, cruising in the region in the hope of some easy salvage. I'd been traveling along with the stuck-up elf-princess Theanna, my tiger-babe consort Shu Li, and, more recently, the ratling Squitter, attempting to deliver Theanna to the safety of an isolated loyalist elf fortress when the Stormking's waterspout intervene, sending Squitter and me into the drink, and whisking Li and Theanna away to the rebel elves' isolated fortress.

As Squitter and I struggled to survive amid the wreckage of the "Princess," Theanna met one Lothaera, an elven ally of the Stormking, who commanded evil beings called Dreadguard, and had a way with persuading other women to her point of view. Needless to say, given my past experiences, Theanna and Lothaera ended up in bed, and Theanna - for the moment, at least - endorsed the Stormking's rebellion against her mother, the Silver Lady. Meanwhile, Li was being seduced by a Wolfen "tamer" named Tanu. Tamers, you see, are Wolfen sorcerer-hypnotist-con men who specialize in "taming" captives and turning them into good little submissive slaves. Li was, fortunately, made of sterner stuff, and wasn't taken in by Tanu, though she pretended to be.

While Li and Theanna prepared for their first meeting with the Stormking himself (by - you guessed it - falling together on the bed in a sensuous tangle of arms and legs), Squitter and I were confronted by a wallowing black tub of a pirate vessel, and found ourselves face to face with our own mortality. Or something like that.
 

We waved and shouted, and sure enough attracted the corsairs' attention. Their ungainly vessel, which looked about as seaworthy as a pregnant bog-beast, did not change course. Instead, they lowered a skiff and rowed toward us.

They were a healthy-looking crew. A wild assortment of races and mixtures thereof gawped at us over the ship's railing, and in the half-dozen or so who rowed the skiff toward us, I counted one human, one orc, a jarrek, a dwarf, and two of ancestry so uncertain as to be virtually unidentifiable. I swallowed hard and hoped they were friendly.

"Well, look what the tide brought in," said a muscular orc wearing a red headband and a gold sash. "We come here hoping for salvage, and all we find is a puny pinkskin and a half-drowned rat."

"Bite your tongue, greenboy," snapped Squitter, climbing onto the skiff, "or I'll show you what half-drowned really means."

"Feisty little bastard, isn't he?" asked the dwarf, a tough-looking specimen with a nasty scar down one cheek and an embroidered eye patch. "You'd almost think he lacked gratitude to the swabs who fished him out of the drink!"

"Don't mind my friend," I said, as the jarrek reached over the side and hauled me in with a single jerk. "He had a neglected childhood."

Squitter nodded. "I had nearly two hundred brothers and sisters. I got lost in the crush. You know -- starved for affection."

"You'll find plenty of affection with the cap'n," said the orc as we rowed back toward the ship. "Welcome aboard, by the way. That there is the good ship  Vile Raper' of his Imperious Majesty Lord Sharpin's Privateer Fleet."

"Lord Sharpin?" I asked. "I've never heard of him. There was a particularly nasty pirate a few years back named Captain Sharpin. Any relation?"

"The same," growled the orc. "He's become a very important man. One o' the Swamp Lords now, leader of a vast and powerful corsair fleet, of which the  Raper' is only one vessel. Should the Cap'n, Gods bless  im, let you live, you'll probably be renewing acquaintances with Lord Sharpin in a few days. So what are you called, supercargo?"

"Wulf," I said, wearily. "And the wet furball there is Squitter."

"I've a much more complex and descriptive name," said Squit, all twitchy whiskers and wounded dignity. "But you lot would never be able to pronounce it, let alone appreciate its subtlety."

"You talk mighty fancy for a hopped-up bilge rat," commented the orc. "I'm Skrall, Yeoman Bo'sun of the  Raper'."

We scrambled up a boarding ladder and onto the Vile Raper's deck, and were immediately the object of two dozen more curious stares.

"Vile Raper, huh?" Squitter muttered under his breath. "What's her sister ship called, the Mother Stabber?"

"Shut up," I hissed. "Don't get us in any deeper."

The crew was, as I said, a mixed bag. But then, since they were Swampers, that came as no surprise. The Swamp Lords, for all their pretension, were leaders of a series of foul little city-states along the edge of the Wilds, scraping out subsistence livings while fighting off Wolfen, bandit raiders, marsh monsters, orcish tribesmen and each other. If you had too many enemies, too many warrants for your arrests or worse, bounties on your head, the Wilds were the place to go, and the Swamp Lords' cities were probably the only ones who would have you. Lord Sharpin was just the most recent in a long succession of Swampers who appeared, grew powerful, and were extinguished by war, treachery, bad luck or a combination of all three.

Now, we were either captives or guests of one of Sharpin's captains, and only the gods knew how this was going to turn out. I knew, however, with depressing certainty, that I would never rest easily until I found out what had happened to Li and Theanna and, if possible, try to rescue them.

Rescue Theanna, I hear you saying? Rescue the irritating little elf-bitch who never even gave you the time of day, even as you risked your life for her benefit? Well, yeah, I guess so. I wanted to see her safe, if for no other reason than to rub her prissy elf-nose in the nobility and bravery of a mere human. And as for Li... Well, that pretty much went without saying. Wherever she was, I hoped that she was with Theanna, and that both of them were safe. What horrors, I wondered as I walked painfully across the deck of the "Vile Raper," were they witnessing now?
 

Theanna felt a moan build inside her as Li's lips and tongue caressed the side of her face, her neck, her shoulders. The Kaitian woman lapped gently, the rough surface of her tongue barely scoring Theanna's delicate pale skin, yet the sensation shivered through her body.

"Ohhhh, Li..." she gasped, stroking the cat-woman's hair, feeling the warm and gentle probing of her tongue move across her breast and tease a nipple. "Touch me, please. Touch me everywhere."

A pair of yellow eyes gleamed up at Theanna, brimming with amusement.

"Isn't that more a task for your beloved elf-woman, Lothaera? Are you sure you don't want to call her and have her touch you?"

Theanna wasn't amused. "I want you to touch me, not Lothaera. Please, Li. She's not the only one. I think I love her, but I'm not sure. You saved my life, you've been my friend, and Lothaera..." She stopped, biting her lip. "She wants me to help the Stormking. You've asked nothing of me, Li. I need you now. Please."

Li blinked, and the amused yellow eyes softened. "They made me a prisoner, Theanna. Offered me to you as a slave. I'd die before I became a slave, and I'd kill anyone who tried to make me one. But I endured it, followed their damned Tamer's orders, because I knew I had to survive. You had to survive. You aren't the only one who needs someone, Theanna." She crawled atop the elf-woman, soft fur brushing against Theanna's flesh, sending tingling waves of pleasant sensation once more rippling through her body. "You need me, Theanna. And I need you." She kissed Theanna, lingering on her lips for a long moment. "Now, may I make love to you? I've made love to a male human and a male Wolfen, two things that I'd never have dreamed of doing only a year ago. A female elf is scarcely any stranger to me now." She glanced down at Theanna's body, breasts rising and falling, nipples still pink and swollen, belly gently curved. "And besides, you're far lovelier than either my Wolf or that bastard Tanu."

"Yes," Theanna breathed, feeling a depth of emotion for the Kaitian she hadn't felt before. "Yessss, please. Make love to me, Li. Please."

Li's only response was to kiss and lick her way once more down Theanna's shoulder, back to her breast, and once more softly prick and tease her nipple with sharp white teeth and bristly tongue. Theanna once more felt a moan crawling forth from her throat as one of Li's hands cupped her other breast and stroked her stiffening nipple.

 "Yes, Li, that's it," she whispered. "Touch me, Li."

"Wait," Li whispered. She shifted abruptly. Now, Li's breasts were suspended above Theanna, while Li continued to nibble and lick at the elf woman's nipples.

"Touch me, too," Li said. "You're not the only one who needs someone to love them."

Theanna set to work happily, licking, at first tentatively, then with more force, at the hairless pink aureoles, then at the stiffening nubs in their center. As she began to suckle harder at the swelling nipples, Li's oral adoration of her own breasts grew more aggressive, and a series of deep growls rose from her chest, into her throat.

"Rrrlll, that's fine, dearest... Yessss... Yrrrr..."

The mutual breast-licking continued for long minutes, and Theanna felt the same heat that had swept through her with Lothaera, and a strange tugging at her emotions, as if now someone else had challenged Lothaera's seemingly unassailable position in her heart.

Then, without further prompting, Li moved again, crawling on hands and knees, kissing her way from Theanna's breasts, to her ribs, and across the soft flesh of her belly.

"Mmmmm, Li..." Theanna sighed, realizing what was coming, anticipating the touch of Li's tongue against her mons and the warm, insistent caress of her mouth. The Kaitian's soft fur brushed against her nipples, undulating hotly through her body. Theanna returned Li's touches, bites and licks, ignoring the odd sensation of fur on her tongue, stroking Li's back and flanks as she moved lower, lower, and lower still.

Li's hands gently rubbed at Theanna's thighs, slowly sliding upward, toward the smoldering center of her desire. Theanna stroked the small of Li's back, and cupped her buttocks, drawing them to her, eagerly opening her mouth as the Kaitian woman's thighs moved apart, revealing the hairless pink of her vulva. When she finally settled down, the soft flesh of her cunt joining with Theanna's lips, embracing and surrounding them, she felt hot, intense moisture. When she parted the delicate petals of Li's outer lips with her tongue, she felt more moisture... Apparently the Kaitian woman was as excited as she was...

And Theanna was excited, truly. Her heart hammered uncontrollably, her breath came in gasps, and the glimmering, throbbing heat of her swelling clitoris seemed to envelop her in a blanket of sensation. Li's lips and tongue were busy there, as well. The prickle of the alien tongue seemed little distraction -- in a way it increased the depth of sensation, providing a rough, abrasive counterpoint to Li's soft lips and the gentle nip of her sharp predator's teeth. Li gripped Theanna's buttocks with the same intensity as Theanna held her's, muscular hands firm and commanding, driving the elf woman on, thrusting her against Li's probing tongue and hot, wet mouth.

"Oh, my love... Rwwwllll..." Deep growls mixed with impassioned words as Theanna felt Li tense against her. "Oh, my lovely elf... I'd never... rrrrrlll... Never thought... Oh... Grrrrllll... Ohhhhhhhhh..."

The delectable moisture of Li's soft, welcoming cunt seemed to redouble, and beneath her stroking hands, Theanna felt the Kaitian's buttocks tense, then release, then tense again, corded muscle one moment, soft and yielding warmth the next. She was the same way, she knew, going rigid as a wave of sensation built, then relaxing as it receded, all building with taut inevitability to the a final explosion.

When at last it came, it struck Theanna first, a soundless scream of release, straining every muscle in her body, then releasing her, then exploding again with renewed force. She clung to Li's buttocks, and licked all the harder, pressing her tongue against Li's swollen, prominent clitoris, sucking and exploring with mindless intensity and adoration, feeling Li press against her harder with each contraction...

Then Li cried out, a noise of animal lust and pleasure, and Theanna felt a harsh sting against the flesh of her buttocks as Li's body went rigid and her claws extended, but Theanna did not care, so caught up she was in the mind-numbing pleasure of her climax, and the mental triumph of Li's orgasm, so lost in sensation, so trapped in a whirl of emotions, from love to anger to pity to sorrow to desire to want to need...

"Li..." the word burst forth from Theanna's throat. "Li... I... Oh, my love... Oh, Li..."

Li's yowls were almost incoherent, but through them Theanna heard words, and her heart soared as she listened...

"Oh, my little elf... My beloved... Rowwwwwwwrrrr... Ywwwrr... I love you, my elf... I want you so... Rrrrrwwwww... Oh, thank you, dearest... Thank you... thank you..."

Theanna sighed deeply as the last waves of orgasm slipped from her. "Thank you, Li," she said. "Thank you, darling..."

Lothaera still dwelled deep inside her. The bond she'd created was not easily broken, and the loyalty Theanna had offered was not easily retracted.

But now, lying in a sweating, contented tangle with this strange, alien creature, as much cat as woman, Theanna felt that the tiniest breach had been created in the granite walls that Lothaera had erected. Li had made it, and for that she was grateful.

For the moment, at least, Theanna still had the hope of remaining free, and of commanding her own destiny.

Soon, however... Soon they would see the Stormking. Theanna hoped that her freedom and hope would survive the encounter.
 

"I'm Saquod, Captain of the  Raper'," he said, voice booming.

"Pleased to meetcha, Cap'n Squid," chirped Squitter, marching forward, paw extended.

"That's Saquod, bilge-rat!" the Captain roared, sending Squitter back a couple of paces. "Say that one more time and I'll feed you both to the sharks!"

"Sorry, sir," I said, clamping a hand on Squit's muzzle and letting him squeak indignantly. "I'll have a talk with him later."

"And what's your name, flotsam?" he demanded.

"Wulf will do," I replied. "And this is Squitter."

"I think I prefer Flotsam and Jetsam," Saquod replied, and the crew bellowed with laughter. "Tell me why we shouldn't just throw you back over the side right now, Flotsam."

"I'm an able seaman, though no great navigator," I replied, "and as for this one... Well, I'm sure he'd be good at deck swabbing and bilge cleaning."

"Deck swabbing?" demanded Squitter through clenched teeth. "I oughta..."

"Shut up," I hissed at him. "I'm trying to keep us alive!"

"Very well," grunted Saquod. "We'll give you a try. If you're still alive by the time we make port, then you'll be free to do as you please. Otherwise... Well, them sharks sure looked hungry."

More laughter greeted Saquod's jibe.

 "Keep in mind that we're a free corsair in service to His Nibs, Lord Sharpin. If there's fighting to do, we'll expect you to do your part."

I nodded. "I've done it before."

"I haven't," hissed Squitter.

"Don't worry," I replied. "You can load the crossbows."

"Enough!" barked Saquod. "You're crewmen now, and I run a tight ship. Prepare to make sail!"

At that point, a commotion erupted among the gathered crewmen, and a moment later they parted like curtains, respectfully falling silent and letting two individuals make their way through the crowd.

"Woo-woo," muttered Squitter, ever helpful. "Hot numbers, huh?"

"We heard there were survivors," said a high feminine voice. "We thought we'd come up and see them."

"Oh, a ratling! How cute!" said a second voice, equally feminine.

I tried not to look too interested at our two new arrivals, but I don't think I did a very good job of it. The first was a full-bodied, black-haired woman with striking brown eyes, while the second was younger and somewhat thinner (though not by much), with a picturesque tangle of blonde tresses and a pale oval face. Both looked at us with some amusement, and both were dressed in expensive velvet and silk gowns.

"Dear," said Saquod to the dark-haired woman, suddenly meek and conciliatory, "I really think you should remain below..."

"Nonsense, Vritto," she replied, patting him on the shoulder. "Danni and I are perfectly capable of caring for ourselves. Besides, these two don't look terribly dangerous."

"Not at all," said Danni, smiling coquettishly. "It's not often we dredge up such interesting salvage."

Saquod grumbled and turned to me.

"My wife Sakkolia and daughter Dannitara," he said. "They are to be treated with the utmost respect and politeness."

"I'm never less than perfectly polite and respectful," I replied, "and I think I can assure you that Squitter will be as well."

"Wow," Squit whispered, staring up at Sakkolia's voluminous chest, "look at the size of those -- "

I clapped his muzzle shut again, and propelled him from the deck.

"Thanks much, Captain," I said, "and best wishes to the ladies. Now if one of our fellow mariners can show us to the crew's quarters."

"Of course," said Saquod, sounding almost relieved. "Skrall, see to  em, will you?"

"Sir!" barked the orcish bo'sun. "Okay, swabs! Follow me!"

I dragged Squit belowdecks, also relieved to be out of the sun, and away from the twin temptations of the captain's wife and daughter.

"I know what you're thinkin'," Skrall growled. "Take some advice from me -- don't. The last poor bastard what looked crossways at the cap'n's woman ended up hanging from a long pole over a pool o' blood eels. The cap'n's a powerful jealous man, he is."

"Oh, don't worry," said Squitter. "My boy Wulf here, he's never got caught with another man's woman."

"Stop trying to be so damned helpful," I shot back. "What he means is --"

"Sounds like he means you're a good man at jumpin' out the window when the husband arrives. Well, ya try that on board the  Raper' you'll find yourself in fifty fathoms of blue water. Take my advice, Flotsam. Hands off the women. Here's your berth." He motioned at a hammock slung between two beams. "You'll have to share, but I suspect you'll be on different shifts, anyhow."

"Oh, don't worry about me," Squit said. "I'll just curl up in the rope locker or something."

"What happened to the last owner?" I asked, warily.

"That's the man what set lustful eyes on Her Ladyship," Skrall said, grinning. I saw that both of his front tusks were gold. "Now don't you follow his example."

"No fear," I said. "I won't. I've enough women troubles already."
 

The Stormking, grim and unfathomable, hidden behind gleaming blue-black armor, the faint glow and flicker of lightning dancing about his horned, demon-visored helm, sat on a stone throne perched atop a dais, regarding Theanna. Behind him stood Lady Lothaera, slender and serene as always, her eyes fixed directly forward, looking neither left nor right. Beside her stood an elf in armor, at attention, holding a red-shafted spear.

Behind Theanna stood several other elves -- more of the Stormking's followers. They were a varied lot, from young decadents to ancient nobles, all united by their opposition to Theanna's mother, the Silver Lady, ruler of the Elven Isles. They, too, stood motionless in total silence while their leader contemplated Theanna.

Li was there, as well, though she was of little help to Theanna. She kneeled, arms bound behind her, elbows cinched together, forcing her to sit up straight, breasts jutting out, high on her ribs, rising and falling with carefully modulated breath. Her head was held sharply upright by a leather neckstock, equipped with several large silver rings. Once more, she was silenced by a ball gag. Her eyes seemed soft and respectful, but Theanna hoped this was because Li was playing a role, rather than due to any real submission.

Even now, she couldn't be sure, for the Wolfen tamer was there, standing motionless behind her, holding a leather lead, attached to one of the collar's rings. He was a muscular creature, clad only in a white loincloth, his head like that of a sleek and powerful wolf. He held the lead with calm authority, and the assurance of total ownership. Again, Theanna hoped that this assurance would prove false.

"So," said the Stormking, his voice deep and resounding, like distant thunder, "you have decided to forsake your loyalty to your mother and all she stands for. You have decided to join us."

Theanna tried to meet the Stormking's gaze, but could see nothing in the darkness of the demon-visor. She began to speak, but felt her voice break.

"Go on," said Lothaera, turning sympathetic eyes on her. "Don't be afraid."

"I agree," Theanna whispered. "I will join with you. I ask that you spare my mother's life, and those of my siblings, however."

The thunder rumbled briefly, and it took a moment for Theanna to realize that the Stormking was chuckling.

"Of course, Princess. We are not savages here, like green-skinned orcs, raping and pillaging and killing as we choose. We seek to lead our people out of spiritual bondage, to a future free from the scourge of absolute rulership and outdated tradition. Welcome, Princess Theanna. With your assistance, our victory is assured."

Theanna swallowed.

"Thank you, My Lord."

"And has the Kaitian performed to your satisfaction?"

Theanna nodded. "She has, My Lord. I wish her to remain as my servant."

"So she shall, Princess. She must continue training with the tamer, however, lest she forget the lessons she has learned. Tamer?"

"Yes, Lord?" said Tanu, bowing his head.

"You will continue to train the Kaitian as you see fit."

"I will, Lord." Did Theanna detect a note of gratitude in the Wolfen's voice? She did not know. Certainly, Li's soft-eyed, submissive expression did not change.

"And, Princess?" the Stormking continued.

"Yes, Lord?"

"Tomorrow, I expect to meet with you and discuss the disposition of your mother's military forces."

"I know very little of that, My Lord."

"You know enough, my Princess. And we will also talk of how you will persuade your mother's few supporters to come over to our side, as well. Is that satisfactory?"

"It is, Lord." The words galled Theanna and burned deep inside her, but she said them anyway. Her heart still hammered, fueled by divided loyalties, love for her mother, for Lothaera, and for Li. What was she to do?

"Very well, then," the Stormking said. "You may go. Lady Lothaera wishes to dine with you tonight, and wishes your Kaitian to serve you."

"That is acceptable, My Lord."

With that, the Stormking's court dissolved, and Theanna was once more left alone with her fears.
 

We made our way south, seeking prey as we sailed back toward the Wild and the "Raper's" home port. It wasn't until about a week after being picked up, as we approached tropical waters and the rich Xeshite shipping lanes, that anything happened to break the tedium.

As the sun sank in red-gold glory, I caught a faint scent of rain, and glimpsed black clouds on the far horizon. These signs weren't lost on my new friends, and all were busy stowing cargo and setting foul-weather sails.

"It'll be a mean one," Skrall confided. "Early storm season is hell in these parts."

"So I've heard," I replied, securing a ratline and scanning for any stray loose items on deck. "What should I do? You're not planning to have me man the rigging, are you?"

"No, you stay below. See to the cargo, and make sure it doesn't shift. You'd just get in the way during a storm."

I felt vaguely insulted at this, but was nonetheless relieved that I'd be belowdecks when the storm hit. Squit and I grabbed a quick meal later, and set to inspecting the cargo and gear.

"I've never been in a bad storm before," Squitter said. "The  Xura' never paid any attention to the weather, what with all those wizards on board to keep the sea calm. Storms were like shows for those people. They'd go up on deck and watch the thunder and lightning and wind tossing the ocean around, staying dry and comfortable the whole time. Stuck up rich bastards."

I cinched a rope tight around a dozen barrels. "Well, they're dead rich bastards now," I said. "Their wizards encountered magic they couldn't deal with."

"The Stormking?"

"Yeah. The Stormking. Where the hell is he, and where did he take Li and Theanna?"

"No idea, Wulf. That's for the future. We ratlings tend to live for the present, anyway, and our present right now involves getting very wet and cold very quickly."

He had a point, and we set to completing our job. By the time we'd secured, stowed, and checked everything, the  Raper' was beginning to pitch and roll, and periodic rushes of wind made the rigging creak and the vessel's joints protest.

"That's it," Squit chirped, hopping along the corridor and up a companionway. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the mess, hiding under a table."

The rest of the crew was above, or at their stations throughout the ship. I was alone, the darkness of the hold all around me, the pitch and roll of the ship growing stronger with each passing moment. A rumble of thunder sounded close by. I braced myself against a crate and waited for the storm to hit.

And hit it did, with unbelievable fury. This wasn't one of the Stormking's artificial catastrophes (or was it, I wondered?), but it slammed into us like an angry fist. Rain and waves washed the deck overhead, and I heard the echo of falling rigging and spars. We climbed up one mountainous wave and just as suddenly plunged down another, reaching bottom and rising again with bone-jarring suddenness.

Crates and barrels strained against ropes and cargo nets, and I sprang from place to place, making sure that nothing was weakening. If the cargo shifted, the  Raper' could capsize, and send us all to join the sea gods forever.

An especially enthusiastic buffet sent me slamming into the forward bulkhead, and in the lull between waves I made my way up the ladder to the main deck. If I stayed on the cargo deck, I'd be battered to pieces. I had to hope that everything would stay secured.

The main deck was scarcely better. A hatch had broken, and water poured through it and the companion way. As I sat, panting heavily, a blinding rush of icy salt water slapped at me. I swore bitterly. Overhead, more crashing sounded, amid the shouts of crewmen and the obvious, basso bellowing of Captain Saquod.

Another flood of water scoured me, but this time it carried a passenger. A heavy body, clad in impractically long skirts, soaked to the skin, blundered into me, and by the time I got all the water from my eyes, I saw that none other than Lady Sakkolia, wife of our bellowing, bull-necked captain, lay atop me, awash in frigid water. She was pale; paler perhaps due to the cold, but her dark brown eyes seemed quite warm. Her gown was a velvet, off-the-shoulder thing, revealing what looked like several acres of white breasts. It was probably ruined by the salt water, but Sakkolia didn't seem terribly concerned.

"Crewman Flotsam," she said, over the howl of wind outside. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Lady," I replied, trying to rise. "You should be in your cabin."

"Hardly exciting in my cabin, crewman," she said. She remained atop me, preventing me from rising. "Although I suppose it could be under the correct circumstances."

Oh, gods...

"Lady, I don't think you should... I mean, you should let me get up..."

"Why should I do that?" She put her hands on my shoulders, as if pinning me to the deck. "We'd only fall down again."

As if to confirm Sakkolia's words, another wave poured down the companionway, drenching us once more.

To my surprise, Sakkolia made a pleasurable noise, eyes closed, lips slightly parted. "Oh, my. You wouldn't think that cold water was so stimulating, would you?"

"It isn't," I said. "Not to me, at any rate." Images of Livia in the icy waterfall contended with a slowly growing desire to see the captain's wife naked, and the prospect of ending my life as a meal to a pool of blood eels.

Sakkolia considered this for a moment, then slid a hand down my stomach to my thigh. I felt the touch of fingers on my organ, and the horrified realization that I was actually getting hard.

"It seems to be working on you, crewman," she whispered in my ear. "Unless it's my being on top of you that makes you this way?"

"I... I..." Now, I was in trouble. On one hand, I was on a ship pitching like a cork on angry seas. On the other, I had an attractive and apparently lustful woman lying on top of me. On the other hand (that means I have three hands, of course, but what the hell?), her husband was on the deck immediately above us, and would have me skinned alive or worse if he caught me frolicking with his wife.

"You what, crewman? Or should I say, seaman?" Sakkolia looked amused, and despite the freezing cold water, I felt heat through the sopping fabric of our clothing.

Very funny, I thought. Just what I need now. A comedian.

"The quartermaster's store is just down this corridor," she hissed again. "It locks from the inside. A little modification I made."

Gods... Like a man in a trance, I let her help me to my feet and lead me down the hall. More water sluiced over us as she fumbled with the door.

Wulf, said my rational side, you're letting the small head do the thinking...

Shut the fuck up, brain-boy, snarled the small head. I'm in charge now, you intellectual snot...

The store room was a mess, with barrels and bags thrown every which way. It was freezing and damp, but relatively protected from the unbearable rush of water in the corridor outside. The moment the door was closed and barred, Sakkolia threw herself on me, cold lips opening so that she could thrust a hot, probing tongue into my mouth.

"Now, Flotsam, now!" she cried, pushing me down onto a sack of grain. She yanked down the top of her gown, freeing her two vast, pink-topped mounds, then urgently thrust them into my face. I struggled for breath for a moment, suffocated by the sudden influx of flesh, then found a nipple and began to lick.

"That's it," Sakkolia gasped. "That's it. Love that nipple, Flotsam. Bite it."

I bit, feeling the soft flesh warm and swell as I massaged her other breast, feeling it grow warm, as well, and her nipple begin to stiffen beneath my fingers.

"Mmmm," she whispered. "You like to do that?"

"Mmpfphh... Yffllphmmmph," I replied.

That seemed to satisfy her, for she slid down to her knees and began to loosen my sopping breeches. Though I was still chilled to the bone, and could barely feel her fingers as they slipped around my cock, I looked down and was astonished to see that I was actually hard. Damn, but they're mysterious fellows aren't they? Failing when you most want them to work, and working when you most want them to fail. Right now, I wasn't entirely sure I wanted mine to work, but as another wave hit the ship and tumbled Sakkolia atop me once more, I decided that I didn't really have much of a choice.

She moved back and started stroking me again, fingers growing firmer each time. Feeling returned with frightening suddenness.

"Oh, my sweet little cock," she said, speaking directly to my organ. "You want some attention, don't you? Don't you?"

I guess she took silence for assent, for she then began to tease my cock's now-sensitive underside with her tongue. She kissed her way around its bulging head, which was rapidly flushing dark red.

"What a sweet little darling you are," she repeated, ignoring me entirely in favor of my shaft. I rolled my eyes, but she didn't notice. "You just love to be petted. You love to be sucked?"

Again, I guess the answer was affirmative, since Sakkolia now took my entire organ in her mouth and slid it effortlessly down her throat. Though I was apparently not part of the action, I was impressed nonetheless. I'd have to speak to my cock later to find out how it got such a positive reaction.

Several minutes of wet sucking, and more loud, disturbing pitching and rolling -- that enhances oral sex amazingly, by the way -- which Sakkolia seemed to enjoy enormously, she finally let me go, hiked up her elaborate skirts, revealing fleshy thighs and dark public hair, and moved astride me.

"I want you in me," she gasped. "I want to get fucked."

With that, she sat down, and without any urging or guidance, my cock slid deep inside her. Perhaps women are right -- men's cocks DO have minds of their own. Mine certainly seemed to know what to do.

The roll of the ocean seemed more rhythmic now. Fear gnawed at me that we were coming out of the storm, and that our dear jealous captain and the crew would be coming belowdecks shortly... I would have to come first and beat them to it...

Sakkolia seemed to be ahead of me. Bounding up and down, letting my cock pound into her like a dwarf hammering a tent stake. She threw her head back, wet black hair flying, and howled, fortunately for me, drowned out by the wind.

"Oohhhhhhhh, sweet little cock... Sweet, sweet, sweet... Ahhhhhhh..." She went rigid, hands locked onto my shoulders, digging into my flesh. I was on the verge myself, and I kept pumping away even as Sakkolia heaved and her cunt walls contracted around me.

Sakkolia went limp for a moment, then leaped off my cock, just as the last wave of sensation before the explosion shot through me. She applied her hands to my cock, licking at the head, whispering hotly.

"Oh, come, you lovely cock. Come for me. Come on me. Give me your sweet, sweet come..."

I had been on the edge before, so I didn't take much encouragement. Convulsions racked me, and my cock gushed a load of hot semen, shooting up to strike Sakkolia's cheek and dribble down her fingers. She grinned and continued talking to the now-spent organ.

"It works so hard, this sweet little cock, doesn't it?" She licked the sticky fluid from her fingers as I wiped up with my wet breeches and rapidly got dressed.

"My dear," I said, hurriedly, pulling on my boots, "don't think it hasn't been lovely, but I think your husband will be putting in an appearance shortly, an I think I should return to my duties..."

 "You think too much, Flotsam," Sakkolia replied, reclining against another sack. Her breasts were still exposed, nipples still hard, and her long white thighs remained exposed. She gazed at me through half-closed eyes. "You do your duties quite well."

"While I've enjoyed this duty immensely," I said, opening the door and checking the corridor outside, "it might be best that this be my last performance. I don't relish the thought of living the last few moments of my life as living buffet table for carnivorous sea creatures."

Sakkolia smiled evilly as I left, then pursed her lips, throwing me a nasty-looking kiss. I swore to myself that I would stay out of her way for the rest of the voyage, then headed back to the hold to see to the cargo.

Shit, Wulf, my rational mind screamed. You are going to be the death of us yet.

Shut up, replied my libido. I've got a fucking headache and you're not helping.
 

Just the same, he was gathering a fleet for something. There were easily a dozen large elven warships, as well as twice that number of smaller vessels -- pirate sloops, mercenary cutters, armed merchantmen, and even what looked like a converted goblin war-prau, now crewed by blue-clad elves.

The Stormking himself stood nearby, gazing down at the fleet. He still wore his armor -- in fact, Lothaera told her that he never removed it. No one knew exactly why, though rumor held that he was cruelly scarred by the Silver Lady's minions, and would reveal himself only when he ruled in her place.

"It is good," he rumbled, sparks flickering about the horns and spires of his black helmet. "Soon, we will begin the liberation of our beloved homeland."

"What do you intend to do?" Theanna asked. They had, indeed, discussed her mother's forces and their dispositions, a topic of which she was both woefully and fortunately ignorant. Though she had shown as much cooperation as she could, the information she had provided was scant, and she had still not truly betrayed her mother or her homeland.

"You will do far more than I," the Stormking replied. He curled one black gauntleted hand into an armored fist. "We will proceed toward the Elven Isles, sailing through waters patrolled by your mother's Sea Griffon fleet. We have many sympathizers among the crew and officers of that fleet, and when they meet us, you will appear to them, calling on them to rebel, to change their allegiance to you, and reject the ancient ways of your mother. Our allies will seize control of many of the Sea Griffon ships, and several others may come over to our side, as well. By this time, we will be upon the fleet, and will be able to crush all remaining loyalists. With our combined fleets, we will fall upon the outlying isles, seizing territory and renewing our call to rebellion. Within weeks, we will be strong enough to land on the main Isles, and begin our final assault. Once our troops are on their way, noble after noble will throw in his lot with us. Those who do not will perish."

Theanna felt her eyes widen. It was foolish, all of it. Given the choice between the ancient and near-divine Silver Lady and her youngest daughter, clearly the puppet of a renegade, faceless sorcerer, no elven noble in his right mind would choose Theanna. Yet, here was the Stormking declaring that he intended just such a thing.

"The first step is your address to the fleet, Princess," he said. "We shall project your image above them and you will tell them how you have come to turn against your mother. We will discuss your role in the coming conflict after we sail."

"When do we sail?" Theanna asked, hoping her voice didn't tremble.

"Once our fleet is complete. Hopefully within the week, once loyal captains and other allies arrive. Do not fear, Princess. Victory is assured."

She wasn't worried about victory, but about what she would do when the moment came to finally and absolutely betray her mother and everything she stood for. For Lothaera, she would have done it. But now, Lothaera's flame and Li's burned equally brightly inside her, and she truly feared that she would not say the things that the Stormking wanted. Then, she wondered, what would happen?

"Lady Lothaera has sent word," the Stormking said casually. "Your slave is due for another session with her tamer, and her ladyship wonders if you would care to participate."

Theanna bit off the urge to snap "no" and stomp from the balcony, back to her room and relative, albeit temporary, safety. But the thought of being with Li while she endured whatever the Wolfen did to her made her pause and reconsider.

"Very well," she said at last. "Send a servant to escort me when it is time." She turned, fighting the urge to run screaming. "In the meantime, I will be in my quarters."
 

With our hold now bulging, and our crew swelled to twice its normal size with vengeful Xeshite slaves, Saquod made for Baytown, chosen stopover for corsairs, pirates and ne'er-do-wells the world over. My hopes rose at this, since making landfall presented both me and Squitter with a prime opportunity to jump ship and get away from Captain Squid and his scary, oversexed wife.

Of course, as always, once we made port my hopes were dashed. As he prepared to go ashore with most of the crew, Saquod called me aside.

"You're to stay on board, Flotsam," he said. "Report to my wife in our quarters. She says she has some tasks for you." He frowned, grumbling. "Probably wants you to resort the dinnerware or something."

My heart threatened to leap up my throat, onto the deck and bounce nimbly across the waves to go start a new life as a shopkeeper in Baytown, but I managed to keep it where it was, and nodded.

"Yes, sir," I said, hoping that I didn't sound too terrified.

"Oh, don't be like that, son!" Saquod barked. "She's quite a kind woman when she's a mind to be!"

"Yes, sir," I repeated.

"Ahhh!" Saquod waved a hand at me, and turned away. "We'll be back by eight bells!"

I turned away, hoping to go hid in the bilge or something when a voice interrupted me.

"Where are you going, sailor? You heard my husband."

I must have jumped a foot, then turned to face her, probably looking like a guilty apprentice at the magic academy caught conjuring a succubus.

She was there, in all her fleshly glory, swathed in a purple satin dressing gown. She was dry now, and warm, fairly glowing, her black hair gleaming in the morning sun. I looked at her, then back at the bustling port nearby. We weren't actually at the docks -- these were full up; rather, we had anchored a half league or so from shore. Not to far to swim, I thought...

"None of that, Flotsam," she said, sharply. "You heard the captain's orders. Now follow me."

Reluctantly (or, since my stupid libido was starting to kick in, not so reluctantly), I complied, following her down to the stern and the captain's little love nest. The cabin was cramped. We came in by the main door; doors on either side, and a pair of good-sized portholes opposite us. The bed was small, but seemed adequate for two. I took a deep breath.

"Our dining room is that way," she said, pointing to the left, "and my daughter's room is that way. It's humble but, unfortunately, when my husband drags me off to sea, it's home."

"I see," I replied. "I take it you get bored on long sea journeys."

"Oh, endlessly. Boredom is a way of life at sea, except when we're in combat, in which case it's utterly terrifying."

"So you're a neglected wife, husband married to his ship, seeking solace in the arms of his sailors?"

She looked at me curiously. "Hardly, Flotsam. He takes good care of me, and I love him a great deal."

I frowned. "Then why do you run around shagging innocent mariners like me?"

She smiled, shaking her head. "I've my reasons, Flotsam." Her eyes narrowed. "You know, this morning I realized that you've never actually seen me naked."

"I'm not sure I need to --"

"Shut up, Flotsam." She untied her sash and slipped with only the briefest of motions, out of her dressing gown.

I gulped. The libido was taking over big time.

"You like these?" she asked, rhetorically, holding her melon-sized breasts out for my inspection.

I've never felt confined to the affections of thin, sylph-like women -- Narisha's a damned fleshy woman, and I'm content to get lost in her for a few days at a time (she just smacked me on the back of the head for that comment, by the way). Sakkolia was pale, lovely, and quite substantial, from her two massive breasts to her round belly and generous thighs. She had a single tattoo, a wavy-armed sun high on her shoulder, and right now her eyes were pretty much boring a hole in me.

"Strip," she whispered. "No sense only one of us being naked."

Again, almost hypnotized by her voice of authority, her riveting eyes, and the vast pink and white fullness of her breasts, I complied, stumbling out of boots, shirt and breeches.

"Very good," she said, looking down at my groin, where my cock had already begun to stir. "I'm glad I still have the knack."

"So am I," I replied.

"Sit," she commanded. "On the edge of the bed. My husband said I had a job for you, and I do."

"Give his wife a gallop?" I asked, sitting down, my erection standing up like a knight's banner-pole.

"Among other things," she replied, gliding to her knees before me. She pushed my knees apart and slipped in close.

"Mmmm," she said, and began rubbing her breasts together, pinching her nipples. "I can tell you like your tits big and soft."

"I don't know," I said. "I've never had any."

"Such a smartass. I like smartasses." She took my now-rigid cock in hand and fitted her overflowing breasts around it. "It's hot," she commented.

"Un... unsurprising," I replied. "Gods..."

"You like tit-fucking?" she asked, sliding my cock up and down between her soft mounds.

"Uh huh," I said, beginning to feel incoherent. "You're getting hot, too."

"I just wanted to make sure this was to your liking," she said, then released me and began licking, sliding her tongue up and down my shaft. "I want you ready for your job."

"What job?" I asked.

"You'll see." She ran her tongue up the underside of my cock, then slipped her lips around it and began to suck.

"If this... isn't... the job," I forced myself to say against the soft, moist sensation of Sakkolia's lips and tongue, "then what the hell IS it?"

An irritated voice cut through my thoughts, interrupting Sakkolia's labors.

"Mama! You said it was my turn next!"

I looked up with sudden horror.

Yes, it was true.

"Not to worry, daughter," Sakkolia said, releasing me and standing up. "I was just getting him ready for you."

Sakkolia turned back to me.

"Flotsam, I believe you've already met my daughter Dannitara."

"My friends call me Danni," she said, stepping forward. She, too was naked, and was a blonde-haired younger version of her mother, her features softer, her eyes larger, her breasts firmer, higher, and if anything, somewhat larger. Her nipples were enormous, covering nearly a third of each breast, pale pink shading to darker coral at the center.

"Uh," I said, letting her take her mother's place in front of me. "Hello."

"Now, dearest," said Sakkolia, "I think that today you should work on your oral skills first. Take his cock in your mouth and suck him. Don't let him come, however. We've a few more lessons to go before he leaves us."

"Yes, mama," Danni said, and took my organ in her hand. "Oh, you've gotten him hard for me."

"I have indeed," said Sakkolia. "Just start sucking. He gets marvelously hard." She looked back at me. "You see, Flotsam, my daughter needs education in various arts which appeal to men. I don't intend to have her sit around and live off of me and Saquod forever. I want her married off. Or at least, I want her to be the mistress of a rich man. And to do that, well, certain skills are needed. Bear with me, Flotsam. Hopefully this will be as enjoyable for you as it is instructive to Danni."

"I so want to please my mother," Danni said. She ran her tongue along my cock, already slick with her mother's saliva. "Oh, you're right. I feel him getting even harder."

"Well done, daughter. Now suck him."

"Like this?" She ran her tongue around the head of my shaft, then tilted her head to bite softly up and down its length.

"Good, daughter," Sakkolia beamed. "Tease him first. That's always a good way to start. I'm proud of you."

"Mmmm," Danni replied.

"Tell him how much you want his cock in your mouth. Men like to hear things like that."

Danni rolled wide eyes toward me, pursed her lips and delicately kissed the head of my cock.

"I want this in my mouth so much," she said, and damme if she didn't sound sincere. "I want to suck it. I want to feel it in the back of my throat."

"Good," said Sakkolia.

Now Danni wrapped her lips around my cockhead, and slid it slowly into her mouth. I tried unsuccessfully to suppress a moan.

"He's tastes good, mama," Danni whispered, letting my cock go for a moment and stroking it with her fingers. "I like the way he feels in my mouth."

The weirdness of this situation had not escaped me, of course, and part of me had decided that it was just plain sick, but when you're sitting naked on a bed, and a pretty blonde woman with about an acre of soft pale flesh and breasts large enough to float half the White Imperial Navy is sucking your cock and whispering perverse endearments, it's unlikely you'll voice any objections.

"Oh, your cock feels so good in my mouth," Danni said, directly to me this time, then kissed her way along the length of my slick rod once more. "I'm so glad mama is so concerned about my education."

I wasn't so sure, taking a glance over at Sakkolia, who sat in a chair close to the action. She was still naked, I noticed, and continued to watch the proceedings with great interest.

"Ask if he'd like to lick your pussy now," she advised. "Say you want him to get you ready for his cock."

"Do you want to lick my pussy?" Danni asked, ever the faithful pupil. "I want you to get it wet so you can slide your cock inside."

I looked over at Sakkolia.

"Should I say yes, or play hard to get?" I asked. "Or does she need to work on her persuasion skills?"

"Oh, please," Danni begged, staring at me with those oversized doe-eyes. "Please lick my pussy. It's wet already, just from sucking you, but I want you to taste it."

"Excellent, Danni!" Sakkolia declared.

So we changed places, with Danni sitting on the edge of the bed, and me kneeling between her thighs, kissing my way along the highway of soft, yielding white flesh toward the pink flower between them.

"He's doing it, mama. He's going to lick me. He's going to lick my pussy."

The girl, I thought, spreading her lips apart and discovering that she was, indeed, already sopping, has a real talent for stating the obvious. I ran my tongue across the pinkish protuberance of her clit, and her fists clenched in response.

"Ohhhh," she said. "I like that."

I was glad, although common sense continued to suggest that I was licking my way straight into the blood-eel pit. I teased at her for long minutes, sucking at her clitoris as it swelled, nibbling at her inner lips and slipping my tongue inside her as far as I could. I've never claimed to be the best at such activities, but none of the women I've known have ever complained.

"Mama," Danni whispered, alternating stroking the back of my head and touching her nipples. "Oh, mama, I want to get fucked now."

Sakkolia considered this. I didn't bother to slow down as she did so, since Danni seemed to be enjoying my attentions. I was starting to flag, however -- by this time my face was completely slathered in her juices, and my tongue was beginning to grow a little numb.

"You need some work on your rear entry," said mother dearest, sagely. "Get on your hands and knees and let him take you from behind."

"Oh, yes, mama!" Danni's yelp of joy seemed entirely sincere. I had long since come to the conclusion that both mother and daughter were hopelessly twisted women, but I continued to go along, well under the influence of my libido and my demanding, single-minded little head.

Danni complied with her mother's orders, crouching down on the bed, her pale, fleshy body stretched up for me. I stroked at the rounded smoothness of her buttocks and thighs, then touched the hot flesh of her cunt, still sopping from the attentions of my tongue and her own passions.

 "Put it in," she demanded. "Now. I want it now."

Well, I reflected, she had certainly taken to her lessons like an orc takes to homicide. I spread her cheeks and slipped my cock, still hard and well on the way to its final expression of enjoyment, between her thighs, slipping into her moist, enveloping innermost reaches.

"Oh, mama," Danni said, rocking forward, then back, sliding herself along the length of my prick. "Oh, mama, he's fucking me. He's fucking me hard."

More of that stating the obvious, girl, I thought, then laid to, gripping the soft, yielding flesh of her ass cheeks and pulling her to me, watching her buttocks vibrate and quiver with each plunging thrust. I stroked in and out for a long time after that, though exactly who was pulling and who was pushing wasn't certain, so much did she seem to enjoy it. Danni's voice rose to a keening caterwaul after about the three hundredth stroke or so, and she continued the narration, apparently for mother's benefit.

"Oh, he's so hard... He's so good... Oh, mama... Oh, he's making me come... Oh... Oh..."

She drove herself onto me, flesh quivering, swallowing my cock to its base, and froze there, voice strangled and high-pitched.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh...." She collapsed onto the bed, and I fell on top of her. "Oh, yes! Yes! Mama... It's so good... Yes..."

With that she went completely limp, lying contentedly beneath me.

Sakkolia seemed to approve. She sat there, watching with a critical eye, but smiling as she did so. She'd wrapped herself back in her dressing gown, though she hadn't bothered to sash it.

"Good, dear. Very good. The men will love you." She looked suddenly serious. "But you must let him finish, dear. He's worked hard as well."

Danni rolled over beneath me, my cock slipping out of her.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked, looking straight at me with burning, heavy-lidded blue eyes.

"Let him rub his cock between your titties, dearest," Sakkolia suggested. "He seems to like that. Play with your nipples while he does it, too. Then let him come all over your breasts. That can be fun if you do it right."

I agreed silently, slipping astride my young blonde pupil and felt the soft warmth of her skin as she pressed her massive breasts around my rod.

"It feels good," she commented, looking over at Sakkolia. "He's all wet from my pussy."

"That might help things," Sakkolia agreed as I began to slide my cock in and out of the hot, yielding tunnel she'd created. Again, Danni performed well, moving my hands to press her tits together, then tickling and tugging at her large pink nipples.

"He's fucking my titties, mama," she said. I was getting used to this sort of commentary, but I still found it a little disturbing. "He's going to come all over them."

Sakkolia nodded. "Be sure and rub it all over your tits when he does. It's good for the skin."

Okay, okay, I thought. Finish this, then jump ship immediately, with or without Squitter. I'm not going to get drawn into this little drama any further.

It was my last rational thought for the next few minutes. I continued to thrust, pressing Danni's twin mounds together, letting her toy with her nipples, until at last sensation overwhelmed me.

"I'm going to..." I began, but my body was too quick for me, and the pent-up heat rushed forth, gushing white from my cock. The initial burst splashed across Danni's face, and she licked it up eagerly, while the rest spilled into the deep hollow between her breasts. She grinned, rubbing the hot sticky fluid across her skin.

"It feels good," she said, and giggled. "He comes a lot, mama."

"It's because you did such a good job, dearest," Sakkolia said. "I'm very proud of you."

I slipped off of Danni, my common sense back in firm command, insisting that I get out as soon as possible.

"Well," I said, swiftly, wiping my mess off on my discarded breeches, "don't think it hasn't been lovely, but it's probably best I get back topside, before the captain --"

I was interrupted by a sound that made my blood run cold.

A heavy step sounded in the passageway outside, along with a bellowing, terrifying voice.

"Sakkolia, my sweet! Wife! Open up! Your husband's home!"

To her credit, Sakkolia sprang into action without hesitation. She silently shushed both Danni and me, and her daughter, my semen still sticky on her breasts and face, leaped to her feet and padded softly across the cabin, vanishing through her door.

"Hm? Whazzat?" Sakkolia continued in a sleepy voice, moving over to the portholes and quickly undogging one.

"Did I wake you, my love?" Saquod's words were slurred -- it was a safe bet he was drunk as a goblin on payday.

"Mmmm?" Sakkolia replied, motioning me toward the open porthole.

My limbs energized with terror, I sprinted, as quietly as I could, toward my escape.

"I'll be right there," she continued. "I need to find my robe."

"You won't be needin' a robe, my little sea urchin," the captain slobbered. "Just come to that door and gimme a look..." A series of heavy thuds sounded, and I saw the cabin door shudder.

I dived for the porthole, dragging my torso through, grabbing at any handhold I could find. I stopped abruptly, and for an instant I was terrified that I was stuck. Then Sakkolia propelled me through with a heavy shove, and I was falling through space, down to the welcoming embrace of mother ocean.

The porthole slammed behind me, but not before I heard Saquod bellow, "Wha' the hell wazzat???" and propelled myself swiftly toward the hull, ducking out of sight and making for the anchor chain.

I looked even more like a drowned rat than Squitter when I at last hauled myself onto the deck, hoping that no one had seen me, and that I'd be able to find dry clothing.

"Nice dive," said a gruff voice, and I yelped, blood turning to ice. There, silhouetted against the late afternoon sun, stood the muscular, green-skinned bo'sun, Skrall.

"Uhhhhmm," I said. "Would you believe there's a reasonable explanation for all of this."

The orc grinned ferociously. "I suspect that there is, but it's probably best you tell it to me in my cabin a'fore the cap'n comes barreling up topside lookin' for the bastard what dorked his best beloved."

My fate sealed, I followed the bo'sun down to his tiny quarters.

"I hope you're not expecting sexual favors in exchange for your silence," I said, trying to force a grin.

"Perish the thought, pinkskin," Skrall growled. "I've never been much for non-females, if ya get my drift."

"So why did you bring me here instead of dragging me before the captain?"

Skrall rummaged beneath his bunk. "I've a proposition for ya. But first, care to join me for a drink, Flotsam?" he said, pulling out a brown bottle. "Or should I say, Wulf?"
 

Lothaera, gloriously naked, lay on a low couch, legs spread wide, held apart with her hands on her thighs. Between them kneeled Li, her arms bound behind her at the wrists and elbows, her ankles shackled together by a short chain, her tail lashing with what might have been anger, or possibly passion as her head bobbed and her pink tongue lapped at Lothaera's sopping labia and clitoris.

Li also wore her collar, and a chain leash led from it, held by the Wolfen tamer, Tanu. He was naked, too, though he seemed quite at home without clothes, and his pelt made him seem less exposed than Lothaera. His penis was slightly erect, a sizeable pink shaft that Theanna found oddly appealing. Perhaps, she thought, it was the celebrated "taming" effect that rendered other species' females helpless. She'd never heard of it working on elves, of course, but there was a first time for everything...

"Dearest little princess," exclaimed Lothaera in an uncharacteristically hearty manner, "so very glad you could join us." She broke off with a brief moan. "Ohh... Your slave is very skilled. I asked whether I could observe her being tamed, and Tanu suggested I actively participate. Ohhh, yessss..."

Gripped briefly by the renewed desire to run, Theanna instead stepped forward, approaching Lothaera where she reclined on the couch. Li looked up at her briefly, and their eyes met, but Theanna forced herself to concentrate on the other elf woman. Her small breasts heaved as the Kaitian woman lapped at her, and her nipples began to grow hard even without stimulation.

"Oh, gentle, little Kaitian," she sighed. "Your tongue is prickly... Not altogether... Oh... Unpleasant..."

Theanna kneeled down beside Lothaera and began to stroke her breasts.

"That's the way," Lothaera breathed. "I was hoping for soft hands to stroke my nipples and a soft little mouth to suck at them. It can be... mmm... tedious... doing such things by myself."

"I want to help," Theanna said, cupping Lothaera's small mounds and firmly squeezing both nipples, feeling them grow harder. "I want to help you."

"Ohhh, that helps, little darling... You stroke my nipples, our slave licks at my cunt, together you make me want to... Oh, yes... Want to come for you..."

"I want you to come," whispered Theanna, then took one nipple in her mouth, gently biting at the swollen, elongated nipple, sucking, then biting again. "I want you to come because I make you."

Theanna looked down in fascination and growing arousal to where Li licked and nibbled, pink tongue lapping at the exposed pink cunt-flesh. She must have been at it for some time for her face was sopping, as were Lothaera's labia. Her clit was a swollen nub of desire, and as Theanna watched, Lothaera convulsed, gasping.

"Oh..." she sighed. "Oh, my pretty princess... I'm so glad you could be here for this... I wanted you to..." Her voice rose again. "I wanted you to... See me come..." She tensed again, face flushing, mouth open. "Your slave... She's learned well..."

Li looked up from between Lothaera's thighs, and Theanna could swear she had a sardonic grin on her sopping cat-face. The slave was master now, of this Theanna was certain -- the desperate demands of orgasm, the need for release, these made slaves of everyone, noble or commoner, king or beggar.

"Oh, darling Theanna, sweetest little flower," Lothaera sighed. "Oh, I so want you to join us now. Please, undress for me, darling. Shed that gown and show us your delectable naked flesh."

Theanna realized that her breath was coming faster, her heart pounding as she stepped back, scanning the room's other three occupants. Lothaera, naked, flushed, dabbing a sheen of sweat from her forehead, looked at her with an expression that was a riot of emotions from love to lust to hunger and desperate want. Li stared at her coolly, and in her eyes was the restrained fury of the oppressed, but also traces of the same love and desire that Lothaera expressed. Tanu stood silent, arms folded across his chest, his canine face unreadable. But, Theanna noticed as she loosened the laces of her gown and prepared to slide out of it, his cock was now fully erect, standing straight from his loins as prominent as a lighthouse on a rocky promontory.

The desire to please all of them tugged at Theanna, and suddenly the spiteful words of her sisters, and a lifetime of living in the shadow of her mother and the empire she ruled faded, replaced by a genuine belief in her own desirability. Yes, she thought. They think I'm beautiful. I am beautiful. I will show them.

Slowly, she slid one arm from her gown, then the other, carefully holding the fabric against her breasts. Then she slid it down, revealing one pale mound, then the other, then just as slowly slipping it further to reveal the edge of one pink nipple, then the other.

"Want to see the rest?" she whispered, surprised at the husky depths of her voice.

"Darling, I want to see it more than anything right now," Lothaera said. "I'm thinking about sucking it right now. Please let me see it."

Theanna revealed one nipple, then the other. With the same agonizing slowness, she pressed her naked breasts together, stroking at her nipples, teasing them until they began to come erect, tingling, exciting sensations passing through them, into her belly and down to her thighs.

Li's anger seemed to pass, replaced by interest, then a look of desperate wanting. Yes. Both of the women wanted her. She would let them have her, too, but only after she'd teased them a while. The Wolfen was more frustrating. Though he was hard as a rock, his expression never changed. Well, Theanna thought, we'll see to that.

She slipped the gown off her hips and turned so that they could see her buttocks. She leaned forward, stroking them, then at last completely discarded the gown and turned back. She fixed Tanu with an intense stare and beckoned him, crooking one finger.

"Tamer. Come here. We'll see if you can be tamed as well."

Though part of her was astonished at what she said, and amazed at the changes just a few days had made in her, other parts were truly excited, reveling in the authority she commanded now. The Wolfen dutifully walked forward, and Theanna's excitement redoubled.

What was it, part of her wondered? Making love to women, to Kaitians, and now to a wolf-headed stranger? Was it the Stormking or his minions? Was it that she was at last free from the strictures of her mother's society, and the ancient traditions of royalty and succession? What drove her now to step forward and embrace the grey-furred creature, slipping one hand around the slick, pink penis, stroking it, trying to make that icy reserve and unreadable expression change, to break through the tamer's facade and show him that, though he may have been a holy man among his people, here he served her? What now compelled her to slide down his body, feeling the soft fur tickle her belly and thighs and nipples, and begin to kiss the smooth organ, licking and nibbling softly, at last encircling it with eager, moist lips, and sliding it into her mouth?

Theanna did not know the answers to these questions, but as Tanu's eyes closed and he tilted his handsome canine head backwards, soft moans issuing from his throat, and his massive organ slid into her hot, willing mouth, out, then in again, she didn't care. She had the Tamer now, and he wanted her as much as the two women. Yes, she thought. I am beautiful. I am powerful. The Stormking does not want me because I am the Lady's daughter. He wants me because he fears me, and fears what I can do to him.

The Wolfen's organ moved faster now as Tanu began to thrust, and Theanna cupped his buttocks, pulling him in with still more enthusiasm. No, she thought, you can't come. You can't. You must keep that for me. I want that inside me later, so you can't come yet.

The Stormking's cause was lost and he knew it. Fled here to this tiny outpost, far from the nearest elven enclave, he had no hope of victory. Not until he found her. His plot to kill her had changed, and now he needed her alive and cooperative. That was why Lothaera had taken her and loved her, and that was why she would sail with the Stormking's fleet.

The great cock slid deeply in to her now, but she did not choke. She swallowed him whole and entire, letting his thickness fill her throat, then as abruptly pull back.

Theanna did not blame Lothaera. In fact, her emotion was genuine. She loved the other elven woman -- loved her face and soft lips, her long swollen nipples, her lean limbs and sweet, sweet cunt, and Theanna loved the way she kissed and touched her, the first person to ever truthfully tell her how beautiful she was, to suckle at her nipples and embrace her throbbing clit with willing, loving lips and tongue. No, she loved Lothaera.

She loved Li, too. Golden-eyed, stripe-pelted, with high soft breasts, gentle tongue and lashing tail. She loved her as much as Lothaera, and would do anything to win her freedom. When Theanna wondered what that could be, even as Tanu thrust and filled her mouth with hot, hard flesh once more, she felt a moment of despair. Then she released the Wolfen and tugged on the hard, spittle-wet staff with her hands, and knew that she would find a way.

As for Tanu, well... He certainly seemed pleasant enough, but, well... He was a useful servant, nothing more. She would like him well enough, Theanna thought, but her love was divided between the other two women, and would win through the most severe of storms, and the coming bloody war.

"You like what I do to him?" she asked, smiling.

"I do, darling. I do." Lothaera rose and walked toward her. "Now I want you to do the same to me. We'll let Tanu keep your kitty amused for a time, then perhaps we'll share them as well."

Theanna sighed, and despite the fearful reality of her captivity, and the uncertainty of the future, she embraced Lothaera with unbound joy, and slowly began to explore her warm, endless, beautiful body with lips and tongue and fingers.
 

"I warned him not to talk," I growled. "Wait till I get my hands on his little windpipe..."

"Hang on, pinky," Skrall replied, holding up a large green hand. He was a magnificent specimen of his race, dark-skinned, muscular, with a prominent jaw and tusks. He was completely hairless, too, with a number of tattoos, including one on his right bicep which read "Mother" and portrayed what looked like a large wild boar. "He's a good one, that ratling, and we've become pretty fast mates, he and I. He talked  cause he trusts me, and frankly, I'm the only one on this tub he can."

"An orc. The only trustworthy crewmen. Shit, what a world."

"I should resent the implied racism, but I don't. I understand you've polished off a good number of my fellow greenskins over the years, yourself."

"Yeah. The Silver Lady gave me a medal for it."

"He said you were involved with Thrazz's little indiscretion a few years ago. I didn't really believe it, but hell, stranger things have happened. Anyway, he tells me that you two are lookin' for a bloke called Stormking."

I nodded. No sense in lying at this point. Besides, he could probably beat the truth out of me if he wanted to.

"Renegade elf sorcerer. He took my friends -- a Kaitian and an elf woman."

"Squit told me. Nice pieces, both of  em he said. Claims you'd boinked the two of  em."

I shook my head frantically. "I wouldn't do the elf-bitch with someone else's pole-arm. The Kaitian, on the other hand... Let's just say I'm very fond of her."

"Always found  em dead sexy myself. Never had one, though."

"You don't look like the type."

"Heh. Dontcha know it. I prefer human woman myself. You'd be surprised how many will heave to and consent to boarding, especially by a handsome strapping greenskin like myself."

I rolled my eyes. "Please, don't draw me any pictures. I don't want to think about it."

"Suit yourself. Anyway, down in port we heard tell that some bleeder who calls himself  The Stormking' is recruiting mercenaries and freelance corsairs. Promising  em booty and plunder and the treasures of the Elven Isles. He's taken one of the Swamp Lord fortress-cities about two hundred leagues south of Lord Sharpin's territories. Gatherin' a fleet, he is."

I was suddenly interested. "Openly? He must be planning to sail against the Lady. He must know he hasn't got a chance against her navy. With all due respect to you corsairs, you wouldn't last a minute against real elven warships."

"Hm. We know. Turns out this Stormking is claiming to have a secret weapon. He says that the daughter of the Silver Lady herself is sailing with him and will call on the other ear-boys to join in the rebellion. If that's true, enough of  em might turn to give the Silver gal a run for her money."

"The Lady's daughter? Theanna. Oh, Gods. She couldn't have turned. It must be some kind of trick."

"I'll warrant it is, Mister Wulf, and my better judgment tells me to have no part of it. Elves want to kill each other, it's fine with me. Saves me and my mates the trouble of doing it ourselves, but now. King Gazzakk's Dick, what a pile of crap! I'm not riskin' my neck to go rip off the tree-hugging, point-eared bastards, not if I can help it." Skrall's eyes narrowed and he looked at me sagely. "However, if I have a chance to rip off the Stormking... Hell, I'll take that and be glad. Shit the notion of the Silver Lady owing ME for something. It would be worth it for that alone?"

"So what are you thinking of doing?" I asked.

"First, getting safe home to port. You've been porking our beloved captain's wife and daughter, and that's a crime of the first magnitude. Doesn't matter that the perverted old hag's been having her little darling spread  em for every half-way decent looking man for a thousand sea leagues... Old Cap'n Squid hasn't got a clue. He catches you in the act, though, or so much as SUSPECTS you've even THOUGHT about drillin' his blonde-haired sweetie. Hell, you might as well open your veins and throw yourself over the side for the sharks. I gotta keep you out of the way of any of  em just so nothing slips out accidental-like."

"I'll drink to that."

"Then, well, we get our own ship, recruit a crew, and go join up with his Storminess. You and Squit go get your ear-girl and pussy-cat and we grab everything we can before bugging out. Sound like a plan?"

I nodded and raised my mug. "Better than anything I've come up with. Does your Lord Sharpin have any long-distance communications items, by any chance? I've got a few friends of my own who might want to help out."

"We'll look into that once we make port. In the meantime, enjoy yourself. You're gonna be on lookout in the crow's nest for the rest of the voyage."

My heart dropped out of my chest. "Gee, thanks," I muttered.
 

Lothaera herself was busy. They'd unbound Li, though she retained leash and collar, which Lothaera held absently in one hand as she massaged a swollen nipple with the other. Li crouched atop Lothaera, the elf-woman's head held between her thighs, allowing Lothaera to tongue her cunt. Again, she scarcely seemed the slave, her hands atop Lothaera's head, thrusting it against her moist mons, yowling loudly as she thrust rhythmically against it. More than once, Theanna saw the Kaitian tug at Lothaera's hair, violently compelling her mistress to continue her intense licking.

The tireless thrusting of Tanu's long, heavy cock drove Theanna forward, increasing the rhythm of her own cunt-licking. Forward and backward she went, breasts rubbing softly against the silken coverlet beneath her. Oh, it was so close, so very close. Soon she would come, and show these women how much she loved them...

Soon Lothaera was completely absorbed in the motion, forward and backward, up and down, groaning, muffled by the wet flesh of Li's vulva. She squeezed her own nipple harder, until it swelled and lengthened. As Theanna opened her mouth farther, and slid her tongue into the depths of Lothaera's overflowing cunt, another wrack of orgasm exploded through her, and she cried out, lapping even harder at Li, driving the Kaitian woman over the brink to her own howling, animal climax. Now, it was Theanna's turn, and another wave of orgasm swept through her.

"Come now, Wolfen," Theanna commanded, looking back, feeling Lothaera's sweet exudations still wet upon her face. "Come now because I wish it."

Tanu's howls rose to join Li's, he withdrew his cock from her and stroked it to orgasm, jetting hot semen across Theanna's buttocks and back. Theanna sighed at the sensation, feeling her own power, and a renewed surge of emotion hotter and more intense than the Tamer's orgasm, deeper than any she had felt before.

She collapsed onto Lothaera, and noted that Li now cradled the elf-woman's head in her lap, stroking her sweat and come-plastered hair and muttering softly.

"I love you," Theanna sighed. "I love you both."
 

Lothaera realized, as the Wolfen tamer donned his garments and turned to leave, that the Kaitian was stroking her face, murmuring to her. A slave was not to speak in this way, but Lothaera could not bring herself to stop it, so sweet and loving were Li Shu's words.

"Lovely elf-woman. I'd not be your slave, elf-woman. I'd be your lover. I'd be lover to the dear princess, and lover to my dearest wolf, and lover to that foolish Tanu. I seek vengeance and redemption, but the solace of love I have not felt before this. I want you all, as equals, not as slaves. I want to love you, elf-woman, but I cannot so long as I am held in bondage."

These words also struck deep at Lothaera. She served the Stormking, served the rebellion, and was dedicated to overthrowing the ancient, oppressive ways of old elf society. Yet now, the Stormking's way, to become slave-masters, to seek confrontation and to kill and conquer -- this way, too, seemed to lead to darkness and extinction. What alternative was there, Lothaera thought, between quietly fading away and drowning in a sea of blood?

She looked up at Li Shu, staring down at her with slitted cat-eyes, then down at Theanna, sleepily sated, snuggled against her, breathing slowly and contentedly, and a nagging thought tickled at Lothaera's mind.

The Stormking offers hate. What of love? What love does the Stormking's crusade offer?

Lothaera swallowed and fought back tears.

None, she thought. None at all.