- The Archivist, your narrator

"None shall be made to suffer for the sins of the mother. All who come can be born anew as mothers in spirit and make atonement. All who come shall be comforted - for the Arm and Heart of the Goddess extends Her Motherhood to all women."

- Founding Axiom (12) of the Order of the Radiant Path

Cold; humid; dark - that was all Shesayne felt. The floor was hard and woody, with an unpleasant mildew smell; the air around her inscrutable. It occurred to her that she had been drugged, though how and under what circumstances were still mysteries to her fear-fogged mind. She scrambled forwards and realised she was naked. Instinctively, she slipped a hand between her thighs, testing her sex and bottom for signs of violation. There was no pain. Everything seemed in order, yet the atmosphere of the chamber was unsettling - to say the least. Tentatively, she rose to her feet and squinted in the darkness. There was nothing. Gingerly, she took a step forward. Her legs were unsteady under her, but the effects of the drug were fading fast. Perhaps, she thought, she could make a run for it. Cast herself somewhere, anywhere that took her far from that place of deathly silence. Isolde had taken her, of that much she was certain. Isolde the stern, cruel young woman who looked like Virginia. That was all...no, there as more. Her mind struggled against the fog and she remembered Astrid, beaten and battered, crumpling onto damp flagstones, blood spilling from her mouth. Was she alive? Perhaps - she was breathing when Shesayne had been escorted away by the two monitor lizard-like khaasta. Shesayne had been careful to listen for that.

Then..., Shesayne thought, then what? I said she looked like Virginia - fuck me and my big fucking mouth...She put something into me. Into my neck, or was it my side? Fuck...they took me somewhere. I passed out before I saw where. Is this one of the Lady's Mazes?

Images of Astrid, Aerylle and Min passed through Shesayne's mind as she groped in the darkness. There was a wall. Hard and woody, stinking of moss and damp, but at least it was a point of reference. She was cold - her lightly tan skin was covered in goose bumps, her lungs felt frozen. Then there came the sound: scraping, hissing, something heavy and muscular thumping against the floor and lighter boot-steps. Shesayne backed up against the wall and saw a point of light spread before her eyes. The point of light grew until it was a crack and, suddenly, as if some cruel Creator had ordered light into the Multiverse, she was flooded by the cold, paralysing glare of two magical lanterns mounted on ominous, dragon-neck styled stands. Isolde marched in, cruelly arrogant in her black Civic Security uniform. Its military cut seemed to complement her thin, unhealthily bony frame. There was something hovering between contempt and sadism in her inscrutable blue eyes. Flanking Isolde were the two massive, reptilian khaasta, armoured in black plate who set down the lanterns and proceeded to exit, halting at the entrance to Shesayne's cell as if to keep watchful guard.

In their wake, a smaller, but no less menacing hobgoblin came and set down a simple wooden desk and a chair next to Isolde. It then left, closing the door behind it. Shesayne's eyes burned under the intensity of the lanterns, so she averted her gaze, defensively standing against the wall on her side, keenly aware of her nakedness before Isolde's pitiless gaze. The human woman set a leather-bound book and a stylus down on the table and approached Shesayne with precise, almost triumphant steps. Shesayne cringed, turning to face the wall when she felt Isolde's hand, strong and firm, seize her by the hair and throw her roughly to the ground. There was no use resisting. Isolde was at least eight inches taller and, though she appeared undernourished, there was a surprising amount of strength in those emaciated limbs.

Shesayne collected herself on the floor. Like a good thief, she knew how to fall so as not to damage herself. There was, however, no remedy to Isolde's savage kick which struck Shesayne in the abdomen and sent her rolling on the floor. The half-elf whimpered - she did not want to give Isolde the satisfaction of seeing her weep, but the tears of helpless rage seemed to flow all too readily.

"Stay still!" Isolde snarled. "If you move without my assent, I shall feed you to the khaasta...after letting the hobgoblins have some fun with you. They were clamouring after your flesh, girl. It took every effort on my part to ensure that you were not inconvenienced while you were being undressed."

"What do you want?" Shesayne sobbed, curling into a foetal position, so as to obscure the light. That made Isolde's movements even more unpredictable, for they seemed to blur the thin woman's image, so that all Shesayne saw was a black uniform of military cut and nothing else.

"How predictable. You really are a lower life form. You and the rest of your half-breed ilk." Isolde mused. She was in no hurry to interrogate Shesayne. She would have her fun first.

"Please...please, I haven't done anything wrong, I sodding swear on the Lady...," Shesayne said, her voice overcome by weeping. That blurred her sight further, so that all she could feel was a dull, excruciating pain in her abdomen and hot tears streaming down her cheeks. Her mouth felt hot and viscous.

"What is wrong? Here I decide right from wrong. So if I said there were three lights, you would agree with me, lest I throw you to the khaasta. Know this, sorry excuse for a sentient being," Isolde taunted, "I spent much time and more effort learning the physical sciences: mathematics, geometry and alchemy, which now everyone feels the need to call chemistry. From those disciplines I gleaned nothing of any value. I can tell Dassau that the ratio between the circumference and diameter of the circle is but an endless sequence of ciphers, but if he were to tell me to write that it is three and fourteen hundredths and nothing more, I would have to comply. A lie, repeated often enough, becomes truth. So, too, absolute truth can become absolute lie."

"What do I have to do with this?" Shesayne whispered, not daring to look up at Isolde, who was busy pacing in a very unsettling manner up and down the chamber.

"You should have paid more attention in school, you worthless whore." Isolde snapped contemptuously as she approached Shesayne, her boots tapping ominously against the decaying wood, "Do you realise how tiresome it is to document every single one of your tawdry encounters for the benefit of my investigation? Do you realise how tiresome, tasteless and cheap you are? Evidently not. Now you will come crying and whimpering as you are doing now and say that it was all your upbringing, that humans and elves looked down on you. Regrettably, that is no excuse. I too had...unfortunate childhood experiences," Isolde's voice raised itself to a fervent, almost dogmatic pitch, "but I made something of myself." With that, she seized Shesayne by her raven-black hair and dragged her to centre of the chamber, directly under the merciless light of the lanterns. "Remove this!" Isolde growled, roughly tearing out Shesayne's dragon-turtle comb and casting it aside. It fell to the ground with a dull clatter.

"No!" Shesayne cried, scrambling desperately to retrieve, "Not that, please...please not that." Isolde hit her hard across the face to silence her. Shesayne fell back down on the ground, sobbing desperately, her cheek numb from the vicious strike.

"On your hands and knees, you cheap, worthless, sub-human whore!" Isolde ordered.

Shesayne remained curled up on the floor, her thoughts concentrated entirely on retrieving her precious comb. She could not disappoint Min. Min who had risked everything just to steal the precious item for her. That had been the first and last childish fantasy she ever saw realised.

"On your hands and knees!" Isolde repeated, kicking Shesayne savagely, the toe of her boot connecting with a sickly thud against the half-elf's abdomen.

"All right...all right." Shesayne mumbled through her hysterical sobs. Unsteadily, she assumed the position Isolde had ordered, hoping it would soon all be over. Min would be there to save her at any moment, just as she always did.

"Good...very, very good." Isolde said imperiously, circling Shesayne. "Hold you knees wider apart."

"Please...please," the half-elf begged, "just tell me why I'm here." She decided that it was better to be on the safe side, anyway, so she complied with Isolde's demand and edged her thighs further apart. The cold air was almost painful against her exposed sex.

"All in due time," the human woman crowed, "for now, I shall enjoy the sight of you in the position you were born to assume. I suspect your only regret now is that you are not being filled." Isolde made her way back to the desk and flipped open the notebook. Its pages were spotlessly blank, since she had long ago ceased to take Dassau's notes. Despite her interest in Shesayne's humiliation, Isolde was forced to admit that the wiry little half-elf was a fine specimen: slender, well-formed, well-proportioned and an appealing, dark pink sex. Best of all, she appeared clean - but one could never take chances, so Isolde had prepared herself for the 'interview' by donning black leather gloves. She needed to spare herself any contamination which could well come from Shesayne.

Isolde stared down ominously on Shesayne for an utterly indeterminable amount of time. Time, for the petite half-elf, seemed to ooze by. Isolde's patience was faultless: she sat bolt upright and immobile, her hands folded with the notebook open in front of her, the stylus resting in the crease between the pages. When Shesayne's limbs began to grow weary, her posture slackened and she lurched forward, breathing heavily. She was still weeping, soundlessly this time, "Miss...miss," the half-elf began tentatively, loathing herself for all the times she had affected the same piteous voice for profit, "please, could I...please have some water...just a little."

"No."

"Miss...I never did anything to you...it shouldn't have to be this way," Shesayne pleaded, "I'm a nice girl...I know I'm not perfect: I was thief and..."

"The problem is," Isolde clarified, "you are not here because you did anything in particular. Though you certainly did something, of which I am currently not aware, to warrant your arrest. No, you are here because someone with power delegated that power to me and I chose to bring you here. You are here because my whim is far greater than any universal justice you may believe in."

"Anything you need miss, and I'll give it. You don't have to hit me again...we can take it nice and easy and we'll do everything you want...I'll make it good, I promise."

Isolde allowed herself an almost imperceptible smile. She knew that Shesayne would never fully grasp that she was more aroused now than she would have been in any intimate situation with the half-elf. To control, to command and master - that was all Isolde was truly interested in. She had mastered her body by abstaining from the pollutant most called 'food', she had mastered her soul by tolerating the endless, pedantic, sadistic little games Dassau set up for her without ever protesting. Now, she would control this half-elven slattern for her own amusement and demonstrate that she, Isolde, finally had full and absolute sovereignty over her life.

"At first," Isolde began, "I thought that when Dassau said that you would be interesting to interrogate, he meant that you knew something that would help my cause. Of course, as is always the case with Dassau, one never takes things at face value. Your worth, girl, is solely limited to your attractive potential. Allow me to explain, your presence here will attract others who will ultimately lead me to my objective."

"Why me? I'm just a half-elf like thousands in the Hive...," Shesayne sobbed, there was so much cruelty in Isolde's demeanour but so little explanation. She had always thought that, whatever the circumstances, hope was always the last to die and that hope warranted making each day a happy one. Nevertheless, in front of the sheer senselessness of the Multiverse and in front of the total helplessness she felt at being so subjugated, even Shesayne's usually unflappable optimism began to crack.

"At least have some dignity, vermin." the human woman taunted. She knew Shesayne had nothing important to say, but her presence would draw Virginia which was exactly why she had let Astrid go. Good, sweet, predictable Astrid would no doubt go running straight to Virginia and then, things could be set in motion.

"Min...Min," Shesayne whimpered, wiping the cloying, salty wetness that ran down her cheeks and nose, "Aerylle...Alaia."

"Silence!" Isolde briefly contemplated another random beating for the fun of it, but decided to postpone that till later. There was so much more pleasure that could be extracted from Shesayne.

"Miss...please, just a little water..."

"Silence!"

***

Astrid scrambled desperately against the cracked paving. The drizzle had become a more insistent, cold, sooty rainfall that pattered gently against broken flagstones and decaying roofs. Sigil had never looked so ominous, its tall, skeletal buildings looming above her like indifferent cadavers, all turned to face away from her suffering. But she would not surrender. Her legs felt weak and every breath was agonising, as if something sharp were being twisted in her chest. Sometimes, when she over-exerted herself, she felt a new welling of warm, coppery blood in her throat. She had to get to Min - that much was certain, if it was the last thing she did. When she had asked Shesayne out, kissed her, made love to her, she, Astrid, had undertaken a duty of care in the half-elf's regards. That was what good, responsible lovers did and Astrid was not about to show herself to have sunk to Isolde's level.

So she lurched forth, her legs buckling in pain. Isolde, enhanced by the serum she had injected, had almost certainly cracked a few ribs - of that much Astrid was certain. Her pain-addled mind turned back to a document she had once read: Isolde had injected red serum, so it was almost certainly Crimson Tide - a drug originally developed by an insane Red Dragon to enhance its physical and mental prowess. Ultimately, the drug had found its way, at extortionate prices, onto the streets of Sigil. How Isolde could have afforded it was a mystery. With those thoughts, Astrid realised that, put simply, her soul was willing, but her body could no longer bear the burden of its injuries, so she fell forward, her knees scraping against the cobblestones. They were good cobblestones - well maintained. Astrid allowed herself a wan smile, she was in the Clerk's Ward. Her objective was closer as the illumination grew brighter.

In the distance a lonely figure, pacing with a languid, feline gait appeared in the corner of Astrid's vision. "Min!" she called out weakly and felt another welling of blood meet her lips. "Min!"

The figure paused, as if it were contemplating her, before hitting full stride and rushing to her side. It was then that Astrid told herself that it was permissible to let go. Her vision faded for an instant, so she smelt incense and felt warm, smooth skin. She saw red - dark, vivid red like an ember-coloured veil; she saw eyes - enigmatic and orange, but full of concern; and she heard a voice which was unmistakable.

"Astrid, what in the Abyss happened?" Min whispered sharply, quickly wrapping her arms around the human mage to support her.

"I think it's time for you to go in against Civic Security, you know, just a suggestion. While you're at it, you'll probably want to get Shesayne out, too." came the sardonic reply.

"Fuck...fuck, you're bleeding," Min snarled, mentally reminding herself that whoever had dared lift a hand against Astrid and touch Shesayne would be in a for a slow, painful death, "just stay calm, treasure, stay calm and hold on." It was time to ask Marsena to fulfil her promise. The paladin had sworn to support Min in any operation against Civic Security and, judging from the state Astrid - who was generally perfectly capable of taking care of herself - was in, she would need all the help she could get.

"It's nothing. Nothing life-threatening, I think, just a little internal bleeding." Astrid joked. She felt Min prop her up for support, one arm wrapped around the tiefling's neck so that she, in turn, could support the stricken human mage with an arm around her waist.

"Now we're going for a little walk. It shouldn't take long, just to the Temple Ward. Just hold on, y'hear? You're not going anywhere under my watch, cutter." Min began to move as briskly as she could down the familiar path that led to the Temple of the Vigilant Maiden.

"Stop being so fucking melodramatic," Astrid whispered sardonically, "I'll live. The heroic thing - not to mention romantic - thing, though, would be to carry me."

"Do I look like a heroine?" Min noted, smiling with relief that at least Astrid was well enough to make light of the situation. "Anyways, you should lay off the elven sweets, you feel like you weigh more than a fucking shator."

"I can't," Astrid responded, nodding in thanks to Lady Luck as she saw the dome of the great Temple of the Order of the Radiant Path in the distance, "the girl at the sales counter is too cute for words, plus she gives me a discount."

"You didn't?" Min probed, trying to keep Astrid's mind from the pain, "The chestnut-haired one at the elven bakery?"

"Yeah," the mage nodded, biting her lip as she felt a surge of pain coil in her chest, "we started in the flour storage room and then I brought her home. Two days, no sleep; honey and sweet wine to eat and drink and we did everything...fuck, I even surprised myself."

"Screed, berk." the tiefling teased, they were almost there. The air was fresher, for many temples in the religious nexus of Sigil had extensive, perfumed gardens, so walking became a little easier. Before them spread a great, hexagonal square with a singing, marble fountain at the centre. A couple of black-robed priests of a death cult ambled by, seemingly oblivious to Astrid's condition. At the far end of the square, the entrance gate to the Order of the Radiant Path was clearly visible. "Listen, now," Min began firmly, "I'm pretty well-lanned here and the paladins are all top-shelf girls. They'll take care of you. But you're not going to make a fuss 'bout me going out to get Shesayne. Tonight, you sleep and that's it."

Astrid nodded. She was not one for foolish heroics - she knew that Shesayne would have preferred her alive rather than dead.

***

Meanwhile, a different sort of anticipation had been building in a darkened chamber of the paladin's Quarters at the Temple of the Vigilant Maiden. Virginia awaited Lily by her bedside, clad only - and embarrassingly - in a simple white blouse that, thankfully, did just enough to preserve her modesty, though not much more. Of course, that was in part her fault for asking Lily whether they could exchange roles just once in their lovemaking. The dark elf, who happily submitted to Virginia, was sceptical at first, before deciding that, after all, she did miss the authority she had enjoyed as a senior Daughter in a powerful drow noble House. So a deal was struck and Virginia found herself kneeling expectantly on the cool wooden boards of her small bedchamber. As always, Lily had summoned up glowing motes of violet faerie fire to provide some minimal illumination. That, the dark elf claimed, was the light her people found most erotic.

"So, Virginia, are you ready?" Lily inquired as she slipped into the chamber and closed the door behind her. She was wearing the fine, but provocatively flimsy, spider-silk dress she had purchased with her first few weeks' wages - but, in the faerie fire Virginia saw that it had been worth it. Lily's seductively feminine form was shrouded in gauzy layers of spider-silk which stopped halfway to the knee: the whole dress was unfastened and hung off the drow woman's shoulders, so that the silk flowed naturally down her ample breasts and the gorgeous flare of her hips and bottom.

Virginia took a long moment to admire her lover, before finally managing an answer, "Yes...perhaps you should tell me if there is anything I would find too objectionable..."

"Nonsense," Lily interrupted dismissively, swiftly approaching Virginia, "I learned the art of coupling from the finest priestesses."

Whilst that statement did not exactly reassure Virginia, she was keen, as always, to explore new paths. "Very well," she said, "I am in your hands."

"Good," Lily purred, "now greet your mistress." Her deft, slender fingers trailed over Virginia's lips.

Obediently, Virginia began to kiss Lily's hand, her tongue grazing gently over the drow's fingers. With her free hand, the dark elf gently caressed Virginia's light golden hair, tracing its softness all the way down to the paladin's neck. It was a possessive caress, almost as if Virginia were Lily's pet. "Very nice, girl," said Lily imperiously, "you know your place. Now disrobe."

Virginia rushed to comply, hastily discarding her blouse and casting it aside, leaving her stark on her knees in front of Lily. The drow girl smiled wickedly: Virginia was such a fine sight - so elegant, tautly muscled and almost sculptural, with small, but perfectly formed breasts and a wonderfully athletic, pert bottom. If only the human woman had been just a little more feminine, Lily thought, she would have been beautiful even for the drow, despite her pristine white skin. But now was not the time to quibble over little details.

Lily sat down on the bed, her ominous, but fascinating red eyes never shifting from Virginia's gaze. "On your hands knees!" Lily snarled and, before even thinking about, Virginia had complied. The drow's voice carried the weight of secure authority - she was clearly well used to imparting orders and clad in the exotically sensual spider-silk dress, she looked every bit the part of a drow priestess toying with her lover. "Look at my lovely Virginia," the drow girl commented matter-of-factly, as if she were drawing attention to her new outfit, "such an obedient little girl." She traced a delicate obsidian foot up the arch of the blonde paladin's spine, just barely grazing the skin with her toes. Virginia shuddered involuntarily at the spark of guilty pleasure. The violet faerie fire glinted off her pale skin, heightening Lily's erotic anticipation - it pleased the perverse drow aesthetic to see such a mighty paladin in a submissive pose.

"You are not doing very much," Lily suddenly commented haughtily, still brushing her foot admiringly over Virginia's taut back, "you are presumptuous in assuming that your naked form alone is sufficient to please me."

"Hmm...," Virginia sighed sensually, slowly re-adjusting herself to a sitting position with her taut, pale thighs held wide apart, knees against her breasts. "Would this please you?" In full view of Lily, Virginia lowered her hand to the golden-blonde curls of her sex and, with provocatively languid motions, proceeded to spread the inner lips of her sex with two tensed fingers, bringing her rapidly moistening flower into bloom. Rich, sticky nectar was already beginning to coat the deep pink petals of the paladin's pussy as she tentatively began to pleasure herself, applying delightful friction onto the inner lips but sparing the stiff little bud of her clit for the time being - it would have been unwise to rush Lily.

"It does," the drow responded coldly, "but you should have awaited my command before daring to change position. Never mind...continue pleasuring yourself and I shall tell you when I require further proof of your devotion." The dark elf remained haughtily seated on Virginia's bed, her delicate toes now trailing down the inside of the paladin's spread thighs, grazing ever so lightly against the pale skin. Virginia moaned softly at the sensation, her hips tensing as she began to increase the pace of her stroking. Lily's foot trailed deeper until it came to rest against the downy curls atop Virginia's sex. The dark elven girl smiled wickedly and gently pressed her big toe against the moistened entrance of the paladin's channel. Virginia bit her lip and tried to concentrate on holding her inner lips open as Lily had commanded. It was to no avail, Virginia emitted the most undignified, sharp little gasp as she felt Lily's toe inch its way into her juicing channel.

"Do not touch your spinneret," the drow woman ordered, "your pleasure must await mine."

"My what?" Virginia sighed, somewhat bemused - Lily gave her toe a couple of good thrusts into the paladin's canal to ensure it was well coated in feminine musk and then resumed her exploration.

"The bud at the apex of your sex." Lily explained impatiently, her toe drawing a hot, wet line over Virginia's taut, flat belly.

"Oh...oh, right, sorry...I see, spinnaret because it weaves a web of pleasure, right?" Virginia said, smiling sheepishly.

"A simplistic, if intuitive definition." the dark elf replied, her foot now tracing the outline of Virginia's small, beautifully rounded breasts. The paladin's nipples felt stiff and rubbery against Lily's skin as teased each light pink, tumescent peak - enticing like a raspberry still on the thorn. Virginia's hands worked frantically, trying to draw what pleasure she could from the maddeningly unsatisfying friction on her inner lips. She was not used to having her pleasure delayed, but submitting to Lily definitely had its charm. "Now, cleanse me of the traces of your wanton arousal." Lily growled, the tips of her toes grazing up Virginia's neck until they finally met her dewy-pink lips.

The paladin did not need to be asked twice: she eagerly captured Lily's big toe between her lips and began suckling hungrily. She tasted just a trace of her own, familiar muskiness combined with the exotic sensuality of the dark elf's natural aroma. Virginia continued to run her fingers through the velvety, lust-slick valley of her own sex. She felt need stir in her loins - more so because Lily's leg was tense, so that the dark elf's dress had slid back up her thigh, revealing the plump, hairless obsidian mound of her sex. "Little strumpet," Lily hissed, pleasantly surprised by the diligence of Virginia's mouth around her toes, "I saw you look. Very well, if you wish to drink from your mistress' fount you shall." With that, Lily briskly rose to her feet in front of the paladin and, in one shrug, discarded her flimsy dress.

"Come, my sweet paladin, come." said Lily, her invitation poisonously seductive. Virginia approached - she was tall, so even kneeling she could happily bury her face between the dark elven girl's rounded, heavy breasts - black like orbs carved out of obsidian and capped with stiff, violet nipples. Running her hands through Virginia's soft hair, Lily guided the paladin's mouth up the impressive swell of her breasts. Virginia planted wet, frantic kisses wherever her mistress guided her, before finally bringing her lips to fasten around a stiff, violet nipple. Then she did what came naturally to her, lavishing the tumescent peak with wet, loving licks while Lily cooed softly, feeling her need mount with the delectable sensation of Virginia's suckling. But the blonde paladin needed no encouragement: she adored Lily's breasts - so firm, round and impressively large, yet gracefully so.

"Now it is time for me to wean you to something finer still." Lily noted sardonically - her lilting, drow accent conferring an additional erotic edge to her voice. She firmly detached Virginia‘s mouth from her breast and strode with self-assured elegance to the simple reading chair by the paladin’s desk and sat down with her thighs spread, feet planted firmly on the arm-rest and hips raised. She was utterly comfortable in that wanton position, her deep violet nether lips glistening enticingly in the faerie fire, her heavy breasts shimmering with the residue of Virginia's attentions. "What are you waiting for, girl? Pleasure me and mind that you crawl over on your hands knees."

Virginia obeyed, nodding hungrily, her heart pulsing in anticipation. She badly wanted to indulge in that sticky, bittersweet feast between the silky nether lips of Lily's pussy. All of the drow's body set the paladin's loins on fire, because it held this deeply feminine mystique which the races of the surface world seemed to have lost. So she crawled over and reverently began to lap at Lily's sex. Her tongue was hot and eager against the lust-swollen flesh as she used her fingers to part Lily's glistening nether lips further, revealing a violet flower - a midnight bloom covered in the thick, wild-peach flavoured nectar of drow arousal. Lily sighed, bucking her hips in Virginia's direction, her red eyes glowing gently in the penumbra. There was no faulting Virginia's mouth - the paladin's technique was flawless as she trilled her tongue against Lily's clit and began to insinuate two fingers, tensed and ready, into the sopping channel of the dark elven beauty's sex.

Licking passionately at the folds of Lily's sex, Virginia made sure her drow mistress knew just how much she was enjoying the cloying, addictive flavour. Her tongue alternated between flicking provocatively against the tiny, but wonderfully sensitive bud of the dark elf's clit, and more leisure explorations of the velvety flesh around while her fingers began to thrust in a firm, curling motion deep against the slick walls of her lover's channel. Lily's toes curled deliciously around the arm-rest as she sighed in synchronism with Virginia's licks, her channel receptive to the paladin's knowing penetration. Heat and pressure began to build deep in Lily's sex - she felt her desire radiate outwards, carried by the lascivious expertise of her blonde lover's tongue. Virginia lapped as if the centre of her existence had become Lily's sopping sex and was finally rewarded by the dark elf's long, satisfied gasp of relief as she came. The walls of Lily’s channel contracted gently around Virginia's fingers, but the paladin continued her licking as if nothing had happened.

Lily rode the waves of her climax, her soft, mewling gasps filled the chamber. Virginia would definitely have earned her keep with any drow mistress. "Now, girl," the drow woman ordered contemptuously as Virginia raised her expectant, emerald-green eyes, her lips smeared with translucent nectar, "on your hands and knees, your thighs as wide apart as you can, and I say this for your benefit rather than mine." The paladin moved to obey, lifting her hips high in the air, knees held apart, her face held close to the floorboards. She heard Lily dismount from the chair and the sound of a drawer opening followed by the echo of a few droplets of something liquid, but thick on wooden planks.

The drow woman knelt behind Virginia and lovingly kissed the paladin's taut bottom. It was then that Virginia felt something cool and very slick slide against the outer lips of her sex. It was Lily's fingers which gently teased the deep pink, nectar-sodden lips, easing them apart to reveal the blonde girl's narrow channel. Virginia sighed, spreading her thighs wider still. That provoked a sharp slap on her rump followed by Lily's reprimand, "Slattern! A lady is never so wanton unless commanded by her mistress."

Virginia nodded submissively in agreement and muttered a soft apology. That was not enough to placate Lily, who mercilessly drove three tensed fingers directly into the sopping channel of Virginia's sex. The silky inner flesh of the paladin's canal parted effortlessly under the dark elven girl's thrust. Virginia gasped at the sublime mixture of pain and pleasure. Lily had lubricated her fingers well so that, when she added a fourth, the discomfort was minimal. Slowly adapting to the penetration deep in her sodden channel, Virginia raised her hips, presenting herself to Lily's attentions. The dark elf responded by adding her thumb to Virginia's velvety channel and, very delicately, began to wind her hand in deeper. Virginia, despite herself, could only whimper. Her sex felt overstuffed and painfully split open. The obscene sight of Virginia’s pussy split like an overripe flower, however, was the finest of aphrodisiacs for Lily, for she could admire how her obsidian-black hand was inching deeper into the juicing, pink flesh, mastering the proud paladin and revealing the strumpet within with each, surprised little cry Virginia emitted.

Lily leaned forward, shifting so she was level with the slow progress of her hand in Virginia's sex. Slowly, she kissed the crevasse of the blonde paladin's bottom, her tongue flicking out for but an instant to probe the tight valley between the flawlessly pert half-moons of Virginia's athletic bottom. The paladin groaned - Lily's hand was smaller than Marsena's, but her penetration more pleasurable since the dark elf's fingers were exceedingly nimble. Lily knew exactly where to trace her fingernails or drag the pads of her fingers as she thrust into her receptive human lover. She also knew exactly where to lick, coyly at first, but then with ever deeper and wetter strokes of the tongue as she buried her face in Virginia's bottom. Slowly but surely, Lily began to lave the tightly-knotted rosebud of Virginia's bottom with her tongue, each wet, loving swipe coaxing the little muscle to relax.

The blonde paladin's breath was ragged, her pale body covered in a sheen of sweat from her exertion. Now, subjected to the exquisite dual stimulation of Lily's hand and tongue, she knew it would not be long before she erupted in the throes of her climax. Lily's tongue was sublime against her bottom so that she felt herself loosening and relaxing to the point that she did not really feel any sudden shock at the dark elf finally easing her hand in, all the way down to the wrist. Virginia grunted at the sensation, her hips tensing as Lily's dextrous fingers found purchase in unspeakably sensitive spots deep within her sodden channel. The dark elf relished her position of control: the silky vice of Virginia's sex against her hand was delicious and so too was the feminine earthiness of the human girl's bottom. Lily knew the time was right when she felt the tip of her tongue edge in just a notch and tasted an intimate musk, like almonds. She withdrew her tongue and, with minimal resistance, slipped three fingers into Virginia's bottom, bringing the little rosebud into full bloom. Virginia whimpered, before surrendering any attempt at dignity the moment she felt Lily's fingers magically conjure a little ball of force deep in her sex.

The blonde paladin thrashed, howling her passion through ragged, desperate gasps as she felt her channel contract helplessly against Lily's intrusion. The magical ball of force the dark elven girl had summoned now pressed maddeningly against the hypersensitive tissue deep within her, while the dextrous fingers planted in her bottom gleefully tapped on the thin membrane that separated them from the hand deep in Virginia's sex. A tidal wave of pleasure surged in Virginia's loins, causing her muscles to tense up as she surrendered herself to the pulses of her orgasm, wantonly crying out her passion and Lily‘s name. When Lily felt the spasms in her lover's sex begin to die down, she mentally activated the sphere of force, causing to hum and vibrate at a low frequency. Virginia gasped, collapsing forward as Lily cruelly withdrew from her stretched holes. Her cries filled the air as the sphere continued to vibrate, flooding her loins with a sensation so pleasurable it was agonising, as if acidic ecstasy were flowing through her veins. Lily watched, a bemused and vaguely sadistic smile on her lips. She let Virginia take her pleasure, straining and whimpering on the floor, one more time before mercifully dispelling the conjured sphere. The blonde paladin finally collapsed, panting and mewling, onto the floor, her dripping sex pouting and open, betraying the totality of her submission to Lily‘s hand.

Lily was there to embrace her. Soft, violet drow lips met with Virginia's as they shared a passionate but affectionate kiss. The paladin's limbs still trembled from her fierce climax, her sex felt wet, stretched and over-used, but gloriously satisfied. "That was what we call the Spider's Dance - for it involves eight fingers; then there is the Bebilith's Dance, which, naturally has ten..."

"Perhaps another time my treasure," Virginia mumbled hastily before Lily recaptured her mouth in a searing kiss. Dextrous, dark elven hands ran lovingly over Virginia's breasts, as they lay on the floor, covered in sweat and sex but with every care in the Multiverse lifted from their minds.

"You would have made an excellent drow, Virginia," Lily said softly, shuddering as the blonde paladin lovingly ran her fingertips down her sensitive, pointed ears, "you know both how to submit and how to dominate as the situation demands it. I find it only a great shame that we did not meet in happier times and in another form."

"I know," Virginia began as Lily traced wet, butterfly kisses down her throat and between her breasts, "I know that if I had been a human paladin and had been brought to your city as a captive, I would have been sacrificed like any other prisoner. Not because we would have been different individuals, but because we would not have had the time to know one another. Perhaps I, too, would have slain you had you been a drow priestess. But now I know you, Lily, and you are my lovely treasure - never forget that."

"Although I think I am becoming more sentimental from spending too much time on the surface," the dark elf confessed between kisses, "I think I have likewise grown very much attached to you."

"One day I hope you will realise how much that means to me," said Virginia, gently caressing Lily's long, silky, silver hair.

The dark elf's lavender lips had just wrapped around the sweetly tumescent peak of Virginia's nipple when a loud hammering was heard at the main door and repeated continuously, almost desperately. Virginia heard Syf, ready as always, thrust open the door to her own bedroom to investigate.

"Oh...bother," Virginia groaned, doing her utmost to choke down an expletive. She rose to her feet and quickly threw a nightgown on. "Lily, I'm so sorry my dear, but it could be important. I'll be right back." The drow girl merely nodded, rose and eased herself onto the bed. Why Virginia was apologising was beyond her: lovemaking could always wait and professional activity as a priestess was certainly more important than coupling.

With an apologetic nod, Virginia made herself as presentable as possible and moved out into the darkened social area of her apartment. Syf had already opened the door, with a groggy and slightly irritated Friyya standing behind her, yawning with palpable irritation.

"By the Goddess! Min, what are you doing here?" Syf exclaimed and threw the door wide open.

"Sorry, Syf, but we've got an emergency and that's not even the beginning of the dark of it." Min helped Astrid stumble in and closed the door behind them. Virginia's blood froze. Even with her hair dyed dark blue, the entrancing, playful gaze of Astrid's azure eyes was unmistakable. She knew it would only have been a matter of time, but this was too sudden, too soon.

"Friyya, help this young lady onto the couch and have a look at her," Syf ordered - cool under stress as ever - before turning back to Min, "is she hurt badly?"

"Nah, I don’t think so, but I'm not sure what happened. I think she broke something 'cause she's been bleeding from her mouth." Min replied, visibly grateful that she had made it in time.

Friyya carefully took Astrid into her arms and helped the wounded mage to the couch in the middle of the modest living room, "Then you should have known better not to move her, you stupid girl." she snapped.

"Is your girl always such a bitch, or is she due to have her bleed?" Min retorted, flashing Syf a wry smile.

"I suppose she simply doesn't like being woken up," Syf replied wearily.

"Anyways," Min began, "there's more bad news. Some fucking berk from Civic Security’s taken Shesayne. Astrid here has an idea as to where they could be holding her and, if I've got to square it with you, I'll probably need help getting Shesayne back."

"Sounds fair," Syf noted - her personal contempt for Civic Security knew no bounds - "let me fetch Marsena."

With that, the tall, raven-haired paladin strode over to Marsena's room and rapped lightly at the door. There was no reply. Though through the wood, Syf could hear Marsena's rhythmic, ragged gasps as she declared, "Yes, ciara, you don't have to be gentle...vá ...vá ." Syf sighed in resignation and discreetly slid the door ajar. Marsena was naked, bent over her desk and on tiptoe, her long, black hair falling like a dark cascade around her shoulders, her full breasts heaving impressively as she was fucked by Lenneth. The severely beautiful, strawberry-blonde paladin, who was a couple of years older than Syf and Marsena, stood behind her Mareterran lover, thrusting frantically. Syf could see the long, and adventurously thick, ivory-white dildo Lenneth wore plunge in and out of Marsena in long, fluid strokes. Lenneth, eyes half-lidded in pleasure, had one hand on Marsena's shoulder and the other on the darker girl's glorious bottom. Marsena grunted while her lover rammed in a particularly deep thrust. The Mareterran girl shifted one hand between her thighs to pleasure her sex as she began to lay herself flat against the desk, her sweat-slick breasts dragging their engorged, light brown nipples over the rough, wooden surface. It was then, as she briefly opened her eyes, that Marsena spied Syf.

"Syf...fuck!" Marsena growled as she abruptly rose to her feet and, as gently as she could, pushed a very startled Lenneth off her, "N'es punt un varaj. Where do you think you are?...Fuck!" She whipped around, causing an ampoule of fragrant oil that had been left on the desk to spill over, shedding its perfumed contents.

Lenneth had turned discreetly to one side to slip the dildo out of her sex and quickly throw on her nightgown, "I imagine I should leave." she said in her cultured, slightly haughty tone.

"Oh, no, Lenneth," Marsena interjected apologetically, placing a conciliatory hand on the older paladin's shoulder, "I'm so sorry, my sweet little marvel...we were having so much fun, I'll make it up to you, I swear."

"Fine, fine," Lenneth conceded, quickly brushing back a few strands of her shoulder-length hair - her cool, azure eyes were planted on Syf, "so, Sister, care to explain?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. There has been an incident involving Shesayne and Civic Security and it appears that, for whatever reason, she was taken into custody. Min is in the living room and suggests that we go liberate Shesayne right now."

"Then we're reading from the same page." Marsena declared. She strode out, still naked, into the living chamber and went straight to her armour stand to select a tunic. She owed Shesayne a debt of gratitude and a duty of protection. Marsena may have been suspicious of the formality or discipline of the Order of the Radiant Path, but her heart beat as one with the crusading zeal of the Vigilant Maiden. No innocent half-elven girl was going to suffer if she could help it.

"Apologies, Lenneth, but you know Marsena is a woman of action." Syf explained.

"I...had gathered that."

Meanwhile, as Marsena dressed briskly, Virginia could not shift her gaze from Astrid, who lay almost motionless on the couch, drawing shallow breaths. The journey had exhausted her. Friyya ignored Min's presence and began to slice Astrid's blouse open with a pair of surgical scissors.

"I know you do that so you won't make the damage worse," Astrid whispered, her voice strangely ragged, "but I bet you enjoyed that."

"You should not speak in your weakened state," Friyya explained coolly, her fingers very carefully testing the mage's ribs, "or in any other state, now that I think of it...you have a few broken ribs and some internal bleeding. Your right lung is probably punctured, but, fortunately for you, not too deeply."

"Hey, gorgeous," Astrid said, smiling impishly as her eyes focused on Friyya's statuesque, aristocratic beauty, "I'm only joking."

"This is no joking matter." Friyya focused, her channelling of the Goddess' power, so that her hands were infused with the energy to heal damaged flesh, skin and bone. A light blue nimbus of light surrounded her dove-white hands as she mentally commanded the restorative energies to infuse and restore Astrid's wounds. "This should take care of the bleeding and internal damage. You have lost a lot of blood, though, you should rest."

Marsena already stood ready in full Radiant Path armour. Syf was busy pulling on her own starburst-embossed breastplate, before donning her greaves, boots and gauntlets with military precision - an operation she accomplished in a miraculously short period of time. "Syf, what are you doing?" Friyya inquired.

"Rescuing Shesayne." came the curt reply. Marsena donned her helm while Syf helped her tie off her raven-black hair into a more manageable braid.

"Oh...oh, all right. Anything for an old friend, I'll be at the ready as soon as I'm finished here." Friyya relented. Shesayne may have been an irreverent little tease, but she was, in Friyya's estimation, a fundamentally sweet girl who did not deserve whatever Civic Security was doing to her. "Virg, what about you? You've been staring into space ever since you came."

"Don't worry..." Astrid intoned all of a sudden, her voice already sounding much more healthy, "she's just surprised to see me. That's right, Virgie, it's me and I know we said we may have to go our separate ways, but we always promised we'd see each other again, right? Now you see me, a penniless mage, and I see you, the brave paladin, I can only say that you, as usual, made the right choice."

Within an instant, Virginia was at Astrid's side, her kisses fierce on the mage's lips and forehead, "Please, rest sister, we will have much to discuss when I return..." Virginia had been thrown by Astrid's sudden re-appearance into her life. She had not seen her sister since joining the Order, but that was Astrid's way. She never seemed to stand routine or order - she came and went as her whim dictated, moved only by the vagaries of her heart.

"Hmm...what the fuck, Virgie, it's Astrid, not the princess you just rescued." the mage whispered, feebly wrapping her arms around her sister's neck.

"You're always the same," Virginia replied, smiling as she desperately fought to hold back the welling emotion in her breast, "stay safe. I'll be back with Shesayne."

With that Virginia rose to join Friyya in donning her armour.

"Where did you say they may be holding Shesayne?" Syf asked Astrid.

"At the abandoned spice merchant's exchange. Min knows the way...and take care of my Virgie."

Virginia sighed rather self-consciously as Marsena helped her strap on her breastplate and armoured belt. As delighted and moved as she was to see Astrid again, her sister had, predictably, managed to embarrass her within mere moments of her arrival.

"Right," said Marsena, "we'll have Min lead the way then. But first, to the armoury - I have a feeling my blade will run red tonight."

"Careful," Astrid warned, "they have hobgoblins and a couple of khaasta. Nasty berks, both."

"Indeed they are," a softly accented, musical voice interrupted - the congregated paladins whipped around almost in unison to see Lily, clad simply in a white blouse and black leggings make her way into the living room, a curved dagger Virginia had smuggled out of the armoury for her resting, sheathed, at her hip "and it would be remiss of me to abandon my mistress in such a time of need."

"Oh, wow, Virgie," Astrid said in wonder, "a drow girl to share your bed with - because I hope you don't think I'm so naive as to believe that you two are just sharing a room, do you? I should definitely have joined the Order myself, but - oh, well - no use living mired in regret, it just makes what's left of your life worse still, no?"

"Hey, the more the merrier." Min noted, nodding approvingly in Lily's direction. "The exchange shouldn't be far. I know the place well 'cause the Limbo Extract dealer used to sell 'round there."

"Right, so down the to the armoury first and then we set off." Virginia declared. She led the way out, as was her duty as squad leader, pausing only to place a soft kiss on Astrid's lips and to whisper, "I'll be back soon, and then we can talk."

The party made its way out of the apartment with Marsena following behind. Pausing briefly at the door, the Mareterran paladin called out to Lenneth, "Could you just keep an eye on her for tonight...please, for my sake, and I promise I'll show you all my gratitude."

Lenneth crossed her arms imperiously under her breasts. Naturally, she would assent to Marsena's request - after all, her vows obliged her to aid all who came to the Order in need, but she would make the Mareterran fully aware that one good turn deserved another, "Very well, but I expect much gratitude." Her lip curled in a subtle, suggestive smile. Marsena could only nod gratefully and close the door behind her.

***

The trek down to the abandoned spice merchant's exchange was a long and suitably tense one. They had equipped themselves as best they could to ensure as wide an array of strategic options as possible. Friyya had taken her intricately carved longbow, Virginia her silvery infantry lance, while Syf and Marsena had chosen their trusty longswords which had been conferred unto them in the traditional ceremony of arms-investiture that had followed their Consecration as paladins. Now, they moved swift and battle ready with Min and Lily by their side. It was the relative lightness of the armour of the Radiant Path that allowed them speedy movement, for it had been optimised to ensure the greatest possible defensive capability whilst respecting the highly mobile, precision-based fencing technique for which the Order was renowned. Actual metal plating was thus limited to a silvery breast and back plate, embossed greaves, an armoured belt and guards for the shoulders and upper arms.

As they marched, the darkness of Sigil around them was pierced by Friyya's light spell which illuminated the party in a reassuring, golden glow. All felt that the fatigue of the day's exertions had been dispelled by the imperative of freeing Shesayne, which now weighed heavily on their minds. So they walked, leather boots resounding against puddles and cracked flagstones while any and all miscreants quickly sought refuge as they saw the patrol come by - suspending their shady dealings to give the paladins a wide berth.

"Here it is!" Min hissed, indicating a dilapidated, almost crumbling building constructed entirely of black wood and cracked, terracotta tiles. The air was redolent with the smell of mildew and the mineral scent of dusty stones. Not a soul moved in the deserted neighbourhood and only a few Cranium Rats, far from their Queen, flitted nervously through a heap of debris.

"Then let's go," sanguine Marsena called, "my blade thirsts for hobgoblin blood."

"Just as your head thirsts for a brain," Friyya interrupted, her bow clasped firmly in hand, "my guess is that we are outnumbered. So, if I may counsel Virginia as to an action plan, allow me to say this: hobgoblins are smarter than your average, brutish goblin, but they are predictable and lack imagination. I suggest that we fire a distress shot in front of the main facade so they can see it. Then we separate into two groups. The hobgoblins will think that we have called for reinforcements and start barricading the main entrance which Syf, Virginia, Marsena and I will attack - so they suspect it is entirely a Radiant Path operation. Min and Lily can take the improvised way in and climb up to that ledge you can observe over there. That used to be a balcony, so if either of you can climb, that will be your entry point to flank oncoming reinforcements."

"How do you come up with this?" Marsena sneered.

"She is clever," Lily conceded, a cruel smile spreading on her sensuous, violet lips - perhaps she would soon savour the sweet sensation of the kill again, "she thinks with intelligence, like a female should you - however, have all the subtlety of a clumsy orc male." Perhaps, Lily reflected, she had underestimated Friyya's intellect.

"Enough!" Syf growled as Marsena shot Lily a truly withering stare, "Virginia shall lead us, as has been ordained. So, Virg, what do you say?"

"I say I've copied off enough of Friyya's exams to know she's usually right. We'll go with her plan - Lily, can you climb?"

"Virginia...you surprise me," the dark elf replied with some satisfaction, "my Goddess is, after all, the Queen of Spiders."

"Right, enough chattering," Min said dryly, "killing is like fucking - the less you talk, the better it is." The tiefling had already drawn her two wavy-bladed daggers and was approaching the building, running a knowing eye on the crumbling walls to evaluate the best route of ascent.

"Is she always this vulgar?...How ghastly." Friyya noted coolly. She drew a steel-tipped arrow from her quiver and carefully drew her bow. Archery required skill and concentration, ensuring that even with her modest physical talents she was more than capable of putting up a performance worthy of a paladin.

"Well," Marsena interjected, feeling something of a duty to defend Min as she drew her gleaming longsword from its elegantly embossed scabbard, "you can't argue

with results - most successful skirt-chaser in Sigil, bar none. She's the reason I never invited my little sister to visit."

"Oh, really!" Friyya sighed. "If only you managed to think of something else..." With that, she commanded the enchantment in the arrow's tip to light, shrouding the cold steel in a nimbus of glowing fire. Friyya aimed carefully, planning a trajectory whose line would be in clear sight of the building's sentries and loosed the arrow. It sailed, whistling through the air, slicing through the cold Sigil night. Almost immediately, frantic cries could be heard in a guttural language coming from deep within the building. The hobgoblins had taken the bait.

The paladins charged, the main entrance, Syf taking point as she kicked down the rotted wooden door and was confronted with a darkened hallway, lit only by foul-smelling oil lamps. Two burly hobgoblins, clad in blackened chainmail and wielding mighty war-hammers surged down the stairs and into the atrium, their blood-curling war-cries echoing through the still air. Friyya balked, for she had never seen such savage, inhuman adversaries, but Syf and Marsena stood their ground admirably. Syf easily side-stepped the first, crushing swing of a hobgoblin's war-hammer and lashed back with lethal precision. Her blade sang as it pierced the air in a wide, lateral stroke, slicing the hobgoblin open at the abdomen, cutting through chainmail, skin and flesh with equal ease. The mighty humanoid howled in agony and slumped forwards, easy prey to Syf's clinical finishing blow which landed her blood-drenched blade straight at the apex of the hobgoblin's spine, splitting its back open. Blood flowed in long, thick, crimson streams onto the mossy floorboards.

Marsena, for her part, was busy dealing with her own opponent. Its crude, sweeping swings with its war-hammer were no match for the Mareterran's natural agility, even in the confined quarters of the hallway. Marsena's sharp eye simply caught and projected the trajectory of each blow and shifted accordingly. Thus, she lunged forward, acting as a decoy to the surprised hobgoblin who briefly lowered its guard to extend a swing against Marsena. Virginia pounced, thrusting her lance just under the hobgoblin's sternum. Flesh and bone gave with a wet, cracking sound as Virginia lodged her lance deeper still into her foe's thorax. Life-blood poured from the stricken humanoid's mouth and nose as Virginia's lance pierced its lungs.

With the hallway clear, Marsena dashed forwards, scrambling up the stairs with her sisters-at-arms not far behind her. Meanwhile, the almost supernaturally nimble Min was ambling her way with consummate ease up the wall, using her daggers as climbing pins. Lily awaited below, her expression a little bemused as she noted the tiefling's great exertion. It was only when Min finally extended a hand to the side of the ledge and levered herself onto it that the dark elf sprung into action. Quite simply, she willed herself off the ground as she had been trained to do in her first lessons as an initiate priestess. In her mind, the air became a constant flux in ascent so that she was borne aloft, by her levitation enchantment, with the ease of a child, reaching Min with no effort at all and stepping, quite casually, into the building through the shattered balcony window.

Min sprung up by Lily's side, her daggers at the ready. Her keen eyesight, not to mention Lily's perfect drow darkvision, allowed them to scrutinise the penumbra of the room. Most importantly, however, Min smelled hobgoblins reeking of rank sweat, stale wine and unwashed armour. One subtle motion of the tiefling's hand and Lily followed into the bowels of the building. A single hobgoblin stood sentry over a door which must once have been panelled, but had long since been looted for its ornaments. The hobgoblin seemed oblivious to Min and Lily's soundless presence as it took a healthy swig from a wineskin, its other hand resting on the base of a wicked, heavy war-axe adorned with what appeared to be dwarven skulls. Min did not even pause to reflect - her thought and motion were one and the same. The tiefling pounced like a red hunting cat, her long, ember-coloured hair floating menacing about her as she leapt behind the startled hobgoblin and landed one dagger in its windpipe, so it could not call for reinforcements, while the other she drew clean across its throat so as to sever its carotid. There were no cries of pain, only three thick, long spurts of blood and nothing else as the humanoid collapsed with a heavy thud.

Lily could only nod in quiet admiration as Min motioned her forward. They passed the door and found their way onto a landing. Boot-steps could be heard up the stairs, so Min instinctively knew that the paladins were coming. Regrettably, they had been intercepted by a detachment of four hobgoblins, this time armed with longswords and shields, who charged down the corridor in front of the landing. Their brutish, twisted visages bore looks of seething hate as they made for the stairwell, howling war-cries in a grotesque and inhuman tongue.

Marsena cared not for their numbers. She dived in, quickly parried a clumsy thrust, crouched to avoid a lateral slash from the foe who had moved to flank her and counter-attacked with a low, arching slash that severed a hobgoblin's leg at the knee. Syf quickly found her place at Marsena's side to fend off any other attackers. Her blade was swift as she disarmed the foe directly in front of her and, quite professionally, skewered its abdomen, letting it fall, clutching its heavily bleeding belly, to its knees, where fierce Marsena dispatched it with a crushing strike of such power that its head split open in a shower of skull shards and grey matter. A carefully aimed shot from Friyya's bow struck a third hobgoblin in its side, causing it to halt its charge towards Min and Lily. That was all the invitation the tiefling needed - she dashed forward and, with perfect aim, skewered the hobgoblin's throat, so that the curved blade of her dagger emerged from the other side of its neck.

Outnumbered and beginning to fear for its life, the fourth and last hobgoblin turned, quite pathetically, to flee. Marsena was not in a mood to be merciful. She drew the dagger she kept by her side and threw it at the fleeing humanoid's back. The weapon landed with a wet thud in the unfortunate hobgoblin’s flesh. With a grunting sigh, it fell to its knees, scrambling desperately on the ground as blood poured from its mouth. Syf was the first there, her blade striking true and unyielding as she finished the struggling beast off with a single, well-aimed blow that severed its spinal chord. Whereas Syf carried her fight with flawless professionalism, her blade unerringly accurate and lethal, Marsena was wild-eyed and relentless as a Fury. She felt adrenaline and hot, metallic excitement flood through her. She adored the smell of armour, the sight of her own blade running in blood. Slaughtering hobgoblins was exactly like slaughtering lambs or geese on the farm she grew up in - goblinoids howled a bit more, but they were all fundamentally the same thing - animals.

There was no pause as the reunited party made its way grimly up another flight of stairs where they were greeted by a wide meeting hall. The furnishings had obviously at one point been luxurious, for there was shattered crystal, shredded velvet and finely-crafted platinum incense burners in various states of disrepair scattered throughout the chamber. At the far end of the hall was an ornate door. Blocking the door were two ominous, powerfully built khaasta. They were massive, seven-foot tall monitor-lizard like monstrosities, clad in full black platemail embossed with golden serpent-patterns. In their great, clawed hands one wielded a mighty trident as long as Syf was tall, while the other had a cruel halberd carved out of a glistening, green metal.

"What is happening to this city?" One khaasta hissed and bellowed to its comrade as soon as the rescue party burst into the chamber. "Perhaps these mammals lack males?"

"Perhaps, Third Pike, but I think they are here to prevent the Boss from mating with the mammal female we picked up."

"I thought you said the Boss was a female. Females cannot mate with females...who would build the nest or fertilise the eggs?" came Third Pike's incredulous reply - its scepticism emphasised by a rattling of its dorsal crest.

"Do not ask me - these mammals are all sick in the head, anyway. Which reminds me...I suspect the Boss does not want to be disturbed. It occurs to me we may have to kill them."

"But seriously, Second Lasher, who fertilises whom?"

"Maybe that is not the purpose of their mating." Second Lasher replied dryly, its tail swinging angrily from side to side as it stared down the intruders with vicious, reptilian eyes. As usual, Third Pike had gone off topic.

"Disgusting." Third Pike noted, readying his halberd. "But they all look reasonably tasty." The khaasta moved forward in unison. So menacing were they, that even Marsena was forced to halt her charge.

"Spread out!" Virginia ordered and her squad rushed to comply.

"Let me deal with this Third Pike, we were under orders to keep someone guarding the Boss at all times." the trident-wielding khaasta said.

"As you wish, Second Lasher, but save some liver for me." with that, Third Pike disappeared through the door.

"Friyya, hold him down with arrows and we'll try to flank him." Syf commanded and charged, with Marsena by her side and Virginia close behind, taking advantage of her extended reach with the infantry lance.

Second Lasher hissed, its reptilian eyes boring deep into the paladin's souls. Then it came: a wide, sweeping blow with its trident which Marsena swiftly tried to parry. Instead, the Mareterran felt her wrist crack and her sword fly straight out of her hand. The pain was agonising as she fell forward on one knee. Friyya loosed an arrow, which lodged harmlessly into the khaasta's heavy plate armour. Gloating in its unspeakable reptilian tongue, the upright lizard ambled forwards, its heavy, clawed feet tearing at the wooden planks beneath it.

Virginia lunged with her lance, but Second Lasher had anticipated just such an attack. With an incisive thrust of its trident, it pinned Virginia's lance to the floor where it lay harmlessly, stuck between two of the trident's points. Thus, Second Lasher drew its wicked, serrated falchion and moved forward, hissing in sadistic pleasure. A rapid attempt to flank it by Lily was rebuffed by a firm tail slap to her abdomen that sent the dark elf crashing against a pile of frayed fabrics. Syf tried to carve out an opening at the khaasta's side with a low thrust of her blood-stained blade which Second Lasher parried with such jarring force that the raven-haired paladin saw live sparks fly from her blade. The force of the impact threw her back, only to be replaced by Virginia who rushed forward, having drawn her short-sword. Second Lasher did not even blink. A massive, steel-gauntleted reptilian fist struck Virginia in the chest, sending her sprawling on the wooden ground - her breastplate was dented by the crushing power of the impact.

With palpable sadism, Second Lasher made its way forward raising its jagged falchion to cut down Marsena, who was fumbling with her shattered wrist, desperately scrambling to retrieve her longsword. It was then that Min pounced, leaping into the air and finding purchase on the khaasta's back. Her balance was faultless, so that even when the massive lizard hissed in irritation and tried to shake her off, she managed to ram one dagger into its shoulder for support, and raised the other, with deadly precision, to slice straight through an unblinking, reptilian eye. Second Lasher emitted a low, soul-shrivelling bellow and lashed out with such might that Min was cast onto the ground where the khaasta promptly brought down a heavy, clawed to foot to crush her. Min managed to slide out of the way just in time for the wicked claws to avoid her chest, but six hundred pounds of khaasta landed on her shoulder and arm, shattering bone and rending flesh.

That distraction, however, gave the opening Friyya needed. She loosed a second arrow, this time carefully aimed at the khaasta's head. The bolt struck it full in the skull, embedding itself, but not penetrating the thick, plated bone. It was then that Second Lasher realised that the mammal archer was creating far too much trouble for her own good and charged, its falchion humming through the air. Syf moved to intercept, but her low slash was easily parried by Second Lasher, who then proceeded to cast Syf aside as if she were a rag doll. What Second Lasher did not realise was that, in charging, it had effectively turned its back to half the party. Marsena struggled with the newly-recovered longsword in her off hand, but still managed to bring down a savage blow on the khaasta's long, frilly tail. The limb was severed close to the base, causing dark, almost black, blood to spurt out, filling the air with metallic droplets like a grotesque fountain.

Syf saw her chance and charged, thrusting her longsword in the interstice between the khaasta's breastplate and shoulder plate. The shimmering blade sliced through leathery reptilian flesh and worked its way deep into Second Lasher's chest. Under normal circumstances, the khaasta would have fought on, despite the wound, but Syf's longsword had found purchase in its lungs, causing it to lurch forward and exhale a blast of sticky, black blood. Friyya drew a third arrow and put out Second Lasher's other eye with a shot that, had adrenaline not been coursing through her veins, she would have made only in her dreams. Lily, bruised and winded, but seething for revenge was at the ready to stab Second Lasher in the throat in a triumphant coup de grace. Finally, the mighty khaasta had been brought down. Aside from a few, post-mortem muscle spasms, Second Lasher stirred no more. As its vision dimmed, the khaasta regretted two things: first, it had missed the mating season, the highlight of its race's social calendar and, second, it could not shake the feeling that it ought to have done more research on mammal females.

There was little time for celebration. In an instant, Friyya was at Min's side while Virginia did her best to nurse Marsena's wrist, knowing full well that she probably had a couple of broken ribs of her own.

"Oh...fuck, Min." Friyya gasped, despite herself. The tiefling’s arm was utterly shattered, with bone poking through torn flesh and skin. Her shoulder, though, was a true disaster zone of blood and white bone, so that it was miracle that her brachial artery had not been severed. The bleeding, however, was profuse, so much so that even with her training as a field medic, Friyya set about her grim task with pale-lipped anxiety.

"D'you lick Syf out with that mouth?" Min whispered sardonically. It was a way to get her mind off the truly unspeakable agony she was enduring. Most of the left side of her body felt numb, with only the uncomfortable sensation of something hot and liquid filling her mind. Very tentatively, she turned to observe Friyya's work.

"Don't look at it, you foolish, foolish girl." Friyya ordered between gritted teeth. At least Min was conscious.

"I guess that's what my mother would have sounded like..." Min breathed, grunting in muted agony as she felt Friyya's restorative magic begin to reset bone and heal tissue.

"Friyya," Virginia ordered, once she was satisfied that everyone in the party was in order, "stay here with Min. The rest of us will go find Shesayne."

"Go ahead," Friyya answered, "but she will probably have to come back with us to the infirmary. She may be out for a few weeks, even with immediate healing."

"Screed, berk," Min chided, disappointed that her fight, at least for that day, was over, "did I ever tell you 'bout the time this crazy bitch from Shou Lung stabbed me 'cause I fucked her sister...they're art, those girls...the most delicate of humans with really pretty...almond eyes, a little like mine, I s'pose..."

"Keep talking to me." Friyya said grimly. Had healing attention come but moments later, Min would almost certainly have lost the arm and, most probably, her life.

The rest of the party had already cast open the ornate door and charged down the ensuing hallway. A lone hobgoblin was cut down where it stood by a merciless thrust from Syf's blade which pierced straight through its guard, passed through its abdomen and skeweerd its spinal chord. Syf was in no mood to play. Thus, they encountered a final, locked door which Marsena kicked down with no ceremony at all.

Two lanterns, glowing with a piercing, blinding light, illuminated the chamber. There, at its centre was Isolde with Third Pike next to her and flanked by two hobgoblins. Shesayne lay naked on the floor, sobbing hysterically, for she was under Isolde's boot. That sight was sufficient to drive Virginia into an unnatural frenzy, so she charged, followed desperately by Syf and Marsena, while Friyya readied an arrow and Lily made her way, more cautiously, behind the paladins.

"Isolde!" Virginia howled, her short-sword drawn. It was then that Isolde spied something in the blonde paladin's eyes. They had become as golden as a heavenly flame.

"You!" Isolde cried as she parried Virginia's leaping strike with her sabre. The force of the attack propelled her against the wall, bright sparks shimmering from where the blades made contact. Signalling to the lone khaasta, she called out, "we are to withdraw - take me out of here and return me to headquarters!" Virginia had, effortlessly, manifested that power which Isolde had desperately been searching for. Even with a khaasta by her side, there was no telling what Virginia could do in her heightened state.

Third Pike, still utterly perplexed by the irrationality of mammals, resolved to obey nonetheless. In a surprisingly nimble dash, it seized Isolde and crashed, quite literally, through the wall of the camber, falling safely with a loud, crashing thud on the street below. A gust of cold, night air flooded the chamber while the two hobgoblins, deciding that the their chances of survival were best served by surrendering, cast down their heavy morning-stars and thrust their hands forward in submission.

Shesayne shivered on the floor. Everything around her was still cold, dark and meaningless. The inside of her thighs and the floor beneath her knees and belly were cool and unpleasantly wet - Isolde had contrived to strip the half-elf of all conceivable dignity. It took her a few moments to rationalise what had just happened and, by then, she was already born aloft in Syf's strong, reassuring arms.

"Syf..." Shesayne said, her voice ragged, though her lips were curled in a wan smile, "thanks...I'm sorry, I...I must be disgusting."

"Hush, child" came the surprisingly maternal reply, "sleep. I would rather die that let further harm come to you."

In the distance, Shesayne could hear Marsena's voice, "Did you touch her?" the Mareterran paladin growled with such hate that even Virginia was taken aback. The Mareterran had her longsword pointed accusingly at the surrendering hobgoblins, its blade ominously streaked in the blood of their comrades.

The two hobgoblins retreated, making pathetic grunting noises as if protesting their innocence. Marsena approached, her longsword still in her left hand, but that was still lethal enough, "If you did as much as lay a paw on her, I'll disembowel you like pigs."

"And I shall hold them down for you." Lily crowed, eager to renew her sacrificial skills. She had grown to enjoy the sound of hobgoblins dying.

With one slash of her blade, Marsena sliced off a hobgoblin's hand, causing the unfortunate humanoid to roar in anguish as it fell, grovelling, to its knees. Blood poured from the stump as the stricken hand fell limply to the floor. The other hobgoblin hastily withdrew towards the wall, shaking its fiercely in protest. It took both Friyya and Virginia to hold Marsena back from finish both the prisoners off.

"They surrendered," Virginia whispered soothingly, holding Marsena firmly by the waist. "Let it be, we'll bring them to the Law Courts, just let it be."

"Your Goddess would relish the sacrifice!" Lily protested. It was most unconventional, as far as she was concerned, to spare prisoners of war. Surely the Vigilant Maiden was a militant goddess.

"Our Goddess, Lily," Virginia explained patiently, "blesses us when we fight to protect the weak and the innocent, but she does not glory in the slaughter of the helpless."

"But they are hobgoblin vermin." Lily challenged.

"But they live, breathe and think like the rest of us." That was all Shesayne heard before she fell asleep in Syf's arms - her dreams lightened by an unexpected, tender kiss on her cheek before darkness overtook her.

***

Shesayne's next few hours were broken down into flashes of light and darkness. She slept until she awoke in Aerylle's bathing chamber, surrounded by warm, perfumed water as pale, familiar hands bathed her with a soft sponge. In her ear, she heard only soft, reassuring whispers and she knew that it was Aerylle's arms that embraced her. Then she saw Friyya's knowing fingers carefully examine her limbs, probe gently between her thighs and bottom, before allowing herself a relieved smile as she informed the half-elf that everything would be fine. After that, quite simply, she slept.

It was light outside when Shesayne awoke again, though the frilly curtains to Aerylle's bedchamber had been pulled shut. She was gloriously naked and alone in the plush, overstuffed bed she knew so well. Her body ached a little, but she felt clean, soft, safe and warm. By her side, she could see Aerylle, smiling broadly, and feel slender fingers reassuringly caress her raven-black hair.

"How is my loveliest treasure?" Aerylle said, her voice a little choked with emotion. The shock of a bruised and bloody patrol of paladins knocking desperately at her door in the darkest hour of night was still in the process of fading.

"I'd be lying if I said I've never been better." Shesayne mumbled, her impish smile beginning to return to her lips. She was not the sort to be mired in depression.

"My sweet, lovely Shesayne," Aerylle cooed and the half-elf was certain that, even under such unique circumstances, Min would have been physically ill at the honeyed, plaintive tone of the grey elf's voice.

That and the thought of Min reminded her of something, "Where's Min?"

"She was badly hurt, but Friyya assured me that she would be fine. She just needs a little rest." When Syf had recounted Min's heroism, Aerylle could not have been more proud, even if it re-awakened the ongoing ambiguity as to the future of their relationship. But that could wait. Aerylle was certain that Min's injuries would give the tiefling time to reflect about her past and future.

"They saved me, y'know, they all came, just as I knew they would. Min, Syf, Lily, Marsena...even Friyya, all for me and y'know what? I think I might just consider, contemplate and ponder the great question of whether this is enough for me to forgive Marsena..." Shesayne said ironically, slowly shifting to sit up in the bed. "Oh, fuck, my comb..."

Aerylle smiled, planting a soft kiss on Shesayne's cheek, "It's one the dresser. As much as it pains me to say it, Lily was the only one to be sufficiently clear-minded to think of picking it up and returning it."

"You did let her in, didn't you?" Shesayne began reprovingly, knowing full well that Aerylle and Lily took the dark elf versus surface elf obsession far too seriously.

"Yes, but Virginia did well to keep us a few paces apart." Aerylle responded wryly.

"Speaking of Virginia, I think the woman who took me must've been her sister, or something, 'cause they looked exactly alike, I mean mirror-spitting images."

"So they say," said Aerylle pensively. "Though I suspect there is much more to this story than meets the eye. Virginia said that she would report her findings to their Vice-Commander and take it from there."

"She said something about me being the bait...maybe she wanted Virginia to come...anyways, it's some fucked-up chant I'd rather forget, 'cause she was mad, I mean barmy as fucking Pandemonium."

"Anyone who would want to hurt you is simply too wicked for me to even begin to imagine," Aerylle lamented. "None of this would have happened in Imej."

"Hey, Aerylle, c'mon, the important the thing is that no-one got killed. Plus I knew Min would come...she always does. And now that I've got you to take care of me, too, I couldn't be happier, really."

"My brave, sweet Shesayne."

"Well, you'd have to be growing up in the Hive..." the half-elf replied - as far as she was concerned, all attention - especially syrup-sweet sisterly fussing - was good attention.

"When you feel like getting up, I bought some pastries and made some sweet tea, just for you. That and you have a couple of visitors in the drawing-room."

"Then help me up." Shesayne said eagerly. Her limbs still felt a little stiff, so she staggered out of bed for a few steps, with Aerylle's comforting hands to guide her all the way. When she had grown accustomed to standing on her own legs again, she took a fresh, neatly folded white nightgown and dressed, before tentatively opening the door of Aerylle's bedchamber. Before she knew it Astrid was upon her, arms wrapped around the petite half-elven girl's waist as she kissed Shesayne's lips with passion and relief. Aerylle smiled approvingly - perhaps the young human mage would be someone sufficiently carefree and original to lift the weight from Shesayne's life. With Astrid, maybe she could start anew.

"My heroine..." Shesayne purred, before any further commentary was cut short by Astrid's lips. Their tongues tangled greedily as Astrid's dextrous hands found their way under the slender half-elf's nightgown.

"My duty, my pleasure." Astrid said modestly.

"And what about me?" Marsena called, feeling a little left out. She was leaning back against the far wall of Aerylle's compact, but impeccably neat living room, her right wrist still bandaged. Virginia's healing had done its work, but she had been told by Friyya that it was best to prevent exertion until the bone and tissue fully recovered.

"Go..." Astrid said firmly, playfully thrusting Shesayne in Marsena's direction with a light slap on the half-elf's pert little bottom.

"All right, all right," Shesayne said, feigning irritation as she stood in front of Marsena, hands on her hips, "this just about buys you forgiveness...but, just so that you know and for your information, cutting off hands isn't the way to a girl's heart - just ask Min, though I s'pose you Radiant Path types get excited by that sort of thing." Despite the criticism, Shesayne found herself inexorably sinking into Marsena's embrace, so close she could smell the soft, clean aroma of the fresh gold-rimmed white tunic she wore. Marsena had deliberately arrived dressed in her most formal outfit and, in Shesayne's estimation, she was stunning in it.

"My kitten..." Marsena murmured, placing a kiss on Shesayne's forehead. "Even if we choose different paths, I can't forget what we've built together. I'd still give my life for you. Now and always."

"Oh, c'mon," Astrid interjected, "this is getting far too sappy for its own good - let's have something to eat."

***

"Is that all she gave you?" Virginia queried, nervously running the note, quickly scribbled on cream-coloured paper in an oddly elliptical handwriting, through her fingers.

"Yeah, I tried to get more off her, but she just smiled and said you would understand." Marsena replied. They were sitting on Marsena's bed in Quarters, still trying to make sense of the previous, almost surreal night when they had dared defy whatever dark machinations Civic Security had come up with. Min was still resting in the infirmary and Friyya was with her, while Syf - dutiful as ever - had returned to her duties as a junior fencing instructor, teaching novices the basics of bladecraft.

"Well, thanks for that anyway. How is Shesayne?" said Virginia, carefully folding the note and setting it aside.

"Fine...very well, actually, but she was always that sort of girl. She's stronger than she looks and I think your sister has taken a liking for her - you should have seen those two kiss...it reminded me of us in the good old days."

"Speaking of sister, I have a confession to make." Virginia said grimly, turning her emerald eyes, usually so serene, to meet Marsena's gaze. "Isolde...that woman we saw last night...I believe her to be my sister, too."

"Wait...wait, a minute, maybe I missed something..."

"No, quite simply there were three of us - born within moments of one another. My mother bore the suffering of a triple birth and unleashed such suffering on us as to make our pained entry into this world seem paltry. She had no reason to be so cruel: we had a comfortable home and she had an excellent career as a botanist. But there was madness in her and it consumed her day by day..."

"Virg...I knew you never wanted to talk about your family, but...why did you never tell me about this?" Marsena interrupted, gently taking Virginia's hands into her own.

"Well, my dear Marsena, I'm telling you now," Virginia continued, her voice was almost emotionless as she recounted her suffering. "She needed us to be perfect...no, maybe more still. Our house was white - white as snow, I think that was the case so she could see whether anyone was being 'chaotic' as she put it. Astrid stained her undergarments once, with blood, as young girls will sometimes do before they are accustomed to their cycle. My mother did not feed her for a week afterwards, threatening that if she did not learn to deal perfectly with her womanhood, she may as well never have her cycle again. So we each left in turn. I slipped out first to join the Order - Isobel took pity on me and argued that even without parental consent, my application should be approved. Astrid must have left soon after that. Isolde stayed...the Goddess Herself only knows how long."

"So...what does Isolde have to do with Shesayne?" Marsena was impressed that Virginia told her story almost dispassionately, as if a scar had formed and healed over the open wound of her past. It was, as always, Virginia who had the maturity and the force of character to move on without ever looking back.

"Nothing...I think she was trying to lure me."

"Look, Virg," said Marsena, "I don't know what your feelings about Isolde are right now, but I say that we take the fight to her. She has broken the sacred bond of sisterhood by seeking to hurt you and Astrid."

"That she has." Virginia concluded, a little pensively. "But we shouldn't act rashly. I must discreetly consult Isobel on this matter and then, if the Goddess wills, I'll put this matter to rest. Though I won't question your devotion, my treasure, I know you'll be right there by my side."

"Now and forever and I think Syf and Friyya are of the same opinion."

"Good, so it's settled." Virginia took graced Marsena's lips with a grateful kiss, before rising from the bed to depart. "I should probably get back to Lily and thank her. I still have to bring her to the Temple of Eilistraee and, well, I suppose life has to go back to normal at some point."

"Don't remind me," Marsena groaned as she threw herself forcefully back on the bed. "I need a good night's sleep, but I promised I'd make it up to Lenneth."

"Tonight?"

"Yeah, dinner in the mess hall, walk in the garden and...uh, intimacy." It was one of those very rare days when Marsena was simply not in the mood to make a fine-featured young blonde very happy indeed.

"Oh come now, Marsena," Virginia smiled wryly, happy that to change the subject and think of less serious matters. "Something tells me she'll be the one doing all the work."

"Why you little salopa!" Marsena growled, pouncing to her feet and playfully seizing Virginia's wrists, pinning her to the wall.

Virginia laughed softly and that, in itself, was exhilarating, because - just for a moment - she forgot all about Isolde, Civic Security and blood and concentrated only on Marsena's soulful brown eyes staring lovingly at her, the sensation of familiar fingers wrapped around her wrists and full breasts, held in only by a white tunic, close to hers. "You're right," the blonde paladin conceded, her voice little more than a murmur, "you were masterful when you took me those times when we decided to make our lovemaking more interesting. You...ravished me and it was then that I realised that that sensation would only feel right with you."

"Hmm...in the garden when we were fourth year novices. It was cold, but your skin was so hot, so flushed..." Virginia's lips drowned out Marsena's narration. It was a moment that both felt could have gone on for an eternity - lips melding passionately together, tongues wrestling hungrily in a loving tussle. In that moment, there was only silence and the soft pulsing of heartbeats and the moist sound of mouths parting and meeting.

"I'm still in love with you, Virg."

***

Later that day, when her thoughts had finally turned elsewhere, Virginia set aside the day's confusion - its frustrating ambiguities. Neither she nor Marsena had left satisfied, but both, deep down, seethed with renewed hope for happiness. In her mind, Virignia could not shake her affection for Lily, but neither could she shake the precise moment when she had fallen in love with Marsena. It was when they had both been first-year novices: awkward, insecure, barely adolescent, but wrestling with a reality of blooming needs and emotions that was so vast as to seem daunting. In the darkness of their dormitory room, a mere twelve days since joining the Order as a novice, Virginia had looked down from her bunk on Marsena's tear-streaked face as she wept quietly, dreaming of the mother, farmstead and brilliant sun she had left behind on Mareterra. That moment opened a window in Virginia's soul which had never been closed. Indeed, maybe it had grown wider.

With those thoughts, Virginia carefully unfolded the note Astrid had sent her and realised, in that very instant, that the time for running from the past would soon be over. Astrid had written: