(Continued from Ch 54, Sir Bellany) The Chronicles of Rapina Chapter 55, The Broasted Ox The Broasted Ox was obviously not an establishment that catered to noblemen. The ground floor consisted of a large commons room filled with rough-hewn hardwood tables. A bar and staircase dominated the far corner. The smell of flowing ale and roasting beef permeated the atmosphere. Charles strode right up to the bar near the staircase. "How many rooms have you got left tonight?" "We have three singles and three doubles, sir." "If you'll give me a good rate, I'll take them all," Charles offered. "I also want a table, a hearty meal and a round of ale for a group of nine..." While Charles haggled over prices, Bellany looked around and tried to ignore the lust tickling her nose from quite a few of the men sitting at the tables drinking. They might have been more restrained had it not been just past ten o'clock. Most of the dinner crowd had no doubt finished and left. These men were here to drink. For a moment, she was the center of attention. The slacked jaws, barked comments and the low howling whistles reminded Bellany of dogs. The pack had caught her scent. It would have been quite unsettling if the tickle of lust that coursed down her spine had not been so enjoyable. Bellany forced herself not to look at the men, not to smile at them meaningfully or to tug on their lust and not to listen to any of their comments about her body. Instead, she imagined that all of the men really were dogs. Simultaneously, she imagined that she was the noblest of ladies clad in a shining armor of deportment. Her stance, her demeanor, everything would have been perfect had her jaw not suddenly dropped. In her memory, still wrapped in the art and armor of deportment, she stepped into the chamber of the Mortancers of Mortaebius. There she talked to a circle of dead men about a deal with Captain Red Jack whom she would approach about providing the order with corpses for use in building an army of undead servitors. She remembered the lust from some of the mortancers and the ominous lack of lust from others. On the outside, Bellany hastened to recompose herself after a momentary lapse, but on the inside, she marveled at the clarity of the memory. For a very long time memories after the period of her pirate "fantasy" had seemed clutched in a deathly grip. She had only been able to get the barest bits of them. Something had happened. The grip had been loosed. Was it just that she was finally away from her parents, or was it the bolt in the brain she had experienced when she touched the statue of Mortaebius? Perhaps it was all part of her fait. What reason might the god of the dead have for blocking her memories and then releasing them when she was on her way to a school that instructed the children of the peers of the realm? She would think about it later. Sergeant Lime pushed Bellany's chair in for her as she seated herself at a large commons room table in The Inn of the Broasted Ox. Charles sat at the head of the table and the men pulled up chairs on either side as they returned from taking the luggage to the rooms. A few men at a neighboring table seemed to continue looking at Bellany even after the other men in the commons room of the inn had returned to their drinking. "Hail there, me name's Cooyman. This here is Dempsey and Stratton. I could not help noticin' ye look like ye've got wounded. Even the lady appears ta have a hurt as though ye'd been doin' battle a few hours past. Mahap a round of drinks for ye could loose yer tongues to the tale?" The cavalrymen of Avengene looked to Charles. "Well met Cooyman. Consider our tongues loosed. I am Lord Charles Norwit, son of the Baronet of Norwit. At the other end of the table is my sister Lady Sir Bellany Norwit. Next to her is Sergeant Lime, cavalryman Dorety, Reid, Fyker, Lytle, Ramps and Simms," Charles pointed each person out as he spoke. "Good to meet ye all, waitress, a round of drinks for the lord,lady, and these warriors of Avengene. How is it ye call yer sister Lady Sir?" Cooyman asked. "That's part of the tale." Charles smiled and launched into the tale of his summer of misbehavior teaching his sister skills at arms. Then as dinner progressed he told the tale of Bellany's sword fight with her father. By the end of the meal, he was telling the story of their battle with the highwaymen. Charles smiled as he finished, "The moral of the story is, she who lives proper and stiff soon dies cold and stiff." The men laughed heartily. "Ain't ye a bit embarrassed fer bein' saved by a lady," a slightly drunker Cooyman asked. "At first, I think the men and I had some misgivings, but now we are sure it is far better to be saved by one lady than to save yourself for one lady and die a virgin." Charles grinned crookedly. It was obvious that the free round of ales provided by Cooyman and the second and third rounds provided by Charles were beginning to take effect. Bellany knew she had far too many secrets locked in her head to drink too much, thus she had passed on the second and third refills. Nevertheless, the ale was potent and the flagons were large. She wanted to misbehave with the men but she knew if she embarrassed her family tonight, the walls of her grammar school prison would be extended higher. She tried not to let her eyes linger on any man too long or to smile too meaningfully, but she was not sure how successful she had been so far. As the platters from their meal were removed, Charles stood. "Men, it's near midnight. Since my father is not present tonight, I have taken it upon myself to tell you that this would be the proper time to go to bed now that we are finished eating. Wounds and hard riding can tire a man. They can make him a bad card player and rid him of his hard-won loot. Too much ale can make a man do stupid things he might later regret. You can avoid all that simply by going to bed now." Simms got up holding the wound in the side of his belly. "This is hardly more'n a flesh wound. I'm pretty sure it didn't go through any of me guts, but it feels like it did even though it didn't. After a few ales includin' one of the Lady Knight's, the pain's not near as bad as usual. I am going to go up and see if I can get some sleep before the ale wears off." Dorety stood and shook his head. "I'd like ta stay and play cards with ye, but all that ridin' made me thigh wound pretty angry. If Sir Belle here will give me the third round of ale she missed, I'll guzzle it down and get some rest same as Simms. Bellany motioned to the waitress to fill Dorety's mug. "Sleep well, Dorety," Bellany said warmly. "Aye, thank ye milady," Dorety said as the waitress filled the mug. "Two pennies says Dorety can guzzle the whole of it without a breath," Charles wagered. "I'll call ye on that bet," Cooyman said to Charles. Dorety raised the mug to his lips and began to guzzle it down. He nearly made it but coughed at the last second. "Awww damn Dorety, you really are tired," Charles said. "Cough! Aye and the lady poured me a mighty full flagon." Dorety coughed "Bah, I am sure ye've seen ladies whose flagons are fuller than hers," Ried said. "Rest up, ye're no good for drinking tonight." "Aye, sorry men. I almost had it," Dorety apologized. "Don't worry about it my good man, the night is young and the cards have not yet been shuffled. No man could complain about your service today. You risked everything to help win the day. We could not have done without you," Charles said. "Aye, thank ye milord. I'll go rest up." "Cards are fine if ye like but we'll be tossin' knives at yonder target if any of ye would care ta join," Cooyman said. One warnin' though, I've got me lucky stone. I can't be beat! Cooyman held up a small white moonstone. "Doesn't every man have two lucky stones?" Bellany asked. Her face suddenly took on a stunned expression as she realized what she had just said. She covered her mouth with her fingers. "Hah hah! Bellany you're drunk after one flagon!" Charles roared. Bellany just sat there with her fingers over her open mouth. In her memory, she held a white stone that symbolized her sitting in a man's lap. The betting was furious as Sir Stallart, Sir Coshus and some other warriors of Daelrath bet to win the stone that would grant the setting of her full moon against their thighs. Earlier in the summer when she had flashed back to Dealrath she had got only the briefest glimpse of memory. This time she had remembered a great deal more. She had gone by the name of Valkura in Dealrath and she had befriended many of the men including the Baron. She had also gotten to know the Baron's daughter Bruhnhilda Daelrath. "Oops," Bellany said belatedly. Her brother and the men roared with laughter. "I'm not...um that drunk." Bellany giggled. Can I throw knives Charles? Charles frowned then brightened. "Certainly Bellany, those of us that are left will move to the tables over in front of the target so we can watch the throwing, order drinks and play cards at the same time!" "Now there's a good idea," Cooyman and the men agreed as they rose and headed for the tables near the throwing line. A section of tree trunk that looked as though a bolt of lightning had split it down the middle stood against a wall in one corner of the inn. The target painted on it was inscribed with numbers. There was a bull's-eye at its center and five concentric rings. Lines crossed through the rings dividing the target into six pie slice-shaped sections numbered one through six in a clockwise direction starting at the top of the target. The rings were also numbered. A rope fenced off the lane where the knives would travel. After she scurried upstairs to fetch her bandoleer of throwing knives, Bellany returned to the throwing area where Cooyman demonstrated his technique. Just a heav'in 'o th' strong right arm and... Bellany squealed suddenly as she looked into the face of death. It was a skeletal assassin. If she could believe the memory, the undead monster, Elizabetta, had taught Bellany various thieving skills including how to throw knives. "Ha! Ye missed by a mile Cooy." Dempsey chortled. "Hey Lady, ye suckered me throw! Are ye sure ye're new ta this?" Cooyman exclaimed. "Sorry It was just one of my flashbacks," Bellany apologized. "Flashbacks?" "I was a prisoner of the orcs for most of last year but I was struck by a spell during my rescue and my memory is a mess. Sometimes I remember bits and pieces." "What did ye remember?" "Just something the orcs did if you didn't obey," Bellany lied convincingly. Cooyman grimaced. "I'd really rather not talk about bits of orc memories though. What is past is past." Bellany smiled. I would rather hear about you men. You already know quite a bit about me from Charles' tale at the table tonight but I do not know a thing about you." "Well I'm a journeyman armor smith and founder, I am," Cooyman said. "I works in steel. It's a strong man's profession. Strength is what gives me an advantage at throwin'. A strong man's blade don't drop much afore it reaches the target." Cooyman flexed his biceps. "I work over 't th' tanner's," Stratton said. "I'm somethin' of a journeyman meself. Leather straps 'n belts and saddles n' fixtures. We do it all. Leather 'as strength and a leather worker's got to have the strength to deal with that, but a good leather is flexible too, and I got that as well. Strength and flexibility is what makes for a good knife thrower. That'll be why I win tonight. Huhuhuh, Dempsy chuckled. "I'm an apprentice of design at Devine's Clothier Shop. A designer needs a good eye and a stylish flair, and that's why I will always have the edge in the knife throwing game over these simpletons." "Bite me Dempsy," Cooyman grumbled. "I'd like to see what happened to your style if th' lady squealed when ye threw." "Wait." Bellany said. "I just got these knives and I am not used to their weight or anything. Could we just do some free throwing to warm up before we start competing? I think it would help me to see a demonstration of each of your styles." "Oh of course. We might as well warm up I guess," Stratton agreed. "Aye we could do that for ye lady. I'll show ye how a real man throws," Cooyman said. "It's all in the wrist. I would be glad to demonstrate," Dempsey said flexing his wrist. "Alright milady, let me demonstrate the Cooyman throwin' technique then ye can try. Cooyman stepped up to the line on the floor. He drew his arm back and then speedily straightened it. The knife flew and stuck soundly into the target high in the center within the third ring. That throw's what ye'd call a one n' three. See 'tis in th' first section and th' third ring." Bellany nodded. "There now ye try it," Cooyman said. "Stand right on the line there with both feet planted firm." Cooyman moved Bellany into place with a firm hand on either side of her torso. For a moment Bellany half shut her eyes as she savored the touch of a strong man's hands on her body. It had been far too long. She could hear Cooyman's breath catch in his throat as her body reacted by pulling at his lust for an instant before she could get control of herself. After he released her, she drew back her arm and threw just as Cooyman had but the knife dropped a bit and buried itself in the fifth ring. "That's the idea milady. Ye're centered good, but yer knife dropped some on account of not bein' a steel worker." Bellany smiled, trying not to let on that macabre memories of her skeletal trainer were intruding like chills from the hands of a dozen hungry shadows. "Thank you Cooyman," Bellany said a little breathlessly. "Now let me show ye my style," Stratton said. He quickly demonstrated and then began his instructing. Ye don't plant your feet one beside th' other on the line like some stone statue. Slide this one up ta one step behind the line and stand back about so. Stratton took her by the waist and pulled her back a step. Bellany briefly arched her back and cocked her head as she looked up at him with a smile. Stratton grinned back. "Heh heh, That's good now ye're going to put this shoulder forward and haul back with yer throwin' arm and ye'll take a step forward as ye bring yer arm forward. Bellany followed Stratton's instructions and the knife sunk into the sixth section in the third ring. "Well there ya are she got more power my way and wound up in th' top part o' th' target she did, Cooyman." Stratton said. "Aye but she's off ta th' left and high, but when she did it my way she was low but right on the money left ta right." "Yaa yaa, so what," Stratton said. "I guess it's a draw." "Come now let me show you the Dempsey style, Lady Belle," Dempsey purred as he did a quick demonstration and then began to instruct. Put your front toe on the line. We won't be taking a step. It throws your accuracy off too much to be worth it. You won't need that step if you get your wrist working. You will need to put your left shoulder forward as you draw back your right shoulder just as when ye used Stratton's method." Dempsey took her by her right shoulder and her left forearm to position her without disturbing her wound. "Now cock your wrist back like so, and just before you release, flick your wrist for extra power." Bellany threw as in structed. The knife stuck in the target in the third section within the second ring. Her skeletal trainer had spent quite some time on her wrist action to insure the knife stopped flipping before hitting the target. This time Bellany had put too much end for end spin on the blade. She would do better next time. The memories of Elizabetta were coming back to her in broken bits that began to assemble into more complete memories the more she practiced with the knife throwing. After a few minutes of free throwing she was doing pretty well, and then the competition began. The men bet a few coppers on each round of throwing. Cooyman with his strong-arm method of throwing did consistently well. Stratton started off strong but did poorly after the first half hour. Dempsy started off doing well but then had a run of bad luck before rallying in the end. Bellany just kept getting better until she was throwing better than Cooyman by the end of the hour. She even won a few coppers over what she had started with. After about an hour Charles called her to the table. "Bellany, why don't you take it a bit easy on throwing tonight and give your shoulders some rest. Come sit here by me and quench your thirst. I'll teach you the game as we play. Bellany took a brimming mug of ale from the waitress and sat in a chair Reid vacated for her next to her brother. Cooyman and his friends sat down to have another round of ale. Charles explained that certain combinations of cards were better than others and the person who held the best hand at the end after all bets and counter bets were taken won the hand. Bellany quickly realized that Charles was a wicked card player. He smiled constantly and he would occasionally bluff. Sometimes he pretended to bluff when he had a fine hand. He had a way with people and was able to read many of them well enough that he knew when they had a good hand. After about forty-five minutes, Bellany was following the game well. "I think you've got it now, Belle. Open that heavy purse of yours and prepare to have it lightened," Charles grinned. Bellany smiled. She had made a point to sip her second ale at a snail's pace, but she was definitely feeling no pain. She tried to get her wits about her but she kept grinning and giggling. After loosing her first three hands, she decided she had better stop giggling when she had an especially bad hand. Instead, she waited until she had a good hand and giggled. She won back what she had lost. Bellany and the men played cards for a couple hours. Charles increased his fortunes. Bellany lost a little money, but nearly broke even. By the end of the game, Bellany was still a little tipsy although she had not quite finished her second ale. The men, including Charles, were drunk. "I lost entirely tooo mudge on thad hand, men. Something tells me I have had a liddle too mudge to drrink." Charles chuckled. "I think it's time to get sumb sleeeb." Charles pointed at Lime. His hand wavered. "I am much too drung to get Bellandy a room ad da Arms. Lucgily I god a spare room heere. Sergeant, you look soberer than the rezd of da men. Pud her in the corner room and take the one nexzd door. Heere are the keyz to both. Lock the door to make sure no one pops into her, er on her." Charles giggled. The men got up from their chairs. Bellany was steadier on her feet than the lot of them. She was so glad she had not drunk any more than she had. Her flashes of memory seemed to be getting broader. She knew she would have more and more to hide. She did not exactly feel sober, but at least she could walk straight. Bellany had the last room at the back of the hotel. The window in her room overlooked the stables and she caught the faint odor of horses wafting up from the building next-door. Sergeant Lime was obviously a bit drunk. Bellany could hear him on the other side of the door trying to lock her in as Charles had ordered, but he was fumbling with the key to her room. On impulse, she drew her main gauche and jammed the point into the space between the door and door jam at the level of the lock. She squinted as she remembered being locked into a different room. There had been a bed, a closet and... a holy book concerning the Church of Mortaebius. It was another memory from after her pirate days. Bellany barely had time to gasp before she heard Lime on the other side of the door. "Damned lock," Lime muttered. Then he knocked on Bellany's door. She quickly sheathed her main gauche and opened the door a crack. "I can't get the lock to work. I need to try it from your side," Lime whispered. "Okay, come on in," Bellany whispered. Lime came in, turned and began to fumble with the lock. "Click," the lock turned easily. "Is it working?" Bellany whispered. "Yeah, it works fine from in here," Lime whispered. "Good," Bellany grinned. "Milady, are you in the habit of squeezing men's butts?" Sergeant Lime asked as he reached back and pulled Bellany's hand out from under the skirt of his chain mail. "I wish, but how often do I get the chance to sneak a man with a great butt into my room?" Bellany whispered. Lime chuckled, "Ye'd better watch out girl, or ye'll get more than ye bargained for." "You're telling me I'll get something? People used to tell me I would loose something, but that's in the past now," Bellany said playfully. "Getting something sounds much better. What might I get?" As Lime turned, Bellany tugged on his lust. Sergeant Lime inhaled. Whatever he had thought he was about to do evaporated from his mind. Instead he grabbed Bellany and kissed her. Bellany could feel the delicious heat of the sergeant's lust as his alcohol-weakened inhibitions went up in blazing flames. She kissed the sergeant deeply while grabbing his muscular rear with both hands and pulling his loins against her womb. She silently cursed his chain mail for getting between her and his growing erection. She pulled at the power of his lust with her own. Suddenly Lime straight-armed Bellany, let her go and fanned himself. "Whew, Bellany," Lime said in a hushed voice. "If ye weren't the daughter of my liege I'd be poundin' away at ye like a crazed stag. Ye're obviously as hot as ye are sweet, but I got to think of th' consequences." Bellany looked crestfallen. "That's why I stopped bothering the men." She sighed. "I don't want any of you to get in trouble on my account, even if I do think you're sexy," Bellany whispered and smiled. Lime blushed. "I'd say ye're going to drive yer poor mom and dad to distraction." Lime chuckled. "Maybe that's why they are sending me to Vergrend's Prison for Girls." Bellany rolled her eyes. "Ye're a talented girl with a devious brother. I wonder how well those walls will hold ye?" Lime asked. "Time will tell." Bellany smiled. "Ye'll have to lock the door from in here." Lime handed her a key. Bellany smiled, "Okay. Good night Sergeant." "Good night Sir Lady," Sergeant Lime said. After Lime left, Bellany tried to lock her door and perhaps it sounded as if she had, but she really could not because Lime had given her the key to his room instead of hers. Bellany looked through the keyhole. Her drunken brother was standing in his doorway across the hall talking to Lime. "Ahah," Bellany thought to herself. Bellany got into her nightgown. Somehow it just did not fit her. The size was right but it had been designed to cover what should have been accentuated. A brief flash of memory took her to a lingerie shop in Argos. "Argos?" Bellany thought to herself. "Bellany Norwit cannot have been to Argos." Bellany tried not to think of who she thought she might be. It was too unsettling. She wanted to find a man, but men told tales and she was supposed to be acting like a lady of Avengene. After dozing for about an hour trying to turn up memories about whomever bought her lingerie in Argos, Bellany could no longer stay in bed. She peeked through the keyhole and discovered that her brother's door was closed. Chances were good that he was asleep. For some reason Bellany could not seem to bring herself to leave her room without her purse and weapons belt. She opened Lime's door very quietly before locking it behind her with the key he had given her. She then crept over near his bed. Since he was a warrior, she did not want to startle him. He might run her through by mistake. In a soft voice she said, "You are dreaming Lady Bellany is about to get in bed with you." Bellany hung her nightgown and her weapons belt on the headboard of Lime's bed, and then climbed in. Her nipples hardened as she snuggled against Sergeant Lime's bare back. She wrapped her arms around him and caressed the muscles of his chest carefully avoiding bandaged areas. Sergeant Lime rolled over. He drank in her scent as his hands traced down her back and cupped the high, generous cheeks of her rump. "Lady Bellany, is that you?" His hands moved from her rump to her breasts. "It is you." "Were you dreaming about someone else?" Bellany asked. "I am not dreaming," Sergeant Lime said. "How do you know?" Bellany asked as her fingers touched Lime's manhood through the loose drawstring pants he was wearing. His male energy rushed up her arm and tingled down her spine. Lime groaned softly. "I never dream smells. I've worked out with ye plenty, training ye at arms and in horsemanship. There is something about yer scent, Lady, that drives a man to distraction. It creeps up on him until he starts dreamin' of bedding ye." "You mean like right now?" Bellany giggled softly. "Heheh, yeah, I never noticed yer scent before ye were nabbed by th' orcs. Then again I never spent much time with ye when ye were a girl. Yer scent started working on me as soon as I started spending time with ye this summer. They say men can somehow tell when it's a woman's fertile time, and men react differently when it is. Maybe it's somethin' like that, only it don't seem ever ta leave ye completely. I should be kicking ye out of me bed right now," Lime said. "But you aren't?" Bellany asked snuggling against Lime's chest, her hard nipples rubbing across his muscles. "The way ye smell and the way yer fingers are dancin' over me crotch has me shakin' with desire. Me head and me cock have fought themselves to a draw. If me cock weren't throbbin' so much I would swear it had turned ta bone." ------- Thane left his scrying chamber and walked into the laboratory where Rames was processing corpses. He smiled grandly. Rames chuckled. "Although that cowl only shows your bones, I can tell you're smiling, guardian. Have you any news?" "Only that I am a fool, if that is news," Thane said. "If you're a fool, Guardian, I must be a real idiot because you're a whole lot smarter than I am. It seems like you and Rapina always had to spell things out for me." "Yet you have common sense, guardian. I missed the obvious. I cannot imagine how I could have been so stupid but now that I have finally realized it, I feel like such an amateur," Thane said. "Did you find her," Rames asked excitedly. "Not exactly, but I have uncovered a bit of information that I should have unearthed months ago had I been thinking clearly," Thane said. "What is it?" Rames asked. "Do you recall the many times I have communed with Mortaebius to ask if Rapina were in the realm of the dead?" Thane asked. "Of course," Rames said. "We wondered what connection Rapina and Bellany Norwit might have had in the orc shaman's lair, yet I neglected to do one thing," Thane said. "What was that?" Rames asked with a bit of confusion. "Let me first ask you about Rapina's scent. Was there any appreciable difference between her scent and the scent of other women?" Rames thought for a moment. "There was an undertow about the way she smelled. It was a subtle thing, but it was as if she was so fertile, so ready to make love. Damn it! I never thought about it but I miss her scent, it was the scent of lust." Rames shook his head. "I better not get started or I'll be crying into a stein of ale before you know it. What did you do that you hadn't done before? Smell her through the crystal ball?" Thane chuckled and shook his head. Nay, I do not believe I have practiced a spell for that. "Up until quite recently, I had never thought to ask Mortaebius if Bellany Norwit were in the realm of the dead. When I asked, the answer was quite eye-opening." "It was?" Rames asked. "Bellany Norwit is dead," Guardian Thane said succinctly. "She is?" Rames asked. "I thought you said she had recovered from her wounds?" "Mortaebius has told me that Bellany Norwit is dead, yet the young woman we delivered to Norwit is still very much alive. I checked on her a moment ago. She is staying at an inn in the town of Vargrend with her brother and their retainers. When I looked in on her she had just sneaked into the bed of an Avengene sergeant named Lime. He made some observations about her scent that prompted me to come and check with you." "Then maybe Bellany is really Rapina? How is that possible?" Rames asked. "I am not sure it is possible, but it has just become much more probable. I will ask another priest of the order to check my findings, but I have no doubt of what Mortaebius has revealed. I must return to my skrying and see if I can find more evidence." Thane turned. "Hold on, Guardian. I've a question about our precious here," Rames said. Thane chuckled heartily. "The Avengenes were such fools to bury Evangeline in the cemetery of his own church as he had requested in his will. Is there something wrong with his remains other than the ease with which we were able to steal them and replace them with those of a commoner?" "I am not sure, but I thought I'd ask before I took matters into my own hands." Rames walked over to a pit and hauled on a chain. A chain bag filled with bones rose out of the pit. Rames shook it for a while to get the beetles out, and then swung the boom that held the chain out over pit so he could lower the bones to the floor. He opened the bag and pulled out the pelvis. "Curious, the beetles have not touched this flesh?" Thane asked. "No, I thought it was odd too, but it is very tough," Rames said. "How ironic that, even as a skeleton, Evangeline should have an un-dieing erection. There is an aura of necromancy in this flesh," Thane said. "I have read that one can create a particularly powerful form of zombie by draining the life force out of a man to such a degree that he has negative life force. The flesh of the zombies is similar to this. The spells are difficult and taxing, however. My guess is that Rapina was so frightened of this man that she kept frantically draining him for a moment after he was already dead. This is the result. I have read that a succubus can create a lust zombie by draining a victim to negative life force. I suspect this is an abortive and inadvertent attempt at the creation of such a monster by Rapina. The ligaments that hold the member to the skeleton may not be sufficient if the skeleton is often in motion, yet it is somehow appropriate for Evangeline to keep the appendage. Let us leave it. Braid some rope of human hair and make a pouch of skin and we will simply secure the appendage to the pelvis while I enchant Evangeline's remains as a moaning skeleton." _______ Sweat bathed Sergeant Lime's back as he pistoned in and out of heaven. Bellany was smiling and moaning very softly below him, her hips were thrusting in counterpoint to his as she squeezed him within like no woman he had ever known. "Nnngaaa," Lime croaked as his eyes bulged. He fountained seed into her greedy depths for what seemed an eternity until at last he collapsed on top of her. "Damn Belle, I really am dreaming," Lime whispered. "I came so hard and sooner than I had meant to, sorry." Bellany squeezed Lime's muscular rear and grinned as she snuggled him. She had been careful not to take too much out of him. It had been a long time since she had been able to make love to a man and she wanted it to last. She silently thanked her lucky pony that she had reserves enough that she did not have to fight to control how much of Lime's energy she drew. "Oh don't worry about that. It's like a crossbow isn't it? The first shot comes quickly but the second takes a while to reload?" "Not all men have a second bolt in their quiver, you know." Lime grinned. "Really? I thought they all did," Bellany whispered. "Gods I can see why. Ye've got a real treasure 'tween your legs. I can't recall a wench with half your grip strength," Lime whispered. "Well, I'm not exactly a virgin even if I can only remember a few orcs out of the hoard I was no doubt obliged to bed. Heavens, I'm still taking everyone's word for it that I am Bellany Norwit. If I turn out to be someone else I'm going to be awfully embarrassed." Lime chuckled quietly, "After bedding ye I'll be hoping ye turn out ta be a common girl so I can marry ye." "Oh you wouldn't want to marry me, sergeant. I get the feeling I am much too naughty to marry a good man like you. My only hope is to marry a wild swinger who lives so far away from Avengene that the scandalous tales will never reach my father's ear." Bellany grinned. "Heh, it sounds like ye're tryin' ta outdo yer brother for irreverence," Lime whispered. "It's not that really. I just have the hardest time resisting. I am sure my unbridled lust would get me in a lot of trouble if I tried to get by in a traditional marriage. I think the orcs must have broken something," Bellany whispered. Lime vibrated with laughter as he pushed his face into a pillow. ------- An hour or two before dawn Bellany slipped out of Sergeant Lime's room. She returned to her own room to don a dress and then stole down the stairs and looked around. The commons room was empty and the worker at the front desk of the inn was snoozing on his barstool. Bellany crept by and went through the breezeway into the carriage house. She peered down the row of stalls and heard a familiar nicker as her lucky stud called to her. He always seemed to know when she was near. Bellany answered him with a quiet squeal. She was not an entirely fluent speaker of horse sounds, but she knew the basics just from being around Starstruck so much. She checked for stable hands and when she was satisfied that there were none present, she went to her stallion's stall. Bellany grinned. He was already drawing as she opened the gate and came in. She tugged on his lust just the same. He nipped her very softly and nickered endearments to her in his own equine tongue. It had taken her weeks to teach him that she was more fragile than his other mares but she had managed to turn his nips to nuzzle-nibbles at last. He covered her with them as she came to him to stroke his inky mane and look into the sweet depths of his deep brown eyes. She could not help but bend now and again to peer at his loins. There was nothing quite as impressive as seeing his majestic shaft lengthen and rise. He was somewhat longer than the average light stallion. However, his shaft tapered more than most stallions' from base to tip and that made him at least marginally manageable for Bellany. She knew precisely how much of his magnificence she could take. She knew her peers would be scandalized if they knew what she did with her black stallion, but she really did not care. He was a sweet pony. She would have loved him even if he had not saved her life and kept her from loosing her mind in the face of celibacy. Yet, he had done both of those things. After his outstanding service it was no wonder she held him in such high esteem. Bellany hiked up her dress, turned and bent as if to grasp her ankles. Starstruck nibbled the firm, round cheeks of her rump and smelled her. After a long inhalation of her, the stallion threw back his head and lipped the air. For some reason her scent seemed to do a lot for him. She could see his erection stiffen. She smiled, tugging at his lust as his stiffness tugged at hers. Bellany turned again and backed up so that she was standing just to the left and ahead of his powerful loins. She twisted briefly, reaching behind her with her far hand she grasped Starstruck's shaft about eight inches behind the tip. He was so thick the fingers of her left hand could not touch her left thumb. Bellany steadied herself with her right hand on her stallion's upper foreleg. She had barely enough time to pull his massive, veined cock to the left and place the tip at her entrance before he began to thrust. Bellany gasped open-mouthed. Gentle entry was not her stallion's strong point. His huge erection stretched her to her limits even though she had spent time just before she had come down stretching her capacity by plunging her fingers into herself and teasing her clit to the brink of orgasm. The hand she had clamped around his shaft thumped against her butt and bounced her forward repeatedly as his plunging cock sought to exceed the limit her grasp imposed. His massive lust built rapidly. Before the end of the second minute of thrusting Bellany watched his fist- sized balls rise behind her. She slid her hand up his shaft two more inches to reduce the penetration and give her overwhelmed cunny some slack to accommodate his rapidly flaring glans. As he reached his peak of arousal, his tip became painfully enlarged and then he grunted with pleasure as he began to fountain. The pain vanished as she squealed like a mare; orgasm drowned her mind in pleasure like the torrential jets that blasted against her cervix practically drowned her in cum. She drank more deeply of Starstruck's power than she would dare drink of any man. Her stallion always spent so powerfully that it was only after considerable practice that she could now strain to take just a tiny bit more than he gave naturally. She could tell by the grunt that was joining her squeal that she was bringing a great deal of ecstasy to her equine lover as he spent himself inside her. His orgasm lasted nearly as long as the thrusts that had led up to it. Bellany inhaled sharply as her stallion's power surged up her spine and spread out from her loins and chest in tingling waves that made her tremble with pleasure. It was all over in less than three minutes. He was so blissfully overwhelming Bellany might have missed the groan from across the corridor if it had not come at the tail of her orgasmic squeal. There was someone in the stable. His groggy tone suggested he had been deeply asleep and that explained why she had felt no ambient lust from him when she had searched the stables. Her stallion withdrew his huge erection and Bellany flexed her nether muscles to hold as much of his spend inside her as she could. Nevertheless, enough dribbled out to generously spatter the straw beneath her with cum. It was difficult to close down tight after having spread so wide but Bellany had long ago found that her control over her interior muscles was considerable. After a series of groans and stretches from across the hall she heard a voice. "Heeyyy I musta passed right out," The voice across the corridor said. Bellany straightened suddenly. Her dress fell down over her long, shapely legs. She pushed the straw on the floor around a bit with her feet to conceal the splattered straw beneath her. Across the isle and four stalls down a box opened and Cooyman came out squinting towards her stall. It was difficult to see him through the slats until he was out of his stall, but the sound of his still partly drunken voice told her who he was. She moved laterally and stood directly in front of Starstruck's loins so that Cooyman would not be able to see the stallion's rapidly retreating erection. Cooyman soon appeared at the door to Starstruck's box. "Hello Cooyman." Bellany smiled pleasantly, trying to look as composed as possible. Outside she seemed composed, but inside she kept her vaginal muscles tensed to hold a veritable flood of hot stallion cum inside her. There was something sensual about the feel of it. During less tense times, Bellany had enjoyed drawing the life force slowly out of a load of it while reveling at the sheer volume within her. Currently, the little stream oozing down her left leg was not helping her composure any. Fortunately, thanks to her prudish mother, all of her dresses were quite long. Bellany hoped the smell of ale radiating from Cooyman would prevent him from smelling certain other things that she was trying to hide. I tell ya all those extra rounds of ale Lord Norwit treated the gang to snuck up on me. By the end o' th' night I were in no condition ta make it home. Is it mornin' already?" Cooyman asked blearily as he entered the stall." "Just about. I expect Dorety will be down to groom the horses in a few minutes," Bellany said. "I wanted to make sure my stallion was doing okay here at the inn. Sometimes he gets a little jumpy." Cooyman blinked. "He looks pretty darned relaxed ta me." "Oh that's just because I am here so he feels safe," Bellany said. "Then ye spend a lot of time with 'im do ye?" "Of course, he's my father's finest so I have to hog him." Bellany giggled. "Spoiled brat, are ye lady?" Cooyman asked chuckling. "Yes, but there are still plenty of things I can not get away with that Charles might manage without a hitch," Bellany said. "Aye? Like what?" Cooyman asked. "Like Charles could probably get away with having a little fun with common women he would never be allowed to marry or court," Bellany said. "Aye, but ye could not get away with fiddlin' with th' men?" "No, even after the orcs daddy seems to think I am some sort of innocent virgin child. I guess he does not want to realize that nothing can restore my chaste reputation and that after a year with the orcs and no pregnancy, my fertility is... questionable. Mother still thinks I should follow in her footsteps and be a pious Vindicator wife." Bellany frowned. Cooyman chuckled. "Ye don't find that an appetizing proposition?" "No, I think I have spent enough time as a slave girl. I'd like to do something different." "Ha! Bein' a pious Vindicator wife is th' same as being a slave?" Bellany nodded. "Shh, I didn't say that." Bellany winked. "Well I'll tell ya, I'd be glad ta fiddle with ye. I expect any man would. Ye're about as pretty a woman as I've seen. That red hair and the way ye're built really does somethin' fer a man. Cooyman's hands began to wander. His left hand smoothed over the curve of her hip while his right hand slid over her bodice to cup her left breast through the fabric of her dress. Bellany inhaled as the man's lust tickled her senses. For a moment, her body responded and she intended to take him. Then she remembered she was stuffed with cum already. Bellany looked into Cooyman's eyes. "I like men, but I have to be very careful not to let any one man get too attached to me. Some men just can't understand my situation or the secrecy that is required. Daddy's rath can be deadly and I don't want anyone hurt. I would never consider doing anything in Norwit where my father's word can send a man to the gallows, but Baron Bristol is not on the best of terms with my father what with all this quarreling over religion lately." "Aye, so ye'd consider it?" Cooyman asked. Bellany nodded. "But only with a few men who would reveal nothing. Gossip about such things could get a man imprisoned or worse for violating a lady's non- virginity." Bellany smiled. "Heh, non-virginity. I guess if ye've got enough power ye can ignore reality about certain things if ye have a mind to." Cooyman squeezed the fullness of the right cheek of Bellany's rump. Bellany nodded, her face flushed. "Yes for a practical military man, daddy has his blind spots. I had better get going. It is not safe while father's guards are so close. If I can find a way to get out of Vargrend's Prison for Girls now and then is there an easy way to find you?" "Aye, behind The Vargrend Armory there are some cabins. Mine'd be th' one with the arm o' steel mounted on th' door." "I had better go," Bellany whispered as she smiled to herself. Suddenly, she put her arms around the burly smith and kissed him while heaving sharply at his lust. She slipped out of Cooyman's stunned grasp and rushed away, leaving him in the stall with his jaw agape. ------- This ends, The Broasted Ox, Chapter 55 of The Chronicles of Rapina The story continues in Chapter 55, Inmates. Copyright 2003 by Rapina