Fate of a Dynasty

Hi everyone, this is the first story I have ever written, I hope you enjoy the first part.

Lucifer

The calm before the storm; that’s how Lucifer would have described the deafening silence that preceded the wooden gates opening before him. In mere seconds the arena would erupt in an echoing roar as gladiators entered the spectators’ view, desperate for bloodshed and death. Yet there he stood, immersed in a seemingly everlasting silence.

Years under the Emperor’s rule had brought forth traditions of slavery and war, two things that landed Lucifer in the position in the first place. It seemed a lifetime ago since he last saw his sister and mother and wondered if he would ever be blessed enough to see them again. Alas, now was not the time for sentimental thoughts, his life was once again on the line.

With Lucifer and the other gladiators huddled together in the center of the rustic arena the show was set to commence. Each gladiator donned their own unique armor and weaponry that had kept their life and taken so many others. The sand crept over their sandals as they planted their feet, hoping to hold ground against what was to come.

The beating of war drums started, indicating the evening entertainment was about to begin.

“MAY I PRESENT TO YOU, THE FEARLESS, THE INSATIABLE, THE RUTHLESS ATHENIAN HORDE!” The arena master bellowed over the roaring crowd.

No matter how often Lucifer had been in that situation it never failed to cause an adrenaline rush, likely beneficial to him as it heightened his senses and improved his reaction time. Often, he would see men cower in fear, lose control of their bladders, or freeze on the spot, apparently helpless to the final swing of an incoming sword. That would not be his fate, of that, he was sure.

The heavy metal chains attached to the wooden doors opposite the gladiators clinked as they lifted from the ground and straightened, pulling open the door that would bring forth whatever enemies had been arranged for the entertainment.

Stepping out from within the arena infrastructure, a group of large, muscular men appeared. Each bigger than the last they towered over the gladiators, menacingly dragging their weapons through the sand behind them.

“Nundellans, surely they aren’t serious?” Lucifer muttered, his concentrated eyes on the group of men he would have to kill that day.

Nundella was a remote island off the west coast of Athenia, famed mostly for its Blacksmithing. The Island itself wasn’t large, but it was huge in stature. The mountain ranges on the island were infamous for being hard to navigate for all those not raised within them. There wasn’t a single city on Nundella, there simply wasn’t the space. Instead, the people of the island had settled for mountain towns, linked together with bridges from one mountain peak to the next. Due to the island’s geology the nation had never been invaded; it simply wasn’t worth the monumental effort it would take to have an army attempt to breach the mountains. Instead, the leaders of visiting nations simply used them for their blacksmithing, placing orders for armor and weaponry. It was unofficially a “violence free” zone. That didn’t however stop the native warriors from leaving the island to find adventure. Nundellan warriors prided themselves in obscure weaponry, more of a show of their blacksmithing talents than the belief their weapons were structurally superior. This was something Lucifer intended to work to his advantage, there was no time for niceties as far as he was concerned. The quicker the kill, the less chance of death.

“Hold your positions!” Lucifer commanded the gladiators around him. “Tonight, we shall dine in victory, send their souls to the abyss!” He roared, earning a synchronized growl from those around him.

The Nundellan warriors advanced, stalking the gladiators while circling their flails overhead, each time omitting an ominous whooshing noise as the spiked ball completed a full rotation.

Lucifer was fully aware the flail was not the most efficient weapon, especially to such an experienced warrior like himself. All he needed to do was make sure the Nundellan warriors’ focus was primarily on the men around him, allowing him to time his attack and discard them before they reached the point of being overwhelmed. Even if Lucifer did think their weapons were a hindrance, he wasn’t sure how he would fare against multiple attackers. Dodging a single flail was one thing, but to avoid two or three was an entirely different matter. This was not a battle he could win on his own.

“Brothers, sisters! Now is the time to grasp your fate. Now is the time to stand up and be counted. Fight with me, and live. Or cower and die!” He roared.

The Nundellan warriors inched closer, stealing more ground with every step. Their flails still circling, inviting death to any unfortunate soul to find themself within its range.

While large in stature, the Nundellans wanted nothing more than personal glory, which suited Lucifer perfectly. Teamwork would win this fight, and perhaps also his freedom.

“TURTLE!” Lucifer bellowed, demanding an instant reaction.

Within seconds his fellow gladiators had circled him and lifted their shields forming a moving barrier. The gladiators soon found their defensive position had worked when the deep thuds of incoming flail attacks bounced against their shields.

“BREAK RANKS TOP SIDE!” Another command from Lucifer, who had noticed one of the Nundellans close enough to strike.

The leading gladiators of the shield barrier stepped out to open a section of the shield wall as they parried the enemies swinging flail. In an instant Lucifer leapt out, thrusting his spear into the throat of his enemy. The large warriors’ arms dropped, and he sank to his knees, his neck destroyed by the razor-sharp edge of the spear.

And so, before me they drop like flies, this feeling, so serendipitous, Lucifer thought as he glanced through the hole left in the dead warrior’s mangled neck.

“Lucifer, two of them to the right!” One of his closest allies, Isabella, yelled from over his right shoulder.

“Shield wall close, right rotation!” He roared in response.

The unit rotated as one to counter the oncoming attack, inciting a smile from Lucifer; nothing tasted as sweet as a slaughter under perilous odds.

Warlord Julius Azazel

The sun set over Dominica as Julius Azazel poured himself a glass of Dominican wine, produced only a few miles outside the city. It was the finest wine in the entire Western kingdoms, and perhaps even beyond that. The enormous country was a considerable distance from anywhere else, its closest country being that of Athenia, at least 8 weeks sailing, 6 with the wind at your back. The two countries had lived peacefully respectful of one another for over a thousand years. The great king’s war had been so destructive and costly it had brought about an everlasting peace. That was until the recent emperor of the central kingdoms had risen to power, his ambition of ruling over the known world was no secret.

The palm trees against the orange sun-lit backdrop framed Dominica perfectly. Her people were passionate, fiery, smart, and proud. It was said throughout the land that a single Dominican warrior was worth that of fifty Western men, and a single Dominican woman was worth more than her weight in gold. There was much in Dominica to be admired and Julius knew he could not let the traditions and history of his proud nation disappear into ashes at the hands of the lunatic across the ocean. A man with so little honor he acquired power by simply walking into the previous emperor’s city with an army at his back, and taking the palace by force, later emerging before the people holding the previous emperor’s head. Ever since then the central kingdoms had built their army and expanded. The reign of chaos led to full control over all four of the central kingdoms; Athenia, Nundella, Armatra and Malbore.

Athenia had always been the larger of the central kingdoms, with hundreds of shipping docks on its coasts. It boasted the best trading potential due to its population and used its significantly larger army under the new emperor to forcefully take the remaining three kingdoms.

Nundella had not been so much invaded as held ransom for its armor and weaponry, leaving the country at the beckoning of the mad emperor.

Armatra was more famed for its crops and farming, sporting an army with less than 50 thousand men. It put up no resistance to the invading Athenian empire.

Malbore had struggled with Athenia’s land invasions being an island boasting an impressive naval force but a less than impressive army. With such close distance between the two countries the Athenian empire had little trouble invading.

As each of the central countries fell, the empire of Augustus Redmaine grew larger. With his endless ambition it was only a matter of time before he expanded outwards.

To the north was unexplored territory, sailors who left to explore returned having sailed for months to no avail or never returned at all. To the east a desert wasteland, a vast, open sand ocean with the occasional floating villages dotted around, named as they never stayed in one place for long. Not much was known about the lands east; Athenia used the eastern desert land to send those banished from civilization. They would either starve, become a slave to the indigenous people, or live an unfortunate life surviving as best they could.

To the far west was Dominica, a country larger on its own than the four central kingdoms combined. Steeped in history the continent had been the primary source of reason throughout the known world for the best part of a thousand years. The Virdansc bloodline went back as far as records began, their family had sat proudly on the capitol throne throughout all Dominican history.

Warlord Julius Azazel had worked his way up the Dominican army, starting in the city of Hital, where he began his career in the Virdansc private army, later moving on to become a task force commander of the royal guard. Years of fighting back the southern invasions had earned him promotions while success on the battlefield had won him the public attention he needed to push on to higher things. The Dominicans worshipped Julius as a war hero. Aside from the Queen there was nobody more prestigious on the whole continent.

His father was the retired advisor to the Royal Crown, prior to that holding the same title Julius had recently acquired. It had taken Julius a long time to earn the status of Warlord, even if others whispered it was due to his father. Armed combat was all he had known, he would happily face any of his doubters in combat, but they would not face him, that he knew for sure. While not the most intimidating man you might come across, subtle markings on Julius’ face gave him away, a canvas upon which his past had been painted.

“The reports today, Warlord Azazel,” A young man announced from the chamber doorway.

“Thank you Fioro, I only wish they had arrived sooner,” Julius replied absently, scanning the letter.

“Just as I thought, he is in Athenia. And they have him fighting in petty arenas. Time for your little fun to end, Lucifer.” Julius mumbled at the letter.

“Fioro, have a team of 4 capable men arranged to retrieve our Prince. I think it is about time he returns.”

“Yes, Warlord Azazel.” The young man replied, leaving the room with haste.

This man is going to send me to an early grave, what on earth is he doing fighting in petty arenas? He has left me with no choice, he can’t expect me to ignore this. I must set off to the palace at once. Julius thought.

He had to be sneaky about this, if Lucifer realized he was being tracked it might set him back further than he had been since Lucifer’s departure. If there was one thing that would be more difficult than capturing Lucifer Virdansc, it was capturing him when he knew he was being tracked.

***

The gold furnished palace doors swung open before Julius Azazel. The building was such a beautiful rendition of marbled walls and velvet hallways; its walls were said to hold the secrets of time. The first kings of Dominica had built the palace to commemorate the wealth and heart of the people which was signified in the golden decor. Few Dominicans were permitted to enter and as such, it was always an honor for Julius to walk within its walls.

To walk into the royal palace and disrupt the queen with no warning was enough to have most men thrown into the dungeon and flogged, but fortunately for Julius, he and the Queen went back to their childhoods, giving him far more leniency than most Warlords would receive. The queen was the only human in the known world who left Julius with butterflies; he would jump from a cliff had she commanded.

Queen Brianna Virdansc was as beautiful as she was intelligent. Men would crumble before her as if in a haze, and Julius had yet to see her outwitted by anyone other than her brother, who happened to be the cause of his business within the palace.

Julius entered Queen Brianna’s study to find the young, beautiful Queen hunched over a mountain of papers, furiously signing each one before almost throwing them into the arms of her servant who was barely managing to keep everything in order. Without raising her delicate head to see who had entered the room she cleared her throat, “Ah, it looks like my dear friend Julius has come to pay his old friend a visit.” The Queen Regent spoke softly, “Perhaps my day will become more interesting after all, and I can delay having to finish these damn papers. Never become Queen, Julius. It’s not all it’s made out to be, you know.”

“I am sure I would make an awful Queen, your Majesty.” Julius chuckled with a smile. “My Queen,” he continued, “I bring you some… private news”, glancing towards her servant who was staring at the opposite wall awaiting his next command. “Perhaps he can leave us for a short while.”

“Alexander, please take what has been signed already to Vice Commander Marucs Aldirn, he will be expecting them all. If he complains advise him he can come and sign them himself,” the Queen again spoke with a quiet confidence, showing she was comfortable with, and more so understood the weight of the crown upon her head.

“It isn’t easy dealing with these powerful men, you know Julius, they seem to think of me as incapable, something they tend to find out the hard way is most certainly not the case. Most of them have testicles bigger than their brains.”

Julius chuckled. “I do not believe them to think that of you my Queen, I believe they are simply intimidated. I will happily remove any man from your service who you are not confident in.”

“No, no. No need to flex your muscles in front of me Julius, and please stop calling me that. It’s Brianna. If I must ask you again, I shall have you flogged.” She teased.

“I would remove these slacks, and have you whip me any day, my Queen,” Julius teased back, “but for now, I do have more pressing matters. Something I think you and I will need to discuss,” he said while pulling out a chair and sitting before Brianna, “I have found your brother, and you are not going to believe what the bastard has been up to.”

Queen Brianna’s beautiful, big brown eyes widened. “You have found him?”

“I have, and it wasn’t easy.” Julius replied frankly.

“Please, tell me where he is and if he’s okay.” Brianna begged, breaking her royal demeanor for a moment before her face suddenly relaxed as she came to the realization, “Of course he is okay, it’s Lucifer after all.”

“Oh, he is fine, actually he has been fighting as a part of a gladiator team in one of the cities in Athenia. I hear he has made quite the impression going by the name ‘the boat man’, a label acquired due to how many souls he has sent to the underworld. I hear he has gained some attention from the emperor.”

“Naturally, the man is like no other man I have ever known. He would kill a dozen of the best soldiers Athenia has to offer with one arm tied behind his back and a wild dog attached to his leg.” Brianna laughed.

“A very strange example, but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t paint an amusing picture.” Julius replied with a smile.

“Bring him home will you Julius, I know you are likely the only person who would ever know how to speak to Lucifer. I still think he feels guilty about what happened, and I don’t know why, he knows I love him, he knows I want him home.”

“I will do my absolute best, Brianna.” Julius said, using her name to emphasize his point. “But you know as well as I, if the man does not want to be found, then he will not be.”

“I know.” Brianna knew there was no use disputing the fact, if someone else had made the comment she might have ignored it and commanded them to try harder, but when it was Julius how could she. He was the only person on earth who knew her brother better than she did, so there was no use demanding him to bring her brother home, it was a task that could well be impossible.

Lucifer

The Nundellan’s defeat at the hands of the gladiators had the whole city talking. The expectations would normally be to see the gladiator’s heads smashed to pieces, blood-soaked sand and the odd limb scattered around the arena. Ever since Lucifer had arrived some months ago the death toll of gladiators had dramatically reduced to the point he was becoming some-what of a local celebrity. The silver haired ‘boat man’ with his sharp blue eyes hidden behind a spiked helmet, rumored to be a descendant of death himself.

Lucifer removed his armor and wiped the sheen of sweat from his forehead, his hair dripping wet from the midday heat. He splashed his face with cold water from a wooden barrel in the corner of their room before turning to address his friends.

“You know for a second there I thought you were going to get your head smashed to pieces, a little slow on raising your shield.” He teased Jardan, one of his fellow gladiators.

“You just clean that blood off your spear and shut your mouth.” The large, strong Athenian gladiator replied.

“He’s right.” Isabella chimed in, “You’re getting sloppy, big boy.” She said with a wink.

“I’ll show you getting sloppy.” he teased back, taking a step towards her playfully with his arms out wide.

A spear appeared between the two of them so fast they both had to look to see where it came from, finding Lucifer casually holding his weapon out. “You’d last five seconds, Jardan, now sit down. I think it’s about time we got out of this place. I must meet with Orion later, and I don’t intend on any of us being around much longer. Isabella won’t be a problem; I know he’s going to send her with me. The rest of you however, that’s going to take some planning,” Lucifer said, too deep in thought to be distracted by their games.

“Do you think the others know we are leaving?” Jardan asked.

“They shouldn’t.” Lucifer replied. “Unless one of us has slipped up.”

“I’ve not been with anyone but those in this room since we had that conversation.” Isabella said, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

“I’d never say anything. I’ll smash anyone who says I have!” Jardan spoke loudly.

“Quiet, my friend! You must keep your voice down. And you, Johna, have you kept your tongue?”

The fourth member of the group, situated in the corner of the room glanced up. “I’d sooner kill them all than tell them of my impending departure.”

“As I thought”, Lucifer replied, looking back towards Jardan, “So stop panicking, and stick to my plan.”

It was never Lucifer’s intention to include his three new friends in his life, but they had entered, nonetheless. They had fought for him, killed for him, and he believed after what he had done for them, would die for him. That was a rare commodity in the world, there would always be people who would die for you at the right price but having people who would intentionally go out their way to do whatever they had to do on sheer loyalty alone was a rare gift. The one hindrance to the situation was now there were three souls who Lucifer was responsible and cared for. It meant he could no longer easily disappear under a new name to live a life of solitude.

******

The afternoon meal served to the gladiators in the Orion Arena was enough to sustain them and nothing more. It could be described as a slop, including mainly rice and chicken, which most thought was likely rat.

The gladiators ate their meals in the open courtyard of the sandy stone establishment, situated between the training and conditioning courtyards. The living rooms occupied the edges of the perimeter with the Lord’s house towering over one side, allowing him a perfect view of all three courtyards from his balcony. He would often stand there with his wife watching the new gladiators train.

In lucifers first week he had seen a new slave recruit attempt to murder Orion on his balcony with a spear; had it been a meter to the left it would have pierced straight through his chest. Unfortunately for the young man his aim was off, and he had been locked in the cellar dungeon ever since, it wasn’t worth thinking about what they were doing to him down there. He would find no sympathy from those above the ground floor, even with his occasional faint screams. The people within the city and by extension, the gladiator establishment, were only trying to do one thing; survive.

A city in the center of Athenia, Reguin was rife with people from all over the world. This was also represented within the Gladiator barracks and academy. People of every race, from countries unknown, sold as slaves from whatever war they were part of all brought there to eventually die. It was easy to spot those who had volunteered for the lifestyle as opposed to those who had been bought or forced into it. Lucifer could tell simply by studying a man’s posture whether he was one of the fools stupid enough to want to be there. There was a certain swagger about a man who still had the hope of glory, something which a slave could never dream of achieving. It was funny to Lucifer how it was the ones who didn’t want to be there who would survive the longest and fight the hardest.

Some souls are simply stronger than others

Once the meal had ended, the sun withdrew behind the mountains in the distance. This was a moment Lucifer had been waiting for, the last sunset before he took his leave. It had been hard to leave his family suddenly, especially his mother and sister. If their bond had not been so strong, he would never have had to leave in the first place but putting their lives in danger to become chained down by the weight of the crown was never something he had envisioned for himself. He sorely missed his homeland and knew that with time he may one day be able to return once more. But before that he had a life to live, and in doing so provided his family with a life less dangerous. Legacy was not something he was concerned with, stories were written in arrogance by those who shaped history, so what did it matter what he did, the truth would be the truth regardless of what the history books claimed.

Lorn Orion

The living area of the old stone arena where Lord Regulus Orion lived was a far sight from the living quarters his gladiators were made to live in. Luscious silk and fur lined every hard surface, transforming the room into a comfortable area. In the center of the room was a heavy wooden table with an equally impressive fruit bowl placed at its center.

As Regulus Orion popped a grape into his mouth the door behind him opened, and a silver haired gladiator stepped through looking much cleaner than when Regulus had seen him hours ago, dripping in blood and sweat.

“Lucifer! My old friend!” Orion declared, with a friendly pat on the back.

You weren’t so much of my ‘friend’ while you caged me away to make yourself rich

“It is an honor to have made it this far, my Lord. I can only hope to spend my remaining days living in peace, distant from the world.” Lucifer responded coldly, acting completely uninterested. He had been raised surrounded by these self-righteous types and had no time for their games.

“As you know,” Lord Orion began, ignoring Lucifer’s attitude, “these last few weeks I have asked much of you, and rightly so. But now is the last night you will spend under my watch, and as such I would like to leave you with a parting gift, as it were.” Lord Orion handed Lucifer a piece of parchment.

Unravelling the parchment left Lucifer in awe. “You would give some of your land to me?” He asked, shocked.

“Not just that, but a small harbor and a house included. You must promise me one thing, Lucifer. Take Isabella with you.”

Finally, he had played his card, one Lucifer had been waiting for. He was starting to think perhaps he had been wrong about Lord Orion, until that very moment. The Lord wanted Lucifer to smuggle out his most favored Gladiator, one he had come to be attached to in his old age. He knew Lucifer could not refuse; he knew Lucifer well enough to know he would never leave a friend to die. He also knew the piece of parchment would be worth naught as the bounty on his head would remove any chance of Lucifer living a life in Athenia.

“You offer me nothing but a life of watching my back! Why should I accept this, tomorrow I am a free man!”

“You know as well as I, she will not survive the arena without you. I cannot lose her to the afterlife no more than you can, it is not her time, Lucifer!”

“And who are you to decide the will of the gods?” Lucifer spat back.

Lord Orion’s eyes narrowed; his demeanor changed. “You will do as you are commanded, or you will remain here.”

Lucifer knew this was not a battle to be won, at least not while owned by the Lord.

“Okay, have it your way. Isabella comes with me. But you do your equal part and get us as far away from this city before your precious Emperor realizes his most beautiful gladiator has disappeared from beneath his royal snout.”

“You leave the emperor to me; I will distract him with the latest batch of recruits. There are one or two I think he will be most interested in; you know how he is.”

Lord Orion glanced around his accommodation, eager to make sure there were no snooping ears. Even with his good favor, surreptitiously talking about the emperor in a negative way would not lead him anywhere good. ”              Isabella deserves to be free after what that evil shit made her do. But for now, Lucifer, get back to your quarters and sleep under this roof one last time. You are dismissed.”

As Lucifer’s footsteps disappeared into the distance Lord Orion sighed, the life of owning gladiators was starting to take its toll. He wasn’t the spritely young warrior he was when he first set up his establishment and he certainly didn’t have the emperor breathing down his neck controlling every little thing. It used to be just for show, a way to take the struggling Reguin people’s mind off the war. Then the Emperor burst on the scene, and ever since his control over the games had diminished. He often wondered how much more his damaged soul could withstand before dissipating into nothing.

Maybe one day I will have some peace

“Time for bed, please.” A quiet voice came from his bedchamber archway.

“You look as beautiful as ever, my wonderful wife.” Lord Regulus Orion whispered, his eyes meeting with hers.

“And you are as kind as ever, my husband.” Mariana Orion quipped back, embracing him.

“Do you remember what you did the last time I was this stressed?” Lord Orion asked as the corner of his mouth curled into a smile.

Mariana turned towards the bedchamber, looked back over her shoulder, and passionately eyed her husband. “Follow me.”

I’ll take that as a yes

Regulus found his wife perched on the edge of their bed, wearing her thinnest linen nightgown. Like him, she had aged since her prime days, but she was still every bit as beautiful in his eyes. Her hair had hints of grey, her skin was not as tight as it once was, and she was a few pounds heavier than her 20-year-old self. But none of that mattered to Regulus, she had been with him every step of the way, and it wasn’t as if he hadn’t enjoyed a more fruitful life himself. He adored her with every fiber of his being, it had kept them close for their entire marriage.

“Come over here.” Mariana begged.

Regulus walked across his bedchamber towards his wife, her features becoming clearer the closer he got. The faint outline of her dark, hardening nipples clearer with every step. Standing in front of his wife with her head waist height was exactly how he remembered his last de-stress treatment, and bless the gods was she good at it.

With a lick of her lips, Mariana reached forward wrapped her fingers around his rousing cock, pulling it from his pants and gently stroking him to full mast.

“I know how much you love it when I take you deep.” She pleaded with him. “Would you like me to suck you, my Lord?”

Regulus felt a shiver radiate from his spine through to his cock, now standing to full attention, throbbing with desire. Mariana calling him ‘my Lord’ always roused him.

“I do, and don’t stop until I have filled your beautiful mouth.” He commanded back, knowing how much his wife loved to be controlled when making love. Regulus had trained her well, and now it was time for her to perform for him again.

Mariana’s head moved towards him, her tongue emerging from its moist hollow and slithered around the tip of her husband’s cock, causing his toes to curl. Her mouth began to open, allowing the tip to brush past her soft lips and into her wet mouth. Regulus moaned as his wife swirled her tongue around his submerged cock before engulfing the entire thing down to its base in one slow motion.

“Oh yes, exactly how you’re supposed to.” Regulus exhaled, grasping the back of his wife’s head, holding her in place.

“Are you ready for a face fucking, my Lady?” He smiled down at her.

“Mhmm.” The only response she was capable of.

Regulus began thrusting his hips gently, making love to his wife’s mouth. The soft sound of saliva squishing with each thrust resonated around the stone room. Slowly his speed intensified, until he was rigorously fucking her throat, her beautiful large green eyes locked on him as he unrelentingly ploughed into her anchored face.

In a flurry of thrusts, he finally shot his seed into her belly and euphoria rushed through him as the stresses of the world seeped from his buried member.

Mariana withdrew her lips, maintaining a tight suction to not lose a drop of cum. Regulus’ hips twitched forwards as his wife’s lips slid over his sensitive tip. “Holy fuck, how did I ever get so lucky?” He asked, not needing an answer.

“Perhaps you can fuck me like you did in Nepurn?” Mariana suggested with a smirk as she led back on the bed and opened her legs. The thin material of her gown shifted as she spread her knees and Regulus noticed she was wearing nothing underneath. Mariana’s shaven lips parted, revealing her soft, wet pussy, ready to be fucked.

Julius’ mouth began to salivate. “I would love to” he said, remembering quite possibly his favorite ever fuck that had subsequently ended in him tied down to the bedposts with his cock hilted in his wife’s ass. She rode him until he had filled her bowels and hadn’t stopped for several minutes after.

With another glance at his wife’s wet opening, he licked his lips and dropped down onto the bed, he knew he had plenty of time to taste and make her squirm before he felt life in his cock again.

Lucifer

Lucifer and his three gladiator friends, Isabella, Jardan and Johna sat in silence waiting for the time to come, praying Lucifer’s plan worked. It was certainly a risk, and something they’d have not considered had it not come from Lucifer. He had requested Jardan and Johna to accompany himself and Isabella with their belongings to their awaiting carriage; it had been one of the requests made to take Isabella with him. The benefit of the arrangement was that Isabella wasn’t supposed to be leaving, so Lord Orion had made sure there were as few guards to see them as possible. The only prying eyes being the one that would drive the horse and carriage into the town and to their freedom. That meant the only person standing between the group’s escape was a single soldier.

The plan was to discard the single guard and have Johna or Jardan wear their armor, posing as the guard right through to town. Once there they would ditch the wagon and guards clothing and exit the town. By morning when Lord Orion finds his guard, they will be miles outside the city with no way for him to know which way they travelled. The old fool had too much trust in Lucifer. Kill a few men, make a man some coin, and suddenly he lets his guard down. Quite literally.

****

A knock on their bedroom door was what they had been waiting for. Lucifer stood as Lord Orion entered their sleeping quarters. “I take it everything is ready, are you men ready to escort your friend out, I hope it serves as a reminder that freedom is on the horizon if you earn it.”

“We are ready, my Lord. And you are correct, I will spill gallons more blood to one day join my brother in freedom.” Jardan bowed before lord Orion.

“And I will hold you to that, young man.” Regulus Orion replied cheerily.

“I suppose you were never expecting me to earn my freedom quite so quickly.” Lucifer teased confidently.

“You are not wrong! But alas, such is life. I bid you farewell, Lucifer. Try your best to keep out of trouble and perhaps you will not find yourself back inside a similar establishment.” Regulus warned, before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

It never failed to amuse Lucifer how Orion assumed he had not planned to end up in the arena in the first place. The second he had learnt about the ‘200 kill count’ rule of freedom, he had been eager to see how long it would take him. It might have lasted much longer had Lord Orion not decided to throw an event for the arenas 20^th year celebration. The bodies Lucifer had sent to the underworld that day likely amounted to half of his freedom count.

“Okay, Isabella, I want you to carry the clothes, Johna carry a weapon you’re going to be taking out the guard, be fast, be quiet and we can be on our way in no time. Jardan, I need you to carry the heavy stuff, the swords and spears wrapped up in the corner. I have food and coin to last a short while, but we can think about when we are free.”

Lucifer excelled in taking charge of high-pressure situations when men looked to him for leadership like lost dogs. His whole life he had been molded to be the best a living human could be. He had learnt several languages and had been trained in every type of combat imaginable. Not only that, but he had always been an overachiever, beating every tutor that was put in front of him with ease. It wasn’t so much that he possessed more knowledge than those that had trained him, but his size, power, speed, and reflexes meant that not many men could beat him after he had reached a certain point of training. Men feared him, women yearned for him, and yet, for most of them he felt nothing.

They made their way through the hallway of the gladiator’s quarters for the last time, emerging at the front of the complex to a horse and carriage just as Regulus had promised.

The single guard looked like an easy target now the four of them were standing before him, the tension in the air sharp enough to take one’s breath away. Johna moved forward and knelt just a few feet from the guard. With a swift push from his strong legs, he projected himself towards the guard while withdrawing a dagger from his rear belt. The sharp edge of the blade pierced the guard’s neck and withdrew in a heartbeat, leaving him crumpled on the ground.

“Drag him behind the wall, cover the blood with sand and put on his armor, sit on the front and take us down to the stables. Isabella, Jardan, into the wagon.” Lucifer organized.

****

Johna jumped off the front of the wagon dressed as a hired guard. The chosen stable was situated just on the edge of the city, so a quick and easy escape was possible. They would travel through the woodlands to the west and arrive in the port town of Dun’loch. A four-day ride from their freedom. The woodland would be full of wildlife to feed them until they could sail south to the small remote colonies that Lucifer had set his eyes on. Lucifer’s end destination was about as far south as civilized man had been able to travel, which suited him perfectly; the further away from his family the safer they would be.

Breaking into the stables and saddling the intended stolen horses wasn’t half as difficult as Lucifer had planned. The security within the city was shambolic at best, anyone could simply break the latch of the stable and make off with however many of the keepers’ horses they wanted, of course it would be met with the thief being tracked down by specialist hunting parties who would swiftly remove both hands and leave the perpetrator hanging upside down. If nobody came across them in time the likelihood was, they would die from dehydration or their lungs giving out if they didn’t bleed out first. That was not a fate that Lucifer had envisioned for himself, in fact it was about as far away from his idea of paradise as he could think of.

“Okay, is everyone ready for a long and swift ride? We must make it to the forest before day-break.” Lucifer asked.

A resounding ‘yes’ from his friends let him know it was time to go. And so, the small group set off from the stables, trotting through the empty city streets with nothing but the click-clacking of horses’ hooves to fill the air. Having made their way through the city the only obstacle left was to get through the main gates and onto the open fields. As luck had it the only guard watching the gate had decided to take a nap, laying there with a bottle of what could only be alcohol inches from the floor at the end of his limp arm.

“Well, that makes life easier.” Jardan chuckled as they casually trotted past. “Lucky for him I suppose.” Jardan continued, “that nap might have just saved his life.”

The four of them galloped through the open fields heading north, unable to pass through the mountain land directly to their west. They would have to travel parallel with the mountains until they reached the break of Dun’Lock, a gap in the mountains that would lead them south into the forest and eventually to the port, and their freedom. The ride was hard and long, with Lucifer not wanting to stop for even a moment until they reached the cover of the trees. Once inside the forest he figured it would be nearly impossible for someone to track them, and even if they did it would be much easier to slip away unseen or even remove their hunting party from the equation.

Athenia was mostly flat land except for a few mountain ranges and the odd forest, whereas Lucifers’ homeland of Dominica was full of forests and mountain scenery. Lucifer was confident in his ability when submerged within a sea of green, his surroundings aiding his ability to efficiently dispatch whoever might be pursuing him.

The four of them came to a halt. Hours of hard riding had brought them to the small split in the mountain range where the shadow of the trees seemed to extinguish the light. The sight of the thick forest made Lucifer feel comfortable, this was terrain he was more than accustomed to; nature was treasured within Dominica, where the forests were plentiful.

“Okay, I think it’s time to stretch our legs. We will walk from here and set up camp a short distance within the forest, that should keep us safe. No fires and as quiet as we can be.” Lucifer commanded.

Warlord Julius Azazel

The sounds of exotic birds filled the warm morning air, singing their songs for all to hear. The city of Tayper seemingly peaceful, shimmering within its beauty below Julius Azazel’s overlooking balcony. If his mind had not been plagued with the consistent thoughts of his childhood friend and prince of Dominica, Lucifer, he might be in more of a mood to enjoy it. How was the Warlord of Dominica supposed to protect his people from the civil war currently breaking out in his country if he could not find and locate the one man who would be able to settle it all. Dominican tradition was such that the oldest child of each conflicting family would be able to settle the differences in 1 on 1 combat, potentially avoiding the war all together. It was for that reason that Julius could not work out why Lucifer had fled, he was thrice the fighter that the fake usurper, Ardune Clement’s son was, so why run?

Does he think this usurper wont wage war if he is not here to defend his people?

Queen Brianna had ordered him to bring her brother home, knowing full well that the consequences would be the relinquishment of her throne. Julius had long thought that Lucifer was the rightful heir to the Dominican throne, but he had never wanted it. He had said from a young age that his destiny would be fulfilled adventuring around the world, not stuck glued to a jeweled chair with little freedom outside his own country. That was something Lucifer had always told Julius, ‘one day my sister will rule these lands, and I will need you here to protect her, brother’. If Julius had thought it might happen, he might well have chained Lucifer to a big rock using the strongest metal he could find. Waking up a year prior to the news that Lucifer had in fact disappeared had caused quite the drama, one that himself and Queen Brianna had struggled at first to control. Luckily for them, Brianna was worshipped among her people, so the tradition that only a king can sit on the throne of Dominica had been easier to manage than Julius originally thought.

“Fioro, some wine and parchment. Once you have brought these, ready my horse, I have much to do.”

“Yes, Warlord Azazel, at once.” Fioro responded, appearing from the corner of the room, forever waiting for his next command.

Sitting in front of his fresh parchment, Julius took a sip of his fruity wine and began to construct two letters. The first would go to the commanding Lord of the elite Dominican warriors, Lord Jeremy Arthel, a brutish man with more experience in the art of tracking and war than almost everyone within the country.

‘Dear Lord Arthel,

A matter of urgent need has been brought to my attention; I require the finest men Dominica has to offer. Report to me at once.

Sincerely,

Warlord Julius Azazel’

The first letter was sealed and handed to Fioro who had returned, presumably from preparing Julius’ horse for travel. The second letter was to be sent to Queen Brianna.

‘Your Highness,

I write to you only to update you with proceedings in regard to our recent discussion. I have organized some of our finest warriors to aid in the search, further updates shall follow as and when received.

Yours faithfully, as always,

Julius Azazel’

Sitting back on his chair Julius sighed, he knew that finding Lucifer would prove hard even for the best trackers he had available. He only hoped they could find him and bring him home before the usurper marched his forces from where they were pinned in the south. It was not war he feared, he knew he had the superior numbers, better trained troops and the fertile land capable of nourishing his army. If he could save thousands of lives however, he would. How ironic it was, the Warlord of the most powerful country in the known world, trying his absolute best to avoid war. Julius let himself chuckle at the thought.

Peace for now, at least.

Emperor Augustus Redmaine

The noise coming from the emperor’s bedchamber was a mixture of smashed glass, female shrieks, and booming laughter. Known to be completely crazy, the emperor’s reputation was justified. He would as easily play a practical prank and laugh until his belly hurt as sever a person’s head from their shoulders for disobeying an order. It made the man incredibly difficult to predict, and almost impossible to negotiate with. It was his way or the noose, as he liked to remind everyone regularly.

“FETCH ME MORE WINE AND WHORES, AT LEAST FIVE WHORES!” Bellowed Augustus to the royal servant he had just thrown across his bedchamber.

“Y-yes y-your excellency” The young servant boy stammered, lifting himself up from the floor before scurrying from the room.

“HAHAHAHA AND DON’T FORGET MORE WINE OR I SHALL FEED YOUR LITTLE COCK TO YOU LIKE A PORK SAUSAGE!” Augustus yelled at the servant as he disappeared through the door. “Now, where were we?” he grinned, re-focusing his vision on a blonde-haired whore led on her stomach, tied down in the shape of an X on his bed.

“Ah yes, now I remember.” he said with a wicked smile. “I was just about to punish you for speaking out of turn.”

Augustus Redmaine brought down the paddle in his hand which landed on the blonde whores rear with an almighty slap, drawing a soft whimper. “Tell me to do it again.” Augustus commanded.

“Spank me again, your excellency.” she said.

Whack

“Please, again.”

Whack

Fifteen swings later and the blonde whores rounded backside was now a shiny red, and her moans had turned into those of pain rather than pleasure.

“I have a surprise for you.” Augustus teased her, as if she was the luckiest whore in all of Athenia.

The blonde whore remained silent, whether in fear or apprehension it was hard for Augustus to tell, not that he cared. “You will call me Daddy from now on, is that clear?”

“Yes, Daddy.” She replied.

“Perfect, my treat for you tonight my little whore, is one you will likely not forget. Ah, just on time.” Augustus proclaimed happily as his five requested whores entered his chamber, all carrying a jug of wine.

“YOU!” Augustus growled at a short, brunette whore who was third in line. “Take off that robe and bury that insolent bitches face in your cunt.” he demanded.

Without question or hesitation, the short woman withdrew her robe, revealing two perky breasts and a clean-shaven slit. She walked over to the bed in her nakedness and climbed in front of the blonde whore, opening her legs and positioning herself so the blonde-haired whores mouth was firmly attached to her opening.

“Now, YOU.” Augustus growled at a tanned, exotic looking slave. “Go and sit that little rosebud on her face.” he said with a lustful grin.

The exotic slave did as commanded and made her way over to the bed before climbing over the two, currently entangled on the bedsheets, and lowered herself down onto the mouth of the brunette, letting out a subtle moan as the awaiting tongue contacted her skin.

Augustus marveled at his power, demanding his slaves fuck each other was something he’d always thrived off. With the whole country and all its allies at his disposal he was the most powerful man in the central kingdoms, and they would all be crazy if they thought he wouldn’t abuse that power. “Now,” he smiled, looking over at the remaining slaves, “two of you on the left strip your clothes off and come here on your knees.” He watched two of the remaining 3 women crawl over on their hands and knees. The older whore who must have been into her 50th decade wasted no time, taking his bulging cock in her mouth and sucking him passionately.

“Oh yes.” Augustus groaned. “You are a beauty for a woman your age, if you keep working on my cock like that, I may have to keep you around for a while.”

Augustus stood as he watched the co-joined women on the bed writhing in pleasure, each of their mouths drenched in the liquids of the next. He imagined his cock filling their soaked pussy one after the next as he enjoyed the sensation of a soft tongue swirl around the head of his manhood. The second woman at his knees had begun to softly suck his testicles, sending shivers down the giant man’s spine.

“Both of you on the bed, I am going to show that little whore what happens to those who don’t do as I say” he spat, his evil eyes narrowing as he walked across to the tied down blonde with bright red ass cheeks.

As the drop of spit broke free from his mouth and landed in the crevice between her cheeks Augustus grinned, it was time for her punishment to begin.

Lucifer

The last week of Lucifer’s life has been considerably less violent than those prior, it was a strange feeling to once again be travelling away from trouble; he was far more used to running directly at it. What’s more, he had gained new friends and believed he had grown as a person because of it. Being on the road did not bother him, it was something he preferred to the fancy buildings and servants he was used to. Why should a man who is capable of travelling to every corner of the world live such a limited life. People would dream of living the life he was encouraged towards, his sister being one of them. Was it so bad to let someone take the throne who would genuinely enjoy it, he certainly didn’t think so.

“You have your mind on something?” Isabella asked, snapping Lucifer from his daydream.

“Oh, you know the usual,” Lucifer replied, avoiding the question.

“Actually no, I don’t. I have seen you kill a dozen men and not look as concerned as you did just now.” She teased back. “Come on, those two are out foraging for food and water, you can tell me.”

Lucifer studied Isabella’s face and found one that was genuine in her pursuit. “Okay, I’ll give you a snippet. “He conceded with a sly smile. “I am the rightful king of Dominica; I am doing my best to avoid returning there because I am more than happy for my sister to wear the crown I have never wanted. I came to Athenia in a drunken rage and found myself shackled to Lord Orion.”

Isabella took a second to process what she had heard, a clear look of both surprise, shock and confusion on her face. “So… the man I have fought with, killed for… is the rightful king of Dominica, arguably the strongest country in the known world?”

“Take out the word arguably. “He teased. “And yes, that’s right. I didn’t want to tell you because I left that place to become someone who isn’t that. I’d like for you to treat me as you always have.”

A smile appeared over Isabella’s face. “You think a golden crown can change the fact you’re a murderous asshole?” She said, maintaining a straight face for a moment before laughing at his shocked reaction. “I am joking Lucifer! Of course, it doesn’t change anything. I would do anything for you with or without a crown.”

It was in that moment that Lucifer saw a side to Isabella he had not seen before, one of mental strength. He knew not many people would react so calmly to being told their friend was one of the most powerful people in the known world. If she was struggling to accept it, she was not showing any sign. “You’d always be welcome to live in Dominica Isabella, it is somewhere I can assure you will always be welcome. One letter from me and you will be invited in with open arms.”

Isabella seemed to drop into deep thought at the offer, before looking up at Lucifer, her eyes glazed with a delicate sheen. “I don’t want to leave you, Lucifer.”

“And I don’t want you to leave either. ” Lucifer replied, wondering if his offer had seemed like more of a dismissal. “I only meant that I know what you have been through, and I would never hold it against you if you now wanted a life of peace, it’s really beautiful there.”

“I have heard of its beauty, but it is you I am tied to, and you I will stay with.” she replied, full of emotion. “You know my feelings for you Lucifer, if we are never to be I would still die for you.”

Lucifer looked over the warrior and friend who sat before him, realizing she had just poured out her feelings towards him. He hadn’t had time to think about anything other than surviving the arena for so long he realized he had perhaps missed the signals Isabella had shown him. He knew he cared for her, and he would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit she was beautiful. Isabella might have looked a little hardy at face value, but what woman wouldn’t when they donned a warrior’s leather armor, tied their hair back and often had dirt patching over most of their visible skin. Underneath the warrior was a woman, mid-way through her 20th decade, with full lips and kind twinkling eyes. He had looked at her before and thought if she cleaned up a little and didn’t look like she was about to challenge you to a duel to the death, she might be one of the most stunning women he had seen.

“I think once we have escaped this wretched country there’s a life for us to live together, it won’t be easy though, but something tells me that would never stop you. We do have this land that Lord Orion gave me, although I am not sure the offer stands anymore.” He said with a hint of humor.

“I would live in a cave with you Lucifer, maybe Orion will let it slide, I was his favorite after all.” She teased, shooting him a smile while glancing at him with the corner of her eye.

“Oh really!” Lucifer joked back. “He’d be a fool if you weren’t.”

Isabella’s smile straightened out before she looked at Lucifer with a more serious expression. “And what is the plan for Jardan and Johna?”

Lucifer looked up at the sky in thought. “I have been considering that, I think I will give them the same offer I have given you when the time is right, and if they choose to accept, I will send a letter back home letting them know to expect their arrival. If not, they are welcome to stick with us or go their separate ways, I suppose.”

“You know they’d never leave you, just like me, but for different reasons of course.” Isabella said with a little wink.

“Something tells me you might be right. I know one thing, if they don’t bring back some food we might have to ditch them entirely, I am starving!” Lucifer joked as both laughed heartily.

“Did someone say they’re hungry?” Jardan’s voice asked, emerging from the trees with Johna, both carrying bags full of food. “And don’t be silly Lucifer, you could never ditch us. Yeah, that’s right I heard,” Jardan joked, dumping a bag of four rabbits in front of him.

“I found plenty of foraging foods.” Johna added, dropping his bag. “Mushrooms, berries, tea leaves. This forest is full of food.”

“I thank you both.” Lucifer said as his stomach rumbled, “but we may have to wait to cook this rabbit, we will need more cover before starting a fire. Let’s get moving, once we are a few hours into the forest we can set up for the night, I’ll be able to relax that way. I’ll never sleep this close to the road.”

“Right you are.” Jardan exhaled as he sat down, “just give me five minutes.”

Lucifer chuckled as he watched his friend’s head drop back against the trunk of a tree, clearly exhausted from the last few hours hunting. “You’d think you had never worked a day in your life looking at you.”

“Hey, it’s mentally tiring! I’m fine, just, just give me five minutes!” He laughed, letting his legs flop out on the ground.

Isabella had been sitting with her eyebrow raised watching him. “Johna is fine, you’re just lazy, mr big strong man!” She teased.

That drew a chuckle from Johna. “You can say that again, I basically set up all the traps too, I think all he did was put them in the bag when they’d been caught.”

“Wow now, where’s all this coming from!” Jardan said light-heartedly. “Never heard anything like this when I was dripping in sweat and covered in blood after saving your asses that time against the big ginger giant they sent for us back in the arena, Isabella!”

“And I paid you back for that one the next event when you almost got skewered by that tiny little man’s spear!” Isabella laughed, barely containing herself as the others burst into laughter.

“Wouldn’t be the first time he’s been poked by a little man’s spear would it, Jardan?” Lucifer added between breaths of laughter.

“You can all go to hell!” Jardan announced to the three of them in a last-ditch attempt to salvage himself.

Lucifer held his stomach which hurt from laughter. “I don’t imagine I will end up anywhere else, my friend.”

“Then I shall be waiting for you at the other side of the crossing. But who will sail the ‘the boat man’ across, I wonder?” Jardan asked, playing on Lucifer’s new name.

“Whoever has the spine to dare try!” Lucifer joked back.

“Ok your five minutes are up! I think it’s time we get moving. I am hungry beyond belief, it will be so nice to eat some fresh food, that slop we have been eating for an age has almost destroyed my pallet!” Isabella moaned, frustrated at the noises coming from her stomach.

Lucifer stood up, packing away the small bits he had with him. “You’re right let’s get the little we have packed up. Walk on foot now, the horses will struggle a little in this forest, but I plan on using them as a bargaining tool to get us on a ship.”

The journey further into the forest was slow going, often requiring them to divert around their trajected path to avoid areas the horses could not travel through. The forest was almost magical, with luminous plants seemingly radiating energy. The trees creaked and groaned, almost in communication with one another. It had long been told that these woods were alive in spirit, aiding those who sought shelter within its green ocean. So far nature had been kind to them, nothing untoward revealing itself as one might expect from the stories told. Lucifer had enjoyed every second since they had first reached the forest. The crunch of the forest floor beneath his feet, the vibrant green colors mixed with the tantalizing array of multicolored foliage stimulating his senses, and most of all the smell, fresh air filling his lungs, a welcome addition having spent so long kept within the muggy accommodation that more often than not smelt of sweat and death. It was good to be free.

An hour or so into their travel the forest floor showed signs of life, a large, cleared patch of unearthed soil in patches sporting all different types of vegetables, some of which had barely sprouted while others seemingly ripe for the picking. “Oh wow, to think we wasted all of that time foraging when this has been waiting for us.” Jardan said surprisingly, kneeling for a better look at one of the cabbages close by.

“This belongs to someone, and I will not become a thief upon my first day of freedom. Let us see who owns these crops.” Lucifer replied, his eyes darting in all directions.

“I think I might have found the answer to that.” Isabella called from the other side of a tree a small distance to the right of the crops.

Lucifer walked to where her voice had come from, rounding the thick trunk of a nearby tree. A small, wooden, moss-covered shack sat within the forest. It blended incredibly well with its surroundings, appearing to be a part of the forest itself. Smoke rose from the make-shift chimney above the shack while the smell of hot food wafted into his nostrils, indicating someone was home and cooking food. “Let’s be careful about this, we don’t want to cause any unnecessary problems for whoever lives here.”

“Hello!” Lucifer called, “we are peaceful travelers, reveal yourself.”

A moment passed with nothing, making Lucifer think whoever was inside was either deaf or choosing to ignore them, but just before he took a step closer to the shack, the little rustic wooden door opened ever so slightly, a frail looking hand appeared gripping the edge of the door. “I felt your presence from a mile away, what is it you want, Lucifer, King of Dominica?”

Isabella glanced towards Johna and Jardan who were both sporting the same confused look towards each other. “You don’t look surprised, Isabella… you knew?” Johna asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Nothing gets past you, does it Johna?” Isabella nervously replied, looking towards Lucifer for support.

“It’s true,” Lucifer spoke honestly, looking at his two friends in turn. “We have much to discuss, I was hoping to reveal this on my own terms, so I thank you for that stranger!” Lucifer said, emphasizing the thank you before turning back towards the shack.

“But now you have my attention, old woman. Reveal yourself and explain to me how you know such things,” Lucifer spoke confidently, a little defensive if anything.

“What kind of seer would I be if I rejected the request of a king, inside please. And don’t forget that rabbit,” The old woman nodded towards the sack Jardan held.

“How in the hell?” Jardan said out loud, clearly confused.

“She is a seer Jardan,” Lucifer explained, “I thought they had been long since removed from these lands. A witch, you might better recognize, however I have never liked that term. It is incorrect and somewhat insulting to the abilities a seer possesses. I knew one growing up in Dominica before she sailed West and never returned. There were rumors she was tied to brick weights and thrown into a river, the result of a young man’s ignorance after stumbling across her brewing a healing remedy.”

“Shit, it doesn’t sound like they are well thought of,” Johna said, a little surprised.

“For the most part they aren’t. Humans do not like those that are different, they play it down to them being proud, but really it is nothing but fear that guides their hate. Which is why we must be careful, and respect this woman’s boundaries, she will likely not be expecting pleasantries from us.”

Isabella was clearly on the side of the old seer. “Let’s go inside and give her some company, we can share our rabbit as a show of good faith.”

“I am not sure we have a choice based on the demands she gave to Jardan,” Lucifer chuckled. “Let’s head inside, I have many questions for this seer.”

*****

The rabbit vegetable soul bubbled away over the crackling fire as the five of them sat at a small, worn wooden table inside the forest shack. The inside was what you would expect from such a mysterious dwelling. Random objects such as chickens’ feet and bird feathers hung from the ceiling. Circular woven ornaments were dotted around the walls, reminding Lucifer of the dreamcatchers he had once known back in Dominica. Glass jars filled with different herbs and spices filled the odd shelf, a curtain draped across one corner of the room, which Lucifer assumed contained a bed where the seer would sleep. A wooden cup was placed before each of them.

“Ah ah! Hang on one moment before you drink,” the seer swatted Jardan’s reaching arm away from his cup, inciting a giggle from Isabella and a frown from Jardan in return.

The seer momentarily turned her back before returning with a pouch of herbs, sprinkling a small amount in each cup. “Not to worry, it’s a muscle relaxant, nothing untoward,” the seer spoke gently without anyone asking, knowing what they were all thinking.

“You have our thanks, but I must insist… how do you know about me?” Lucifer asked, having taken a sip of the hot drink before him, hoping it would be a show of good faith.

“Well, where do I begin…” the seer replied, exhaling in the way elderly folk do when doing something requiring effort. “I have dwelled within these woods for the best part of 5 decades, I am at one with the forest, and the forest with me. I felt your presence when you entered through the mountain gap,” she explained, taking a sip of her own tea, “I may not have big muscles like yourselves,” she nodded at them, “but the herb does work wonders,” she said, taking another sip.

“So, you have some communication with the forest, how does that tell you who I am, or should I say, who I was supposed to be?”

“It is not a question with an easy answer, Lucifer. You see the trees and plants, flowers and wildlife are alive but do not see, breathe but do not speak. I merely see them through my mind in a different way. I have lived here for a long time, Lucifer, and yet, I have never been alone.”

“That still does not answer my question,” Lucifer replied, feeling like she was avoiding the answer.

“Lucifer, have some patience,” Isabella asked, clearly unhappy with the bluntness of Lucifer’s response.

“Marvelous my dear, perhaps I should convince you to stick around,” she eyed Isabella with kind eyes, earning a smile in return.

The seer turned to look at Lucifer. “You are probably right though; I do owe you an explanation. It is not an easy one however, some struggle to accept it. These woods are as alive as you and me, not individually but as one whole being. If a tree is chopped down, the entire forest feels pain. They can… sense those who wander through. There is a certain energy that fills the air of a human with stature such as yourself.”

“So, it has nothing to do with any sort of magical power you possess, it’s the forest communicating to you.”

The seer raised her eyebrows, “Most folk would take them as one in the same.”

“I am not most folk,” Lucifer replied confidently.

“That I am well aware of, young man.”

“So, tell me what else you know.”

“I know you are running, the aroma emitting from you stinks of shame, but there is an honorable heart within you Lucifer, I think you will play an important role in the wars to come.”

“Wars?” Lucifer looked puzzled, “so you can see the future now too?”

“Not so much see the future, but I can see and feel the same things I have felt before every war throughout this forests’ existence, which is a long time mind you.”

“The forest can feel when a war is brewing. I am planning on travelling a long distance from this place, I think your forest has misguided you.”

“It is more so a feeling than a prediction. You are of course welcome to run, it is not fate that draws you to your destiny, Lucifer. It is the feeling in your heart and in your mind, you are not wired up to hide away in solitude. That I know for certain.”

“And of the war, what makes you or the forest so confident?” Lucifer asked with genuine intrigue, unsure of how an old woman in the woods could know of such things.

“The emperor of the central kingdoms is as idiotic as he is bloodthirsty, his greed for power and lack of wisdom can only ever lead to one thing: War. And where might be the only place that would be worth invading, seeing as he essentially has the power over everywhere else within the known world?”

Lucifer could see the sense in what she was saying, and replied in only a single word, “Dominica.”

“Correct, Lucifer. And who is the rightful king of Dominica?” She asked with a smile.

“I am.” A bland response.

“Precisely, and tell me, the man who is currently waging war throughout your lands, Mr Clement, who is he known to be affiliated with?”

“The emperor,” Lucifer replied, starting to piece together what the old seer was suggesting.

“So, it appears not so complicated after all. I think the path before you is clear, if only you stop hiding from it.”

Isabella had been listening intently throughout the whole conversation, “Lucifer, if that is your destiny, I will follow you to the gates of hell and back, we all will.” She glanced towards each of the two men sitting beside her, receiving a unanimous agreement from them.

“I have spent half of my life escaping that fate, Isabella. I love all three of you, but I would never drag you into something of such magnitude, I think it best for us to simply disappear and leave the world to its own problems.”

“Sometimes you can be so blind, Lucifer,” Isabella said, firing a frustrated look in his direction, “can you not see your importance?”

“The young lady is correct, Lucifer, some things are best not left ignored. Sometimes fate smiles down on you, and all you can do is accept what it is and smile back.”

Silence filled the room, leaving time for Lucifer to process what he had been told, he knew he could not leave his beloved sister in danger, nor the millions who populated his homeland. His plans to live a life of peace felt like they were slipping from his grasp. Would he have maintained his plans if he had not come across the forest shack? Was it fate that he found himself here, dragging him back to the path that had already been paved for him, and if so, what was at the end of the path he was apparently destined to take? He had a feeling it would not be the old age that he so desired.

His thoughts were interrupted as the old seer climbed up from the table with some effort, “Smells like our soup is ready, would you be so kind as you slice some bread for us, young man?” She asked, looking towards Johna.

“Of course, right away,” He responded in typical straight to the point Johna fashion.

The five of them enjoyed what was their first fresh, hot meal in what seemed like forever. Lucifer had watched Jardan hoover his first bowl full within seconds before guiltily asking for more, which he was now taking a little more time with. It was hardly surprising, he was significantly larger than most men you would ever come across, with arms and legs as solid as tree trunks. A man of his size must be hungry constantly, with it being nigh on impossible for him to eat the same amount as the others and be equally fulfilled.

Lucifer took the last mouthful of his soaked bread and thanked the old seer, “One last request before we depart, are you able to direct us the fastest way to Port Dun’Loch?”

The seer eyed him momentarily before reaching over to a shelf for a piece of parchment, “You are here,” she drew and X slightly off from the center of the parchment, “you need to travel directly West until you hit the coastline, from there, travel directly south and you will eventually see the port in the distance, from there you can’t go wrong.”

“And this is the fastest way?” Lucifer asked, wondering why it might not be worth traveling with the cover of the forest above.

“For sure, anyone who may or may not be pursuing you would not think to travel right the way through to the coast, for in their mind all they would find is an endless ocean.”

Lucifer had to agree with her there, it would certainly be something unexpected and might just be the safest bet, he would be surprised if there wasn’t at least a small hunting party out looking to make the arrest. One they got on the boat he was confident Athenia would be left behind for good, he just needed to find out where he was heading from there. “Well, it has been an unexpected pleasure, seer. We thank you for the food and the thought-provoking story, but for now we must leave.”

The old seer nodded, apparently understanding his need to leave completely. “It has been a pleasure, King Lucifer. Please, though, call me Edna. We may never cross paths again, but should you think back to our meeting I would like it to be something with a personal touch and not just the old crank in the woods!” Edna teased, the corner of her mouth curling into half a smile.

“Thank you, Edna,” Isabella said, “it has genuinely been a pleasure.”

“And you my dear, it is not often one meets anyone around here, let alone a woman with such a strong mind, heart and soul,” Edna replied, taking Isabella’s hand in hers.

“Thank you for the welcome, and amazing food. You can really cook Edna, maybe I will have to return here for more of that soup,” Jardan laughed, completely serious.

“You will always be welcome, friends. Goodbye, and may fate be kind to all of you.”

Johna, who was never one for a lengthy conversation, left the shack in his usual quiet way to prepare the horses for their travels, while Lucifer, Jardan and Isabella said their last goodbyes.

Lord Orion

Regulus Orion woke from his sleep to the sounds of his office door apparently being hammered to pieces. At least the sun was up, it must have been early morning and admittedly he did have a lot to do.

Just a normal knock would be fine

Pulling on his silk robe and sandals he made his way to find out who it was who had so rudely disrupted what was a wonderful sleep.

“Please tell them if they ever attempt to break our door down again, I will remove their hands,” his wife said, still half covered under the bedsheets.

“Oh, fear not my love, they will not knock like this again,” He replied, glancing back at the naked half of his wife not covered by the sheets. He never tired of seeing his wife’s’ full breasts, she had been blessed in that regard.

As the door swung open a breathless servant struggled to regain his breath, “M-my lord,” he gasped, “the others, w-with the boat man… gone… all four… of t-them!”

“Catch your breath and explain yourself properly Percius, you have already disturbed my wife!” Lord Orion demanded.

The servant, who had clearly brought this information at great haste, regained his composure before better explaining himself, “The one you set free, the one they called the boat man, he has taken three other gladiators with him, one of the guards was found dead on the outskirts of the complex, a clean wound in his neck clearly causing his death.”

“THREE!?” Lord Orion bellowed. Lucifer had betrayed his trust, he had freed the man and let him take Isabella who he knew Lucifer cared for and this was how he was to be repaid for his generosity. Swiping a piece of parchment, he began to construct a letter to the emperor.

“Percuis, take this letter and coin,” Lord Orion handed him a small pouch, “travel into the city and alert the emperor, tell him three of his gladiators have deserted the establishment with the aid of another, give him their names, he will know who they are. Tell him I have sent you; he will deal with them however he sees fit.”

“At once, my Lord.” And with that Percius set off at a sprint back down the main hall from which he came.

How dare he

Lord Orion stormed back into his bedchamber, throwing his sandals across the room before furiously dressing himself for the day ahead, “That insolent swine! I shall have his head on a spike!”

“What’s the problem?” Mariana asked while sitting up on the bed, causing her breasts to hang forwards, jiggling as she shifted her position.

“Not even those will cheer me up this morning,” Lord Orion complained, looking longingly at his wife’s naked form.

“Awh, that saddens me, my love. Just as I was going to remove the other half of the bed sheets,” she teased with a coy smile.

“Later. I have too much to do,” Lord Orion replied, paying barely any attention before swiftly leaving the room.

Queen Brianna Virdansc

“Don’t you think I realize the threat against my people, chancellor. Do you take me for a fool?” Queen Brianna addressed the elderly man.

“Not at all your Majesty,” he swiftly replied, “I merely mean to say that this would not be happening if Lucifer sat on the throne, I mean no disrespect. You know the way of Dominica as well as anyone here.”

“You are an honest man Archemides, but I advise you to use your words carefully. I may not be the intimidating figure of my brother, but I assure you, I can be just as cruel,” Queen Brianna spoke in a direct manner letting him know to take the topic no further, “but for now, he is not here yet, so we must make the preparations to defend our lands, it can’t be too difficult, Clement’s soldiers must be starving by now.”

“I thought the same, my Queen,” Julius Azazel added, following on with a serious intent, “until we found information suggesting their army is being supported by Emperor Redmaine from the central kingdoms.”

“Emperor Redmaine is helping our enemies?” Queen Brianna asked, puzzled as to why he would risk such a blatant call for war.

“It appears so, your Majesty,” one of her council members added, “as you know, it is I who overlooks our trade economy. And as such, I hear much information from out at sea. I received a message this morning detailing an encounter between one of the smaller ships in our navy who claimed they searched an uncharted trading vessel on its way down the coast some ways off land.” Seeing the Queen’s encouraging expression he continued, “they found keg loads of grain and salted meats, heading in the direction of Clement’s camp. We confiscated them of course, and… persuaded the men on board to tell us of their objectives, which soon became clear. Provide aid to Clement’s men and test the waters around Dominica.”

“That is most troubling,” Julius interjected, “I will double the coastal patrols and set up stand-by ships every couple of hundred miles heading towards Athenia. Niko, I want you to prepare our troops for battle,” he looked over at a middle-aged man sitting in the middle of the council table, “if this usurper will not stand up and show his hand then we will choke him from land and sea. I will personally remove the man’s head.”

“At once, Warlord Azazel,” Niko replied, a hint of pride in his voice.

“My Queen, please allow me to escort you back to the palace, I feel this meeting has achieved its purpose for today,” Julius held out his arm, offering it to the queen to link up.

“I believe you might well be right,” Queen Brianna conceded, turning to the council members still sitting around the table, “I trust you can all find your way out,” she added while turning to take Julius’ extended arm.

The two of them laughed and joked on their way back to the palace, they had always been close, ever since they were younger and Julius used to follow her older brother around the palace grounds, getting up to mischief and having the fun every child should be entitled to. If only life was still as simple, now she had the entire country as her responsibility, and the two men who had always made her feel special were out of bounds for different reasons; Lucifer because she only felt a sibling love for him and Julius, because a relationship between them would never be accepted without one, or both losing their positions. That would tear Dominica down from the inside out, so her feelings towards him had to be kept under wraps. Plus, she had no idea if he felt the same, he had always treated her like a sister, showing no real indication of feeling that way about her.

The life of a Queen was lonely, she had rejected the emperor’s proposals several times already to no avail, he would still beg every time they had met. Brianna however knew better, he was not interested in her, and only her crown, no matter how many times he lauded her beauty. Brianna was strikingly beautiful, with delicate features complimenting her tanned skin and wavy blonde hair, a trait that did not run through many families of Dominica.

The stories of how Augustus Redmaine treated the women unfortunate enough to come across him sent shivers down her spine, the only thing that troubled Brianna was that she didn’t know if it was fear or excitement at the thought of it. Such things were frowned upon in Dominica, and as such she had led a somewhat boring sex life, only ever having had two experiences and one of which was disastrous with the poor man emptying his load within a few seconds of her taking him in her mouth. He swore it was her unwavering beauty, but something told her that it was a regular occurrence. She could never discard a man on this factor alone, but nor did she want to marry a man with such limited control over theirs and her pleasure.

“You seem a million miles away, Brianna. Is everything okay?” Julius asked the Queen as they arrived at her chamber doors.

“Nothing particularly,” she lied, ridding her thoughts of her disastrous sex life, “just the usual, running a country isn’t a mentally peaceful thing to do, you know?”

“I get that, if you ever need an ear, you know where to find me,” he replied kindly.

“I most definitely do, good day Julius. Go and make your preparations to deal with Clement.” Queen Brianna said with a smile. War was not something she found interesting; she was quite happy to leave it to those more enthusiastic.

With the chamber door closing behind her, she bolted the door and made her way towards her ginormous framed wooden bed, shedding her clothing piece by piece. Her silk gown was the first to fall from her shoulders, followed by the remaining bits and pieces.

Glancing towards the mirror Brianna caught a glimpse of her delicate yet curvy body, untouched by the rough hands of a man for the longest time. Her breasts were neither small nor large, and stood proudly on her feminine chest. The sight of herself in the mirror was far gone from what the people of her country saw, which made her wonder, if they were to come across her as she now stood, would they be able to control themselves or would the dimples sitting above her perfectly curved backside prove too much for their self-control. Would they bend her over the bed and fuck her one by one until she collapsed exhausted; The thought of being taken by multiple men aroused her greatly.

The only thing that was on her mind since the meeting was the warm tingling feeling pulsating between her legs. Normally she would be able to control such urges, but the ideas that floated within her now daydreaming mind were too much, even for a queen to ignore. As she led atop the bed fully naked her fingers found themselves making their way down her body. Her hands brushed over erect nipples, sending a shiver through her body into her now soaked slit. A few long swipes of her fingers from her opening to her clit had her lips wide open and ready. Brianna began to circle her fingers over her delicate nub, lost in the pleasure she longed for.

Emperor Augustus Redmaine

Mornings were always the favorite part of Augustus Redmaine’s day. He would wake up, have his cock sucked by one, or multiple of his slaves. Sometimes he would make one of the male servants do it, if nothing other than to prove to them he had complete control over their lives. Whatever he wanted to do he would do it, with no hesitation. The only exception in this regard had been the bitch-queen Brianna. She had avoided his advances, despite his promises to unite their countries under a single banner for the good of the known world. Sure, it might be true that he would likely lock her in a playroom for the rest of her days, feeding her scraps and stuffing every hole she had each day for as long as she lived, but it beat having her country invaded and people slaughtered.

Perhaps once Clement begins making ground, I shall sail my fleet across the sea and force her hand

The plans for a full Dominican invasion had already begun to take place, first he would support the usurper, just enough to cause a distraction in which he could strike unseen. Augustus Redmaine would become the first human to control every country within the known world. And then perhaps he would sail south and conquer whatever was in that direction.

His morning was disturbed by a skinny man who could only have hit his second decade recently looking at his scrawny skeleton.

“And who do you think you are, disturbing me at such an hour?” Augustus barked at the nervous wreck.

“I-I b-bring a m-m-message from Lord Orion, s-sire,” he whimpered back, bowing his head, and raising the letter.

“Guard, bring the letter from the boy and send him away with a silver piece, another moment in my sight and I might have to teach him how to act like a man. Pathetic,” Augusted muttered without realizing the nervous boy had already left his company.

He lifted the bedsheets to look down upon the green-eyed woman currently servicing his cock, “Speed up and get it over with, I don’t have all morning.”

“Now then, let’s see what we have her…” He stopped, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as his cum exploded from his cock, coating the back of the slave’s throat. “Make sure you clean it up before you finish, ” he demanded, satisfied when his slave proceeded to suck his shaft clean.

He opened the letter to read the worst news he could have hoped for. His favorite gladiator at his most famous establishment had escaped with the one they called, ‘the boat man’. Fortunately for Augustus, he knew better. The rightful king of Dominica had been within his grasp, exactly where he wanted him the entire time. He was being kept there so when it came time to sail to Dominica he would have the best bargaining chip one could hope for locked away within his ship. Now, unfortunately for Orion, he had for some reason been set free, and what was worse he had taken Isabella with him. Augustus had longed for Isabella but removing or causing her harm would only turn the people against him, she was a fan favorite after all; he should have taken her when he had the chance.

The all-familiar sensation of rage began to boil within his chest, it was the last time that fool Regulus would meddle with his gladiators. He had removed him from ownership when he last visited and since then there had been nothing but the old fools’ mistakes. If it wasn’t for the man’s creative ability to entertain a crowd he would have been disposed of long ago. He would have to find a way to punish him; physical punishment would not do, the man was a retired warrior, to harm him might cause backlash. It would have to be something the public would see no sign of something to ensure the man would never disappoint him in such fashion again.

“Guard!” Augustus shouted, “send a letter to Lord Orion, tell him he is required to report to me at once. Tell him to bring that old wife of his too, if he won’t pay more attention, perhaps I will need to give him some encouragement. Send word to every town within a thousand miles, every coastal port and every garrison from here to Dunderta that we have runaways. 50 gold pieces to anyone with information that leads to their capture, 200 gold pieces to anyone able to capture them. I want them alive; do you understand?”

“Yes, your majesty,” the guard said, before he bowed and headed off to send the letters.

“I WILL NOT BE TAKEN FOR A FOOL!” Augustus roared at the open air for anyone unfortunate enough to be within hearing distance.

He was going to show Lord Orion what happens to those who fail him so often, and then when he was done with that, he was going to finish off gathering his army and sail his fleet to the southern region of Dominica and invade the country, it would be a war for the history books and that excited Augustus. He understood history is written by those who win, and he had every intention of the history books painting him for what he saw himself to be; the most successful conqueror to ever live.

Lucifer

The feeling of the ocean breeze hitting his face was a welcome sensation, it reminded him of home. The long sandy beaches of Dominica were Lucifer’s favorite place on earth and as such, a sea breeze was special. If you closed your eyes as it swept upon your face you could smell the ocean; the pure, unwavering, and everlasting mass of blue that promised adventure. There was no beach where he now stood, upon the edge of a large cliff edge overlooking the turbulent ocean as its ferocious waves hounded the cliffside.

It’s quite something, isn’t it?” Isabella asked, appearing by his side.

“It’s the most quite something, something that has ever been something,” Lucifer replied with a grin.

“I can tell you miss home, what is it you are running from?” She glanced at him nervously through the corner of her eye.

Lucifer ignored the question, diverting the topic of conversation. “Imagine we could sail away, never to be seen again. Wouldn’t that be marvelous.”

Not wanting to push Lucifer but attempting to keep him on track, Isabella replied, “I would sail with you in a heartbeat Lucifer, but ever since that shack I can only feel this insatiable urge to follow your rightful path. I really believe you can make a difference in this world; I hear where you come from there are no slaves?”

“In a way,” Lucifer stood in thought, looking out over the ocean towards his homeland,” there are slaves, but they are not necessarily treated with such disrespect. The term ‘slave’ is not used in Dominica, they are servants who earn coin for their troubles. We certainly do not slaughter them like animals as is the tradition here under this foolish emperor.”

“You should reclaim your throne, sail your army here and end all of this,” Isabella whispered, almost afraid to suggest it.

“And risk the lives of all my people, it is not something that is so simply fixed. Every nobleman across the central kingdoms owns slaves, imagine telling them all they now have to pay or lose them. There would be disastrous consequences, slaves would be murdered rather than paid, there would be rebellions. It would take decades to sway the mentality these countries are built on.”

“But it would be decades well spent. I may have never told you this before Lucifer, but my father was a slave and my mother his owner, she fell in love with him and birthed me. When the local authorities found out they had my father whipped in the streets, not stopping until he bled to death. When I was of an age to fight, they came for me, took me from my mother and left our home in ruins, burnt to the ground.”

“Isabella that is awful, what happened to you once they took you in?”

“I was trained, physically and mentally. I was beaten, raised to be ruthless. My first task from the emperor was to scout villages local to the one I had come from to find any slave who had overstepped their supposed boundaries and murder them in the streets, just as my father had been. Redmaine likes to force us to do what we hate most; it makes him feel powerful.”

A hint of anger burrowed across Lucifer’s forehead as he listened to Isabella’s story, “I have seen the man, but never met him. I will do my best to ensure I never have the displeasure of crossing his path. So how did you end up in the Arena?”

“It is quite simple really, I refused to kill any slaves. In Redmaine’s anger he forgot his extreme desire to take me to his bed as his warrior plaything and cursed me to a life of slavery as punishment. He thought the idea of me being a slave, fighting and killing other slaves within the arena would be the most appropriate punishment I suppose, another one of his cruel games.”

“You should think yourself lucky,” Lucifer said with a hint of a smile, “I’d rather kill a thousand slaves than have to sleep with that man, he’s a giant!”

Isabella swatted his chest, “Lucifer! It isn’t something worth thinking about, I would neither have sex with him nor kill people unless I was forced to do so. At least now I can choose who I do and do not kill, and who I do and do not share a bed with,” she added, lifting herself up on her tiptoes to give Lucifer a peck on the cheek.

Lucifer smiled at Isabella, it never failed to amaze him how strong her personality was. She was a fierce warrior, a gentle woman and wise counsel as and when needed. He could do a hell of a lot worse. “You are a special woman, Isabella; I could not think of anyone else I would rather share a life with.”

“Let us hope such a life lasts until our bones grow brittle, our back hunches and our hair grows white,” Isabella smiled at Lucifer, her beautiful eyes piercing into his tortured soul.

“I think I would like that,” he replied, taking Isabella’s hand, still staring into the ocean. His silvery blonde hair blowing behind him as he thought about what was to come.

The bushes behind them rustled, breaking their attention. Jardan and Johna emerged from the overgrowth rubbing their eyes in the morning light. It appeared it was going to be a cool day as the clouds above appeared un-moving; there was a chill in the morning air.

“So, do we start moving south down to the port?” Johna asked as he reached the two standing on the clifftop.

“I think so. One last walk before we get on a ship and hopefully sail away from here for the last time,” Lucifer responded, a bittersweet tone to his voice.

“Sounds good to me, I hate this place,” Johna admitted, leaving Lucifer unsurprised by the admission.

“I think I would like to live in this homeland of yours, I hear your women are exceptional,” Jardan added with a cheeky grin in his usual manner.

“That they are, everything about my home is exceptional, in a way it saddens me every day to be away from there. In another way, I’d rather be anywhere else.”

“You know Lucifer, “Jardan approached the topic carefully, “I don’t think a crown is something you can so easily run from, the gods have their ways, and if destiny shines upon you, nothing you do will be able to stop that.”

“It is not the gods I fear, dear friend. The gods are selfish, unloyal and demanding. They assume we owe them everything when in fact we owe them nothing. They assume they have such an influence over all life, and all life should bow before them. You will never see me bow before them, Jardan.”

“So, what are you afraid of?” Isabella asked, taken with his ruthless assessment of the gods.

“I fear spending my life serving others, I fear not having the choice of how I live and more importantly, how my time ends. Being born with the blood of my ancestors should not mean I am bound by a fate decided for me. The gods should fear us, not the other way around.”

“You should be careful with your words Lucifer, the gods are not so forgiving,” Johna warned.

“Then they can come down from their eternal seats and I shall explain to them myself!” Lucifer replied bitterly, leaving everyone in agreement not to push the subject further, “let’s head south.”

The four of them travelled along the edge of the cliff, it was slow moving. Every so often they would hit an obstruction of some sort and have to walk inland before coming back out to the coastline. Several days of travelling seemed like an age until they finally arrived at the port town of Dun’Loch. From a distance it did not look like much, a settlement that spanned a few miles in each direction, finished off with the wooden walkways of the port jutting out into the sea. Several ships of all sizes had docked there, from small travel boats to a large war vessel docking there, likely re-fueling before continuing its patrol of the country’s borders.

As far as Lucifer was aware the small port town was mainly used by fishermen. The main routes in and out of the town were via boat or through a narrow road within the forest on the opposite side of town. While once one of the main shipping docks of Athenia, it had since dwindled down, joining the other average sized coastal settlements in providing fish for the bigger surrounding towns and cities.

“Well, it doesn’t look like much. Which ship are we taking,” Jardan asked with a smile on his face.

“Something small that we can take and disappear fairly unnoticed,” Lucifer replied, scanning over the harbor. “Something like that one,” he pointed, focusing on a small to mid-sized ship.

“And how are we going to crew that with four of us?” Isabella asked, noticing the size of the ship he was pointing towards.

“Well, we aren’t. We are going to jump on the big ship, sail it out until we have been noticed. Once that happens, they will send all their reinforcements out to stop us, thinking it’s petty theft. We will smash a hole in the bilge, so it brings on water and then abandon ship, swim back to the dock and steal that little trading vessel closest to us. It should just look like a trading vessel leaving and we should be long gone before they consider what we have done. If they try to chase us they will likely sink before they realize what is going on,” he explained, waiting to see what the others made of this plan.

A smile appeared across Jardan’s face while Isabella and Johna looked unconvinced, “It’s lucky we can swim!” He quipped back laughing at Johna’s facial expression.

“I was hoping it would be a dry affair, but why not… it might cause enough of a distraction for us to tie down the trading vessel’s captain and sail away completely free,” Isabella said, her facial muscles shaped in that of concentration

“Sounds like we have our plan,” Johna nodded in agreement.

“Excellent, let’s make our way down there and see if we can cause a little chaos,” Lucifer said before smirking to himself.

Ardune Clement

The camp Ardune Clement had set up was scarcely managing, for now. He had been stuck within the camp for considerably longer than originally planned. Lucifer leaving the country was supposed to have been the turning point, with Redmaine convinced he could overthrow the current royal family and insert himself as Emperor leaving Ardune to rule on his behalf. He hadn’t expected the sister of Lucifer to be such a nightmare, however the thought of her rejecting the emperor on several occasions did make him smile. Nobody with such beauty should be with a man like that, he would ruin her within a fortnight. Breaking in that bitch was something he wanted to do, and it should be enjoyed over a long period of time. Plus, he wanted to be the one who eventually removed her head from the rest of her perfect, tight little body.

There was at least one bit of good news, the large trading vessel full of food that managed to find its way through the Domincan defense had turned up in one piece. The smaller trading vessel the Dominicans had captured had apparently made them feel like they had won a small victory over him, fools. If they had not been paying so much attention to the small ship with measly supplies, they might have noticed the much larger one further out to sea, right between their lines. Enough to last them at least a year at least. Ardune had no plans to be here in a year, he was to be sat on the throne by that point, that he was sure of.

His camp spanned miles in-land; the flat, green grasslands splattered with rows upon rows of white tents. The front line, roughly 50 miles in land was heavily guarded, donning a large portion of the 70,000 men he had in his service. A force large enough to hold their ground anywhere.

The army, once belonging to the southern part of Dominica, was loyal to the region of Luanda and its ruling General and had been expertly trained. General Ardune Clement was quite safe in his current location and had no intention of moving for the time being.

The section of the camp in which the high-ranking members’ tents were located was known to the troops as ‘the silent row’, due to it being considerably quieter than the rest of the rowdy encampment. That suited Ardune perfectly, the days of being a feisty young male were long behind him, and for now he had a war to plan.

Ardune Clement’s boots sunk into the wet ground as he made his way into the war tent where his captains were huddled around a table, pushing small wooden blocks over a map of Dominica.

“What about pushing a second legion to reinforce the main front line here, while our left flank slowly increases. Once they turn their attention to the left, we slowly increase down the right, gaining more ground each passing week,” one of the captains suggested.

“That could work, but we would need to have fluid communication between each side, one wrong push could leave an entire side vulnerable, the middle would have to increase in relation to each side so as not to create any weak spots, maintaining somewhat of a line.”

Ardune who was standing and listening to his captains’ exchange ideas decided it was now time to announce himself. “A fine idea, Captain Lewis, if I do say so myself,” nodding towards the well-built, tall, young captain, who had now turned to salute his superior, “the one problem, however, is that if we move our territory further up the country we are exposing ourselves to a much larger threat,” he walked towards the table and moved the squares that represented his forces further in-land as his captains had suggested.

“Now you see, Dominica has an army likely ten times the size of our own and equally well trained. Their fleet of ships are unmatched by any single nation and if we push further into their territory, we will force their hand. They will sail the ships around the coast and land on our beach, they will push their land forces on us and trap us, leaving us with too much land to defend or travel across and surrounded on all fronts. The only reason they have not attacked so far is because currently we have all areas defended sufficiently; their victory would not be worth their loss.”

“Forgive me for speaking out of turn, General; but if we do nothing, are we not just waiting for defeat?” Captain Lewis asked, sounding concerned.

“If we were not waiting on the Athenian fleet to arrive with reinforcements I might agree with you,” Ardune said with a sly grin, earning whispers from each of his captains.

An older captain at the back end of the table spoke up, “And what are these Athenians expecting in return?”