his hip, he yelped. The
force of the hit spun him half-around and he realized with shock that the
warrioresses were only a few yards away. He tried to pour on more speed but felt
himself falling—felled to his knees by another rock hurled at his back. He
pitched to his side and lay there panting as the painted faces of his captors
filled the night sky above him. The last thing he saw was the glint of light
striking off the metal of the first spear descending toward him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“What crime did you commit to be put to
death?” Kenzi asked.
“I dared to touch a Temple Virgin,” he said
then shrugged. “She stumbled and I caught her before she could fall.”
“And for that they executed you?” she
questioned, aghast.
“It is taboo for a male to so much as touch
the hem of a Temple Virgin’s gown. To lay hands to her is a mortal sin. It was
reflexive action on my part but the Hell-hags did not see it that way. My life
was forfeit the moment my flesh touched hers.”
“What are Hell-hags?”
“The witches of Bandar,” he replied. “Daughters
of the Night they are called. Powerful witches with a bloodlust like you wouldn’t
believe. Men are lower than vermin in their eyes.”
“You should have let the bitch fall,” she
said.
“Aye, well, hindsight being what it is, I
agree,” he quipped, “but then I would not have become a Nightwind and would not
now be sitting here with you.”
“You died and came back as an incubus
demon?” she queried.
“It’s a bit more involved than that.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He came to in the freezing cold with the
rancid stench of a cesspool weighing upon his nostrils. No light shone in the
utter darkness and no sound reached his straining ears. Heavy chains dragged
against his wrists and ankles as he twisted and turned in a useless effort to
break free. He soon found he was well and truly bound with no possible way to
gain his freedom.
And he was completely alone with the cold
and stench as his only companions in that vile place.
He yelled until he was hoarse but no one
came. He prayed. He swore. He uttered the most gods’ awful curses against the
female gender yet he remained alone in the noxious, lightless cavern that oozed
beneath the bowels on whatever world he now dwelt.
Naked and cold and as lost as any man had
ever been.
For what seemed like centuries he lay in
the piss and vomit and pus, the cesspit of all the wastes of all the living
things of the Megaverse, until one day twin sparks of red light pierced the
stygian darkness. The lights blinked and he realized he was staring into the
elongated pupils of another being. He had all but given up hope of seeing
another sentient life form and hope soared in his withered breast.
“Help me!” he pleaded. “Please, I beg you!”
From out of the ebon shadows slithered a
hideous beast with forked tongue and scales of sickly green. It slid toward him
with the sound of a million angry buzzing bees and the stink of Its loathsome
body was a thousand times worse than the stench of the Abyss.
“What will you give Me and Mine if I
release you from your prison?” It asked.
“Anything!” Kayle swore. “I will do
anything you ask!”
“Will you sign with your own blood that you
will obey Me?”
“I will!” Kayle swore. “Anything!”
A flash of light turned the darkness to
agonizing pain and Kayle hid his eyes from the glare, crying out in pain. When
he was able to open his eyelids, he realized another being had joined the first
and he stared at Her with growing fury, a hiss on his shrunken lips.
“Female!” Kayle spat as he shrank back.
“What do you here, Lilith?” the first
creature demanded, arching Its loathsome head over the dark beauty of the
goddess.
“I claim him as one of Mine own,” the
female stated.
“He is here to atone for his sins!” the
beast roared.
“You owe Me a boon, husband,” the goddess
reminded. “Release this one into My care.”
“No!” Kayle shouted. “I want no
force of the hit spun him half-around and he realized with shock that the
warrioresses were only a few yards away. He tried to pour on more speed but felt
himself falling—felled to his knees by another rock hurled at his back. He
pitched to his side and lay there panting as the painted faces of his captors
filled the night sky above him. The last thing he saw was the glint of light
striking off the metal of the first spear descending toward him.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“What crime did you commit to be put to
death?” Kenzi asked.
“I dared to touch a Temple Virgin,” he said
then shrugged. “She stumbled and I caught her before she could fall.”
“And for that they executed you?” she
questioned, aghast.
“It is taboo for a male to so much as touch
the hem of a Temple Virgin’s gown. To lay hands to her is a mortal sin. It was
reflexive action on my part but the Hell-hags did not see it that way. My life
was forfeit the moment my flesh touched hers.”
“What are Hell-hags?”
“The witches of Bandar,” he replied. “Daughters
of the Night they are called. Powerful witches with a bloodlust like you wouldn’t
believe. Men are lower than vermin in their eyes.”
“You should have let the bitch fall,” she
said.
“Aye, well, hindsight being what it is, I
agree,” he quipped, “but then I would not have become a Nightwind and would not
now be sitting here with you.”
“You died and came back as an incubus
demon?” she queried.
“It’s a bit more involved than that.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
He came to in the freezing cold with the
rancid stench of a cesspool weighing upon his nostrils. No light shone in the
utter darkness and no sound reached his straining ears. Heavy chains dragged
against his wrists and ankles as he twisted and turned in a useless effort to
break free. He soon found he was well and truly bound with no possible way to
gain his freedom.
And he was completely alone with the cold
and stench as his only companions in that vile place.
He yelled until he was hoarse but no one
came. He prayed. He swore. He uttered the most gods’ awful curses against the
female gender yet he remained alone in the noxious, lightless cavern that oozed
beneath the bowels on whatever world he now dwelt.
Naked and cold and as lost as any man had
ever been.
For what seemed like centuries he lay in
the piss and vomit and pus, the cesspit of all the wastes of all the living
things of the Megaverse, until one day twin sparks of red light pierced the
stygian darkness. The lights blinked and he realized he was staring into the
elongated pupils of another being. He had all but given up hope of seeing
another sentient life form and hope soared in his withered breast.
“Help me!” he pleaded. “Please, I beg you!”
From out of the ebon shadows slithered a
hideous beast with forked tongue and scales of sickly green. It slid toward him
with the sound of a million angry buzzing bees and the stink of Its loathsome
body was a thousand times worse than the stench of the Abyss.
“What will you give Me and Mine if I
release you from your prison?” It asked.
“Anything!” Kayle swore. “I will do
anything you ask!”
“Will you sign with your own blood that you
will obey Me?”
“I will!” Kayle swore. “Anything!”
A flash of light turned the darkness to
agonizing pain and Kayle hid his eyes from the glare, crying out in pain. When
he was able to open his eyelids, he realized another being had joined the first
and he stared at Her with growing fury, a hiss on his shrunken lips.
“Female!” Kayle spat as he shrank back.
“What do you here, Lilith?” the first
creature demanded, arching Its loathsome head over the dark beauty of the
goddess.
“I claim him as one of Mine own,” the
female stated.
“He is here to atone for his sins!” the
beast roared.
“You owe Me a boon, husband,” the goddess
reminded. “Release this one into My care.”
“No!” Kayle shouted. “I want no
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