Vaid Empire: Mother of Tentacles
Chapter 8
36th of Twic, 767 BVE.
Deep Jungle.
Aifa winced as the vine was tightened harshly around her wrists, binding her arms behind her back. She met her captor with a bloodthirsty scowl, a look that carried no weight. Surrounded by spears, she knew this would be their end.
Shoved roughly to her knees, Darmi joined her a second later. They watched as a man stepped from the rest, his black spear tapping the stone beneath them with each step. The sash woven of black vines across his chest did little to hide the scars decorating his bare body, few in number, yet deep and long. Crouching to meet their eyes, his firm face pressed close to Aifa’s, enough to smell his scent.
“Cut our throats and be done with this,” Aifa said when she would tolerate his studying gaze no longer. Darmi’s eyes widened, trembling.
The man’s expression offered no emotion. He merely exhaled through his nose, his breath hot in Aifa’s face. “You’re the one. I remember your face.”
Confusion claimed her, watching his harsh features flicker in the deep red light that burned from the torches in the others’ hands. Several moved with efficiency, inspecting their camp and creating a protective perimeter. Atop the massive stone hand, the palm’s size only permitted ten of their number atop it, yet she heard others searching the vegetation below. “You know nothing of me.”
“I watched my men escort your group through the gates of Aslyd.” He patted her cheek. “I never forget a face, Holy Mother.”
Aifa’s cheeks burned with rage at his touch, her steady breaths a mask of control. As she watched his attention shift, she only hoped Vaecath had escaped, still feeling his presence caressing her mind.
“This one is Darmi. Are you not?” The man looked down, seeing Vaecath’s seed continuing to drip down the girl’s thighs. “Your tribe said enough.”
“M…my tribe?” Her trembling ceased for only a moment.
A younger man joined them from below. He waited for their captor’s nod. “A blood trail leads off into the vegetation, High Seeker. It’s hurt, though we’ve lost it.”
The man met Aifa’s gaze once more. “Call it.”
She merely glared, a thought of Darmi at her side the only reason she refrained from spitting in his face.
“So be it. I was obliged to try the simple solution.” Emotionlessly, the man rose to his feet. He offered a silent nod to the closest four of his men.
Aifa’s heart pounded as their strong hands roughly forced her to the floor, two making her their target. Fighting, she was pinned onto her back, her legs forced apart. To her right, she heard Darmi’s cries of protest, the sound inciting her strong thighs to strain in vain.
“It’d be efficient to cut your fingers off one by one until you obey, though The Knowledge Holder has commanded mercy. He wants your end to be painless and clean, and so it shall,” The High Seeker said calmly before nodding to a younger man. Short and skinny, he stepped forward as his leader continued. “I’ve come prepared.”
The boy reached into an animal skin bag hanging from a belt of vines, withdrawing a worm, its wet surface a bioluminescent purple that glowed in the night. Fat and thick, its body tapered into a thin tail. It squirmed in his hand, nearly as large as the undersized manhood dangling between his legs.
Aifa strained to close her legs as the worm dangled over her, feeling utterly exposed. At a silent command from The High seeker, the boy knelt. She nearly hissed as his fingers parted her leaking lower lips. “Don’t you dare touch me! I’ll take your hand, you impotent-”
A smack from one of the men holding her down dazed her. The man was rewarded by a hard thrust of the black spear’s blunt end, shattering his nose. “No pain. The next to disobey loses his manhood,” The High Seeker calmly reminded them. The injured man endured his wound in silence.
Glaring with rage, Aifa watched as the boy pressed the glowing worm against her labia. “No…NO!” Wanting to claw his eyes out, her lips parted in surprise as the creature writhed, wiggling inside her with the boy’s assistance. She gasped as it slithered deep into her tight loins, her legs straining to close. Its thin tail remained outside, curving up to meet her clit. “Get…get it out! NOW!”
The sight of her humiliated horror brought the first smile to the man’s face, watching the desperate fight to maintain her composure. As the worm began to squirm within her vaginal canal, her breath caught in her throat at the sensation, eyes widening.
“Call him.” The man waited for a mere moment before his smile faded. He eyed her calmly. “I would rather not waste hours. You’ll break, or the beast shall come on its own. I know the nature of its kind. The ancient one required females. The scent of two in heat shall summon its offspring.”
“I’ll…ahh…cut your throat…” Aifa strained to say, holding back a moan as if it’d destroy her to utter. The worm squirmed, writhed, its wet tail caressing her sensitive bud. Hips rising as if she could escape, she wondered if a quick dagger to her neck would’ve been preferable.
The boy’s manhood twitched at the sight of her struggle as he pulled a second worm from the bag. Panic mixed with disgust in Darmi’s gaze as he knelt between her legs to dangle the worm over her vulnerable loins. “P…please don’t put that inside me…please…” she begged softly.
Aifa glared at her weakness, only to wince when the girl cried out. Gritting her teeth, she watched the worm slither inside her companion. “Dead men…I’ll hunt each of you down!”
The High Seeker ignored her threats, for they were as harmless as the wind. “You’ll call it, or the need of you both shall draw it near.” He nodded once more, and his men obeyed.
Fighting, Aifa tried to kick as they released her legs. She struggled in their grasp, knowing she may have witnessed her last sunset. Their combined strength was overwhelming as she was roughly dragged across the smooth stone. They forced her against Darmi, back to back, on their sides as they were bound tightly together, vines pressing into their red skin. The vines were harshly wrapped around their bodies, four legs held together. They could do little but squirm as Aifa spat curses. Her vicious words struck like the tip of a spear. A gag cut them short like a shield. Another was forced into Darmi’s mouth, concealing muffled protests.
“Each hour you’ll have a chance to speak. Call it, or don’t. My patience is endless.” The man left them to struggle together, choosing five of his warriors with a firm look. “Join the others below. Secure the area and continue the search.”
Obeying, the men departed, as the remaining four spread out, guarding the perimeter. The High Seeker dragged Aifa’s sleeping mat closer, kneeling before the bound women. He watched them fight against their restraints for a moment before closing his eyes, his back straight and unmovable.
Aifa writhed, feeling the worm moving inside her. It seemed to rub against all the right places, as if a familiar lover. Utterly violated, the rage in her eyes was not a weapon, but a defense, a shield to push back a sense of helplessness that grew with every fruitless struggle. The vines bound them tightly together, unbreaking, unmerciful.
She felt Darmi squirming against her, hearing muffled whimpers. Aifa screamed with rage, her hatred burning alongside the deep ache within her loins. Already her body longed for Vaecath’s touch, still leaking his seed. Her thighs rubbed together as much as her restraints would permit, feeling the worm’s tail flicking back and forth over her sensitive bud.
The High Seeker offered no acknowledgement of her torment. She looked over, glaring, wanting to peel the skin from his flesh. He appeared unmoving, as if a statue, meditating with steady breaths.
The permanent need between her legs had already been noticeable before the worm. Now, her eyes clenched shut, feeling every movement of the wiggling creature inside. Its wet texture coaxed her desire with every twisting pulse of pleasure.
She didn’t want satisfaction. She didn’t want to cum. She’d grant them nothing but hate, stifling every moan. A wet flick brushed her clit, then another, the worm moving like a methodical torturer in no hurry.
Darmi pulled at her bindings. The feeling of utter helplessness forced a whimper of submission into her gag, her lower lips growing wetter as her cheeks darkened. They were completely at the mercy of their captors, their fate lingering before them, unescapable. Fear mixed with a reluctant moan, trembling, squirming.
The deep ache inside Aifa taunted her, body nearly begging for more despite her resistance. Pleasure dueled with hatred, a craving battling spite. As the minutes passed, she realized with concern that her pleasure had plateaued. She grew no closer towards a climax, the movements of the worm merely maintaining her stimulation. Her body required more, a mere worm not nearly enough to bring her to satisfaction.
Feeling Darmi moving against her, she grimaced, knowing the girl endured the same predicament. The ecstasy of tentacles had broken them.
“Stay away, Vaecath” Aifa thought. She felt him, far away, yet his whispers continued to caress her mind. He lived.
She was nearly relieved that the worm was insufficient to please her. The only victory against her captors would be her restraint, defying them the satisfaction of her climax. Her body disagreed, tingling, aching, begging.
“Vaecath…don’t come,” she commanded. Her lust was a beacon, a light his kind must seek. His self-control was his salvation from their spears, no doubt eased by the certainty of their pregnancies. She could feel his mind far away, waiting, drinking in the arousal radiating from her loins. A dull pain pulsated from his mind, his wounds a reminder of the death they’d bring. “Run, child! Our wombs can offer no more!”
The thought brought sadness to her expression. Was this her end? Bounded, shamed, denied? She wanted to curse all Cavaries. She wanted to curse the world. The fact her bloodline still lived was her only comfort, her vengeance. “Spread, Vaecath! Live! Consume them all, so they may never harm you! Avenge me!”
Finally, a quiet moan escaped her, the writhing worm inside her vagina ever maddening. It twisted, squirming, shifting, a slimy muscle stirring inside her loins. It never calmed, as if bred to torment her eternally.
The High Seeker sat silently, never moving until the first hour’s end fell upon them. Only then did he swiftly remove their gags, peering into Aifa’s defiant eyes, his own remaining calm. “Call it.”
“Cut me free, and I’ll drink your blood.”
Indifferent, he replaced their gags, muffling Darmi’s whimpers. “The beast shares your blood; both of you. It can feel your minds. Summon it, or your body will.” He ran a hand over Aifa’s midriff, inciting muffled curses before returning to his meditation.
The feeling of his touch lingered upon her red skin, a reminder of his control. As her anger simmered, Aifa groaned in frustration, her loins burning with a lust she didn’t want. Every flick of the worm’s tail flared her desire, far too slow to reach her limit. She strained in her bindings, hearing Darmi wince as the vines dug into her skin. She eased for the girl’s sake, resting her head against the stone ground with a huff. Her white hair flowed down her face, clinging damply to her cheeks with perspiration from the humid air. It helped to mask her shame, her reluctant enjoyment, biting back a groan.
The second hour came and passed, their worms never tiring. Aifa heard Darmi’s pleasured breaths when she was ungagged. The girl offered a plea for mercy. Aifa offered an insult. Their tiny freedom was dashed once more, and the man returned to his silent meditation.
Back to back, Aifa felt Darmi’s rump against hers, feminine muscles twitching subtly in reaction to the worm. Their tails brushed together, shuddering from every squirming movement inside them. Her touch was a comfort, no longer enduring the savagery of the world alone. Aifa groaned, eyes burning with shame. She had led the girl to this fate.
Vaecath’s whispers massaged her mind from a distance, his pain quieting as his wounds healed. She could taste his temptation, his restraint holding him back from claiming two aching females.
After the third hour, a man returned from below. “High Seeker, a herd is approaching from the west. They’ll pass the hand.”
Easing from his meditation, the man nodded calmly. “Lead the others below to the south ridge and set up camp. We’ll be here awhile, and their presence shall only endanger us,” he commanded before assessing the remaining men. “We slew the ancient one with a dozen spears. Four shall be enough to put down its offspring.”
Eyes flashing open, Aifa stirred anew, straining to escape. He was there.
Every instinct demanded to spill his blood. The murderer of Onaalag was inches away, and all she could do was squirm. The torture between her legs was an agony of burning lust that went unsatisfied, her body demanding more. She screamed into her gag, a war cry that was reduced to a pitiful protest.
The newcomer swiftly departed with a bow of his head. He moved with purpose, his leader’s words his only aim. Aifa peered at the others, all four still standing in place, unmoving as they guarded the perimeter, watching for movement through the treetops below. She could cut the youngest down in single combat, she knew, yet the rest? Her hope had never been bright, yet it dimmed, a shadow beneath the moonlight of Twic. Their torches continued to burn, a reminder of the ziggurat in Aslyd. Onaalag had promised she’d escape such a fate. Was this any better?
An hour later, she heard the thunderous rhythm of pounding hooves as the herd approached. They grew closer, treetops rustling. Below, branches snapped loudly, deafening to her keen ears as they shattered and cracked. It sounded as if a river poured around the base of the hand’s arm far below, trickling away into the distance. When silence returned, she longed for another distraction from the worm constantly tormenting her loins.
She searched her surroundings, lower lips throbbing, desperate to focus on anything but the twisting, writhing motions rubbing every inch inside her vaginal canal. The tail flicked her clit back and forth in a steady rhythm, as if marking the passing of each second.
The flowers placed carefully around the hand’s edges caught her eye, their vivid petals withering with every hour that passed. Uncared for, they fluttered in the breeze, a loose flower occasionally toppling over the ledge. The guards appeared oblivious of their purpose, allowing their scent-masking properties to fade without concern.
“Careless fools…” she thought to herself.
When the sun began to emerge from the horizon, she felt Darmi’s body trembling against hers. Aifa groaned, knowing the lingering desperation aching in her loins tortured her companion all the same. She had endured worse at the hands of Onaalag, surviving the deepest depths of maddening denial, yet what of the girl?
This failure was Aifa’s. The girl suffered at her side. Scowling at herself, Aifa shuffled her bound arms just enough to grip Darmi’s hands. The girl squeezed back, tails wrapping around each other.
“Forgive me, Darmi. You served me well,” Aifa thought to herself. Even silent words felt bitter on her tongue, forever unsaid. Every maddening wiggle inside her vagina was mirrored within Darmi as they squirmed together.
No longer could she deny her needs. Aifa wanted to cum. A frustrated groan was her only way to speak a truth she utterly despised, her body screaming to find satisfaction. The worm’s tail rubbed her throbbing clit like a gentle lover, never stopping, never offering mercy. She tried to buck her hips, a subtle motion, hoping none would notice.
When The High Seeker rose once more, she met him with a hiss as he removed their gags.
“Please…” Darmi whimpered.
“Call it.” The man squatted beside her. When the girl merely bit back a moan, he offered no hint of disappointment as he replaced their gags.
Watching them struggle, he smiled, only the second they had seen upon his face. It was an unnatural thing, a curling of his lips, as if a poor mimic of genuine emotion. “The beast has endured temptation for longer than I predicted.” Cold eyes studied their struggling bodies, tracing their bound curves as if they were gentle hills. “Magnificent creatures. They deserve the peaceful death I’ll grant their kind.”
Aifa pulled against the vines, feeling as if the rage in her eyes would set him aflame. Her thighs rubbed together, wet with her own slick juices.
“They feed from you. Were you aware?” The smile faded, his eyes dimming as he appeared lost in thought. “The fluids of your body are but a delicacy. They feed from the echoes of your soul, the ripples of your pleasure, like plants soaking in sunlight.”
Darmi moaned as if in response, her body their lure.
Face hard, he returned to the sleeping mat. “Call it. Be done with this. The end I offer is a mercy. The ancient one waits for us at the side of The Creator.”
Squeezing Darmi’s hand, Aifa clenched her legs together, wishing she could push the worm from her loins. The murderer of her master knelt before her, returning to his meditation.
Licking, rubbing, swiping, the tail of the worm caressed her clit like a toy. Inside, it wiggled, caressing, twisting, nuzzling. Aifa wanted to scream. She wanted to rip free of her bondage. She wanted to spill their captor’s blood. She wanted to thrust her fingers into her needy loins until every ounce of her agonizing lust was satisfied. Instead, she could only writhe helplessly.
When at last their gags were removed once more, Aifa prepared to spill a barrage of venomous curses, pouring her hate. Yet as she opened her mouth, she was surprised to hear Darmi’s voice first.
“E…enough! Take it out…and I’ll call him!” the girl muttered, desperation dripping from her tone.
“You traitorous-” Aifa started to shout, cut off as her mouth was covered by the hand of a warrior. Horrified, she tried to shake free, her protests muffled.
“Please…” Darmi begged, every breath dripping with an arousal she could no longer endure.
The man’s hard face offered no emotion. He simply snapped his fingers. The others turned on their heels, moving to unbind the pair. “Mercy for cooperation. Good. I’ll accept an efficient path towards your end.”
Bound together, untying Darmi’s legs set Aifa’s free in return. Kicking, she fought to keep them away, while the girl sat obediently as the two women were pulled apart. The men pinned Aifa to the ground, fighting her shouts as they struggled to keep her mouth covered.
“The bargain has been struck,” The High Seeker said. “Call it.”
“Pull it out…first…” Darmi dared to counter, voice quivering.
Indifferent, he moved closer, forcing Darmi’s legs apart. She offered no resistance but a fearful gasp. Reaching down, he grabbed the worm’s tail, beginning to pull. Its body slid slowly from her vagina, her whimpers accompanying its wet movements. Lifting it, he dangled the creature above her, its glowing purple skin dripping with her juices. “Call it.”
Breathing slowly to calm herself, the girl closed her eyes. “S…so be it. He’ll feel my mind,” she said softly.
Aifa’s scream of rage was muffled by a hand. “Vaecath, obey me! Flee! Do not approach!”
“It is done. He…he’ll come,” Darmi explained. As she opened her eyes, she granted Aifa a look that gave her mistress pause.
Realization struck her awareness like a blunt spear. Slowly, horror mixed with relief as Aifa strained against her captors, never ceasing her fruitless struggle. “Foolish girl…do you believe they’ll be merciful when they realized you’ve lied?”
The High Seeker waited, standing, fingers tightly gripping his black spear. The others listened silently, their antennae twitching.
Darmi trembled as the relief she felt from the worm’s absence was replaced with fear. She needed her torment to end, yet after her lie, her desperate plan held no further steps.
As the minutes passed by, each seeming slower than the last, The High Seeker’s emotionless eyes wandered towards Darmi, cold, settling upon his victim.
“Predictable,” he said calmly before sitting once more on the sleeping mat. “Deception cannot go unpunished, and if you won’t obey, you’ll serve.”
A nod towards the others caused their group to split. Two remained to hold back Aifa, while two moved to grab Darmi. Hands still bound behind her back, Aifa could only struggle as she was forced to her knees, watching as the girl was dragged towards The High Seeker.
Forced into his lap, Darmi shuddered at his touch, a hand taking hold of her rump.
“You should thank The Knowledge Holder for his mercy. Without it, you’d beg for death.” His hand glided over her small breasts, his manhood growing stiff. Like all Cavari males, it glowed in the faint light of the morning, a bioluminescent blue.
Aifa watched the girl tremble. She should leave Darmi to her fate for acting foolishly, she knew. Naivety had earned her a punishment that only took attention safely away from Aifa, and it was better for her own survival to abandon her. Yet, as the girl whimpered in fear, feeling their captor’s manhood brushing against her sex, Aifa gritted her teeth.
“STOP!” she shouted, shaking free of the hand covering her mouth. The man struggled to cover it once more as she fought to get away. “I’ll take her place!”
Pausing, The High Seeker’s emotionless lips showed the first signs of amusement. “Let her speak.”
The men released Aifa’s mouth. She breathed, her tone dripping with hatred. “I’ll accept her punishment myself. I’ll…serve.”
Darmi stared at her with wide eyes as their captor pondered. Slowly, he loosened his hold on the girl’s rump.
“A Holy Mother. You were deemed worthy to bear the offspring of the ancient one.” His eyes studied her bound form, traveling over her perky breasts. “I admit I’m intrigued.”
“Mistress…no,” Darmi said, catching his eye. Her protests seemed only to solidify his decision, releasing her.
At a nod, the guards pulled Darmi away. Aifa scowled as she was forced forward, gaze dueling with the man holding her fate in his grasp. She wanted to slice through his cock and feed it to the beasts prowling the jungle below. Instead, it stood before her, a thick tower awaiting her.
“Shall carnal pleasure be the final temptation for the beast?” the man asked as he eased onto his back.
The guards forced her to mount their leader, straddling his waist. Disgust filled her expression at his touch, cock touching her belly. Powerful hands grabbed her thighs, roughly holding her.
Lips parting, she watched as he pulled the worm from her loins, sliding inch by inch until it hung in the air before discarding it into the younger warrior’s care once more. Her lower lips quivered, free of its torment, yet burning with a consuming need. Juices dripped down her thighs, her body aching for the cock nearby, despising herself.
“Now, Holy Mother, or I’ll change my mind,” he said, his tone as stern and hard as the stone beneath them.
Aifa was tempted to retreat. Looking back, she met Darmi’s thankful eyes, stirring something inside her. “You’re a fool, Aifa,” she thought to herself, taking a quiet breath before raising her hips.
As her soaking lower lips brushed against the tip of his cock, her body screamed in anticipation, every instinct urging to sink down. She met his eyes, offering nothing but hate as she lowered herself. As his cock slid inside, she gritted her teeth, denying the deep need that threatened to overwhelm her. For hours she had craved, yearned, throbbed. Now, her loins claimed what her body had long sought at the touch of a man whose blood she desired to spill.
Lips parting in a gasp, she took him as deeply as his impressive length could reach, his tip brushing her cervix. Her thighs quivered. Her gaze denied the truth of her pleasure, a deadly stare. She would kill this man.
For only the third time, his lips curled into a smile.
Aifa’s cheeks darkened in disgust. An enemy was inside her body. Her most intimate area gripped the cock of a vile man. Feeling utterly violated, she began to move her hips, loins burning with every motion.
“Thank you…mistress,” Darmi muttered quietly from behind. The guards forced her to remain kneeling as her arousal trickled down her thighs.
The girl’s voice dampened thoughts of shame running through Aifa’s mind. She rocked her hips, knowing others witnessed her humiliation. She wanted to claw their eyes out, to cover the giant hand beneath them with their blood until it poured from between its stone fingers. Instead, she could only ride the cock buried inside her, gritting her teeth.
“The ancient one chose his vessel wisely,” The High Seeker said as he caressed her curves. His hand glided over her toned midriff, savoring her form. “Obey, and you’ll join him again when I give you a clean end.”
Onaalag’s murderer explored her body. She grimaced at his seeking fingers as they glided over her red skin. Biting back a moan, her eyes glowed with burning hatred. “Tell me…ahh…your name.”
Grabbing her hips, he guided her movements forcefully. “Convince me.”
“I’d know your name…ahh…so I may whisper it before drinking the blood from your corpse,” she said, gritting her teeth.
He squinted, a challenge meeting a challenge. “Audir. You’ll whisper it as I cut your throat.”
His hands claimed hold of her rump, her flesh at his mercy. She offered nothing but an inferno of defiance in her eyes. He would not make her whimper. He would not make her moan. Their loins moved together, aching, dripping, her lust unsatisfied.
Eyeing the flower perimeter, she found her only comfort. As the sun continued to rise, she saw their withered petals, knowing they’d do nothing to conceal the scent of their group now. They had lost their potency, every passing minute risking discovery by the senses of a predator, their sexual pheromones an aroma that filled the air with every movement.
Aifa felt Vaecath’s mind, ever at the edge of her awareness. Her pleasure continued to taunt him, a lure he fought to refuse. She knew he could hold back no longer, his restraint nearing its limit.
She rocked her hips sensually, milking her captor faster. Arms bound behind her back, she could do nothing but bare her teeth as he fondled her breasts. With a tug at the tiny bronze rings piercing her nipples, she nearly hissed.
“I carry your child, Vaecath” Aifa told herself, a small comfort. The High Seeker could bind her. He could claim her vagina. He could fill her with his seed, yet he would not claim her womb. “Avenge me.”
The morning breeze toppled additional flowers, carrying their Cavari scent. Aifa rocked her hips, knowing she only had to endure a while longer.
Her body throbbed in pleasure, greedily savoring the large cock buried deep inside. Every instinct coaxed her closer to an orgasm she despised, disgusted at her own pleasure.
The High Seeker grabbed her hips once more, forcefully guiding her as satisfaction built within his cold eyes. Every thrust brought him closer, her body a tight plaything. When he found his limit, his fingers dug into her red skin, pushing his cock as deep as it would go.
Wincing at his harsh handling, the spurting warmth inside her proved too much. Clenching her eyes shut, every ounce of willpower was required to withhold a moan, her breath trapped as her body trembled in a constricting orgasm. Every muscle tightened, her vaginal walls squeezing the intruder in bliss.
Soft breaths came cautiously as she broke free of her climax, as if worried she’d shatter. Looking down, she saw satisfaction dancing within his cold eyes, his face offering little.
“You didn’t disappoint, Holy Mother,” he teased, allowing her to rise. His cock slid free of her tight embrace, leaking his seed.
She wanted to spill every ounce he had poured inside of her. The warmth of his sperm violated her, unworthy of her womb. She stared as the guards forced her once more to kneel, eyeing her captor like a predator. His blood would stain her claws.
Darmi shuffled to her side, as close as the men would allow. Their erections hung before them from the sight of their leader’s pleasure, making no move without his command.
“The beast lingers. Very well.” The High Seeker granted his men a signal, and they swiftly returned to their positions near the edges of the palm, watching for danger. “I’ll recover, and you’ll serve. We’ll taunt the creature again and again until it gives in.”
Cheeks darkening further, Aifa prepared to hurl curses, yet Darmi pressed herself closer. To her surprise, the girl’s presence calmed her, containing her rage as she eyed the flowers.
They waited, minute after minute, each bringing her closer to another humiliation. The High Seeker meditated, his patience infuriating. Before he stirred, however, one of the men turned to address his leader.
“Something approaches from the north.”
Calmly, The High Seeker opened his eyes. “The beast?”
The man shook his head as his antennae twitched. “I smell them. They’re small, though gathering in the trees.”
Rising, Audir held the black spear tightly. “We’ve been noticed. Time to move.”
Aifa made no complaint as she was yanked to her feet, for she was far too focused upon the trees below. Antennae twitching, she smelled them herself, detecting the scent of small predators hanging from branches. They waited, gathering their numbers for an ambush.
Quickly descending the stone hand, the men carried their captives to the jungle floor below. Looking around, they could see no danger, yet it lurked in every shadow, preparing.
“The beast will follow its mothers. Move. We’ll continue at the south ridge,” Audir commanded.
As the group hurried through the thick vegetation, Darmi glanced back at the hand for a final time, wondering how long it would be before they’d find safety again, if ever.
***
The jungle was a cacophony of noise around them. Buzzing, squawking, chirping, there was no end to the echoes of countless forms of life from every direction.
Aifa followed close behind The High Seeker, feeling a spear at her back. It’d be her end at the first hint of an escape attempt, she knew, death never far from her mind.
Once more she was a prisoner. Once more she was restricted and bound. She wondered if such was always her fate.
As the humid air clung to her red skin, she glanced at Darmi beside her. Together, they stumbled through the vibrant vegetation, marching towards their fate. The High Seeker had been right, of course, for she felt Vaecath’s mind following at a distance.
As they walked, step after step after step, Aifa thought of the withering flowers. The men had shown no care to conceal themselves, knowing only when to flee before danger struck. They knew how to travel through the jungle. Aifa knew how to live in it.
Eyes scanning her surroundings, her chest tightened when she spotted what she had spent their long march searching for. Something familiar. Ahead, to the side, she recognized a small orange plant, bulbous and fragile.
“Grab my tail. When you see me stumble, close your eyes, hold your breath, and prepare to run,” Aifa whispered into Darmi’s ear. The guard behind grabbed her hair, pulling her away.
“No talking,” the guard said. When he released Aifa, she curled her tail, subtly brushing Darmi’s bound hands. The girl held on.
Approaching the plant, Aifa feigned a yelp as she tripped. The guards reached to grab her, yet she moved faster, driving her foot through the bulbous plant. The effect was instant. She closed her eyes as a dense orange cloud erupted from the shattered plant, consuming the group.
Rushing forward, Aifa charged blindly through the vegetation, hearing the gagged cries of the men. They collapsed to their knees, faces swelling, while she broke free of the cloud.
“Open your eyes, Darmi!” Aifa shouted, feeling the girl holding tightly to her tail for guidance.
The men writhed in pain behind, stunned, though they wouldn’t be forever. Aifa held every intention of putting as much distance between themselves and their enemies as they could manage, sprinting through the jungle. In hours, the swelling would subside, and the hunt would resume.
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