by: Rick Johnson 
PO Box 40451
Tucson, Az.
85717
RikJohnson@juno.com
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Table of Contents for Adaption
Conversion. The arrival of Janice in Russia. note: hidden until someone wants to read it.
Chapter One. Their leaving the Amazons and travels across Georgia.
Chapter Two. Their entry into the Ottoman Empire at Crimea. note: not finished
Chapter Three. Their within The Ottoman Empire.
Chapter Four. Their leaving the ottoman Empire and visiting Translyvania.
Chapter Five. Their vacation in Bucharest.
Chapter Six. Their visiting Bulgaria.
Chapter Seven. Their visiting Greece. note: not written
Chapter Eight. Her visiting Venice. note: not written
Retreival. Their travels to Japan to rescue Janice's daughter. note: hidden until someone wants toread it.
Characters in these stories. Here you will find who these people and places are.
Adaption is the second volume of a trilogy that concerns the efforts of Janice Obrien to deal with a curse placed upon her by a God in which she didn’t believe during the 15th century. Vol I, Conversion has been written but for reasons of my own, remains hidden. Vol III, Acceptance and the remainder of Vol II, Adaption are still unwritten but there is a sequel, Retreival which is sitting next to Conversion. Depending on the response to this will determine if I release the rest of the series.
There are times when you are so pissed you don’t know if you should scream or cry and this was one of them. Naked, helpless, knowing that it was my own stupidity that would kill these girls and knowing that I could do nothing to save them or me.
It had been a month since Stars had sent me away and Tears was right, having never held my daughter, it was easier to pretend she wasn’t alive. I had spent that time first in Aktau getting drunk. A couple of Mongols tried to hit on me and after breaking the arm of one and repeatedly smashing the face of the other onto the table, the rest left me alone. Well, having Gazelle there convinced the other men in the bar that I wasn’t to be trifled with. Alone, they could easily have taken me since I was only a 125# girl and they 225# men, but having a slate grey-green rhino standing well over them holding a spiked club that weighed as much as I did was a grand equalizer.
Then I tried to pick up women to forget about Stars. I didn’t love her but Goddess! What she did to my body made me horse the next day. Unfortunately, I wasn’t trained for this and those in whom I was interested laughed at my feeble attempts at seduction. Hell! Girls back home never had trouble getting laid, why couldn’t I?
After I sobered up and stopped feeling sorry for myself, Gazelle asked when we were going on a job? Very few people realized that Gazelle was female not even reaching puberty and like many young girls of whatever race, she wanted excitement. So I looked around and found a job escorting something I wasn’t supposed to know about to some place I wasn’t supposed to know existed for someone who I wasn’t supposed to know and deliver it to someone who I didn’t know lived.
This was a shady deal and normally I would have refused the job but Gazelle needed something to do other than protect my questionable virtue that I really didn’t want protected. And besides I had given all my money to my daughter and was as close to being broke as I cared to be and I was depressed, chronically depressed and I needed something, anything to do or I’d turn into my mother.
Tobruk Khan handed me a wooden box insisting that I never open it or allow it to be opened. Then when I handed it over to K’ut’aisi, I was to assist him in whatever he wished. Extra pay if I didn’t ask questions. Then he paid me a bag of golden coins from a half dozen nations that could have bought an army. So why me? Another bag of silver convinced me to keep quiet.
So I packed my meager gear and extra supplies on my pack horse, saddled my gelding and Gazelle and I left Aktau for some place called Shukaria in Abkhazia which was in Georgia near the Black Sea. We had a trip that was about 500 miles or more, not including mountain travel, but the stargate to Gazelle’s world was in Greece and this would put us 500 miles closer. I figured we could do the journey in two weeks. Assuming we missed the Turks for at that time the Ottoman Empire was pushing into Georgia and had taken the Khanate of the Crimea in their drive north into Russia.
The Khanate… Just last year I had killed one of the Sarmatian Khans who had tried to rape me, along with a number of his warriors. And Tobruk Khan sounded like a fake name. Come to think of it, K’ut’aisi also sounded fake. Now that I was sober and riding, I began to realize that I really shouldn’t have taken this job.
“I agree,” Gazelle said in Greek for she could understand Turkish and some Russian but couldn’t speak a word of either. “That man stank of sorcery.”
“How do you mean,” I asked.
“He smells like you.”
“Me?” I asked. “You mean like the perfume I wear? Or like I smell when I’ve finished my bath?”
“No, not like that. I can’t smell that. No, you smell like some god has cursed you. Tobruk Khan smells like a curse.”
I turned to look at her. I hadn’t told her about that part of my life. As far as Gazelle knew, I was a normal Irish woman very far from home. “You can smell magic?”
“Yes! It makes my nose hurt.”
“Then why, my love, do you remain with me? I would think that if I stink of a curse, you’d not want to be around me.”
“Because you are my friend. You eat meat, you touch yourself all the time. But you are still my friend and you saved me from those evil men so I ignore the smell.”
Now this was something to think about. The Brits had something called a witchfinder who claimed to be able to smell a Witch. The problem is that when you pay a witchfinder by the witch, they tend to smell out a lot of witches, guilty or not. Now here was an alien who could actually smell magick.
“Love?” I pressed. “Can you smell what kind of curse I am under?”
Gazelle didn’t like to talk when she was trotting because she was so massive that she needed her wind to run but she answered anyway. “Not a bad curse. Not like Tobruk Khan. Not a good curse either. Just a funny curse. You must have made a god very angry to joke with you like this.” She paused then added, “That box stinks more than both you together. It’s evil!”
I thought about this for awhile as we rode. Well, as I rode and she ran alongside. A year ago I had been cursed for defiling that temple and beating those priests. I had two years to run on my sentence and aside from a few really strange incidents, it wasn’t a bad curse. True, fighting in a dress took some getting used to. And about six months ago my hormones had settled so I wasn’t as horny all the time with mood swings into depression and fits of crying. I seemed to have settled down and now my body had accepted my curse so I could cope.
Just before dark I called a halt near a stream. We unpacked and hobbled the horses then I rubbed them down for a Merc first takes care of her horse then her feet. Then I made a fire as Gazelle and the horses grazed and made dinner. I had a blacksmith make me this tiny folding stove that weighed only a few pounds but when tossed on the fire, could bake bread and cook a steak easily overnight. Then when Gazelle came back, munching grass, I handed her some of the heavy black bread which she loved and we sat there watching the fire as we ate.
“I need a bath,” I said and took my katana and soap to the stream. Gazelle had been there before me and had dug out a wallow that had already filled with water so I had a nice bathtub and stripped then stepped into the cold water. Once inside my nipple ring turned cold and my left nipple began to hurt so I held my hand over it to warm it up a bit. Gazelle was laying on the ground eating and watching and asked, “If that hurts, why don’t you take it out? I don’t know why you got it anyway.”
“I don’t either.” I replied. “I don’t even remember getting it. Some Turk arrived in Aktau with his nipples pierced and I stared and Stars asked if I found that exciting and I told her that getting my ears pierced hurt so much that I couldn’t conceive having something as sensitive as a nipple pierced. She dropped it, I thought, then a few days later we were drinking with Tears and they kept buying me drinks and I guess .. well I don’t remember anything else until I woke up the next morning with my tit killing me and when I touched it, the ring was there. Stars just laughed and when I tried to take it out, the pain was unbelievable. She told me to leave it in until it healed and it could be removed easier.
“Goddess, I could have killed her for doing that to me. I yelled and screamed and carried on and wouldn’t let her touch me. She was pregnant and moody and cried that I didn’t love her and carried on so. When she did touch me, she licked it and it hurt as bad as when I lost my maidenhood. But the pain felt good too. And playing with it turned her on and you know how she makes me feel when she’d like that.
“Well, every time I tried to touch it to remove the damn thing, it hurt like hell but when she licked it, I climaxed. My breasts were sensitive before, now this one was like an extra clit! So I left it in and she hung this bell from it saying, ‘now I can hear you come.’ I told her she could hear me cum all the time, BUT, I never got that drunk again around her. Who knows what she’d do to me next.
“Funny thing is that a few days later that Turk returned and tried to bed me. ‘I saw you staring at my chest. That’s not the only thing I have of interest’ he said. I ignored him so he undid his pants and slapped his dick on the table. God, that thing was like a horse and it had this huge golden ring through the head. It just glowed there staring at me.”
“What did you do? I know you like girls but you also bedded Yu so you must like boys too?” She asked, now interested.
“Well, love, I stared because I had never seen anything like that in real life. I’ve seen pictures but the real thing was fascinating. Then he made it wiggle and that broke the mood so I pulled his jambaya from his belt and drove the point through the ring into the table. He couldn’t move at all. Then I leaned over to show my tits and get him excited, finished my drink, letting some of the wine run down my cleavage, turned and walked out wiggling my hips and laughing as he screamed because his erection and that knife were doing a trip on him.”
“He never tried to hunt you down?” she asked.
“I expected him to. I spent days looking into alleys before I crossed them but never saw him again. Although,” I reddened then with embarassment, “That night as Stars was making love to me, I imagined that her fingers was his cock and I could feel him thrust that ring inside me.” I reddened even more as my flush spread, “I never told her that.”
Gazelle rolled onto her side, licked her stubby fingers and said, “I don’t understand your race. You think of sex all the time when it’s only good for making babies.”
“With us, sex is mainly fun and babies are more of an accident. Gods, I miss sex!” I finished washing my hair, knowing that tomorrow with the eggs gone, the soap would be too harsh and I’d have to live with dirty hair until we found more, then I dried and dressed in my flannel nightgown. I hated sleeping in my clothes and it was too cold to sleep naked. Then I brushed my teeth, combed my hair dry and lay against Gazelle who was already snoring. With the fire before me and her body heat behind, I was very comfortable so I slid one hand into my nightgown, touching the ring, feeling the twinge as I played, then pulled my hem up and with my other hand, brought myself to climax. Then I fell asleep smiling and relaxed.
I awoke the next morning early as usual and looked around. Gazelle was still snoring which was a good sign, the horses were nearby, one asleep the other grazing and we hadn’t burned down the forest. All was well in the world. It was Spring so I removed my nightgown and rolled around in the dew for awhile for May dew guarantees a long beautiful life, then I stoked the coals into life as I dried in the sun. Finally the fire was going, the stove was cooling and the bread that had baked overnight was done. So I unfolded my clothes and dressed. Gazelle watched with one eye open as her race had no breasts until they nursed so me having to pack my adequate breasts into my bra, adjust them to comfort then bend over as I laced my vest over my dress was a source of constant amusement. When I put my make-up on, she rolled over and fell asleep again and I saddled the horses and packed the gear.
When she finally woke up, she munched on the fresh bread and said, “we should bury that box here, in the river and leave.”
I sighed and then said, “I’d like to only because it would make you happy, but we took money for this job and I have to keep my word. Besides, if Tobruk Khan is a sorcerer, he’d know and who knows what demons he could send against us.”
She agreed then finished her bread and dressed in her shoulder pads and capelet which was all she ever wore, then plucked some grass and started to munch as we set out.
For days we continued west, first skirting the mountains then crossing them. Mostly we slept in the open but when we found a village or a farm, we’d pay a few pennies to sleep in the barn since these smaller towns never had an inn. Gazelle and I always attracted attention. She because these people had never seen an Alien before. Mongols, Russians, Arabs and the occasional Eastern European, yes. And some had heard of Columbus who had just crossed the western ocean and found red people in India. But a rhino that walked on two feet and spoke Greek was always an attention-getter.
Then there was me. First of all, a woman, armed as a man but dressed as a woman. Second I was strawberry blonde which was unheard of here. Third my weapons were as unusual as was I. I carried a Sarmatian bow which they could understand as Sarmatians took their women into war with them. But my sword was stranger than they could believe. In a world where the scimitar ruled but straight European swords were seen, my katana was unknown. Also I carried it thrust through my belt and not hung as would normal people.
So obviously Tobruk Khan wasn’t interested in secrecy. “Love?” I called to Gazelle. “If Tobruk Khan wanted this box delivered, he could have hired anyone. Why us? We attract too much attention and when dealing with sorcery or gold, attention is unwise.”
“Maybe he wants to be certain that K’ut’aisi can find his property.” She offered.
About halfway into the journey we stayed in a town called Ordzanikdze, a real town at the foot of the Caucusus Mountains. We’d need to buy warm clothes for the trip through the pass for snow still capped the peaks. But for now I had a real bed. I made certain that my room was next to the stable where Gazelle stayed because she could fit into the tavern, but not a room easily and was more comfortable where she could stretch out. “Love, don’t let me get drunk. I may do something I’ll regret.” I asked her as we hid the box in my room and set the traps to ensure that it would be safe.
The keep didn’t want Gazelle inside but a silver coin changed his mind. Most of his business dealt in copper and silver was worth more than gold sometimes. There were rumors that Columbus had discovered silver in East India and if so, the price was expected to drop and so bankers weren’t certain how they should deal with the rumors. Most businessmen, however, were more than happy to deal with silver and gold and anyone who had coin that wasn’t copper, brass or lead were welcome in any establishment.
I ordered a decent bottle of wine because I couldn’t stand the Kumys the Georgians drank. Milk was fine and I’d drunk it from a bottle, glass and breast but when fermented it had an acid sour taste that I didn’t like. And beer just made me pee though Gazelle drank it by the gallon and never got drunk.
I also ordered meat, cheese and whatever vegetables that they had on hand plus their best wheat bread for Gazelle. Once the locals discovered that Gazelle wasn’t overtly dangerous, they began to come around. Some to see her, some to see me. As for me, I had my eye on that cute barmaid with the nice wiggle and low bodice. Yu was nice and I needed him to break barriers and sometimes I missed him, but a girl was soft and had breasts and saw an hour of sex as foreplay. Me, I had the body of a woman, the desires of a man and the morals of a goat. I think the only reason I slept alone was because I had standards which included a bath more than once a year, teeth that weren’t rotting and a brain that was used for more than keeping the ego inflated.
Tonight, Gazelle was in her dense mood. She watched to see that I didn’t get too drunk though she had a hard time differentiating between a buzz and a drunk. But she totally ignored the men who came by to flirt and brag. Most took it in stride when I said I wasn’t interested and if they were interesting to talk to, I let them stay. Those who just wanted a piece of ass, I sent away, one with my knife tickling his crotch under the table.
Finally one woman who wore far too much make-up leaned over to reveal more cleavage that even I did and whispered, “Honey, I’ve watched you stare at Galina all night. You’re one of those girls who like girls aren’t you? Galina likes men so you’re wasting your time, but I like both so if you are interested…”
I looked her over and almost asked ‘how much?’ but instead decided to see if I liked her and invited her to sit. Yes, I knew she was a drab and probably had a dozen guys that night alone but I was getting desperate. Besides, I wasn’t planning to do her but let her do me which was a different matter entirely.
Unfortunately, after her second glass if wine (I gathered she wasn’t used to anything that good or strong), it quickly became clear that the first person who tossed a silver at her would have her and that turned me off. I had nothing against hookers, having befriended a few and married one former prostitute but I did have an ego and watching the girl hit on me as if I were something special then on a half-dozen others made me feel used. So I gave her a few pennies and politely told her to hunt game elsewhere. I’ve found that if you are nice to these people, they often tell you things that are useful, if only because you a) didn’t beat them up and b) offered them money. She wasn’t unhappy and just before she went off with another customer she suggested that I try the dressmaker next door as she was rumored to be a girl-lover. I hadn’t had a blind date in ages so I told Gazelle that I was going next door to buy warm clothing. My dress wasn’t that warm and I’d need a warm coat and stockings for the mountains.
By the time I reached the dressmaker, the cool air had sobered me a bit but the door was locked so I pounded until she peeked out, “I’m closed!” she said.
“I have silver,” I responded holding my purse. She opened the door and invited me in because in towns like this, hours have to be flexible for paying customers who are much rarer than in the bigger cities.
“Good evening, I am Janice Obrien, Baroness Innis. My companion and I are crossing the mountains on the morrow or the day after and as you can see, this dress is too thin for the snows. I need something to keep us warm on the crossing. Also for my horses too if you can manage.”
We looked each over, her with the eye of a businesswoman making a sale, me with the eye of a hunter stalking game. “You came in with that…” she politely didn’t finish.
“Her name is Gazelle and we have been dear friends for months. Have you something to drink?” I asked as I pulled my katana from my belt and used it as a cane to examine her wares. She lit a couple lamps and curtseyed to me as her manners returned, “My pardon Lady Innis. I wasn’t aware. We get so few nobles here… please forgive me.”
I smiled and told her to think nothing of it, “When I travel like this, it is impossible to bring servants so I must leave court ways behind. Besides, I find that life is easier if I ask for friendship over abasement. What is your name?” I glanced into a mirror to check my make-up and hair, then adjusted my dress a bit.
“Natalya Kovyetskaya, my Lady.” She offered then she poured some warm beer into a mug for me. Well, you make do with what you have so I thanked her and sipped. “Please, my Lady, sit and I will show you my wares.”
I hate shopping. My ex could spend hours trying on outfit after outfit, each time seeking my approval and each time getting angry when I replied ‘fine’ or ‘yecch’. But for me, I prefer to find a woman who looks good, dresses good and whom I’d like to date, then I ask her to dress me. It seems to work out as I don’t have to try on half the store.
She showed me warm dresses, looked and commented on the colors and how they’d compliment my hair and bring out my eyes then would continue on with another. I generally ignored her prattle and looked her over. She was fast approaching middle-age but was still attractive. I knew that I looked twenty but frankly, that was a side-effect of my curse for I was far older than this woman and had children much older than I now looked. My advantage of age and youth meant that I could find beauty in a wide range of women. We chatted and I let her know that I found the attentions of the men in the tavern tireing, then commented on the beauty of the bar-maid, Galina was her name? I hated this game that women find enjoyable. Why couldn’t I just come out and say, ‘Natalya, I find you attractive and intelligent, let’s fuck!’ instead of wasting time like this.
Eventually she had narrowed the choices down to a few and I allowed her to undress me so I could try them on. When she saw my breasts, firm and large and one pierced, she stared for very few women past sixteen are this firm despite their size or lack thereof and none are pierced. She gulped and averted her eyes as she held a dress for me to try. Once in it she began the long process of buttoning the thing, which immediately made me reject it as in the field, I needed something I could get on and off fast. But I allowed her to fasten the buttons because I wanted her to touch me. As she was fastening the top, I took her hands and held them around my breasts saying, “I like support here but still need to breathe. Don’t you think this may be a bit tight?”
She felt them and her breath quickened a bit then she replied, “Yes my Lady. I see what you mean. Perhaps this one,” then she turned to fetch another. By the time she had returned, I had undone the dress to my waist and was exposing my breasts for her. “Maybe you need to measure me? Not all women are as endowed as am I.” I suggested.
She slowly held my breasts, getting an idea of their size and shape so I allowed the dress to fall to the floor, leaving me naked but for my underwear. Not once during that measuring did she look into my eyes so I took one of her hands, the one cupping my right breast so she could play with my ring if she choose, and said “you have remarkably soft hands.” I then kissed her knuckles, then turned her hand over kissed her palm, then ran my tongue from palm to index finger, pulling that finger into my mouth. She immediately moaned then increased pressure on my breast which caused me to shudder. Success.
Later, hours? later, I kissed her and said, “Natalya, I still need traveling clothes and now that you have explored my body very thoroughly, I really must purchase warm clothing.” So I stood, naked in the pale light and took her hand to lead her back to the store. I purchased three warm dresses and a long coat and a fur hat. Then I requested coverings for my horses and for Gazelle. “Gazelle, your companion?” she asked. “I don’t know… My Lady, I will manage something for her as well,” as she bundled my purchases and I paid her very well for her work.
“Now, my dear,” I took her hand, “business is over and I feel the need to celebrate. Take me back to your bed if you will.”
She even made breakfast for me which was interesting and fun. I did ask for dessert and when she said “My Lady, I fear I have none to offer,” I just smiled, slid under the table and spreading her knees, enjoyed the fruits of my work.
Later I returned to the inn wearing one of my purchases and met Gazelle exploring the town. “How goes things, my love?” I asked.
She looked me over and said, “You didn’t return to the room last night.”
“I was rather pleasantly occupied and now that I am relaxed, can focus on the job at hand. Did you worry?”
“No,” she answered. “You can take care of yourself easily. I watched and listened and the box was safe. I considered moving it to the stable but didn’t want it around me. When do we leave?”
“I need to have Natalya measure you and the horses for warm clothing for the pass. We can leave when she is done, though I’d like to leave the morning after to take advantage of the sun.”
Gazelle didn’t fit through the door so I brought Natalya out and translated for the two. Finally, she had an idea and began work modifying a horse blanket to fit Gazelle’s stockier and erect frame. I let her sew for had I remained, I would have bedded her again and we needed those clothes. So as Natalya worked, we talked to the locals to gather information on the Penkisi pass, the snows, dangers we would meet and landmarks we would need to find. There were no maps so I drew one myself based on their descriptions and added and changed and noted as we gathered data. Most people were more than willing to talk to us just because it broke up their day and gave them something to talk about that didn’t center around turnips.
We were in the tavern listening to one man mull over a number of facts that I found dull and repitious when Gazelle said, “your room!” Instantly I was away and Gazelle grabbed the man who had diverted our attention. I kicked the door open and found three men within, one holding a bleeding hand from my trap. One of the others was bandaging the wound as the third covered his mouth to prevent screams but they didn’t count on Gazelle’s hearing. “Gentlemen, to what may I ask is the reason for your entry into a ladies bedchamber uninvited?” I just felt like playing games with them. One pulled a knife then demanded, “Gold! We saw you with gold! Give it to us and we’ll let you live!”
I set my katana against the doorframe as I entered and laughed, “Stupid, stupid peasants! Why do you think that ‘I’ am an aristocrat while ‘you’ are dirty sewage-farmers? Is it because I am more attractive than you? Or maybe because I dress better? No, I think it is because even though there are three of you and all face me with drawn steel, I am still your master! Surrender or die!” I really didn’t expect them to surrender but I had to give them the chance. They looked past me to the open door and I could feel eyes on my back and questions in their minds. I was a girl, wearing a dress and coat, fur hat and obviously young and well-bred. But women, especially noble women, are taught to sing and dance and sew and flirt. They, on the other hand, were three and armed and each was bigger than I by a half foot easily. The only worry they had was their ability to convince the other guests to step aside as they left.
As they thought this over, I moved my slung wakazashi to my left hand, took the handle in my right and smiled, “Last chance. Keep! I’ll need a clean room after this if you please. No? Then goodbye!” and I stepped forward. One made an overhand stab then fell, his entrails falling to the floor before him as I passed. The next swung and I lopped his arm off at the shoulder then turned and drove the point of my short sword through the last man’s neck from the side. A quick snap and his throat opened up spraying the walls. I quickly stepped back to avoid the blood, this was, after all, a new dress, and waited for the bodies to fall. Then I knelt to the dead and used their clothing to wipe my blade clean.
Looking up, I said to the onlookers, “Gentlemen, if some of you would remove this filth from my presence, we can begin the process of moving me to another room.” They just stood there, mouths agape. “NOW! If you will.” That broke the spell and they hurried to drag the dead from my sight.
As they returned to carry my gear to the next room whose occupants had been pushed out, I took my cosmetic box from one, “I will carry this if you don’t mind.” I ignored the box I was being paid to transport thinking that if I made a fuss over that, they’d know something worth stealing was within. I did keep it in sight as it, with my clothing, was carried to my new room. I tossed my coat casually over the box, carefully placed my make-up box on a table, looked inside, redid my lipstick then closed the box and told my helpers, “Thank you now if you don’t mind…” and motioned to the door.
Locking my door and slipping the key into my bodice, I returned to the common room to find Gazelle still holding our guest, her one hand easily holding both his to the table. The man was so scared he was about to wet his pants and I wanted to make certain that he passed that point. I motioned to the keep who brought me a bottle of wine and a clean glass and Gazelle a bucket of beer in record time, apologizing all the time.
I sipped my wine then casually said to Gazelle’s prisoner, “You were to distract us while your friends robbed me, why?”
He began to babble on proclaiming his innocence and begging for freedom until I pulled my knife and drove it a half-inch into the table a hair’s-breadth from his hand. “Damn! I missed. Now let’s try this again.”
This time he confessed, apologized and begged to be released. “Why did you try to rob me?” I asked as I slid my knife point up his left nostril. He could smell blood but was afraid to sneeze or move. He did look at me like I was an idiot, “Because you are rich?”
I had to laugh at that. I was so concerned with a conspiracy to steal that box that the thought that these were simple cut-purses never entered my mind. “Ok, don’t try to rob me again!” I commanded.
“No my Lady!”
“And tell your remaining nefarious friends to avoid me.”
“Yes my Lady.”
“Let him go please,” I asked Gazelle who released him, my knife point still in his nose. Then I snapped, opening his nostril from base to skull, “A little reminder to not upset me in the future. Go!” He ran from the room holding his bleeding nose and with urine running down his pants. “Keep, would you please find that doxie from last night, the one who sat at my table. And also some lunch if you will.”
She arrived within minutes still packing herself into her dress and curtseyed to me so low one breast popped out. She knelt there, afraid to do anything for apparently word of my actions had spread. “Please, sit and dress yourself.” I asked. “Another glass please keep. What is your name woman?” I asked.
“Olga, if it pleases your Ladyship.” She was terrified so I handed her a glass of wine and said, “Olga, The information you gave me about Natalya was very useful to me in so many ways,” I held her hand and placed a silver coin into her palm. “Pity you didn’t know about my, oh so inconsiderate visitors earlier, but I am certain that if you hear anything else of value to me, you will happily let me know,” I pressed another, heavier coin into her hand and folded her fingers. She looked at her fist, knowing that she had just been given a month of single-bed sleeping and kissed my hand thanking me and promising to keep her eyes and ears open. She then left curtseying and doing all that other peasant stuff I hate to see. Despite my current appearance, I am still Irish, not Russian and we are more democratic then the newer nobility that thinks that oppression is the way of the aristocrat. But then, the Russians will, in time, learn that peasant revolts are very violent and very often, successful.
After lunch, I asked, “Gazelle, would you please help me put my gear away. I fear that my moving caused a bit of a mess.” She didn’t like my room because as large as it was by human standards, it was still cramped for one of her size. I shoved everything aside then placed the table before her and replaced my cosmetic case with the box which had been placed in our care. It was small, perhaps eight by eight inches and four inches high. Wood that was mostly plain but around the edges of each of the six sides were rough geometric carvings. The impression I had was that the carvings were not art but something added quickly to reveal any attempt to open the thing.
I moved it around with the point of my knife and asked, “Love, what can you tell me about our charge? I’m still not certain if our burglers were after this or money.”
She never touched it or even looked closely at it but said, “It smells evil. Like a bad god would smell. Death, horror, sex and pain. That’s all I know how to describe.”
“I’m sorry, my love, that I got you into this mess. I’ll carry it the rest of the way alone and come back to get you when I’ve fixed the mess.” I started to wrap the box in silk to insulate it when her placed her hand over mine. I remember how tiny my daughter’s hand was when I held it after she was born and mine was as small. “No, Janice, where you go I go. Whatever evil this creates, we will destroy together.”
What could I do, I hugged her bulk and kissed her wondering if her people understood that gesture. She did and licked my face in return, her tongue larger than my head. I finished wrapping the box and slid it into my purse then wiped my face dry, checked my make-up and hair then we left to check out Natalya’s work.
Given the time, it wasn’t pretty but it would keep Gazelle and the horses warm in the snow. I paid her what she asked then leaned forward and whispered, “May I see you tonight?” Unlike some other places I had been, lesbians were frowned upon here. I could get away with it because people were afraid to anger me but Natalya needed to pretend to be normal. “My Lady,” she said almost too loudly. “I have almost finished that dress you wanted. If you could visit tonight for a final fitting?”
“Of course, though I have business still to finish so it may be late.”
“I am at My Ladies call,” she said as she curtseyed and backed away.
Gazelle watched then asked when we were alone, “Is she like Stars?”
“Yes, love.”
“You are very quiet with her, I always heard you scream with Stars.”
“Stars did things that made me scream. This one just gives me pleasure.”
“Like when you touch yourself?”
“Yes, but better.”
We then spent the rest of the day updating our map, buying supplies, packing and repacking our packs. The town, Ordzonikdze, appeared to be at the opening to the only real pass through the Caucasus Mountains so we either took this pass or followed the foothills to the Azov Sea then around to our goal.
That night I left Gazelle to watch our gear and smell magick while I returned for my fitting. Natalya was nervous and insisted on me standing in the dress as she pretended to pin and mark until I pulled her and asked, “What is the matter? You are acting like a schoolgirl awaiting her first kiss!”
She dropped her eyes and said, “You scare me. I’ve never seen a woman as strong as you are. Not even the Sarmatian or Amazons who visit are as powerful as you.”
“Does this mean that because I can fight in the field of war, I cannot be gentle in the bedroom? I’m still the same person you loved last night. If you want me to leave, I will, but know that I do want to remain.”
She sighed and said, “Please stay.”
We left the next morning and Natalya watched us leave the town for the pass. A lot of people watched us go and I think they were happy when we were gone for no one likes a stranger to be killing their neighbors, even when the neighbors needed to be killed. They would gladly pay me to do the deed, then avoid me hoping I’d go away so they could forget what they had done.
The Pankisi pass was well traveled and I could see that someday the village of Ordzonikdze would be important if only because of this pass. We made camp near the summit and heard wolves in the distance. We Irish had bred the Wolfhound for the sole purpose of killing the wolves which attacked our flocks and people. Frankly, I couldn’t blame them. We humans would move into an area and kill off the deer and elk and anything else that competed with our cattle and sheep. Then when the starving wolves attacked our sheep to feed their young, it was we who called them monsters and hunted them to extinction. The Brits did the same to the Irish, invaded, stole our cattle then when we, starving, fought back, they called us terrorists and burned our houses. I was a wolf wearing the skin of a woman, killing those who would gladly kill me, those who hunted my people to extinction and cried foul when we fought back.
I hate the Winter. Snow is fun for an hour but the long nights and lack of sunlight gave me too much time to think and then I became a philosopher when I should remain a noble and a warrior for my people. And my thin blood preferred the warmth of the tropics. That night I refused to change, wearing my heavy dress and stockings, my fur hat and gloves, wrapped in my coat between Gazelle and the fire, she and I both wrapped in our blankets under our tarp. Tomorrow we would be down the mountains where the sun shone and the flowers sought the skies.
I don’t sleep well in the cold and wished I had a man, any man, thrusting inside me to keep me warm. But then, I’d have to undress and THAT I refused to do.
Later, Gazelle woke me, “I hear something.”
“Wolves?”
“No, the horses are calm.”
“Are you armed and ready?”
“Yes.”
“Remain calm, but take no chances, I’ll scout,” I directed then slid my katana through my belt, checked my wakazashi and knife, pulled my dress and coat up to my knees and moved through the falling snow to the horses. Fortunately it was dark and my coat was ankle length and dark so I was virtually invisible. As I approached, I stopped to adjust to the patterns and on impulse, stuck my tongue out to catch a flake. Then I moved in to find two men at the horses. On was trying to un-hobble Rock, my gelding. I had named him after a secretly gay actor when I saw him prance for a mare. The sight made me laugh and cry out ‘you stupid horse, you haven’t any balls to service that mare!’ Rock obviously didn’t care for the smell of that man, especially as I had made a strong effort to bind him to me with carrots and apples rubbed in my sweat.
The man before me turned and thrust with a scimitar so I turned aside, drew and cut with all my strength and the first went down, headless. As he hit the ground, the second stood and turned to me so I thrust into his chest, twisted and cut as I withdrew my blade, cutting through ribs, lung and hopefully his heart.
Then I finished un-hobbling Rock but didn’t have the time to saddle him. “Steady stud! We have to do this bareback so don’t throw me.” I grabbed a handful of mane and pulled as I jumped to climb aboard. Then holding his mane with my left hand, I kicked and held to his barrel with my legs as we charged the camp. It was dark and snowing and my only guide was the fire but as we approached I could see a huge moving shadow which I knew was Gazelle. A horse gives a man or woman an advantage in height and speed and mass. Stupid people ride into a group of men then they stop and hack away thinking that their height will save them… until someone hamstrings or guts the horse and it falls to pin the rider beneath.
I rode through the camp at 35 miles per hour and slashed twice then was gone. The katana, like the saber and scimitar, was designed for slash and run cuts which is what I did. As I cleared the area, I used my sword back to turn the gelding in a circle then we charged through again, each time killing one or two. The third run the survivors broke and ran so I followed them down the path, cutting as I passed, then was gone in the falling snow. I heard them ahead and charged again feeling that thud that said that at least one didn’t get out of the way in time and I was back in camp with Gazelle calling for me.
“Are you ok?” I called.
“I am fine. The rest are running fast. I think only two are left.” Gazelle may be color-blind with no sense of smell but she can hear a flea fart a league away so I dismounted, cleaned and sheathed my katana then we examined the bodies before they froze.
“Ragtag clothing, mixture of weapons, no horses. I think that there are bandits that prey upon those who cross the pass. I don’t think that they are very successful since their clothes are so cheap. When we get to the other side, we’ll see if there is a reward.” I commented as we did our best to strip the bodies. The bandits probably had a cache somewhere nearby but I didn’t feel like exploring in the snow when we had a job that paid far more than we were likely to find in the bandit’s cache.
We dragged the bodies far to the side then rebuilt our tarp to face the wind and settled down again. “I killed eight,” Gazelle mentioned. “And I eight or ten, my love. I probably killed those who ran from you though, so you should get credit for them.”
The next morning there was two inches of snow on the ground and we saw wolf prints all over camp but centering on the bodies which were now missing. Instead of breakfast, we saddled and left immediately, not eating until we were past the snow-line.
We camped again at the base of the pass in a way-house built for that use, then around noon reached the river and the town of Tbilisi which had the advantage of controlling the south end of the Pankisi pass and the Kura River. I guessed that we had gone more than halfway to the Black Sea and decided to remain in Tbilisi for a couple days to warm up and scout out any info we could get about Shukaria.
Tbilisi was a much larger city that was Ordzanikdze mainly because of the river and so was more cosmopolitan. Wandering around we saw Turks and Mongols, Rus and even some Greeks. My complexion and hair no longer attracted as much attention but Gazelle did. Fortunately we found an inn with very large rooms and so Gazelle was, for an obscene fee, allowed an adjoining room to mine.
After unpacking our gear and stabling the horses, we went shopping and sold two of my Winter dresses and bought some jewelry. I also found a bathhouse and relaxed to wash the dirt from my skin, hair and clothes. Having a hot bath was heaven and I even paid a young girl to rub my feet as I soaked and another to wash my hair. Both were slaves and I was told that they were mine for as long as I wished to pay. “Girls,” I asked. “I am very relaxed and just drunk enough to ask a personal question. No, don’t stop, I love what you are doing to my hair and feet.” I reached into my purse and pulled out some money which I tossed to each. The coins vanished instantly into their clothes. “I enjoy what you are doing to me and would like you to continue over the rest of my body. I am told that I can direct you as I choose but I’d rather you were willing and had some entheusiasm for me. So, as the door is locked, and I have a few silver coins here and I prefer women to men…” The one washing my hair leaned over and kissed me in a manner that said she wasn’t new to this game and the one at my feet did something to my toes that gave me shivers.
Well, a year ago when I was first cursed, I joked that I’d do myself and even pay to do myself so why not pay someone to do me? I had a nice buzz from the wine, two pretty girls whose life depended on making the customer happy and seemed to enjoy doing what I wanted. The boy holding the towels was trying very hard to not see what was happening and the thought of making him watch these girls service my needs got me so wet, then I said, “Fuck it! Boy, you too please,” as I tossed him a silver coin.
I had never paid for sex in my life, unless you consider being married paying, or being divorced which definately paid until my ex’s attorney died under really not-mysterious circumstances. Or then there was that time in Monaco when I flirted with that women who treated me like something she scraped off her shoes… until she saw me winning at the tables and learned I was a Baroness. Then she was all over me and followed me to my room. Damn! I guess I did pay for sex regularly! Oh well, I had forced myself to bed Yu a few months ago to get over this problem I had with men and the first time I almost threw up my dinner. The next day I raped him to force myself to know that I could be with a man and the week after that was very nice once the barriers had fallen. So I guess I had to admit that I could pay for sex too. Goddess I was a slut! But three young and beautiful people who cared only to make me feel good was, well it was very nice and lasted half the night. True, I had to keep drinking to keep the buzz and the slaves took turns napping but it was fun. Fucking fun! Fun fucking! I needed another bath when they were done with me.
I got back late to find Gazelle snoring so I stripped and crawled into my nightgown then bed and was asleep almost immediately. The next morning we asked around and mentioned killing those bandits which, of course, no one believed. True, there was a reward but how could one slip of a girl and a monster even defend… the man stopped suddenly as my katana blade flashed against his throat. “Please be more polite to my companion. Her name is Gazelle and she has a heart that is nicer than yours, which if a very real apology is not forthcoming, all will see.” Then I snapped up removing a two inch swath of his beard from collar to chin.
The man backed off, felt his newly bare skin and then swore, drew and cut. His anger unbalanced him and I was easily able to step aside, forward and placing my foot against his, sweep and send him to the ground on his face. Two of the guards who watched the matter stepped forward until they heard an ominous tap, tap, tap and noticed Gazelle tapping her club against the ground. It was easily four feet long and had very wicked spikes at the business end. Despite her name, she preferred mass over delicacy when she killed. “Gentlemen,” I called to them, “I am Janice Obrien, Lady Innis. Obviously, this peasant has forgotten his manners so I suggest that we continue this conversation with your captain. Please lead on.” Gazelle stepped on the man’s scimitar as she passed, bending it into uselessness as she followed me.
Once I introduced myself, the Captain was very polite, yelled at his men for not showing proper manners to a Boyer and bade me sit. I explained, “My companion, Gazelle, and myself are passing through on the way to the Black Sea. For reasons best left to myself, I have chosen to travel without servants and when we slept in the pass, were attacked by some frightful men who wished us harm. This was totally unacceptable for a Baroness such as I am to be assaulted by such peasants and so we, quite naturally killed them. I believe we removed eighteen of them from discussion. You will find their weapons and belongings in the stable with my horses. Unfortunately two escaped and I found it too cold to pursue them so we remained in our camp and came her the next day to speak of what had happened.”
“My Lady,” the captain said. “We have long know of these men. They prey on small groups who they deem helpless and hide when I lead my men to seek them. It pleases me no end that they were unable to harm one such as yourself.” He bowed low and kissed my hand at this. “It is obvious that they misjudged you and your companion though how such a distinguished Lady such as yourself could possess such abilities is beyond me.”
“Sir,” I asked, “Have you read Caesar’s Commentaries?” He shook his head no. “Pity, but no matter. Julius Caesar was a great Roman General and Emperor who fought my people in the far West for I am not Russian but Irish from the island of Hibernia. Caesar wrote that not an entire legion could defeat a Celtic man in the defense of his home were his wife to pick up a sword and stand by his side. With invasion by Roman, Saxon, Dane and Brit, my people learned long ago to fight and the women of my race learned to fight along with our men. Unlike your Turkish race, No Irish man would dare to treat his wife with anything other that total equality. Unless, that is, he can sleep with both eyes open.
“I am far from the helpless girl you think you see before you. A year ago I was captured by a Sarmatian Khan who sought to rape me. I broke his neck and escaped killing a number of his warriors who made the mistake of standing between me and freedom. A month later ten bandits accosted my lover and paid the price for their mass rape of her. I am not a woman to be trifled with for my Irish temper is short and my blade is sharp.
“Now sir, if I may ask, I wish to continue to the Black Sea and find my saddle to be increasingly uncomfortable and would like a boat to take us the rest of the way. Is there a reward for those we killed, how much is it and can we use those funds to purchase such travel as I have described?”
The man’s jaw flopped open, “My Lady, you are THAT Janice Obrien! We have heard stories of your prowess. Of how you habitually castrate men who seek your favor, behead giants in anger and destroy entire armies. Please, Madam, I apologize for any disrespect I may have given.”
I laughed at him and said, “Please Captain, I am not all that bad a person. I don’t recall castrating anyone though upon occasion I have had to discourage unwelcome attentions of men who could not accept that one such as I prefer the company of the fairer sex. But I don’t hate men, and find them to be a quite pleasant diversion at times. Especially if they play chess. But I dislike people to trifle with me. About my passage?”
He smiled but I could see he wasn’t convinced and was wondering if he had enough men to save him were Gazelle and I to go berserk. “My Lady, there are barges that ply the river and I will seek to make such araingements as I can for you. Might ask where you are staying that I may bring news of my efforts?”
I told him our inn and he ordered a umber of his men to escort us to wherever we wished to go. I think he did this more to prevent me from killing anyone in his town than from any other reason so I accepted, allowed him to kiss my hand again and left the guard station.
Gazelle commented as we left, “You terrified that man. But you terrify many men I find. He also found you desirable but was afraid you would geld him. Was he attractive?”
“Attractive, Love?” I thought a moment. “I suppose so. I didn’t see him that way. Of course I have calmed down in recent months. The first six months after I was cursed were the hardest. It took that long to get used to this body and what it could and could not do. I fear that I was moody all the time. I cried a lot, lost my temper easily and was randy as a goat. Stars helped by keeping me relaxed and satisfied. But I’m better now, love.”
“You still seek comfort with women,” she said.
“My love, I find that most men brag more than they can deliver in every area. Few men have my… stamina. So we must pass time until he can conjoin again. When that happens, I find chess or pleasant conversation to be a diversion. At least it’s better than having him drip sweat onto me as he pretends that he is usually better than this. So I prefer those few men I bed to be less brawn and more brain.”
Late that evening the Captain arrived, freshly cleaned and washed and only because Gazelle mentioned the subject did I see in his attitude an attempt to attract my attention. Unfortunately, after my attempted rape by that Khan, I have hated hairy men. Perhaps had he shaved I might have considered his attempts but with is thick Turkish mustache and growing beard, I just found him unattractive and pretended I had no idea of what he was saying. I slept alone that night.
The next morning we boarded the barge that would take us and the horses down river to the Black sea. It moved slow as it was mostly poled through the shallows and would take days to reach the Sea but I was tired of riding anyway. Once the barge captain saw Gazelle, my passage price doubled
We loaded the horses onto the make-shift corral on board the barge, stored our tack in the hold and I, because of my position and wealth, was allowed a cabin in the stern. The sailors and other passengers had to sleep on deck as did Gazelle simply because of her size. So we built her a tent and had a mattress sewn from blankets and lots of hay so she’d be as comfortable as possible. Even then the crew and passengers avoided her strangeness.
For me, I found the trip to be dull and soon got tired of watching the trees and mountains crawl by. There was nothing to read and no one played chess of any form, Chinese or European so I spent the time doing my kata which I had been neglecting of late.
I found an empty area on the barge, hiked my skirt to mid-calf and stretched. This, of course, attracted a lot of attention for decent women never showed their legs and my movements caused a lot of talk. When I felt loose enough, I began to do my Kara-te moves, slow and relaxed to allow the energy to flow. One of the crew asked if I was doing some foreign dance but I ignored him. After a dozen reps, I repeated them with force and power, slamming the deck with my feet and punching and kicking until the crew had backed well off. After a dozen of these reps, I picked up my sheathed katana and after wrapping the cord around my wrist to prevent loosing the thing, I did my Ken-jitsu kata, slow and relaxed at first then faster. By then some of the warriors on board had begun to take an interest in my moves and they began to cease to comment on my chest and legs and see the usefulness of my sword moves.
Finally I was relaxed and loose and as I returned my sword to my belt, one of the mercs called over, “Lady! I’ve seen Sarmatian women and Amazon’s fight and they all wore men’s clothing. Why do you wear a dress when it gets in your way?”
A fair question that anyone would ask. Even Tears asked me that when we were fighting around the Caspian. “I have been bound by a certain god to dress as a woman regardless of my profession. That temple denies me more appropriate dress so I must do my tasks thus or be condemned for pretending to be a man.”
His companion laughed and said, “There is no god by Allah and women belong in a house with their children. Were you mine, I’d teach you more womanly arts.”
I strolled over to the Turk and after a casual glance, said, “Were I your wife, I’d be hard put to decide which throat to slit first, yours or mine!”
He got angry and started to stand but his companion held his shoulder and said, “Calm down Abdul, this woman would cut you into dog-meat long before your blade was half unsheathed. Accept the differences in people and live longer.” Then to me, “I apologize madam for my companion’s manners. He is a Turk and has never seen a warrior woman. I am Dimitri Kostanopolis. I’ve heard you speak my language to your green companion but she looks like no Greek I have ever seen.”
“I am Janice Obrien, Lady Innis, a Baroness of Ireland. My companion is Gazelle, a gentle soul until she is aroused, unlike me who is the opposite. We are traveling to the Black Sea. And you?”
“I am returning to my homeland after fighting the wars in the east. I find little joy in the arms of such complacent women as these Turks breed and so would enjoy your company, that is if you would have me?” He bowed to me, removing his hat with a flourish.
I accepted his bow but replied, “Your attempts at seduction will come to naught for my tastes lie elsewhere, but Gazelle sleeps much and I am bored and boredom seeks strange outlets. I don’t suppose you play chess?”
“No, My Lady but am willing to learn if it means spending time in your company.” His lines really were good. Were I straight, I’d probably submit eventually. But I led him to my room where I bade him to remain outside while I fetched my board. Then, after checking to ensure that my charge was safe, I took my chess set, European this time for I had purchased one in Ordzonikdze to teach Gazelle the game and returned with Dimitri to a place where I could bask in the sun as we played.
He grasped the concept easily but had to be reminded of the pieces and their moves often. “Dimitri, perhaps if you would stare more at the board then my chest, you’d remember the game easier.”
“But, My Lady, your bosom is much more exposed and of such beauty that to remove my eyes from such bounty would be a crime against nature.”
I glanced down and really wasn’t showing all that much cleavage. I was really proud of my chest since the women in my family are famous for this aspect of our anatomy so I enjoyed showing it off. The knowledge that men were staring and dreaming to no avail bothered me not at all. Let them stare all they wished. At least I didn’t wear those wire hips and bustles that made women back home look like a cow below the waist. “Dimitri, if you can tell me the color of my eyes, I’ll allow you to bed me tonight!” I smiled.
He instantly looked up but I had closed them before I spoke and he stammered then guessed, “Blue, bluer than the sky at noon.”
“Wrong, you sleep with Abdul tonight. And I, alone!” Then I stood, turned around before opening my eyes and walked away as his friends laughed.
The Barge set in at a number of smaller towns and farms along the river to exchange cargo and passengers, sometime they would stop for minutes, sometimes longer. It was at one of these longer stopovers in a large town that I asked the captain, “Captain, how long will we be here?”
“Perhaps an hour, My Lady, perhaps two. Why do you ask?” He wanted to get on with his work but didn’t want to upset a noble, especially one who could easily kill him and his crew with legal immunity.
“I was thinking of stretching my legs and walking in town. Is this acceptable?”
“Yes my Lady but before we leave, we ring the bell you heard earlier and then we push on, with or without you. And no refunds,” he added.
“I shall listen carefully captain.” I said as I ran to awaken Gazelle. “Love,” I shook her. “I’m taking a walk in town, do you want to go with me?”
She stirred, opened one eye and said, “I’m sleeping. Enjoy yourself.” Then she started to snore again. It took a lot of grass to feed her bulk and she preferred to digest while asleep. Unfortunately, she had had little time to eat or sleep on our trip from Aktau and was making it up now so I returned to my cabin and slid the box and some money into my purse then left the barge. I was immediately accosted by Dimitri and Abdul who asked to walk with me.
“Agreed, so long as I do not miss the departure.” I said.
“This town is small by Greek standards, are you seeking anything special?” he asked.
“Mostly sightseeing. I may never pass this way again and would like memories to fill my old age. Plus I want to buy black bread for Gazelle. The poor girl is wasting away.” I could see a retort on both their lips but they were smart enough to keep them there and so we entered town and I stopped a passer-by to ask the location of a good bakery.
Both mercs followed me and I wondered why Abdul would follow as he obviously thought of me as a whore. “You should cover your hair and body,” he insisted.
“But Abdul,” I countered, “Does not the Koran simply say that both men and women are to dress ‘modestly’?”
“And what you expose is modest?” he argued.
“Can you see my nipples? My female areas? No for I dress modestly. The fact that my arms and legs and (I raised my hem) legs are exposed makes me no less modest.”
“Modest women cover their hair and arms and bosom,” he insisted.
“By whose definition of modesty? Yours? There are people here who think that you should be arrested for running around naked under your clothing. No, Abdul, when I see a hand burst from a cloud and write in fiery letters ‘Janice Obrien, you dress like a slut so cover up’ I will. Anything less I shall ignore, especially when the words of any god are interpreted by a man. In this case, that Sarmatian god who made me what I am today had proven his existence to me. The Horned God who took my virginity on that mountain near Aktau proved HIS existence to me. I see nothing here to prove your Allah exists other than your word which is, of course, biased.”
Dimitri laughed and told his friend, “Give up Abdul for this woman could argue with a bishop and win. My Lady, I assume from your words that you are neither Catholic nor Mohammadan in your beliefs?”
This was getting dangerous. Innocent VII (now there was a misnomer for the pervert pope who preached celibacy but produced bastard children, who preaches love but murders children for their blood to prolong his own life), had recently given over to the Dominicans the right to torture and murder my kind in their ‘holy inquisition’. “No Dimitri. I am neither. I understand that many gods exist and have met some in person but the Gods to whom I pray are not the ones you worship. Best we go no further lest blows be swung.”
He agreed and when Abdul tried to argue Dimitri said to him, “Abdul, we are best of friends and as a friend I tell you this. Lady Innis is a far better swordswoman than you are a swordsman. If you challenge her with steel, she will kill you easily thus proving the power of her god over yours. If you debate her, she will win that way also so accept that you are outmatched by a better person and accept defeat with good graces. I am catholic and so her words sting me as they do you but I am willing to admit that this is a fight I will loose so choose life over defeat.”
We toured the town and saw nothing of interest. The Mosque that Abdul insisted on visiting as small as was the church that Dimitri passed by. The streets were paved, mostly, but covered with the filth of passing horses and dogs and the remains of chamber-pots emptied by the housewives into the gutters. I spent so much time holding my hem around my calves that were we attacked, I would almost prefer death to the filth I’d have to fight in. By and by we found the bakery and I purchased every loaf of black bread they had. I also bought whatever bread and cheese they had that looked good, almost emptying the store. I handed my purchases to Dimitri and Abdul saying, “Now you must pay for my company. Were I to carry this, I must needs remove my dress and carry it to prevent it becoming dirty and THAT, Abdul, would be immodest.”
Few women knew what a bra was so I could see the fantasies of Dimitri’s mind where I am naked but for pantaloons (which I didn’t wear) striding down the street, breasts bouncing, hips wiggling. So I led the way back to the river with both men following, loaded down with my purchase and watching my ass and ankles.
We arrived well before the bell and I awoke Gazelle, “Awaken love, I have something for you!” and gave her the dozen loaves of her favorite bread, which she immediately began to consume. “Janice, you are so good to me, I love you for this!”
That night Dimitri sought my cabin but I firmly said ‘no’ and closed the door to him to the delight of almost everyone on board the barge. I gather he wasn’t used to being turned down. It had been a long time, days in fact, and I admit that I was feeling frustrated by my enforced celibacy so as soon as I went to bed, I stripped and satisfied myself well into the night.
The next day, Gazelle and I were watching another barge being pulled up the river by a team of camels when a sailor approached and grabbed my ass. “Maybe you need a real man and not a boy-loving Greek?” Gazelle almost killed him on the spot but I took his hand, put him into a wrist-lock and dragged him, screaming in pain to the captain.
“CAPTAIN!” I screamed even louder than the sailor. “This… thing placed his hand upon the body of a woman. Either you punish him or I will take his hand myself and make his finger-bones into earrings!”
The captain looked at me holding a crewman who was obviously twice my size, yet I held him easily with a few fingers and the man was screaming in pain. None of these people understood the basics of unarmed combat that I had learned in Japan so they imagined that I was some superwoman. The fact that I was a noble meant that I could have the captain flogged for allowing one of him men to touch my person.
“Please, Lady Innis, release this poor fool and I will extract a punishment equal to the crime.”
I let the poor idiot go and kicked him as he fell. “Very well, he is yours.” And then I turned away in anger.
The Captain apparently called every crewman together, dressed them down for a very long time, then had the offending man stripped to the waist, tied to a pole and flogged into unconsciousness. Gazelle thought this very cruel but I simply said, “Better that then what I had in mind.”
Abdul said to Dimitri that it would never have happened were I more modest in my dress and actions. Unfortunately I was still angry so I walked to him and said, “Modest in dress and actions, here is modesty in action.” And I kicked him in the crotch and pushed him over the side. I was so angry I needed to do something, so rather than kill someone, I grabbed the poor Greek, dragged him to my cabin and raped the shit out of him for at least an hour. I think he was so terrified that had I pulled a knife he would have managed an erection for me to hack at just to calm me down. For the rest of the trip, no one, including Dimitri approached me, which may be fortunate for all involved, though to be honest, I got exactly what I needed from him and was very relaxed for the rest of the day.
Finally we reached Potee’, the port that introduced the Kura River to the Black Sea. We disembarked and saw both Abdul and Dimitri slinking away in the other direction. Gazelle was well-rested and fed, the horses were nervous and anxious to run and we had maybe a two day ride to Shuraria.
The middle night we spent in a traveler’s inn near the coast. I thought it was wonderful. I could watch the sea, her waves break on the rocks and imagine that perhaps Jason and his Argonauts may have landed here for it was the custom for the Georgians to lay sheepskins into the rivers and allow the current to wash sand over them. After a week or so, these skins would be removed, golden. The rivers washed gold dust downstream and the heavier specks would get stuck in the wool while the lighter sand would wash over and on, thus creating the story of the Golden Fleece. I wondered if Medea had been born near here, a woman who loved her husband more than her own family. I understood that feeling for I had been willing to give up my own children for the woman I loved once.
Gazelle sat next to me and commented, “It’s beautiful. I love the sea. It makes me sick to be on it but I love to watch the waves when it storms.” And so together, we drank wine and beer and watched the fury of Poseidon beating at the shore as his horse’s hooves smashed rock to sand to form a new beach.
In the morning we continued north along the coast to Sokkhum, a small coastal town where we would rest before turning inland to Shukaria and the release of our charge. It was here we saw the first strong influence of the Swedish Rus. The church with their wood-scale roofs. “Swede?” Gazelle asked as we walked around the town looking for a decent inn.
“Yes, those who followed Odin and Thor and the other war gods of the North were of three main tribes, the Dane, the Norse and the Swede. The Danes moved south, raiding, raping and conquering as they did so. The invaded Hibernia and built the city of Dubh-Lin as a base and almost conquered Ireland before my Grandfather a dozen generations past, united the five kingdoms and became the Ard-Ri over all of Erin. He stopped the Danes at Clontarff but not before they left the Black-Haired Irish multitudes of red and yellow-haired babies, thus marking me forever as a half-breed. Then just as we drove the Danes out, the English invaded and although Innis lay beyond the Pale, still we felt their power and I, whose ancestors were the High Kings of Ireland am reduced to but a minor noble.
“The Norse moved west across the Atlantic Ocean, hopping first to Iceland then to Greenland then to Vinland. Those who think, know that the Genoese Columbus lied when he claimed to visit India for two reasons, first the descriptions of his Indians differ from what we know of India in every detail and second, none of the ships he had could possibly cross the Atlantic. They could travel maybe two thousand leagues before falling apart and India is more than six and a half thousand leagues west of Spain. It was impossible. Wise men believe that Columbus actually landed on some islands south of the Vinland that Leif Erickson discovered and then Columbus simply lied about it as he lied about so many other things.
“The Swedes moved east into the land of the Rus then south. When they reached Byzantium, they were called Verangians and spread all over this land as well. That temple where I gave myself to the Horned God in the land of the Amazons was dedicated to the Rus God Iarillio.”
“These sound like a virile and powerful race. It is a wonder they don’t rule your world.” She commented when I was done.
“Perhaps they do, in the form of their descendents. I am part Dane myself,” I commented looking at my hair.
We remained in Sokkhum for a few days hoping to meet our mysterious contact but no one appeared. With a Strawberry-blonde Celt and a rhino-girl attracting attention, we could not pretend to be hiding. So finally I told Gazelle, “Love, we must travel to Shukaria. It lies inland some three or four leagues so the journey is short. There we may meet this K’ut’aisi and give to him the box, then we may leave.”
We packed our gear and Gazelle stopped then said very quietly, “The stink is stronger.”
“The Box?” I asked.
“Yes, and you too.”
Damn! This was looking worse and worse. “I’m sorry, my love, that I got you into this.”
I loaded my horses and we headed northeast to our final stop, taking our time as we traveled because neither of us wanted to reach our destination.
It was only a couple hours before we reached Shukaria which was a tiny town of far less than a dozen houses surrounding a walled castle. The castle was of wood, so old was it and the houses were obviously the farmers’ who served whomever lived in the castle. “Well, love, I guess we know where to deliver the box. Let’s do so and leave quickly even if we must travel throughout the night.”
“It stinks bad,” she said when I pounded on the door to the castle for it had no moat or drawbridge. I knew I should have turned and ran but I had to continue. Then the door opened and a servant looked at me then at Gazelle and said in Russian, “My master bids you enter.”
I dismounted and led my horses inside as Gazelle followed then we were led to the stables where I left the horses, still saddled and together, we three entered the hall.
The man at the table was robed but eating frugally, a meal of rice and vegetables with a small glass of wine. Hardly a repast for someone wealthy enough to afford what we were carrying.
“Have you my item?” he asked, not looking up from his meal.
“Have you the rest of our money?” I responded.
He clapped his hands and a servant brought a tray upon which were three bags that looked heavy. The platter was placed before the master who motioned me forward. As I reached for the bags, he placed his hand upon mine and said, “you are to assist me in whatever I wish.” I could feel a tingle pass from him to me and I responded, “yes, so long as I am paid well.” Then he removed his hand and I opened the sacks. Gold and silver, pounds of it. Dozens of coins from China, Russia, Greece and Turkey. We were, effectively, rich! I handed the money to Gazelle and handed over the box. The robed man looked it over then, satisfied, placed it on the tray which was taken away by the servant, unopened. “Your service to me will end tomorrow night. Go and rest.”
We were obviously dismissed and were led to a room off to the side which was easily large enough for me and Gazelle and had been prepared in advance for there as a comfortable bed for me and a large, thick mattress for her.
“Almost done my love. We can leave as soon as we finish whatever he wishes.”
“That evil man spelled you when he touched you,” she said.
I wasn’t stupid enough to argue with her, only shocked that it had happened so easily. “How?” I asked, that being the only thing I could get out.
“You always stank of a curse. But when you brought that box back from Tobruk Khan, you stank more. I thought it was because of the box but now I think he spelled you in Aktau. Now K’ut’aisi has made another spell to strengthen Tobruk Khan’s spell.”
“Fucking Shit! That weaseling bastard! I remember his exact words, ‘When you hand this box over to K’ut’aisi, you must assist him in whatever he wishes. Extra pay if you don’t ask questions.’ And now K’ut’aisi said ‘you are to assist me in whatever I wish’. I was spelled to not ask questions, to give the box to that slimy leech and now I have to serve him until tomorrow night.”
“I can carry you out of here. I am stronger than you are.” She offered.
I felt the urge to hold my katana but fought it. I didn’t know what I’d do if I touched the handle. “No love, that is too dangerous. I think I’d fight. No, I’m stuck here. Let’s play the game and see if we can find a loophole.”
I tried to leave when it got dark but couldn’t manage to leave the building. I would walk to the door and be distracted and look at a tapistry or investigate a sound inside. The spell was subtle as is most magick but still effective. Gazelle reported that she was allowed to leave and even take the horses which had been unsaddled and fed so the spell was on me instead.
I lay there in the dark, naked and thought about the spell. “Love, what do you know of magick?”
“Only that I can smell it. I don’t now what it is or how it works. Some of my people are great magickians though. They make the rains come or go as needed, cure illnesses, stop wars. But I don’t know how they do that.”
I thought about this then tried to remember what I knew. “Love, a year ago I was.. ‘different’ from what you see today. I was hired to rescue this kid from a Sarmatian temple and did so, beating some priests to get free. Then I discovered that the kid wasn’t stolen, he ran away and I was the one who stole him. That was when that god cursed me. I guess you smelled that curse immediately. That reminds me, on that hill near Aktau, I was ravished by the Horned God whom I accidently invoked. Can you smell Him on me too?”
She came near, looked me over then said, “Here,” she touched my pubes, “You have a different spell here. It doesn’t stink. It smells like flowers taste. I couldn’t smell it before because of the curse but now that you ask, I can find it.”
“So I have three spells on me. The first being when that Sarmatian god in whom I did NOT believe changed me. The second was when I begged the Horned God in whom I DO believe to rape me. And now this one by these filthy magickians. I wonder there is any room inside for my stomach.
“I have to serve K’ut’aisi until tomorrow night. If we are to be literal, night is between sundown and midnight. So I am bound until midnight. Keep your mind open for any possible way we can redefine the terms to create a loophole.”
I was upset and nervous and so did what I always do, I touched myself to bring a climax that would burn tension but for the first time, I was dry! I tugged on my nipple ring and it just hurt. No twinge, just pain. I licked my fingers and rubbed my clit and only felt rubbing. “Gazelle!” I yelled, “I’m impotent! I can’t have sex! What’s going on!”
She looked at me then around and said, “This entire castle is spelled.”
“But why? Why spell against sex? Magickians are not always celebate, they do sex-magick so why stop that?” I demanded.
She just looked at me and I lay back and tried to think but instead I heard her snore and almost immediately I joined her. I dreamt that I was back in Aktau, being fucked by my God. But this time I didn’t climax, He just pounded away at me and I felt no pleasure. Finally, when He left I heard Him say, ‘Call upon Me when the Moon is full and I will be there.’ I had done so a number of times and nothing came, not even me. It seemed like an empty promise.
I woke up cranky and tired and not the least horny or sexual. Dressing was a chore and I did my make-up by rote and habit. When we left, we saw Tobruk Khan at the table with K’ut’aisi sharing a small meal, the box before them, still sealed. A thousand questions rose in my mind but none were asked. Then Tobruk Khan called to us, “Janice, Gazelle, come here. Your service is almost over so have a meal to strengthen you.”
I didn’t like his familiarity but we did as he bade, eating the rice and vegetables but no wine. I wanted a thick steak with mushrooms and garlic but ate the pitiful meal in silence.
“Darkness approaches, we must make ready.” Said Tobruk Khan.
Darkness! Had we slept all night and day? Doubtless another spell to prevent escape. I saddled Rock, armed myself as usual and as I rode to the gate with Gazelle by my side, I saw a dozen or more young women in white robes and chains. Slaves? Harem girls? I couldn’t tell and the spell prevented me from asking questions. But I was told to escort the girls with the magickains and prevent escape, which is what I did, literally. I would not be cruel though I could not free them.
For hours we traveled up the hill-side until the Full Moon was peeking over the mountains to reveal another stone circle. Unlike the one at Aktau, which was simple stones raised to the sky, this was a single circle of dressed uprights covered with lintels to form a ring similar to Stonehenge. K’ut’aisi told me to wait and hold the chain as he and Tobruk Khan took the girls one at a time to the circle, stripped her naked then tied her arms and legs to the uprights so she was bound spread eagled between the stones. One girl was terrified enough to pee but so far were her legs spread that her flow touched the ground and never her legs. Finally all were tied and I let the chain drop. The Moon was now overhead and I could see that each girl was young but past puberty. Each was pretty and each was clean with combed hair. I wondered if the celebacy spell was to keep these girls virginal and I just suffered along by accident. I was bound until… Midnight! The Full Moon would be overhead at Midnight then I would be free. I just had to figure out what was happening and stop it before then. Damn, this no question rule!
Tobruk Khan looked at me and said, “Remain outside the circle until you are summoned.” But he and K’ut’aisi were inside. I looked at Gazelle and she was asleep. Drugged or spelled I didn’t know but they obviously didn’t want her to interfere.
The magickians built a bonfire inside the circle and then began to circle the stones, stopping at each girl to cut a lock of hair. When all had been taken, the hair was raised and cast into the fire. Tobruk Khan then called to me, “Janice, remove your clothes and come here naked.”
I could not refuse and stripped naked, then wearing nothing but my jewelry and carrying my wakazashi behind (he said naked, not unarmed) me concealed, I entered and approached him.
“Lay down and spread your legs!” he commanded and I did so keeping my sword hidden. “Within your womb lies the seed of He who we would invoke. Long has it been kept from mortal man but now, with His seed and the blood of these virgins, we will invoke Him to serve us.” K’ut’aisi knelt between my legs and I couldn’t stop him. He slid his fingers inside me, painfully as I was still dry, and then came out with a handful of something white. It had remained there for a year? HIS semen? Impossible. But I was proof that the Gods don’t listen to mortal science. My vagina was sore where he had forced his hand and I wanted to kill him now. But he was my employer and I was helpless.
Tobruk Khan took the box and broke it open to reveal a simple stone. One that had the look of a chip from the Stone Circle at Aktau. The two then returned to the fire, spoke something I couldn’t understand and tossed HIS seed and the stone into the fire. “You fools,” I managed to scream, “you don’t know Who you are invoking!”
Tobruk Khan looked at the Moon, almost high and said, “Of course we know. You are a Witch, one who worships the devil. Call him Lucifer or Shaitan or Satan, he is still power and with what you have brought, he will be called to serve us. Stand and bring the girls to us, one at a time.”
He turned away and I had to do what he said. As I approached the first, I said, “I’m sorry, I am under his spell. So long as he has paid me, I must obey. I want to fight him but cannot.”
I started to cut one girl free when another down the line cried out, “Me first, lady, take me first.”
I left the first and approached the speaker, “He means to kill you all, then me I believe and I am helpless to stop them.”
She looked at me, hanging there and said, “I can help you save us.”
“How?” I asked
“Cut me free.”
I did so but held her arm and brought her to the center. As they turned, a knife in hand, they saw my drawn wakazashi and laughed. “You cannot harm us but you can kill the girl instead. Make her kneel!”
I forced her down, fighting inside but a slave outside and Tobruk Khan tied her neck to a ring in the ground. I saw her hand reach between her legs as she frantically probed her vagina. A part of me found this exciting and another part wondered if she expected to climax at her death. “I will pay you to save us!” she cried to me. “With what, your body?” Tobruk Khan laughed.
“If that is her price I will gladly pay it.” She cried, still fingering herself.
He knelt, raised her face and said, “Pay must be in gold and silver and we have taken both form you. I fear what pay you possess will be too little too late to help you.”
Then as the two chanted again, she pulled her hand free and tossed me a ring. “Here is your advance pay, the rest when we are saved.”
I picked up the ring, moist and smelling of a woman. Then I looked up and saw the Moon near zenith. “you will serve me until tomorrow night” he had said. When is night? When the sun sets? If so the spell had ended and I was free. I smelled her scent on the ring, my own vagina now wet, my nipples hard from excitement instead of the cold and glanced over to find Gazelle waking up. I put the ring on my finger and interrupted the chanting, “It is night and my service to you is over. I have taken pay, and now am free to kill you. Gazelle, free the girls and take them someplace safe. I will follow.” Then I cut the first victims rope and told her, “Run” as I approached the dead who knew it not.
I didn’t much see what was happening but out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed naked girls untieing others, some of whom ran away, most running to free others.
“It is too late, We have called him and he comes!” they cried as the flames rose and formed into a vaguely human form. I saw the horns, the cloven hooves, and the massive erection.
Then I turned away and told the magickians, “You fools, I said you don’t know what you have done. There is no satan, no devil other than what is in your own hearts. HE! Is the first of all Gods. HE! Is the Lord of the Hunt, The Lord of the Dead. HE! Is not something to be called forth for your own pitiful egos. This temple was built to him before the Dead Christ was born, maybe even before Moses led the Israelites from Egypt. HE! Was here before your satan fell from heaven. Evil exists because you have allowed it to fester in your own souls. Evil cannot take root where love grows and you have no love!” Then I simply cut them down as they stood, the two never understanding what stupidity they had done.
I turned to HIM, now fully formed. I looked around and saw Gazelle leading the girls down the mountain. There was no need for that as they were never in any danger from HIM. I lay my sword at HIS feet and prayed, “My Lord, last year YOU gave me a gift that I did not know you had given. These took that gift from me. Please, My Lord, return to me that which YOU once gave.”
I then lay back, spread my legs and remembered that HE was also the God of Sexuality whose passion sustains the universe, whose climax caused stars to explode and form planets.
HE! smiled at me and said, “I told you that I would be here when you needed ME. You served ME well tonight.” Then HE lay upon me and this time, with no maidenhood to tear, there was no pain, only pleasure. I climaxed as HE entered and did not stop until morning when I awoke with Gazelle by my side.
“You are laying in a pool of something white and sticky.” She commented.
I rolled over, climaxing again and covered my body in HIS seed. Then I felt my belly knowing that it was back inside where it belonged. I tried to sit up but the orgasms were too intense and I fell back, arching my hips to the sun.
“You sound like Stars is with you.” She said, concern in her voice.
I laughed at this when I could and said, “My dearest Love, for I do love you dearly, last night was one of the greatest events in the life of any person. Few people have the chance to meet their God, I have been blessed twice in a single lifetime. Please Gazelle, help me up but, ooohhhh!!!! Fuckfuckfuckfuck!!!! Gently.” As I collapsed with another orgasm.
Last time it took two weeks to remove the smile from my face, I had better start buying lemons.
Later when she lay me in the castle, I didn’t remember the trip, I only remember screaming in climax every time I moved, I lay there, legs spread to reduce sensation and the woman who had paid me with her hidden ring wiped my forehead. “I saw what happened. What can I do?”
I asked Gazelle, “What of the curse?”
“I smelled your God when He was with you, He was also with us and led us here. When we entered, the castle was empty and the curse was gone.” She explained.
“And me?” I asked.
“You still smell like a curse, but you also smell like a blessing. What Tobruk Khan did to you and me and the others is gone. When do we leave?”
I reached for the woman who had helped me save the others and said, “I still am awaiting the rest of my pay, then when I can sit astride a horse without a screaming in pleasure, we can continue to your home.” I pulled the woman to me and kissed her, climaxing again as I did so. ‘this’, I thought, ‘was going to be fun.’