Seline’s Solace

Shahad replied that she understood the plan. We exchanged caresses. A chitin knuckle across her cheek from me while she put a hand on my chest, and then we were off returning to the battlefield.

Streaking into the midst of dead or injured warriors as a group of thirty priestesses prayed over them, I abruptly came face to face with Ogrethanne Annolstad. She screamed in fright at the sight of an insectoid monster in front of her then composed herself and began to pray. This time it was a spell of smiting.

As soon as I came to a stop I started transforming into my arboreal-form. To Ogrethanne's credit, it didn't distract her from her spell casting. Her eyes grew large and round though as my body shrunk and my appearance changed back into my natural form once again before I changed again. My skin turned a darker-than-normal chestnut color with the darker striations and woodgrain. Spiky insectoid hair became long golden strands of hair before lifting into long stiff wheat stocks.

Together, Sequoia and Quebracho dressed me in scarlet Barkskin armor highlighted in colors of green, gray, brown, and gold. Then, just as Ogrethanne completed her spell of Holy Smite, Shahad intercepted her hands and pushed them up so that the spell shot harmlessly into the sky while Shahad thrust one chitin sword arm into Ogrethanne's belly and the other cut deep into her left thigh.

Ogrethanne gasped in shock and outrage but no words came from her lips as she crumpled to the ground. Her life's blood was spurting and running down her otherwise flawless thigh while the wound in her belly oozed blood at a seemingly slower pace. I knew, mostly from old movies in my previous life, that unless I healed Ogrethanne soon she would die within seconds.

As I completed my transformation, I propelled a massive cloud of pollen out of my wheatstock-like hair. It shot up and mushroomed an area some thirty yards in diameter and enthralled every priestess within its area of effect. One second there was mass panic, then the next thirty priestesses stopped what they were doing and stared at me with such unadulterated lust in their eyes that I found myself surprised even though I knew what to expect.

"Stop!" I commanded loudly.

The priestesses jumped in startled surprise but I didn't have time for them anymore. Ogrethanne was dying, her wounds were too severe for the healing effect of the pollen raining down constantly all around us to be of any help. Her big fearful eyes rolled in her head and her body went limp as her life started to ebb away. Grimacing at the twinge of guilt I felt for what I must do, I knelt and spread Ogrethanne's legs.

Whether it be common practice or not among the priestesses of Arachne, Orgethanne wore no undergarments. Shahad assisted me by using a sword arm to cut Ogrethanne's diaphanous habits from her body leaving her completely naked.

"Useless garments! Only get in the way of breeding," Shahad transmitted in disgust, "Are you going to make her a wife as well?"

"No," I replied.

"Then, are you going to save every woman I kill for you?" Shahad asked, her transmitting prim now and more than a little annoyed.

"I did not want this battle, so, yes, I will save as many as I can," I declared, then looked up at Shahad and added, "I am not taking her as a concubine. She is a priestess. She is no virgin to the ways of the 'Contribution for Power'. She knows this must be done to heal her. She will understand…"

"Will she?" Shahad asked poignantly, but then nodded and turned away. Somehow I could tell from her posture that her mood was grim, but then, she also seemed to put a bit more sway in her walk as she kept watch for attackers.

Turning my attention back to Ogrethanne, I noticed little things like how her slim alfari body was attractive in a small-breasted, sleekly curvy, seductive way. She wasn't as stunningly beautiful as her sister Rastof, but she was very close. Similar enough anyway that the family resemblance was definitive while not appearing to be twins. And then, like all Alfari, she was completely hairless except for her mane of platinum blonde with a pastel blue cast to her hair and eyebrows. As for the rest of her, her body was covered in short, fine, transparent body hair that stood on end as her flesh goosed.

She moaned as I pressed into her flesh with my thumb and bright red blood coursed down her inner thigh. Her heart was pumping her blood out of her body in a steady stream. She was going to be dead soon if I didn't act quickly. Gently, I slipped between the folds of her sex and pushed deep inside her womanly sheath. I had to be fast, so I concentrated on the way the meaty flesh of her legs felt in my hands. The way her bottom slapped against my body. The feeling of her wrapped around my maleness. I envisioned her alive, vibrant, and her plum-colored eyes twinkling as she willingly participated. I fell into what I was doing and let the sensations build my climax as fast as possible until at last I felt the burning in my groin that precipitated my burgeoning release, and then—

Ogrethanne gasped!

Every muscle in her body constricted. Her back arched until only her head touched the ground. She howled in ecstasy as my Healing Seed shot from my ejaculating prick and flooded her womb!

As I filled her womb, the magic spread throughout her body, healing her wounds instantly before leaving her limp and gasping for breath as I withdrew and stood.

Looking down at her imperiously, I commanded, "You will obey me now."

She could only nod. She was still shaken. Her mouth was partially open and her chest was still heaving as she caught her breath.

"Follow me," I said before calmly walking down the line of priestesses already under my control.

"Follow me!" I commanded again, this time to the other priestesses, "You are no longer to fight, or lend aid to my enemies."

With thirty priestesses in tow, I continued to seek out everyone I could find while Shahad acted as my bodyguard. If she was already engaged then I sent out Entangling Roots to ensnare the soldiers as they approached. Wherever my pollen fell, the priestesses fell under my sway and stopped their fighting, or healing. Once I felt like I had gathered all the priestesses that were still alive, I led them to Forelain and commanded them to wait there until the battle was over.

Aalyn, healed from her injuries, was standing with Thurdain and Illglan; all three of them looked shaken though Aalyn appeared to be the most resolute. They watched the ongoing battle with mixed expressions, mostly horror mixed with a little fear. The priestess sisters, however, began to stare at me more and more admiringly while Aalyn seemed to grow more reproachful. Approaching her, she blatantly glared at me like a one-eyed harbinger of death.

"Command a retreat," I growled, then thought better of my approach and tried in a more accommodating tone, "Please, before all your warriors are dead."

Looking out at the battleground Aalyn growled, "We are svartalf. Every one of us knew that we might die for our homeland."

Turning back to glare at me she continued with a sigh, "We have never been defeated."

Just then a group of soldiers disappeared as pillars of black Moonfire flashed out of the darkened sky. Another group of mostly female warriors sheltered behind their shields as a hail of Stone Bullets pushed them back only to have large stones plummet out of the clear blue sky. One female's head seemed to explode on impact. Another soldier's head was pummeled down into her body while her spine drove up into her brain. Both died instantly. When the stone struck arms and legs or body, arms and legs were broken or sheared off. If it hit their body the soldier was slammed to the ground broken and dying.

Aalyn saw it.

We all watched it.

I felt sick.

In muted resolve, Aalyn said, "Even if we are defeated, we are not afraid to fight and die for our Queen!"

"I never doubted your resolve," I replied, "But, we have to try and save as many as we can, don't we? Please, do not make us destroy you!"

I'm not sure when the army reached the base of the wall, it seemed like seconds and hours had passed all at the same time. Moonfire and Foxfire continued to rain down burning up the main body of warriors even as they threw rope lines and began climbing the wall. Hundreds of Stone Bullets thrown by Hlina and Orsa fell tens if not hundreds of soldiers at a time, but still, the svartalf charged forward.

"It doesn't matter what I want," Aalyn yelled, "We all must carry out our orders!"

I gave her a long withering glare then transformed again. Growing taller my body hardened once again into a savage hybrid-insectoid before transmitting in pheromones, conveying that I growled, "Then may the gods forgive us for what must be done."

Aalyn's eye widened as I transformed. Her mouth opened and worked as if she wanted to say something, but no words came out.

Turning away my wings were a blurring whir as I sped away. With Shahad by my side, we appeared to be two streaks, one gold, and one black. We weaved through the svartalf army and everywhere we went warriors died. I tried to remember that these very soldiers were here to kill my family, my friends, and my people. Villralfar and animals alike. It didn't make what I was doing feel any better, but it did help shore up my resolve.

Where Shahad went soldiers gasped and staggered as they were stabbed through major organs or slashed where arteries were easily accessible. Wherever I went they simply fell, cut into two pieces before they could even register they were injured. Some were beautiful young males and an equal number were female. Their faces were masks of shock and horror as they fell to the ground in two parts moments before death overtook them. I felt remorse for the men I killed but my stomach turned and I felt like vomiting when it was a woman's entrails that were suddenly spilling out of her body as she fell in two separate halves.

"You're not going to save these females," Shahad transmitted, her pheromones laden heavily with sarcasm.

"There is nothing I can do for them," I replied.

Shahad didn't reply but her pheromones transmitted something like chuckling.

Motion on the wall drew my attention. On the rampart stood Glenna. My mother. My wife. She stopped casting Moonfire and turned to look down the wall. The first Svartalf warriors were pulling themselves up and charging her.

A hundred feet away or more Orsa and Huxian stood back to back as they lobbed Lightning Bolts and Foxfire at soldiers on their side of the wall. Then, suddenly, Coella, Usagi, and Tsukino appeared with daggers, swords, and spears. Tampa was behind them, all six infants draped around her shoulders while her staff kept in constant spinning motion slapping weapons away and smacking hands, legs, and heads when available. Coella, Usagi, and Tsukino moved in a beautiful dance at blurring speeds as they dodged, bobbed, and weaved even as they were all pushed up the ramp until they were back to back with Orsa and Huxian leaving Glenna to defend herself.

"No!" I shrieked as I gathered more magic and accelerated to greater speeds.

——(!)——

From the very beginning of the battle, Glenna could feel her goddess with her. Seline was a warmth in her soul that kept her brimming with power. It was like music in her bones and muscles as she threw volleys of Moonfire one after another, always moving in tempo with the music in her heart.

She knew hundreds had fallen to her spells, and yet, there were still thousands more surging toward her like a great ocean swell breaking on the seashore. They were coming and she was fighting hard to not be swept away as they gained the wall and rushed her.

Reduced to killing them one at a time, she moved like a pitch-black kaleidoscope of heavenly bodies. She was a window, a portal, revealing the greater universe itself as she moved, as her hair had once done only a few minutes ago.

Minutes?

It felt like hours had passed since she started hurling Moonfire at the start of the battle.

New stars. New galaxies. New nebulae danced across her body as she fought. Across her arms. Her legs. Her breasts. Only beneath the underbust corset, made of the finest white silk and trimmed in silver was nothing of the universe seen. Below, attached to the corset by hooks, her chainmail skirt was divided down the front so that, as she moved, her lower body was fully exposed and so too was the universe.

Despite the revealing nature of her clothing, exposing her unnaturally gravid breasts and supernaturally appealing hips, buttocks, thighs, and sex, it did not limit the protection her clothing offered. Darts and miniature handheld crossbow bolts were stopped or deflected away from her body by the invisible Mage Armor her priestly habits were enchanted with as her hooves moved with a surefootedness she had never known before. Her softly sensual body radiated strength she had never felt, and at that moment, she could feel her goddess's thoughts as if Seline were more a part of her than ever before.

Seline loved a sensually curvesome body. To her, it was the epitome of femininity, but it was part of her deception as well. Her enemies thought her soft and weak, prone to bask in pleasures and cower when faced with armed conflict. Nothing was further from the truth. Seline was a warrior in spirit and body. Even if it was heavily hidden beneath a veil of seductive curves and unrivaled beauty.

Listening to the music of Seline's mental litany in her head and tempo of power flooding her body, Glenna twisted and twirled, swinging her greatsword, Moonfire, in both of her left hands while her long-handled maul, Seline's Justice, was in her right hands. With her tail as a counterbalance, she moved with whip-quick precision, twisting and striking with slashes or stabs, or with body pummeling, skull-cracking swings of her maul. She was a tornado of celestial rage and retribution. When a sword or spear managed to get past her assault it was deflected by her Bracers of Shielding that generated great circular shields of glowing white energy in the likeness of the face of the full moon.

The black-skinned soldiers attacked and were thrown back by her slashing greatsword or pummeled into the eternal embrace of death. But still, as the battle wore on and on and new svartalf faces replaced the slain, Glenna's strength steadily waned. She started taking damage in the form of slashes across her legs and arms. Light cuts at first, but then gouging cuts that ripped skin and muscle. Several slashes across her breasts exposed fatty tissue and mammary glands beneath, and blood loss was becoming a real concern.

Her priestly Habits of Seduction were cut and ripped to shreds. The chainmail skirt was torn from the clips fastening it to her corset, and thereafter she took slashes across her exposed buttocks, tail, and thighs.

Twenty svartalf warriors surrounded her and she was reduced to a tempest of twirling steel fully on the defensive. Tired as she was, she never saw the sword that stabbed deep into her right thigh. She staggered. It was time enough for another young female svartalf to thrust low below her corset. Glenna felt the blade cut through her belly just above her pubic bone. She felt pain radiate through her gut as it cut through the bladder, uterus, and intestines before scraping hard against her spine and pelvis before punching out of her lower back!

Stunned.

Gasping in pain.

Glenna had time to blink her eyes before a black-skinned male thrust his spear into her belly. He was followed by another female with a sword. A male with a wicked grin pierced her breast with a spear. Mammary gland and fat bulged out of a deep gash then the spear passed between her ribs, stabbed her heart and slashed her lung before punching out of her back. Another sword was rammed through her back, punctured her other lung, slid between her ribs, and cut its way out through her other breast.

——(!)——

Cuts and slashes decorated Hlina's dark brown skin. Orsa bled from many wounds but her fur was an armor unto itself. Bastet and Leandra fought with daggers or clawed hands and were lethal with both. Coella, Tsukino, and Usagi fought valiantly and took many wounds and killed every enemy that came within the range of their weapons, but the numbers were just too great. There were just too many enemies.

Huxian and Tampa fought in an ever-tightening circle with the babies between them when suddenly, a great reverberating "NO!" roared across the valley. For one single solitary minute, the fighting seemed to stop as everyone looked around and watched Glenna, pin-cushioned with swords and spears, stumbled as she coughed out a spray of blood that then dribbled down her chin before collapsing.

Hlina gasped as if struck in the stomach, and then Gaia's rage swept over her like a tidal wave. The wall of black rock and earth began to shake and rumble before suddenly shifting and moving as it lifted her into the air. In seconds her mostly naked body became the core of a giant, naked, twenty-foot-tall earthen golem replica of herself. Only, it wasn't her, it was Gaia. The large breasts and massively pregnant belly were the only distinctions between the goddess and her Oracle.

Turning to face Glenna's killers, Hlina stomped and most of the outer wall fell outward on top of the soldiers still climbing it. Orsa, Coella, Tsukino, and Usagi redoubled their attacks. Bastet and Leandra joined Huxian and Tampa but were steadily being pushed back. Burza and her daughter ripped and clawed at svartalf faces, or caught warriors by their shoulders and flew them to deadly heights before dropping them to their deaths. Shahad flew up to the top of the wall and sped to render aid to Huxian and Tampa.

Blind with rage, I cut a golden path through the svartalf soldiers within a single breath. Within two breaths, every soldier on the wall was dead, and by my third breath, I was gently lifting Glenna's head to my chest.

The Blessing of the Queen of Heaven was already fading from her body. It was what made her hair float. It was what made it glow as white as the moon. It was what made her skin as black as midnight and what made her body a portal to the universe. It was what made her eyes black orbs filled with stars. And it was what had made her skin glow moonlight white and her hair a portal to the universe before her swapping Seline's Solace for Seline's Wrath.

Tears rimmed Glenna's orbs as the darkness faded and for the first time in my life, I saw their true color. Glenna coughed, blood splattering on my chest and splattering on her bloody and torn breasts before dribbling down her chin and the side of her cheek.

"I'm—sorry," She whispered as if she were speaking to someone else, "not—strong enough."

"Shush," I purred warmly, "You were amazing!"

Glenna's eyes focused on mine as I transformed back into my alfari-form. I brushed a thumb across her cheek, wiping the tears away from her eyes. Smiling weakly she whispered, "What color—are my eyes? I've never seen them—you know."

"The most beautiful glacier blue I've ever seen," I choked through a sob as I started to pull out one of the spears impaling her.

Wincing in pain, she grabbed my hand and shook her head as she whimpered, "Stop. I won't survive it. Just— I want these few seconds with you—"

"No," I cried, "Mom. Momma! Please! You can't die!"

"I am," She whispered weakly, "Virdy— my son— my— love—"

I knew what she was trying to say but it didn't come. Her body went limp in my arms. The last of the magic that had transformed her body making her supernaturally seductive, giving her four arms, hooves, and tail dissipated. Her form regressed leaving her a slim, ivory-skinned, alfari female with a bust only a little larger than proportional for her slim build. Her hips were still broad but not as much so. Her thighs were still thick though slimmer. The extra arms, tail, and hooves disappeared back into her body as if they had never been. Her glowing moonlight white hair returned to a glossy jet black that was arrayed across the wall as if it had been arranged just so.

The scream that burst from my body was raw and angry, agonized by grief. Coella, Tsukino, and Usagi came running up and I let them take Glenna from my arms. The giant golem Hlina had her hands over her mouth. Huxian, Bastet, and Leandra looked at me in pained empathy as I stood and turned on the remnants of the svartalf army below.

The largest concentration of svartalf warriors was the five hundred or so soldiers that had circled around the Tunglvatn to come up behind us and were pushing their way up the ramp. In the purest rage I've ever known across two lives I called out to Seline for power, and I instantly felt her with me.

Without thought or will I began to transform. My long golden hair changed and became as black as space as it floated up and danced like a flame above my head as the glories of the universe were revealed. My skin changed fading from chestnut brown to a brightly glowing moonlight white. My emerald green eyes filled, whites and all, with a liquid ink overcoating flecked with starlight. Quebracho and Sequoia retreated to the bracer, leaving me naked as my glowing skin became aflame with a white fire that burned everything except the bracer and the Claws of the King.

My feet lifted off the ground as I began to levitate, and then I was raising my hands. Small threads of pure white Moonfire shot from my thumbs and fingers and collected in my palms for a split second before a beam of liquid white fire shot from my hands and struck the soldiers pushing Huxian, Tampa, Shahad, and Orsa up the ramp.

Male.

Female.

It didn't matter anymore.

I don't care anymore.

Whomever those beams hit fell and died cut into two pieces. Whatever the beams of Moonfire hit simply ceased to exist. Burned to nothingness in an infinitesimal fraction of a second. With wide sweeps of my arms, I killed hundreds within seconds. Not one warrior that came up behind us was left alive, not even when they turned and ran.

Turning back to the main army I saw that they were picking themselves up and staring up at the broken wall. They seemed to be deciding whether to retreat. It was too late for them. It was far too late.

Sweeping my hands across the battlefield, I cut thousands of soldiers in half. I screamed as I unleashed my anger and it was glorious! By the time I spent my rage, only a small fraction of the army that had occupied this same ground only minutes, or hours ago, was left to run away.

As I calmed, Seline's Solace slowly withdrew from me leaving me in my original villralfar form. I felt so exhausted suddenly and turned to Hlina. She was back to normal too and holding Glenna. Soon she was joined by Huxian, Usagi, and Tsukino who all hovered around Glenna as if they could do something to bring her back to life.

At Hlina's whispered direction they started removing the weapons impaling Glenna's body. Gathering my wits I transformed into my arboreal-form to heal and rejuvenate everyone within the area of effect of my pollen. Huxian and Orsa looked over at me gratefully. Tampa and Coella looked anxious as they tended to the children.

Once the spears and swords were removed Hlina took special care in healing Glenna's torn body. Then, she called Huxian over and directed her to kneel at Glenna's feet. She called Usagi and Tsukino next and placed them to the right and left of Glenna, then lastly she called Coella over. Orsa and Tampa approached but Hlina told them, in Gaia's voice, to place Huxian's female infants at the remaining eight locations around Glenna to complete the dial of the eight phases of the moon.

Hlina laid Glenna's head down on the ground and stepped away as Rena, the oldest of the infants, was placed just above Glenna's head. Coella was occupying the 1:30 position while Tsukino was occupying the 3 o'clock position. Lisa, Huxian's second daughter, was placed in the 4:30 position while Huxian was in the 6 o'clock position. Sionnach, Huxian's third daughter was placed in the 7:30 position while Usagi occupied the 9 o'clock position, and finally, Azeria, Huxian's final daughter was placed in the 10:30 position.

"I'm not a priestess," Coella objected weakly as her nerves began to make her twitchy.

"I'm not even…" She looked at Tsukino and Usagi asked, "What are you two exactly now?"

"Shrine maidens," Tsukino answered.

"We're still considered priestesses," Usagi added.

"It doesn't matter," Hlina/Gaia answered, "What matters is that you are all aligned with Seline, and blessed by her."

"How will this affect my babes?" Huxian asked in typical motherly concern.

"If this succeeds," Hlina/Gaia answered with absolute sureness, "Then Coella and your daughters will be anointed as Seline's shrine maidens. They will not be harmed."

Huxian nodded hesitantly and Hlina motioned for Orsa to take a position behind Huxian while she stood over Rena. The words that proceeded to come out of Hlina's mouth in Gaia's voice were of no language I ever heard. It seemed musical in nature and I found my mind drifting, unable to concentrate on her voice. Then, suddenly a beam of white light connected the earth and sky, and high above the moon. The light encompassed Glenna, Huxian, Coella, Tsukino, Usagi, and the babes but did not touch Hlina or Orsa.

Burza landed nearby and Tampa came to stand beside me. My other avian wives encircled the white beam before we all witnessed a transfigured winged minotauress with four arms, four massive breasts, a shapely waist, broad hips, and shapely well-rounded buttocks and thighs descending from the moon. Slowly, Glenna's body began to levitate up and turn upright so that Seline was able to enfold her in a hug. Seline's voice then joined Gaia's in chanting a celestial song no one could understand.

My first clue that Glenna was better was when her skin began to glow moonlight white before changing to a supernatural shade of pitch black with changing scenes of the cosmos. Her long hair began to move to and fro as if it had a mind of its own and it was intent on trying to cover Glenna's nudity, but it didn't float as it had before. It did however fade to a glowing moonlight white. Lastly, her eyes changed from a dead, filmy, glacial blue to first alive and alert and searching for me before slowly filling with a liquid black speckled with glowing white stars.

Glenna coughed then moaned but Seline was not finished. As we watched, Glenna's body transformed until her hips and behind were as wide and thick as before. Her breasts grew even larger and were even more supernaturally perfect. Seline gave Glenna four arms, hooves for feet, a tail, and this time, large angelic wings and horns that sprouted from the sides of her head above and behind her long pointed ears before curling up and around the small moon replica hovering above her head. Once the tips of her horns were at the 2 o'clock and 10 o'clock position around the moon they curved out at those angles like clock hands before ending in points.

As the final part of the ritual, Seline pulled Glenna up with her own four massive hands and arms and kissed Glenna fully and sensually on the mouth. Their kissing lasted minutes as Seline and Glenna's tongues explored each other. Then, Seline withdrew and said something in a musical voice no one but Glenna and Gaia understood and began to ascend, returning to her abode on the moon as Glenna slowly sank until her hooves touched the top of what remained of the wall. The moonbeam winked out and a darkly celestial Glenna was left standing where its center had been.

As soon as the ritual was over Huxian moved to check on her babies while Coella, Tsukino, and Usagi stared at each other. They had been changed as well. Their skin color was now moonlight white as well as their fur and hair. Their eyes remained unaffected, but all of them were several times more voluptuous than they had been originally. Usagi, as the only rabbit of the three, rivaled Huxian in voluptuousness of bosom and roundness of hip, who was now fully healed and healthy from her post-pregnant state. Coella and Tsukino, both hares, had originally been long and lithe with small breasts and slim hips only when compared to the rabbit's broad hips and well-rounded bottom, and curvaceously sensual form. However, though still tall and lithe, Coella and Tsukino's hips and thighs were thickly curvesome and their breasts were very very large, if not quite as large as Huxian and Usagi's who were only a little smaller than Glenna's.

When Huxian turned back the blankets covering her children she found that like herself, Coella, Tsukino, and Usagi, each of her daughters had moonlight white skin and hair. And, they all had a mark on their foreheads for one of the eight phases of the moon.

"Are the children well?" I asked Huxian, but it was Glenna who answered, "They are fine. Better than fine! They are anointed as Seline's shrine maidens!"

Huxian nodded as she began wrapping the babes and hanging the slings over her shoulders.

"Let me take a couple," Orsa offered just as Tampa stepped up to help as well.

As they sorted themselves out I approached Glenna. Her clothing. The underbust corset and chainmail skirt were gone. One had been torn off her in battle while the other was removed by Seline. Glenna was completely naked now. The only thing offering her any covering at all was her glowing white hair which had miraculously grown out until it was able to drag on the ground. Not that it ever touched the ground. It moved about Glenna constantly as if it had a will of its own. It teased and hinted, exposing most of Glenna's nudity while sensualizing her body. Sometimes it hid her sex and the nipples of her breasts. At other times Glenna's hair didn't seem to care one whit how exposed she was. The only possessions left to Glenna to wear were her bracers, bracelets, bicep bands, rings, toe rings, anklets, and other more intimate jewelry such as nipple rings and such.

Glenna still held Moonfire in her left hands and Seline's Justice in her right. She didn't seem to realize until she looked down at them. She looked like a goddess, or maybe an angel with those black wings spread out behind her back. Like her body, they too were portals portraying an ever-changing universe across their feathers.

Glenna took a hesitant step toward me and dropped Moonfire and Selines's Justice. They didn't clang to the ground though. Instead, they hovered hammerhead and blade down an inch above the ground. The haft and hilt were up as if they were ready to be grasped by their mistress once more. Then, Glenna was pulling me into her four-armed embrace. We kissed and hugged and all the while her hair and tail wrapped around me like living things unwilling to let go of me!

We kissed for what felt like a long long time. We continued until Hlina, who was grinning broadly, cleared her throat and announced, "You two may want to wait until tonight for that. It seems that Aalyn is ready to surrender."

Our kissing stopped.

Pulling away I was just able to see that Aalyn, escorted by Forelain, was indeed approaching. Glenna, however, would not let go. Keeping one primary arm draped over my shoulder she wrapped the lower arm around my waist. For my part, I wrapped my arm around her waist just below her wings and settled my hand on her opposite sumptuously curvesome hip and buttock.

When Forelain and Aalyn finally got within yelling distance of the wall Aalyn yelled, "I, General Aalyn Abendroth, surrender to you, Lord Viridian Vale!"

She knelt then on the ground in obeisance, abasing herself while still holding her sheathed sword in both hands in an offering of surrender. Glenna along with Burza, her daughters, and Shahad took flight while I transformed into a hybrid-eagle harpy and followed. They all landed before I did. Hlina along with Bastet, Huxian, Leandra, Orsa, Tampa, Usagi, and Tsukino marched down the ramp opposite the wall from us. Then, Hlina sank the wall into the earth along with all the loose rubble strewn across the battlefield leaving only the bodies of thousands of svartalf. Some were not dead. At least, not yet. Only severely injured, but no one would come and help them until permission was granted for them to do so.

Landing a few feet behind, I approached Glenna who was standing in front of Aalyn and Forelain. Aalyn's expression was unreadable since she was nearly kissing the ground. Forelain, however, had a fearful, awe-inspired expression and her eyes never wavered from Glenna. Transforming back into my alfari-form Sequoia and Quebracho clothed me. Burza moved to let me in beside Glenna.

I glared at Aalyn but didn't speak. There was so much I wanted to say, but I feared that I would kill her if I opened my mouth. After a few minutes of silence and staring at our feet, she finally said, "I offer my sword and my General's knots in surrender."

For one very long vengeful moment, I considered taking her sword and cutting off her head. After all, she had done this. Started this war. Killed my mother. Endangered my wives and children. Threatened my home and people. Glenna must have been reading my mind though I knew that was not one of her abilities. Maybe it was a skill of mothers or wives, being both she must have a double dose. Either way, she took my hand in one of hers and whispered, "I am alive dear heart, and our lands and peoples are safe."

I didn't even have to turn my head to know she was shaking hers.

"Stand up!" I growled more roughly than I intended but my emotions were all over the place.

Aalyn hesitated for only a second before standing without using her hands. Carefully she held them out and continued to offer her sword in surrender. Lifting her head, her eye flashed hotly as she said in what I imagine she thought was a meek tone but failed miserably at, "I am beaten. You have beaten me. Now, please, accept my unconditional surrender."

Walking up behind Aalyn and Forelain came Sinaan, Fjallindae, and Ra'Shaal, each escorting Aalyn's Lieutenant Colonels, who had somehow, for the most part, all survived, and what remained of the priestesses. Once they were some fifty feet away, Fjallindae gave the command for the captives to do obeisance. The Lieutenant Colonels unclipped their sheathed swords and offered them as well.

I glared at all of them for a long time, but mostly, I glared at Aalyn before finally saying, "I did not come here seeking war, nor property, nor another wife! I came here hoping to make peace!"

When I finished and realized I was yelling.

Moderating my volume, I continued, "Look around you. Look at all of this needless death! I did not want this. You did."

"I had my orders," Aalyn began, "If I had refused—"

"Fuck orders!" I screamed as spittle flew from my mouth as I cursed.

I was shaking with rage until both Glenna and Hlina moved to comfort me.

Aalyn knelt again, but this time her eye was fixed on the ground in front of her. She was too strong a female to be cowed, but she was smart enough to know I held her life in my hands. Her arms shook from still holding her sword out in an offering of surrender.

In a much softer, more docile tone Aalyn explained, "If I had refused to obey my orders, and returned to Idavollr with you and your mother/wife/goddess, I would have been stripped of my rank and executed. My lieutenant colonels would have been prosecuted and executed for not stopping me. The priestesses with me would have been shunned if not sold as slaves. You and yours would have been arrested and sold into slavery. My mother and my entire House might even have been destroyed as a result of the shame against the city. So, as you can see I did what I must."

The explanation did cool my anger. I could indeed see her predicament. However, it did very little to soothe the ache in my heart for all of the soldiers that lay around us dead or dying.

Shrugging out of Hlina and Glenna's arms, I approached Aalyn and took her sword out of her hands. I unsheathed it and placed the tip of the blade to her throat. Tilting her head back, she looked up at me. She never flinched. She didn't even bat her one good eye.

"We have destroyed your army," I whispered.

"Yes," She replied simply.

"How can I come to your people in peace now?" I asked, "This is an act of war…"

"Yes," Aalyn agreed again.

Withdrawing her sword from her neck, I returned it to its sheath. Aalyn watched me as I looked around at what was left of her army. There were maybe twenty left not counting the Lieutenant Colonels of roughly four thousand. I could hear moaning across the battlefield.

Turning to Forelain I said, "Strip her," then added, "Strip them all. I leave it to you to confiscate all of their possessions. Matron Forelain, I put all of the captives under your authority. They may have a blanket and a flask of water, that is it. Priestesses too, then send them out to heal and revive as many as they can."

"Yes, Lord Viridian," Forelain replied formally, to which Fjallindae voiced in her honeyed voice.

"Take it," I said as I handed Aalyn's sword over to Sinaan. He accepted it graciously but not feeling so gracious I added, "I kept my promise."

"Yes, you did," He replied with a bow, "And I thank you most adamantly for sparing my sisters' lives."

I gave him a respectful nod then said, "I remand your sisters into your care."

"Thank you, Viridian," Sinaan replied.