Elegy for a Star - Ch. 31 - 40

Chapter 31 - Lost Soul

Tess spoke with utmost eagerness, "I'm so proud of you all. That was amazing." Her pride for the others was far above her shame that she could not help. She took the moment to be happy, not to dwell on negative thoughts. This was their time, not about her, and they were kind enough to include her in their brief celebration.

It was the first time Joyona, Mairaela and Gwendolyn fought together and won. Tess looked forward to the time when she could count herself among them, and she had hope of it now that she saw an effect from her constellation practice. She wanted to tell them, but didn't want to distract from their moment. Again, this was their time.

Mairaela laughed and asked, "I thought I told you to hide?" Tess only gave a sheepish grin in response, staring down at her shifting feet.

Gwen nudged Mairaela and pointed down the street, "Just two more streets over is where we saw the light." Gwendolyn sheathed her sword and shrugged her shield up onto her forearm and said, "We should move."

Joyona started without another word, running toward the next street, and the rest of the group followed. They moved with haste, slipping through the alleyways and streets before they came to the final turn. Joyona peeked around the corner and turned back, "I see webs."

"Spiders?" Gwendolyn asked.

"I don't know. I don't see anything on them."

Mairaela whispered, "What else?"

"Something gold. Small."

"We should risk it," Mairaela replied, "It could be a lost soul."

The others went through, into the street. When Tess turned the corner with the others, she saw the object of their attention. A golden, flaming orb sat on the ground, beaming a tired, sputtering light into the sky. Tess slowed her pace and walked up to the group. They looked pensive and didn't want to disturb them.

"You were right," Gwendolyn said. Mairaela simply nodded.

"What's a lost soul?" Tess asked.

"It's what's left of us if we die here. One of us died and left this," Gwen replied.

"Is it corrupted?" Mairaela asked.

Joyona shook her head, "Doesn't look like the pictures of a corrupted soul that I've seen."

"What do you mean?" Tess asked.

"I mean if it's been here too long, it'll turn dark in the center," Mairaela explained, pointing at the shining sphere, "It means the soul inside is tainted by the Black Sun and needs to be purged."

"Purged?"

"Killed. You crack the orb and, from what I've been told, out comes a dark copy of the dead soul. You have to kill them all over again," Gwendolyn finished.

"Or else what?" Tess was genuinely confused. Why put yourself through that anguish and struggle?

Gwendolyn frowned and said, "It's not certain, but the College thinks that the soul is tormented until we put them to rest. It's a standing order to purge any corrupted soul that we find."

"Speaking of standing orders," Mairaela added, "If it isn't corrupted, we need to bring it back with us."

Joyona bent down and picked it up. When she lifted it, a bit of webbing came with it. Joyona had to peel the webbing off of the orb. The act sent a visible vibration through the webbing, all the way up and across the white strings that connected building to building.

"What is that?" Gwendolyn asked, leaning forward.

"Nothing good," Joyona replied.

"Wait," Mairaela whispered, pulling an arrow from her quiver. There came a sound in the distance, a shambling; a scrape of feet on stone.

Walking out from nearby alleys, several lanky, pale-skinned and naked humans of all sorts approached. They looked dead in the eyes; They looked like zombies.

"Zombies aren't terrible," Tess said as Gwendolyn drew her sword. The others didn't respond and a worry grew in Tess' chest. "Right?" She asked, a little less certain.

"Zombies don't make webs," Mairaela replied.

As if on cue, one of the zombies twitched and convulsed. It toppled to the ground and began to seize violently. The back of its head burst open, revealing a mouth of four fangs where hair should've been. The arms cracked and stretched as the creature rolled onto its back and propped itself up on hands and feet, belly into the air. The upside down, splayed out man vaguely resembled a spider, more so as its belly burst open, revealing a hairy spider's abdomen. Out from its back sprouted four scythe-like arms that it used to crawl on, lifting itself up off of its hands and feet.

A corpse. A spider just grew out of that corpse. The eyes looked so lifeless, its mouth opened wide and limbs hanging uselessly.

Tess wanted to retch.

Every one of these shamblers did the same, and the orchestra of cracking bones and arachnid chittering drove a shiver through Tess' back.

"I hate spiders," Joyona murmured.

Tess wanted to laugh at that. She would have laughed at that at any other moment, but all she could make was a nervous whine. Everything in her was in defense mode

Joyona's gorget snapped upward, forming several layers that folded themselves around the woman's head, encasing it in protective metal. Extra layers formed around her arms and legs until she stood seven feet tall. She looked like a metal golem, especially as she crouched down and steam hissed from her back. 

"I'll make a path," Joyona spoke with a metallic, tinny ring to her voice. The ground crunched under Joyona's feet when she launched herself into the fray, crushing one spider and shoving five others aside. They mobbed her immediately, three spiders crawling up her legs and back, slowly webbing her to the ground.

Gwendolyn, Mairaela and Tess followed after her, with Mairaela firing arrow after arrow into the hoard of arachnids behind them. Gwendolyn dashed toward Joyona and slashed at the spiders. Several more phantom images of Gwen appeared behind her, slashing at the other spiders swarming their tank and freeing her up to continue the charge.

As they booked it into an alleyway, Tess looked back to find a horde of these spider creatures crawling after them, digging their arms into the walls and following on the ground and up above. They were faster, and Tess knew that their time was short.

She began to sign the constellations. The Crown for power, the Spinnerets for fear, and the Red Poppy for blood, murder and strength. When Tess finished the last, she felt power surging through her hands, aching to be released. 

Tess turned around and held out her arms. Fire enveloped her from the shoulders, down her arms and out into the field of spiders like they were hurricanes of flame. Those that were touched were incinerated, turned not even to bone, but directly to ash. Those that weren't fled, screeching and skittering away by the quickest route possible.

When she was done, her arms remained fiery for a few seconds before the flame dissipated. Tess looked at the scorched alleyway with surprise, pride and a big, big smile.

When she turned back around to the others, they all looked at her with shock and terror. Tess grinned and said, "I told you I could be useful."

Mairaela fit an arrow into her bow. Tess looked around, but saw no other threat. "Mairaela, what-.."

Joyona's armored plates shifted down her arm and created a massive axe in her hand. She shrugged it up into both hands, ready for a fight.

"Tess, you're-.." Gwen stammered, being the only one to not draw a weapon.

Joyona finished her sentiment, "...Evil."

Chapter 32 - Mors Tua, Vita Mea

Gwen noticed that Tess wasn't registering the seriousness of Joyona's statement. Joyona seemed loyal to her team, but Tess' situation was unique. If it appeared as though Tess were betraying the team, she was an enemy to Joyona, and the juggernaut would respond accordingly. And as it was now? It looked like Tess was betraying the team.

The reaction that Gwen felt was not rage, but panic. "Wait," Gwendolyn urged, but it didn't seem like Joyona or Mairaela heard her. "Wait, please!" Gwendolyn said, her voice shaking, "Let's work this out! I'm sure there's an explanation, we just need to figure it out."

"She's Dark Wyrden, Gwendolyn," Mairaela said with sorrow on her face, "There's nothing more to figure out. Nothing else can cast in the Void." The Fey looked especially disappointed. What was to come next she was going to do with remorse and misery, but she was going to do her duty regardless. She pulled back on her bowstring, but it was still facing the ground.

The situation was dawning on Tess now, and the woman appeared timid, taking a few steps away. She put her hands up in a pleading motion, "Please, I don't know what's going on. Why are you all looking at me like that?"

This was bad. Even worse, Gwendolyn wasn't sure what to do. Was Tess truly evil? Only the worst of the worst could use sorcery within pockets of the Black Sun, but did Tess know that about herself? Plus, there was that demon that Gwendolyn observed: Miri. Could she be doing this? It was unusual for even a demon to be Dark Wyrden. In fact, no, it was impossible. Whatever this was, it was coming from Tess, not the demon within her. Even Tess was strange. Not just the amnesia, but her body wasn't like most other women that Gwendolyn knew.

Gwendolyn couldn't tell if she'd been deceived by the innocent act or not. She brought a Dark Wyrden to the college, and unintentional or not, she would face punishment for it. That was something she was willing to accept without hesitation, but her friend being butchered? Cut down into one of those golden orbs? Would she even become a Lost Soul as a Dark Wyrden, or would she just be obliterated? That was something that terrified her.

Mairaela was bringing up that arrow now, aiming it directly at Tess.

Tess screamed, her voice wavering, "Don't! Mairaela, oh gods dammit! Mairaela, don't! Don't kill me!" That was real fear. That was no act. The thought caused Gwendolyn's eyes to water.

Gwen could even see the sadness in Mairaela's face. Joyona was emotionless with that metal helmet covering her face, though she appeared intimidating, at least. However, Joyona hadn't struck yet. Could even she be hesitating?

"I have to," Mairaela said softly, "I have to." She was convincing herself, not Tess, Gwen realized.

"Do it," Joyona hissed.

"Mairaela, please, let's talk this through," Gwendolyn replied, her grip on her blade tightening in a way that set her whole body to shaking. "We shouldn't be has-..!"

Everyone that followed moved slowly. The arrow flew. It burst into a line of light, streaking toward Tess at blinding speed. Metal flashed.

Gwendolyn's blade struck outward, intercepting the path and deflecting the beam of light up into the sky. "Gods dammit!" Gwendolyn shouted, knowing that this was a point of no return, "Tess, run!" After a pause, her charge took flight past the group and toward the light shining beyond the city border; toward their exit.

Gwen was caught by Joyona swinging a gauntleted fist in her direction. The strike slammed against her shield arm, mangling the metal and making it useless. Gwen herself was sent skidding a few feet away from the force of the strike, loosening the straps of her shield and letting it drop to the ground.. 

Another arrow was fired in Tess' direction just before she would make it into an alleyway. The shot slipped past Gwen's reach in an instant. The knight cut her blade through the air, sending a colorless wave of force that formed a jagged line across the cobblestones, connecting to Mairaela's arrow and splitting it in half.

Joyona's actions were more obvious. The juggernaut crouched in preparation for a leap before taking a monstrous jump in Tess' direction. The silver swordswoman whipped her arm and sent her blade flying toward the sky in a wheel of sharp metal. When the rageful giant flew underneath the whirlwind of steel, Gwendolyn pulled her hand in, calling her blade back, which caught Joyona's gorget and pulled the giantess to the ground. 

Gwendolyn had to dodge the falling Joyona, and as her blade was finishing its trajectory into Gwendolyn's grasp, the slippery archer used that distraction as an opening to act. Mairaela fired arrow after arrow into the blade, each one knocking it further and further off course until it skittered across the ground. Gwen could summon her blade all day and Mairaela would never let her have it, while at the same time riddling the swordswoman with holes.

Gwen took her battle high, fed it to her soul, and forced it through her sword arm. A blade of light and fire burst from her hand, striking out at the Fey. Mairaela whirled away from it with ease. Oh, right, Mairaela had the evasion gift, too. What was she thinking, going against these two? One was nigh impenetrable and the other all but unhittable. But If any Gift could do it, it was Gwen's. Swordsmanship meant a perfect offense. This sort of thing was right up Gwendolyn's alley. Or so she told herself.

Joyona got to her feet, charging at Gwendolyn, but the knight slipped under the giantess' reaching arms, cutting across the back of her knee and burning a deep hole into the metal. Two more arrows from the other side were met with a parry.

"Stop! I don't want to fight you! She's innocent!" Gwendolyn shouted.

Neither of her opponents—her friends—replied, instead charging into melee with her. Mairaela was just as dangerous up close, swinging her bow and striking out with kicks and close-range shots. Joyona was even more terrifying, her heavy, mailed fists were like boulders being swung at Gwendolyn, and it took the warrior everything she had to parry from both sides. Gwendolyn was faster, though, moving with speed that left a blurring image in her wake. Phantom images blocked strikes from behind while Gwendolyn retaliated.

Mairaela ducked back and fired another arrow. Gwendolyn brought up her blade for an easy parry, but the shot went wide and slipped just beside Gwendolyn's hip. There was a moment of confusion. That is, until she felt a piercing through her back and saw a thin beam of light breaking through her midsection. Her head snapped backward and saw the arrow had deflected off of Joyona's armor.

Gwen must have had a confused expression on her face when Joyona grabbed her by the shoulder and swung her backward. Gwendolyn went sliding through the foundation of the street before coming to rest twenty feet away.

Everything was blurry and dark around the edges. She felt an enormous pressure on her chest, and when her eyes focused, she could see Joyona and her foot keeping Gwen pinned to the ground. "Don't move," Joyona commanded, "We don't want to hurt you, Dame."

She felt no weight in her hand and knew that the blade she manifested must have been gone. She called her steel sword to her hand, but it struck Joyona's armor and deflected harmlessly to the ground.

"Stop," Joyona insisted, pushing her foot down a little harder, "We need to get out of here, and we're already going to be short handed. We can't expend our souls on each other."

"Where's Mairaela?" Gwendolyn coughed, gripping Joyona's foot and trying to lift it. There was no chance of that.

Joyona shook her head, "She's going to take care of Tess. Just rest for now." Yes, rest, with Joyona's heavy boot on her chest. "It isn't your responsibility," Joyona explained.

"Don't do this," Gwendolyn pleaded, "She doesn't know what's happening. This is murder!"

"I'm sorry, Dame. I disagree."

Gwendolyn stopped struggling, tears welling up in her eyes. She knew she'd been beaten. She could no longer help Tess.

Chapter 33 - Cat and Mouse

Tess sprinted toward the edge of the city, hearing the clash of steel ringing out behind her. How could she have just left Gwendolyn? Joyona and Mairaela wouldn't hurt her, right? On that note, why were they trying to hurt anyone? All Tess did was cast a spell. All she did was finally be useful. 

She saved them from the spiders, right? Why was that a bad thing? She had no idea about what happened afterward, but she'd been accused of doing something evil. A Dark Wyrden? Only they could cast spells in the Black Sun?

But Tess did it too, and Tess wasn't evil.

"Will you just let me out now?" Miri sighed in her mind.

Tess ducked behind a corner and whispered under her breath, "If you tell me how you know that thing with the weird eyes."

Miri was quiet for a time, before replying, "No, but I'm also not going to let you get us killed. Mairaela isn't fucking around. Didn't you tell Scirocca you trusted these people?"

"Oh, so you were listening," Tess breathed silently, looking around the street for a way out. Was that why Scirocca asked her that question? Did she know this was going to happen? There was a bitterness in Tess' chest about the fact that Scirocca withheld that information from her, though Tess supposed that she did answer with the utmost trust for her allies. She definitely did not see this coming.

There seemed to be a city gate at the end of the road, but she would be exposed the entire way there. If Mairaela got eyes on her, there was no possible way that the archer would miss. Mairaela doesn't miss.

Tess continued, "And fuck you. How can I trust you when you're buddies with some weird creature that only exists in the void and calls you his Crow?"

Miri just sighed. Tess could feel the point of Miri's claw scratching at the little switch in the back of her mind. Goading her. Making her want to scratch back; making her want to release the inner demon.

"How do I even know you'd give control back?" Tess asked again.

This time Miri didn't respond, and it was then that Tess felt absolutely certain that this wasn't the route she could take right now.

Tess had other options.

The Horse. The Archer. The Wanderer.

Tess made the signs and threw her hands out, but there was nothing. She took a deep breath and recomposed.

The Keepers. The Horse. The Wanderer.

Again, nothing.

Mairaela's voice echoed from the street behind her, "Tess!"

Tess inhaled and held her breath, pressing herself up against the wall. She could hear the Fey's footsteps prowling nearby, stalking her prey. Mairaela had always been the one to see danger approaching, to find their targets, and Tess could recall enough that she knew Fey had better senses than Humans.

The Devil. The Wanderer. The Spinnerets.

Nothing. Tess wanted to scream in frustration.

"Tess, please," Mairaela spoke softer. Tess could hear her footfalls closeby. She needed to move, but she was paralyzed with fear. "Don't make this harder for either of us," Mairaela begged, "You're just delaying the inevitable. I can't let you go. Gods, I-... I even believe Gwen when she says you don't even know what you are, but whether you know it or not, what you are is evil, Tess."

Tess bit her lip. She knew she was only delaying the inevitable. The moment she moved, Mairaela would know where she was. The moment she ran, Mairaela would put an arrow through her. There was no way she would make it out of the Void, and was a swift death not better than a slow one at the hand of some creature?

"Mairaela, please," Tess began sobbing, arms hugging herself, clutching her sides, "Please don't do this."

In no time, Mairaela rounded the corner on Tess, bow drawn, arrow ready. Her eyes were damp, and Tess believed that this was difficult for her, too. Still, it couldn't have been more difficult than getting killed, so Tess didn't feel too bad.

"Please, let's talk," Tess begged.

Mairaela shook her head, but still she did not fire.

"Please," Tess pleaded, "I don't know what's-..."

"Stop it, Tess," Mairaela choked back tears, "Just close your eyes."

Oh gods, what happened to Gwendolyn? If Mairaela is here, does that mean that Gwen's dead? She couldn't hear any more clashes of steel behind her. Was the fight over? Tess wondered if she'd been put down easily. Was it one of the Fey's arrows, or Joyona's axe? Or did they spare her?

"What happened to Gwen?" Tess asked, tears streaking down her cheeks.

Mairaela looked like she was trying to well up the determination to go through with it. She elected to reply, "She's okay. Joyona is restraining her."

That was a relief, at least. Tess could die knowing that Gwendolyn didn't also die for her.

"Let me out, Tess," Miri hissed. There was a battering on the gate of her consciousness.

Tess didn't respond audibly, but panic welled in her mind. Her cognitive fingertip was sitting on the switch.

Miri was chomping at the bit, "I'm going to rip this bitch in half."

Tess was shaking, her heart thrumming. Her life or Mairaela's? She wanted to think she was noble, that she would make the sacrifice, but she was staring death in the face and it was Mairaela that was going to kill her.

"Mairaela," Tess whispered. This was her final attempt. She knew it. "Mairaela, don't kill me. You know I'm not a bad person." Tess' voice caught in her throat before she managed to choke out, "You know all I wanted to do was-..."

There was a punch in the chest that knocked Tess into the wall. It wasn't painful, just forceful. She looked down to see an arrow sticking out of her body, directly atop the heart. Panicked breathing took place. She would've expected that to hurt, but her body felt numb. It was painless, like Mairaela said. She could feel the warmth of Mairaela's soul embracing her, protecting her from a painful end. But it was still an end. Tess was sobbing as her body slumped down against the wall. She couldn't feel her legs anymore.

She looked up to see Mairaela looking down at her. The Fey dropped her bow, hands shaking. Tears ran down her cheeks and her voice wavered as she cried, "I'm sorry, Tess. I'm so, so sorry."

Me too, Tess thought. It wasn't that she pitied Mairaela for having to go through with this; having to kill her friend. They didn't know one another for long. Mairaela would likely feel sad for some time, but she would move on, with nothing but the occasional frown when she recalled the would-be novice she'd been forced to kill during her Void exercise. Maybe there would be rumors that were passed around about what a coldhearted soldier Mairaela was. For a second, Tess almost felt happy for her.

I'm sorry too, Mairaela thought once she could taste blood in her mouth. She pressed her mental finger against that switch in the back of her mind.

"It's about fucking time," Miri said with a rumbling growl.

She flipped the switch.

Chapter 34 - Rip and Tear

Miri whirled into the forefront of their shared mind. Her body shifted, hands growing sharp claws and mouth sprouting fangs, skin growing pale and hair turning white. Her eyes flashed yellow and a pair of bloody horns slid out from her head.

Mairaela's expression betrayed her fear. "Tess?" She gathered up her bow and slipped an arrow into it.

Whipping one hand out, Miri's claw swiped through the bow, snapping it in half and sending the splintered pieces down the street. Mairaela backpedaled, and as Miri lunged, the disarmed archer slipped under those claws and dashed a few meters away.

Miri crouched and then propelled herself, leaving cracks in the stones beneath her feet and a small thunderclap of noise in her wake. Mairaela spun away with a pirouette. As she evaded, her soul began to burn around her like a golden light. Miri brought a hand back and ripped it directly through the glow of Mairaela's soul. Rending the light directly from Mairaela's body, Miri sliced the light with her other hand.

"How?!" Mairaela shouted, "What are you, Tess?!"

"You shot Tess, so I'm here now," Miri replied with a hiss.

Mairaela furrowed her brow and called out at the top of her lungs, "Joyona!"

Miri grinned and said, "Yeah, let's get her over here, too."

Mairaela clenched her fist, and the two ends of a golden bow burst out of her hand and filled her grip. She drew back on the bow and a crackling arrow of lightning formed upon the bowstring. The moment it was fired, a lightning strike bolted toward Miri. It struck her outstretched hand, leaving a trail of steam and smoke. Miri shook off her hand and grinned at Mairaela, "It's been a long, long time since I've had a good fight."

The Fey must've been racking her brain. Miri loved the power she felt, "But unfortunately for me, it's going to be longer still until I have one."

Mairaela's eyes flicked to the side and Miri perked up just as the building beside her exploded in a shower of wooden splinters and stone chunks. Joyona came running from the side of the building, armored up like a juggernaut and barging through the structure directly at Miri. An outstretched gauntlet threatened to grab her by the neck.

Miri ducked and snagged Joyona's wrist with both hands. The demoness used the giant's momentum to flip her over Miri's head and into the street with a heavy slam.

Mairaela readied another arrow, a beam of light rather than lightning. With a flash, Miri's fist shot forward, vanishing into a portal of her own soul that connected to another rip in space that appeared just behind Mairaela. Mairaela fired her shot, and Miri's fist yanked Mairaela through the portal, just in time for the Fey's arrow to strike herself, piercing her own throat.

The archer's bow vanished. She took a few steps back and collapsed to the ground, choking. Miri stood over, watching her.

Joyona was back up, her helmet drawn back, exposing her face. She was rageful, but instead of attacking, her armor flew off from her body and encased Mairaela instead. A soft light shown from within the cracks in the platemail.

Miri flicked her hand, claws growing longer and more vicious, disproportionately so. She slowly approached Joyona, who stood her ground.

"Miri!" Gwendolyn's voice cut through the hum of the armor protecting Mairaela. Miri twisted and looked to see a roughed up Gwendolyn exiting the alleyway and staring at her, brow creased, anger and sadness on her face. She was bleeding from the corner of the mouth and the right brow. There were bloody scraped down the right side of her face. Still, she asked softly, sadness in her eyes, "What have you done?"

"She would have killed Tess," Miri replied, her hand normalizing back into its typical size and shape. She licked at a fang before saying, "So I stopped her."

"And I'm glad you stopped her," Gwendolyn replied, holding out a hand for Miri to pause, "But you've gone too far. There's a stark difference between pacifying and murdering." Gwendolyn shook her head and approached a little closer, "You've crossed that line, by far."

"Tell that to them," Miri grunted, gesturing toward Joyona and Mairaela. Joyona was on guard, but allowed Gwendolyn to do all of the speaking. "Didn't you hear me? They would have killed Tess. That Fey bitch shot her in the heart. I saved her. That's what you wanted." Miri gestured down to the arrow sticking out of where a heart should be, the one that she took when Tess was in control. She ripped it free, snapped it in half and dropped it to the ground. Blood poured from the wound, but it was quickly clotting and healing into a scab.

"Miri, I'm glad you saved her, but all of this was a misunderstanding to begin with. Just stand down. Please," Gwendolyn requested, "We need to explain to them that Tess is not evil."

Miri grunted and scoffed, "I expected it from Tess, but even you don't have the balls to do what needs to be done, Dame? Didn't expect that, Dame. I'm doing this for Tess, you know."

"I know you are," Gwendolyn assured her, "But she wouldn't want this. She will never forgive you. She won't let you live, even if she takes herself down with you." Gwendolyn approached, now within a few meters, hands still held out in a peaceful gesture, "So do this for yourself, too. Let's relax and figure all of this out."

Miri was quiet for a time, considering the knight's words. She wondered how long she could keep control and leave Tess locked away in her mind, but the moment that they returned to the Corps, there was nothing she could do to maintain control. Eventually, Miri shrugged and stepped aside, "Fine. So what do you want?"

Gwendolyn moved forward, looking to Joyona and then to the entombed Mairaela. "Is she going to be alright?" Gwendolyn asked Joyona.

"Should be," Joyona said, gritting her teeth and not taking her eye off of Miri, "But how could you possibly salvage this, Gwendolyn? You and I had a scrap. Mairaela shot Tess in the heart. Miri shot Mairaela in the throat."

"Technically she shot herself in the throat," Miri corrected.

"Mairaela was trying to execute her. Tess defended herself and brought Miri out," Gwendolyn insisted. Even Gwendolyn didn't look like she thought she could salvage this party; these friends. "And, well.. Miri defended herself, too."

The exposed Joyona glanced toward Gwendolyn, "Mairaela had good cause. Dark Wyrden cannot be allowed to live. Deception is what they do best."

"Like self-defense isn't a good cause? If Tess were a Dark Wyrden, why didn't she incinerate Mairaela?" Gwen snapped. She took a break to calm herself, "I told you to leave her alone."

Joyona ignored the told-you-so. She gestured to Miri and asked, "So who is she?"

"I'm Tess' owner. I just take her for walks from time to time," Miri commented with a smirk.

"Quiet," Gwendolyn said over her shoulder to Miri. She looked back at Joyona and explained, "That's Miri. I'll explain everything once Mairaela wakes up. It's complicated."

"It's not that complicated," Miri interjected, "Tess and I were brought here in a ritual that the knight fucked with and we were cast into the same body. Got a real nice dick out of the whole ordeal though, so it wasn't all bad."

Joyona looked at Gwendolyn with an incredulous expression, "And you thought that would convince me that Tess wasn't a danger?"

"No, Joyona," Gwendolyn tried to explain, "But can't you see it isn't Tess' fault? She doesn't know who she is. She can be saved."

"Dark Wyrden cannot be saved," Joyona insisted.

Gwendolyn let out a sigh and shook her head, "Just.. just give me a chance. She's special in so many ways. We don't know if she's Dark Wyrden."

"I won't give her a chance," Joyona grunted, gesturing toward Miri, "Maybe I'd give Tess a chance."

Miri rolled her eyes and said, "Alright, but if you try to hurt her again, I'll rip your fucking head off. You and that other bitch."

Horns slipped back into Miri's head, eyes shifted, claws withered away into hands, and fangs retracted. Miri retreated back into the subconsciousness just in time to hear Tess say, "What happened?"

Chapter 35 - Olive Branch

After having everything explained, Tess sat by Mairaela's cask like she was sitting bedside in a healer's hovel. She felt horrible. Somehow the feelings of betrayal and fear and pain from Mairaela's arrow had faded, leaving only guilt for the actions caused by Miri. It was the only way to avoid death, Tess knew, but she wished that she'd been able to keep some control. Or that she'd spoken to Miri before letting her loose.

When the armor slipped away from Mairaela's body, Tess was relieved to see that she had been healed. Not so much as a scar appeared on her throat. It took some time for her to wake up, but once she did, it was with a frightened gasp.

"What happened!?" The Fey shouted, clutching at her neck and looking around at the others. She grabbed Tess' shoulders and pulled her in, "Courts and stars! Tess, there was a demon. And you-..."

It likely dawned on Mairaela that none of it was a dream. Or perhaps she knew it wasn't a dream, but hadn't yet put the pieces together to remember that Tess and the demon were one and the same.

"I'm so sorry," Tess said.

Mairaela shoved her away, and Tess fell onto her backside, scrambling to her feet. Mairaela was already up, though she looked a bit off balance. From the sheath sitting horizontal across her back, she pulled a knife and held it defensively in a backward grip.

"She's awake!" Tess shouted to the next room over, holding out her hands toward the Fey, "Wait, Mairaela, please, we'll explain."

It was only when Joyona showed up and urged Mairaela to use words and not weapons that the archer sheathed her blade.

They'd taken shelter in a structure on the edge of town, just beside the gate and road that would lead them to the beam of light they were supposed to travel to.

Tess, Joyona and Gwen sat on the floorboards in what may have once been a family room. Mairaela elected to stand, keeping her knife closeby. No one could blame her. Tess decided to speak up first, which no one seemed to expect, "You know now, at least, that Miri exists. She's the demon that I got stuck with. When I thought I was dying, I let her take control."

"It was a last ditch effort," Tess explained, "And if I had to make the choice again, I'd do it. I was terrified. I don't want to die." Her eyes flicked toward Mairaela, who held Tess' gaze with resolve. "But at the same time, I wish that I'd had another option. I didn't want anyone hurt, and I'm grateful that Gwendolyn was able to calm her down. I didn't realize what she was capable of."

Joyona and Mairaela were silent, but Gwendolyn nodded her head in understanding.

"You're still a Dark Wyrden," Joyona commented, "And that can't be allowed to pass."

Tess felt a sting, but bit back, "No one has even told me what that is. Maybe I could explain myself if I knew what I was being accused of."

That one seemed to bring the point home. Mairaela and Joyona both seemed a little less aggressive. Mairaela explained, "A Dark Wyrden is one that uses the Black Sun as their Wyrd; their source of magic. It's uncertain how, but this sort of casting harms living people on Auwra. They are the only kind of Wyrden that can cast within the Void."

"Okay, but… why? What keeps the other Wyrds from working, like the Star Wyrd?" Tess pushed.

"Light cannot travel within the Black Sun. We see around ourselves only because of the Old Gods' memories give us something to look at, and our souls don't need the light," Gwendolyn explained, "And the Blood Wyrd doesn't work because we are souls, not flesh and blood."

"But I've seen you bleed," Tess gestures to the three of them, "All of you have. I have, too!"

"That's just what we expect to happen when we're hurt or stabbed," Mairaela rebuked, "Or shot in the throat."

Miri commented within Tess' mind, "Technically, she shot herself in the throat…"

Tess furrowed her brow. Maybe Miri's distaste was affecting her, too, but she wanted to lash back at Mairaela. She knew that it wouldn't help the situation, but didn't Mairaela try to kill her first? Why was Tess the villain here? Still, she bit her tongue.

"Point is," Gwendolyn said, staring daggers at Mairaela before looking back at Tess, "It's not actually blood. It's what manifests to make sense to us."

"And the Divine Wyrd won't work either, unless you're being given power by one of the Old Gods, which is about as damning as being a Dark Wyrden," Joyona explained, rubbing her chin. She didn't seem accusatory for once. She seemed like she was actually trying to figure this out.

"Okay, so… no Star Wyrd," Tess said, "No Blood Wyrd. No Divine Wyrd. But then how did I cast my magic with constellations? Isn't that-..."

"Star Wyrd," Mairaela said, eyes widening. Mairaela pointed at Tess and insisted, "Show us. You did it once, do it again."

"It doesn't always work," Tess explained, but both Joyona and Mairaela gave her dubious looks. Tess let out a little sigh and nodded, "But I'll try."

What could she do that would be harmless, but would be proof? Maybe some light? She readied her hand and began to draw in the air in front of her. The Stag for nature. The All-Father for creation. The Archer for truth.

Nothing.

Mairaela's eyes grew lidded. Gwendolyn frowned and asked, "Are you sure that's how you did it?"

"I could try the fire again, but I don't think that's very safe in here," Tess explained, "Let me try again, okay?"

Joyona nodded.

Maybe she could create that block like she did in the alleyway. It wasn't much—in fact it was supposed to be a shield—but it would be proof enough, right? How did she do it again? She knew that it took The Branch; That one was obvious. What else?

Tess nodded and gave it another shot. Her finger moved through the air and drew out the three constellations she needed for the spell. The Branch for fortitude, the Keepers for protection and the Crown for power.

Nothing.

Mairaela huffed and even Gwendolyn shook her head. "Just give me…"

"No, Tess," Joyona said softly, "We have a deal. We'll let you live long enough to bring you back to the Corps, but we're reporting what happened and they'll do what they will."

Mairaela's ears perked up. It was the first time she was hearing this, but she didn't protest.

Miri's voice prodded the back of Tess' mind, "The Corps will kill us. I can only do so much outside of this place." Tess' mind was moving at lightspeed, trying to find any sort of solution, "If you go with them, it's suicide."

She needed to cast a spell as proof. She needed them to see her cast a spell. She needed to do that before they left the Void. Maybe then they would back her up when they returned to the Corps. She hoped that Philomena—who said she would be observing the exercise from the outside—saw the fire spell she cast before. More specifically, she hoped that Philomena saw how she cast the fire spell before. She hoped, but she had no way of telling how much the instructor could see. She needed her party on her side.

Tess decided to sleep. Maybe she could figure things out in the morning. Everyone else chose to sleep in another room—even Gwendolyn—which deepened the feeling that she was a pariah now. Regardless, she was determined to do her time and prove herself to be telling the truth.

Chapter 36 - Secrets

Tess was struggling to sleep in the middle of the night. Not only was it cold, but there were so many thoughts screaming in her mind. That, and Miri.

"Listen, I'll let you fuck me when we get out of here and you'll forget all about these dopes," The demoness whispered into her mind, "We don't need anyone else. Just you and me, and as I just showed you, we can take care of ourselves. Well, I can take care of you."

Tess replied softly, not wanting to be overheard, "As much as I would love to take some aggression out on you, we need to get out of here first."

"Ooh~.. well, I sure am excited for you to find a way," Miri giggled. She must be feeling better, Tess thought. She wondered why. Did she know something that Tess didn't? Did she figure something out? Would Tess be okay in the end?

She hoped that Miri had a plan. It would be nice to have a backup in case she couldn't muster up a spell in time.

A sound caught her attention then. Voices from the other room. Tess closed her eyes and focused, leaning in toward the sound until it was barely audible. She had to scoot a little closer along the floor until she could hear it reliably.

It was Gwendolyn's voice, "...lay off her a little bit."

"That demon in her tried to kill me, Gwen," Mairaela replied under her breath, "Would you be so forgiving if it'd been you?"

"Don't be dense," Gwen responded harshly, "You tried killing her first."

"Which is something I will never forgive myself for," Mairaela hissed, her voice cracking, "I like Tess. I like her a lot, Gwendolyn. She is my friend and I hated having to do what I did. I hated every second and I will despise myself for it. But I had to do it. You know I had to."

"I didn't try to kill her, did I? I know the standing orders, too, Mairaela. I know the dangers of a Dark Wyrden," Gwendolyn replied softly, "Not every situation is black and white; We need to think this shit through."

"I didn't know about the demon," Mairaela spoke softly now, "I didn't know about the ritual."

"That's why I was trying to get you to stop and talk to me."

There was a long pause. Tess could hear tears.

"I want to believe her. I want to believe her so badly," Mairaela sobbed, "But even if she's telling the truth, how will she ever forgive me?"

Gwen whispered back, "I think you underestimate her quality of character."

"I wouldn't deserve her forgiveness," Mairaela replied, "Gods, Gwendolyn, either way I lose her as a friend. Either she's evil or I don't deserve her."

"It feels bad right now," Gwendolyn whispered, "But it'll dull with time. Let's wait and see what happens before we go kicking ourselves, alright?"

"It would just be easier if I hated her."

Gwendolyn replied, "Is that why you're being this way when she's around?"

Silence. Eventually, Gwendolyn spoke again, "You need to give yourself a chance. We should just be grateful that nothing permanent happened. We'll see what we can do about Tess, and in the meantime, just hope that she's being honest."

"I hope so," Mairaela whispered back.

"I hope so too," Gwendolyn replied.

"Well, isn't that sweet?" Miri hummed.

Tess slipped back to her original spot and whispered below her breath, "Stop being an asshole."

"What if I really meant it?"

"Then you wouldn't admit it," Tess grunted with a roll of her eyes.

She could feel Miri's hand on her shoulder. She couldn't see anything, or smell the lovely demoness, but she could feel her. Was Miri pulling strings in her mind? Another hand joined it, and Tess felt the pressure of a massage between her shoulder blades.

"You're mad at me," Miri said. Tess could hear the pout on her lips. "How come?" She asked, "I saved you."

"I appreciate that," Tess whispered, "I really do. I was terrified and you saved me." 

"Thank you."

Tess let out a lungful of air between her lips, shifting as Miri's invisible massage slipped lower. "You went too far, Miri," Tess said softly, "What you did to Mairaela is inexcusable." She could feel Miri's hands pause before starting again.

"Yeah?" Miri asked, "You only just met her, Tess, and she tried killing you. Why are you that upset? Because you fucked?"

Tess couldn't respond, but her heart started to race.

"That's it, isn't it?"

"No."

Miri chuckled, "Then what?"

"She's on our team. We're a party," Tess replied with a raise of her voice. She glanced toward the door where the others slept and lowered her voice again, "This is all difficult enough. Scary enough. You and I are in enough shit with the Corps, we don't need the rest of the team distrusting us."

Miri sighed, "Then what should I have done? Seduced her?"

"I don't know, Miri," Tess replied, bringing a hand up to her forehead, "But not kill her." She took a deep breath and said, "I'm just so glad that Joyona was able to save her."

Miri was quiet for a time, before replying softly, "Me too."

"What?"

"I said 'me too.'" Miri huffed, continuing her massage at Tess' lower back. Her hands were slipping down near Tess' ass.

Tess rolled over onto her stomach, as feeling the floor underneath her as well as Miri's hands was beginning to feel strange. She folded her arms under her head and rolled her hips slightly to get the best angle against Miri's pressures. "Yes, but," Tess started, "Why? I thought you were all 'I'll cut you in half.'"

Miri was quiet. The massage continued, but the horned one wasn't speaking.

"Miri?" Tess whispered again.

"I can lose control," Miri replied, "Normally it isn't such a big deal. I've done it almost all my life. You know, I killed someone when I was eight?"

"So why do you care this time?"

Miri grunted, continuing lower. Her hands cupped Tess' plump butt, squeezing and rubbing firmly.

Tess tucked her head in against her forearms, making a little, muffled sound.

"I don't know," Miri said softly.

Tess squeezed her eyes shut, arching her back a bit to push her ass into Miri's hands, "Think on it for me, okay? I want to know the answer s-someday."

"Alright," Miri replied. There was silence then, before Miri spoke again with a much lighter, happier voice, "I know just how to make it up to you and Mairaela."

Tess perked up, "What? How?" There was no response, and anxiety grew in Tess' chest. "Miri? What are you going to do? Miri?" The demoness was gone and so was her touch. Tess gulped, shaking her head and burying herself back against her arms. Being worked up by Miri's massage, she rolled back over and let out a frustrated sigh.

Chapter 37 - Making Up

Tess lied on her back, staring up at the long unattended ceiling of the abandoned building they were camping in. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. Miri had been rubbing her body and, admittedly, her touch was fantastic. She just wished she could've had it somewhere else, too. It hadn't been that long since Tess had gotten off, but there was something about a brush of death that made Tess want to fuck something.

She reached between her legs and softly began to stroke herself, feeling that swell beginning to cause her to tent the thin blanket they'd managed to scrounge up. Tess slowly closed her eyes, parting her legs a bit, and started to gently pump her cock within her own small, soft fingers. It wasn't long before she was using both hands, biting her lip to keep from being too loud and waking the others.

Toes curling and uncurling, hips rising from the floor and back arching, Tess was building her own pleasure. "Haa~.." She moaned, feeling a pressure building beneath her belly.

Then she stopped, lying flat upon the floor. This wasn't right. Why was she jerking herself off when there was at least one other girl willing to do it, with the other two almost certainly on the fence about it. Yeah, Mairaela might be mad at her, and maybe she tried killing Tess just a few hours ago, but what was all of that between lovers? Besides, she was a really good lay, and Tess was certain that they could patch things up if they fucked enough.

Tess gave a long stretch, rising to her feet. She'd been naked in preparation for her rest—she found that underwear was too confining when she slept—and so she was naked as she approached the door to where the others were. The lantern lights were off. Tess licked her lips, and for the briefest moment she wondered what had come over her to try something like this. However, it was a very brief thought.

Pulling on the handle, the door creaked slightly as she opened it up. The moonlight that came in from a broken board on the ceiling was enough to illuminate the sleeping forms in the dark. Joyona was apparently sleeping in a third room. Gwendolyn and Mairaela slept on opposite sides of a low featherbed. Mairaela had the only pillow available. Gwendolyn would only be a few feet away, but Tess was confident that wouldn't be a problem. She could stay quiet enough. Maybe Mairaela couldn't, but oh well. Gwendolyn wouldn't be that mad.

Tess slipped over to Mairaela's bedside, crouching down so that she was head-level with the Fey. "Mairaela," she whispered, reaching out to tap her on the shoulder, "Hey, it's Tess."

Green eyes opened up and a brow furrowed. "What are you doing here?" Mairaela asked, her eyes flicking downward for a moment, "And why is your dick out?"

"I'm horny," Tess whispered back, a smile on her face, "Want to fuck?" She was bouncing on her heels, far too excited to sit still.

"What?" Mairaela hissed, sitting up a little bit and glancing down at Tess' cock. She whispered, "Wow, you aren't joking. What got you all worked up?" There was a blush forming on Mairaela's cheeks. There was certainly something about the situation that must have been getting her worked up, too.

"Thinking about you," Tess hummed, "Last time was so much fun."

"Tess, I literally shot you in the heart earlier today," Mairaela replied with lidded eyes, "Don't you think that's grounds for, I don't know, not fucking that night?"

"Yeah, but I want to cum," Tess pouted, "And you haven't said no."

Mairaela's ears perked up, then settled low. A blush was forming on her adorable cheeks and she said in response, "We're going to wake up the Dame."

"That's okay, she's watched me before," Tess replied confidently.

Mairaela's mouth opened, but she couldn't get the words out right away. Eventually, she managed, "You're going to have to explain that one to me someday."

"So, was that a yes?" Tess asked with a hopeful expression.

Mairaela looked like she was battling with herself for a moment and then relented with a drop of her ears, "It's a yes." She rolled over onto her back and started to shimmy out of her pants, "Bring that monster up here."

Tess followed directions, slipping beneath the sheet and settling atop Mairaela. The Fey's legs were parted and as Tess got close, Mairaela wrapped them around her back, locking her ankles. Tess could feel her thick cock pressing up against Mairaela's cunt, rubbing her shaft between those wet lips the more she moved back and forth. Mairaela's blush deepened and Tess rested her weight onto the taller Fey.

"Hi," Mairaela whispered, face-to-face with Tess now. She was smiling, her hair spilling out underneath her head and atop her shoulders, framing her bust. She was still wearing her undershirt, which Tess grabbed and pulled upward, exposing the Fey's expansive chest. Of the four of them, Mairaela's had the biggest pair of tits, rivaled only by Miri's. Tess leaned in and began kissing along Mairaela's breast, eventually taking one dusty pink nipple between her lips. Mairaela's breath drew in, and she brought one forearm up to cover her mouth. Her sounds were muffled, but not entirely silent. Tess drew her hips back, took her cock into her hand by the base, and pushed forward. Her length didn't quite reach where she was hoping, slipping upward through Mairaela's folds.

The Fey nearly broke out in laughter; the most noise she'd made so far. Kindly, she reached under the sheets with her free hand, took Tess' cock, and guided it to the right position. Tess could feel the blush on her own cheeks and whispered, "Thanks." Mairaela just nodded with a wide, wide smile.

Tess pushed forward, squeezing her dick inside of Mairaela's pussy. The Fey was still so tight, and every inch felt like an achievement. She could feel her cock being forced to taper into Mairaela's body, her tunnel only able to stretch so much before it was at its limit and Tess had to squeeze herself down in order to fit. Mairaela was moaning into her arm, but Tess could only bury her head into Mairaela's chest.

"There," Mairaela huffed, taking deep breaths, "Are you all in?"

"Almost," Tess whispered back.

Mairaela tried to suppress a laugh, "How the fuck are you so big?"

Tess pushed until she managed to get that last inch inside, bringing her body up against Mairaela's. The Fey, meanwhile, let out a soft cry against her arm. Mairaela wrapped her arms around Tess' shoulders, letting them drape behind her. She began to plant small kisses along Tess' cheek.

Tess replied with a soft nibble against Mairaela's ear, which caused her to give an audible whimper, one that wasn't muffled against her arm.

Gwendolyn shifted beside them, causing the other two to pause and go completely silent. Mairaela especially looked horrified, looking over at Gwen and covering her mouth once again.

Tess started moving her hips back and forth, milking her length within Mairaela's body. The Fey looked shocked that Tess would continue so soon after nearly waking Gwendolyn up, but she couldn't protest with how much she had to pant and moan instead. Tess picked up the pace, with the sound of flesh against flesh beginning to fill the room. The bed creaked and shifted as Tess lost all semblance of control or care about being covert.

Its effect was pretty instant. Without turning around, Gwendolyn spoke, "What the hells.." She rolled over and sat up, eyes flitting back and forth between Mairaela and Tess, "Did you two make up?"

"Working on it," Mairaela replied softly, "Want to join?"

Chapter 38 - Little Spoon

Tess was lying upon Mairaela's body, head resting in the nook where the shoulder meets the neck. Her hips were the only part of her that was moving, bucking like an animal to thrust her cock in and out of the Fey beneath her. She was moaning and crying out softly against Mairaela's neck, her pace quickening. What was going on with her? Someone just started watching and she didn't even bother to look?

Gwendolyn couldn't believe her eyes, but her attention was brought to Mairaela's face. The Fey's head was turned toward her, eyes lidded and deep in heat. Her lips were parted, hot breath pushing through them with each thrust. Mairaela's face was red with exertion, lust and perhaps some embarrassment as she looked at Gwendolyn. The knight could only stare back. Gwendolyn knew that the Fey was gorgeous, but there was something about her current state—and the state of Tess—that really gave her a rush.

Mairaela had just offered to include Gwendolyn, and the knight didn't know how to respond. Their bodies were so beautiful, pressed together like that, and Gwendolyn could just barely make out the shape of Tess' cock as it was stuffed in and out of Mairaela's body. Gwen was chewing on her lip, watching Mairaela's lidded gaze as she was fucked so thoroughly by Tess.

Something didn't feel quite right about all of this. How did Tess and Mairaela make up so quickly? Why were they so nonchalant about this? She supposed that they had been last time in the clocktower too, but this felt differently with everything that happened today.

"Gwen," Mairaela purred, "How about a-.. Aah~!" Gwendolyn had no desire to correct Mairaela on the name. The Fey started moaning deeply, arching her back and rotating her hips into Tess'. There was something about the Fey's crying that gave it a siren song feel. Gwen bet that she must be really fun to fuck. 

Whatever Tess was doing, it seemed to cut Mairaela's sentence short, her lashes fluttering as her body was plowed into the bed. Eventually Tess leaned back, detangling Mairaela's legs while the Fey was left panting and trying to catch her breath. Tess and Gwen made eye contact, but Tess just looked out of her mind with desire. Gwendolyn felt herself drawn in, mesmerized by that gaze. Tess looked so gorgeous, so hot. She looked like she was feeling so, so good and for the briefest moment, Gwendolyn wished that it was her making Tess feel that good. It wasn't that she was jealous, just that she wished she were as freewilled as the Fey.

Tess took Mairaela's legs and brought them over her own shoulders, leaning forward and folding the Fey at the waist. Mairaela's lovely ass was pushed up into the air, knees brought to her shoulders, and her calves and ankles rested just behind Tess' head. All Tess had to do now was thrust her hips downward to pump her cock straight into Mairaela's cunt. The whole motion shook the bed and filled the room with fleshy slaps as Tess' hips struck Mairaela's rear again and again.

"Wow.." Gwendolyn whispered under her breath, not even realizing that she was speaking aloud until she'd said it. She gulped, watching the whole thing unfold. Gods, she was wet. The knight slipped a hand down beneath her underclothes to feel just how soaked she was. Her whole body felt electrified when her fingertips finally hit home. This was the perfect motivation for her. How long had it been since she last played with herself like this? Far too long, she knew.

Tess started huffing and moaning, her thrusts devolving into spasmic jerks of her hips. "M-Mai-.. Haa~!" She cried, muffling her sound against Mairaela's neck.

Mairaela's cries were in unison with Tess'. They were both close, Gwen could tell. If they stopped now, how was she going to finish? No, she thought, no, hold out for me. Wait for me. But they wouldn't. Tess' thrusts, if anything, were speeding up. She brought her head up, arms pressing beside Mairaela's head and keeping her body high, while the Fey remained folded over, fully exposed to Tess' thrusting.

Gwendolyn leaned forward, taking Tess' chin in her hand and redirecting her. She pressed her mouth against the blonde-haired beauty's lips. Almost immediately, Tess stopped thrusting. She was paused at the edge, just before that point of no return. Mairaela was still panting and whimpering. She didn't seem to mind at all that she could prolong the whole, mind-shattering ordeal.

Gwen canted her lips, moving her hand to the back of Tess' head. Tess' eyes were opened in shock for a moment, but they quickly fluttered closed as she melted into the kiss. Gwen's hand moved faster between her own legs, causing her to give muffled whimpers against Tess' mouth. Tess probed at Gwen's mouth with her tongue, and Gwendolyn eagerly let it in. Their tongues danced for some time, and Tess slowly began to thrust again.

As Gwendolyn neared her own climax, she drew her lips from Tess' and whispered a singular, enticing note into her ear, "Cum."

Tess immediately stiffened, biting her lip and sheathing herself completely within the Fey. Mairaela gave out one final scream of joy as Tess drew out of her and began to lay long, thick lines of cum all up and down the Fey's body. Tess was initially jerking herself off, but Gwendolyn swatted her hand away and took over, pumping Tess' cock in her soft palm to milk out every last spurt of cream onto Mairaela's curvy body, covering her heavy tits and pretty face. Mairaela's legs drew down until she was lying flat upon her back, covered from face to navel in a hefty load of cum. All of it was laid out in dozens of lines up and down her body, which rose and fell with each panting breath.

Gwendolyn hadn't yet finished, but she didn't even care. The feeling of Tess' hard cock in her hand, spasming and throbbing, feeling as hard as steel in her grasp; that was far better.

Or so she thought before Tess' hand was between Gwendolyn's legs. Two fingers went inside of her, and a palm pressed against that hooded bundle of nerves and Gwendolyn went off hotter than Tess' fire spell. She cried out, doubling over and clutching Tess' wrist. Her hips bucked, her eyes squeezed shut, and her whole body jerked and spasmed until she finally felt a sudden release of tension. Every muscle in her body relaxed and Gwendolyn fell over, gasping for breath like Mairaela, but not quite so messy.

Tess slid in between the two of them and whispered to Gwen, "Mairaela's asleep." Gwendolyn could only nod her head, too many thoughts running through her mind to speak in any coherent manner. She licked her lips, cleared her throat, but nothing was coming to her. She was locking eyes with Tess and realizing just how much she liked this person.

"I'll roll over," Tess said, calling back to their sleeping arrangement when they were camping together in the same sleeping bag.

Gwendolyn caught her arm and whispered, "You can face me this time," before turning over. There was a moment of silence before she felt Tess snuggle up behind her, wet and hard between the Dame's cheeks. Gwendolyn didn't mind. She liked it, in fact. It felt freeing.

"Goodnight, Tess," Gwendolyn whispered, but all she could hear was the soft snoozing of the sleeping woman behind her.

Chapter 39 - Miri's Gift

Tess awoke with a gasp, lying down in her makeshift bed, alone in the room where she'd been while overhearing Gwen and Mairaela discussing the day's events. She was pitching a tent down below and elected to bring up her knees to keep it from being exposed. She was still getting used to that happening each morning. Such a pain. She tried replaying last night's events in her mind. Everything was so clear, but after she tucked in next to Gwen, there was nothing that she could remember after that.

Was she sleepwalking? Had that been a dream?

Considering all of the odd things going on lately, she can't imagine it would be something so simple as that.

"Did you have a good night?" Miri purred in Tess' mind.

Tess' eyes widened and she sat up. "What?!" She hissed, the realization that all of last night's events actually happened causing her heart to race. "What did you do?!" She breathed.

"Who? Me?" Miri laughed, "I was just taken for a ride, that's all. I got to watch it all, and goodness, that looked fun."

"That isn't all. You did something," Tess whispered, "You said you were going to do something to repay Mairaela and I. So what did you do?"

"Oh, gods, I don't see what the big deal is," Miri mused. Tess could feel Miri's eyes rolling, "So I might've lowered your inhibitions. That's all."

Tess' heart dropped. Her eyes were opened wide. "You-..."

"I pulled some levers in your brain," Miri replied ambivalently.

Tess gulped. Pulled some levers? Immediately Tess' mind went to the worst case scenario. How many of her thoughts and behaviors were just Miri "pulling levers?" The thought gave her shivers.

"You… you can do that?" Tess stammered.

Tess could hear the smile in the demoness' voice as she replied easily, "Yeah, of course. We share the body, remember?"

Tess was silent. Her thoughts were moving at the speed of light. Panic built and vanished as quickly as it appeared. She couldn't keep up. "You have no right-…"

"What?!" Miri snapped, "We are sharing this body, Tess. Why should you get to make all of the decisions as to what we do with it?" 

Feeling the heat of Miri's rage, Tess wondered why she was suddenly so in tune with the demon's feelings all of a sudden. She hated that she saw the logic in Miri's statement, but it felt terrifying to have someone else puppeting her without her knowledge. Suddenly she was realizing the significant downside of sharing a body with someone. Having a voice in your head was one thing, but the lack of full autonomy? That was different.

Perhaps Miri could sense her despair, "Oh please, don't fret so much. All I did was give you the freedom to do what you wanted to do." Miri chuckled, "You would've just jacked off and gone to sleep if you didn't want to bone Mairaela again."

"But…" Tess stammered, looking around the room as if she might find answers, when there was nothing but dust, "But why did Mairaela-... I thought she was angry with us?"

"Well, she is," Miri muttered, "And we're angry with her, aren't we?"

"Maybe a little," Tess mumbled.

Miri corrected her, "Maybe a lot. She was going to kill you. Done. Her arrow would've been the last thing you ever felt if I hadn't been here to save you."

Tess was silent. Miri was making a lot of sense and she couldn't really argue.

Pressing the attack, Miri added, "But you still wanted to fuck her. I mean, I can't blame you; She's got one of the best bodies I've ever seen. So all I had to do was take away a few barriers to allow you the freedom to do what you truly wanted to do." 

"But that doesn't explain why she went along with what I wanted to do," Tess persisted, pushing some hair from her face and holding it back. She wanted answers. She wanted to know exactly what happened so that she could explain herself when the group unsurprisingly approached her about it.

Miri replied with a sigh, "Well, you had some pheromonal help, you could say."

"Phero-what?"

"Yeah, you know… you smelled nice, basically. Really nice. So nice it made people want to impale themselves on your cock," Miri replied casually, "So she did. Gwen wanted to, you know."

That made Tess smile, despite herself. She bit her lip, looking downward and trying to conceal her blush. How could she hide something from someone she shared a body with?

"Look at that smile!" Miri exclaimed with excitement.

Tess rose from her blanket, having finally relaxed a bit. Her cock hung heavily between her legs, but at least it wasn't jutting out in front of her. "Whatever," Tess grunted, moving to collect her clothes. They looked like small strips of fabric. The small amount looked as though it couldn't be more than a scarf that she picked up off of the ground. She wondered how such a small amount could conceal her. At least the others knew about her not-so-little endowment now so that she didn't have to get creative in hiding it.

"Do you forgive me?" Miri cooed into her mind's ear.

"Forgive you? For what?" Tess said with a smirk, "Weren't you saying you didn't do anything wrong?"

Tess could feel Miri's amusement as the demoness replied, "You know what I mean."

"But how did you do that? That couldn't have just been some 'lever.' It isn't a mental decision to change how I smell, is it?" Tess asked.

Miri was quiet for a bit and Tess felt the woman's surprise. Did Tess just catch her in something?

"Okay, maybe it isn't."

"Then how did you do it?"

"Maybe I've got a gift like your little friends do," Miri grunted in response. She didn't like explaining this.

"A gift? You?" Tess asked, shocked, "Why didn't it show up in the ritual? Is it because you're in my mind, not my soul?"

"They might've shown up. I've gotten pretty good at hiding mine, though."

"They?"

"Yeah, well, Mairaela isn't the only special one with two," Miri replied with a little sigh.

"So what are they?" Tess asked.

"Brawling," Miri said back, like she was finally relenting to something.

"And…?"

"Let's just call it, mm.. Performance."

Tess' mouth was agape and she let out a little giggle at the thought, "You have a gift in fucking?" As she tied her loincloth about her waist, Tess couldn't help but laugh a little louder, "Wow!"

"Yeah, laugh it up," Miri said, joining in on the chuckling, "As I recall, you were pretty damn happy to use it last night."

"I didn't know I was using it," Tess replied, "What does it do?"

"I'm sure you'll learn all the 'ins and outs' of it," Miri mused, "Now do you have any more questions, or can the inquisition finally end?"

"No, I think I'm done," Tess replied, slipping into her footwear and adjusting her chest wrap, "Oh, wait, one more. Is that common for demons? Gifts? Two gifts?"

Tess felt an urge to lie. Was that Miri's? The urge faded, replaced by a willingness to be honest.

"No. Demons don't get gifts."

Chapter 40 - About Last Night

"What?!" Tess shouted aloud, even if the intended recipient was in her mind. The thought was cut off by a scream from the other room. Tess tensed, rushing to the other room. She was angry to give Miri a pass on that statement she just made, but there were more important things. 

Bursting through the door, she saw Mairaela and Gwen both standing. Mairaela was naked, covering herself with a sheet, while Gwendolyn was dressed and on the opposite end of the room, her sword drawn. She was looking up at the ceiling, where the hole in the roof was.

"Something is there," Gwendolyn barked, pointing up at the hole, "I saw it."

Mairaela looked up, leaning from one side to the other. Her ears perked up as she listened closely and she replied to Gwendolyn with a bit of irritation in her tone, "Well, there's nothing there now! Did you have to frighten me like that?"

Gwendolyn didn't look so convinced, tightening the grip on her sword and watching the ceiling like a hawk. Mairaela gave a sigh and went to gather up her clothes. Tess gave her at least a modicum of privacy by turning toward Gwen.

"What was it, Gwendolyn?" Tess asked, glancing up at the ceiling.

"Not sure," she replied, "Some… dark thing. A shadow, but not a shadow. Big, white holes for eyes."

There was a touch of anxiety in Tess' mind, but it must have been Miri's. Was she afraid of the danger, too? Did she and Gwendolyn sense something that Tess and Mairaela couldn't?

"Let's pack up," Gwendolyn said, slowly letting her blade of light dissipate into the air, moving instead to the rest of her clothes and armor and getting prepared. When Tess looked back to Mairaela, the Fey was mostly dressed. All she was missing was her high-collared cloak, which she whipped around her back and clasped to the neck of her shirt.

"Hey, um," Tess started, approaching Mairaela, "Can we talk?" Mairaela averted her eyes, focusing instead on summoning that light bow of hers. She tested the bowstring, giving it a flick that let out a light, pretty resonance, like a harp.

Mairaela looked up at Tess. She didn't look mad, like the day before. She didn't look… well, however she looked last night. She looked calm and collected, "Talk about what?"

"Last night," Tess responded simply.

Mairaela gave a soft smile, as though it were some fond, distant memory, "Don't sweat it. Was nice to let off some steam, right?" Something about her responses seemed off to Tess, but she didn't want to press it.

"I thought it was a dream. I don't remember going back to my bed," Tess replied.

Mairaela chuckled, "Well, I felt the evidence of it between my legs and all over my body when I woke up in the middle of the night. Sure as the hells, it wasn't a dream."

"Do you feel strange about it?"

"Strange how?"

"I don't know," Tess said, rubbing her forehead and pushing some hair behind her ear, "Do you think it was weird that we did that? Do you regret it?"

"What are you getting at, Tess?" Mairaela asked, planting her hands on her hips and watching her closely.

Tess opened her mouth to speak, but she hadn't quite thought of how to phrase it yet. It took her a moment, and Mairaela waited patiently, her expression shifting from suspicion to curiosity and to concern. "We were manipulated," Tess finally said under her breath.

Mairaela's ears perked up and she asked, "Hey, you came into my room."

"No, we were both manipulated," Tess repeated a little louder. Gwendolyn either wasn't interested or didn't hear, as she went into Joyona's room and closed the door behind her. "Miri did something to me," Tess spoke softly, "She fucked with my inhibitions. I never would've-..."

Mairaela looked concerned, "You wouldn't have-...?"

"I mean, I would. I would love to. I mean, we did. I just-... I thought you were mad at me. Thought I was evil. I thought-... I didn't know if we were still friends, Mairaela," Tess replied. She felt some pressure behind her eyes. Don't cry, she told herself.

"No," Mairaela said, shaking her head, "Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it there. I just-..." She paused, eyes searching around for the words, "Sorry." With concern, she asked, "Miri can control you? Mess with your mind?"

"I think giving her control yesterday has bound us a little more tightly. I can feel what she feels, sometimes," Tess explained, "But then she makes a good point that I can't just keep her locked away all the time. She's a part of this too. She's as trapped as I am, if not more so."

"Aw, babe. You're so sweet," Tess could hear Miri hum in her mind. She tried ignoring her and focusing on Mairaela's words instead.

Mairaela frowned and said, "She's a demon, Tess."

"I don't know if she is," Tess whispered, as though Miri couldn't hear her, "She won't be up front with me."

"And you won't fuck me like you fucked her," Miri groaned in retaliation, "Where's the fairness in that?"

Tess struggled to keep her commentary to herself, not wanting Mairaela to mistake her irritation for something else.

Mairaela looked irritated enough on her own after that statement, "Tess, I fought against her. She's a demon. And even if she wasn't? Then she's something worse."

Miri was silent at that, which was telling, Tess thought. What if she was something worse than a demon? Why wouldn't Miri just be straightforward? They were in this body together. Wouldn't knowing more about the situation help Tess to rectify that?

"Maybe. Either way, she manipulated you, too," Tess said softly.

Mairaela's eyes went wide before narrowing angrily, "What did she do?"

"Messed with my-... fuck, what were they called? Phera-..."

Mairaela raised an eyebrow.

"The word doesn't matter. She made me smell a certain way to you. Like an aphrodisiac, I think. Made you want to sleep with me," Tess said, hoping that the Fey wouldn't take this out on Tess, "I promise that I had nothing to do with it," Tess said with a worried look.

Mairaela looked relieved, "Oh thank the gods." She laughed, "I thought that I'd been such a spineless slut."

Tess quirked a brow. She must've looked confused.

"There's nothing wrong with that, of course. I mean, it's custom for me to sleep with someone when out and about on the road each night, or… well, I suppose in here, too. So no shame in it. It's just something we do to relax after a long day," Mairaela explained, "But we usually won't do it with someone we killed and then killed us that day. I'm just relieved to know I don't have to process my wanton lust today. Thanks for letting me know."

"You're not mad?" Tess asked.

"Nah," Mairaela said with a wave of her hand, "Look. I'm glad that we had that moment together. I think it allowed us to get some things out of our system and reconnect a bit. But it's going to make things worse if you end up being-... well, what I really hope you aren't."

"I'm not," Tess insisted.

Mairaela gave a soft, sad smile, "I really hope so too, Tess. I like being around you."

"I like being around you, too, Mairaela."