Secrets Of The Forest Nymph Ch 05

Sorry for the wait, I had to fix some things. Thank you Professor for the help, as always you're one of a kind. In this segment the group leaves the safety of Mermaid Lake to journey towards the castle to rescue Shea. I'm pretty sure the comments at the end will get a reaction from my readers. Please vote and comment – I can only get better with guidance, and as always; enjoy the journey.

The small group gathered their things and said goodbyes. Xena kept pushing to say goodbye to Larry in her own way, but he declined. Larry told her that when they got back he'd make time for her, maybe her friends too.

The mermaid who sucked off Feather walked up to Chad. "When you get back, maybe we can spend some time together. I'd really like to be with a human," she told him.

"I know everyone here likes sex. However, when I make it back, I'm going to have my wife with me. I don't think Princess Shea will like that I already had sex with your friend," Chad told her politely. He hoped she would understand about what happened already.

"I know Princess Shea won't mind. She was the one who helped me with my cherry when I was just forty three," the mermaid told him with a smile.

Chad smiled back. 'This place just gets weirder and weirder,' he thought.

The group was about to leave when they were stopped at the sound of someone screaming. Everyone turned to see what the matter was. Feather's mom came running out of the forest. Leonia stumbled just as she reached the clearing. One of the centaurs bolted for the exhausted elf.

Leonia got to her feet and wobbled forward. She had run most of the way to the lake during the night. The centaur reached out, swung the tired elf onto his back, and galloped towards the group. Leonia climbed down gingerly. Her hair, matted with sweat, clung to her skin. She was bleeding from cuts on her toned legs. Feather ran up to her and caught her before she collapsed.

"Mom! What the hell are you doing here? What happened to you?" Feather asked.

"I had to see... I had to hold you...just once...more," she Leonia replied breathlessly.

"What in the name of Artemis were you thinking Mom? You know better than anyone not to go through the forest at night anymore!" Feather exclaimed.

"I'll...be here when...when you get...back," Leonia told her.

Xena put an arm around Leonia's shoulders. Then, addressing Feather, she said, "Don't worry about your mother Feather. We'll take care of her and see to her injuries. You worry about getting the princess back."

Feather let her mother go. "When I get back --and I will be back--you and I are going to have a long talk about self-control," she said and then kissed Leonia goodbye.

The group turned to enter the forest. Malifin lead the way. Larry, Feather, and Chad followed close behind. Nugen was the last one, just incase something tried to sneak up on the group. Chad felt confident if they could make it to the castle, with the group intact, they stood a good chance of success.

"We should reach the castle just after night fall," Feather told Chad.

"You know the castle better than I do. You're going to have to find a way in," Chad responded.

"I already know how we get in. That's not what I'm worried about. It's what to do when we get in," she said.

"If Marrow is as bad as you say, he's going to have a small army waiting for us," Chad said. Just then, Malifin stopped and knelt on the ground studying something that was there.

The group gathered around to see what he found. There were two sets of large footprints. One set was facing the direction they were going. The other set was facing the direction from where they came. "Now we know what was watching us last night, a Boraro," Malifin told them.

"I'm sorry if I sound stupid. It looks like the tracks are backwards," Chad said.

"That's how we know it was a Boraro. The being looks like a human, but its feet point backwards. The name means, 'the white ones', because they have pale skin and hairy chests. The only good thing about them is that they're easy to take down," Feather said.

"What makes them so easy? Given the size of that print, it seems they're pretty big," Chad asked.

"They have no knees. If you can knock them down, you can defeat them." Larry informed him.

Feather looked up at Chad. "You're the one he was hunting. They hate humans and will track them through the forest, waiting for the right moment to attack."

"I don't think we will have to worry about this one. He probably left to tell Marrow that we're here. We won't see him again until we get there. On the down side, Marrow will probably send some trouble our way," Malifin told the group.

He stood up and faced the others. "From here on out, we watch each others' backs. There will be no unnecessary talking. Whatever we meet out there, we don't want to help them by making a lot of noise," the Wokulo said.

Malifin took his position again and lead the group deeper into the forest. Chad looked over to the Satyr. "Nugen, you follow Larry. Feather and I will take up rear guard," Chad said.

"As you wish, your majesty. Um. Forgive me...Chad," Nugen said politely.

"Are you up for this Chad? From here on, it will just get worse," Feather whispered to him.

Chad leaned over and kissed her lips, sliding his tongue into her mouth. Feather finally pulled away and caught her breath. "What was that for?" Feather asked in surprise.

"I thought I'd kiss you. I may not get a chance again," Chad said as he went to follow the others.

The forest was quiet, which only made Chad nervous. It had been a few hours and he was starting to feel it in his legs. A break would be nice. As they moved along, Chad heard the sound of water running. He knew one thing from hunting: Never pass up water when you can get it.

"Hey, Feather. Let's stop up here. I think I hear water running," he said, maybe a little too loudly.

The noise caught Malifin's attention. He turned to face Chad with his face full of anger. Feather signaled to the team to hold up at the nearby stream. Once they gathered around, they drank what they had left, and refilled the wooden jugs. Malifin moved over next to Chad, whispering quietly to the human.

"When I said no noise, that's what I meant. You're new here, so I'm going to give you a break. But until we get to the castle...shut up!" he said tersely through tight lips. Chad signaled that he understood the furry little man. He didn't know which he'd have to fight first, Marrow...or Malifin.

Larry looked over at Chad, giving him a glance that showed he wasn't pleased either. Feather moved over next to him and put her lips next to his ear. "Don't let them get to you Chad. They're just used to the forest and noise discipline," she said reassuringly. Chad didn't want to say anything, so he just patted her on the leg and stood up.

Chad motioned to the group to get started again. He felt a lot better now that he'd rested for a short while. About twenty minutes later, Malifin grabbed the handle of his sword and froze. This caused the whole team to follow suit. Chad's heart started to race. He remembered what Feather had said about Malifin. Danger was close by, but where?

Up above the trees, the Jaculus waited. The winged serpent-like creatures had a reputation for quick shooting attacks. When the prey was close, they would launch themselves from the trees and sink their large teeth and claws into their victims. Once the Jaculus attacked, very few creatures ever got away. They were just too fast. This one was still a good hundred yards off, but realized the group knew he was there. What stood out the most was the first creature. If the furry dwarf could sense him, he might lose the advantage.

Everyone in the group scanned the forest for the danger, but no one saw any signs. After a few minutes, Malifin started forward...slowly. Chad keep staring behind them to make sure the attack was not from behind. Just as he turned towards Malifin, that's when he saw it. It was almost as if time slowed down.

Shooting out of the trees was a large-winged serpent. Its wings were pulled back in what looked like a power dive. Malifin pulled his sword out and quickly crouched in preparation to defend against the Jaculus heading straight for him. Chad could see the puzzled look in the creature's expression. In the blink of an eye, Malifin had disappeared.

Since the Jaculus lost his intended victim, he turned his aim towards the next one in line. 'This stupid creature must be petrified. He's standing perfectly still,' the Jaculus thought.

Larry instinctively knew that when Malifin vanished, he was next. He allowed the creature to approach him. The Jaculus seemed so confident in his attack. While Larry was waiting for the Jaculus to hit him, Feather pulled out her bow. As she pulled an arrow back, preparing to fire, she realized it was too late. The Jaculus began to move its talons to the front, so he could hit the Tengu with claws and fangs at the same time.

Larry grabbed the two samurai swords at his sides. Larry laughed to himself, as the creature was within range. 'Stupid creature', he thought. To Chad, it was all a blur. He had never seen anything move that fast. Larry stepped to the side as he pulled the swords out, crossing his body. The Jaculus had no chance as the Tengu's swords removed its head cleanly. The creature never touched its intended target.

Chad, Feather, and Nugen all dove to the side, as the body of the Jaculus slid lifelessly across the forest floor. Larry gave the two swords a quick flick of his wrists, removing the blood from the razor sharp blades. As Chad pulled himself up, he could see that Feather was laughing and shaking her head in disbelief.

Larry approached the others to see if they were injured. "What do you find so amusing, Elf?" Larry asked.

"Well I've heard how fast the Tengu are, but I didn't think it was possible to be that fast," she told him. Chad moved over to the dead creature and looked at Larry.

"I was just wondering. Would anyone like to tell me what that used to be?" he asked. Feather put her bow away and looked at Chad.

"That was a Jaculus. It means 'javelin' because they shoot out at you like a spear," she told him.

Larry looked around and asked, "So what happened to our furry little friend?"

Just then, Malifin reappeared right next to Chad. "Jesus H Christ Malifin! Don't do that right next to me!" Chad exclaimed.

"Sorry about that, didn't mean to startle you...human." He approached Larry, keeping eye contact with him. That was a nice move," Malifin told him.

"That was a pretty good move yourself, disappearing right before that thing hit you," Larry said.

"If you guys are done patting each other on the back, we should get going before something else jumps out at us," Chad cautioned.

"Chad's right. This guy won't be alone. Marrow will try and send as much as he can to decrease our numbers before getting to the castle," Feather told group of creatures.

Malifin took the lead as they continued towards the castle. Chad could only wonder about what Feather said. If Marrow sends anything else their way, how many of them would even make it to the castle? The capabilities of Malifin and Larry were very useful, but what about a larger force of creatures?

They continued on their way with no further delays and made good time. Nugen fell back to walk with Chad. The satyr leaned in to whisper to him, "Majesty, have you thought about what we are going to do, when we get to the castle?"

"I'm still working on it, Nugen. As soon as I figure it out, I'll fill you in. I'm still wondering how Feather will get us in," Chad said grimly.

Larry signaled the group to take a break up ahead at the edge of a small clearing. When they reached it, Malifin said he was going to check around the small meadow to see if any danger was out there. In an instant, he vanished. You could see his imprints on the grass, as the Wokulo headed off. Feather sat next to Chad so they could speak to each other without having to raise their voices.

"Nugen is asking some good questions, Feather," he told her.

"What is he asking you? It wouldn't have anything to do with having sex with me is it?" she said giggling.

"More along the lines of what the plan is. You still need to fill me in on how you are going to get in," Chad said with a little urgency.

"This is the meadow that Shea and I used to head to when we snuck out for a fuck session. Her mom and dad never could figure out how we did it--getting out of the castle without them knowing about it. We're going to use the same trick to make it in. We're about an hour from the castle, but just up ahead there's a cave. That cavern will lead us to an underground chamber that we can use to sneak up to what used to be a spare room."

"What happens if someone is in that room when we enter it?" Chad asked.

"I'm more worried about what might have moved into the cavern while we've been gone," she told him nervously.

"On a good note, if you haven't noticed yet, I haven't had a hard on since we left the lake. It's kind of nice to have a break," Chad told her trying to lighten the mood.

"Don't kid yourself Chad. It's not you. It's the evil in this part of the forest. Nothing happy ever happens here and probably won't until we get rid of Marrow," Feather said.

Malifin returned after going around the edge of the meadow, finding nothing. "Welcome back. Are we being watched, Malifin?" Larry asked.

"All I found were a lot of tracks leading towards the castle. It appears that Marrow is gathering his forces," Malifin told the group. Feather discussed the plan with them. If they were going to risk their lives for Shea, they might as well approve of it beforehand.

The plan was a simple one. Once they got to the cave, they would separate. Larry and Malifin heading to the front of the castle, while Chad, Nugen, and Feather slipped in to get Shea. If Larry and Malifin could cause enough chaos out front, it might be enough to draw attention away from them. They could quietly grab Shea and get out. Then, everyone would meet up at the clearing and head back to the lake. Simple enough plan, if Marrow didn't have an army waiting for them.

The group gathered up and headed for the cave. Chad kept rehearsing in his head his own plan of what to do once they got in. Going head on with an evil Ogre was going to take skill and a lot of luck. From what he learned from the others, Chad knew that Marrow was predictable in his combat tactics. Chad was counting on Marrow's ego to get the best of him. That would give him just enough of an edge to win...and get his wife back.

**********

Marrow gathered as many as he could to defend the castle. Most of the creatures did it out of fear, instead of loyalty. The easiest way into the castle was to go in the front. Even though, as a precaution, he had placed a few of the Jaculus to guard the sides of the stone structure. Now that Marrow had the entrance well protected, he could return to his previous activity. The Jaculus would be back just in time for the human and elf to see the torture of Shea and Bolara.

Marrow returned to the dungeon to attend to his two victims. It had only been a short time since he came, but was he was beginning to have that itch again. The only entrance to the lower portion of the castle was the stairs. He placed the two biggest hellhounds at the top, just incase the Boraro decided to interrupt again. Marrow approached the cell. Shea was still lying unconscious in Bolara's lap.

"I think I'm ready for a little fun again," Marrow told her. He opened the cell door and grabbed Shea. Bolara reached up and tried to push him away, but to no avail, he was just too big.

"Get your hands off my daughter you bastard," she screamed at him.

Marrow backhanded her in the ribs, causing Bolara to roll to the other side of the cell. Marrow heard the bones break in her ribs, and let out a soft moan, "God I love that sound." Bolara went to the fetal position, clutching her now broken ribs.

"You should have learned by now bitch! Don't ever keep me from my fun," he told her. She would have continued to fight back for her daughter, but she found it hard to breathe. Marrow dragged Shea across the floor by her arm, like a child pulling a doll.

He hauled her to the center of the room where two large ropes hung from the ceiling. They were paired with two mounted on the floor. Marrow first tied her arms up, causing her to hang about two feet off the ground. Then he did the same to her legs, making Shea's body form a large X, suspending her in air.

Marrow walked back to the cell where Bolara was huddled in the corner. "Very soon, we're all going to have a lot of fun," Marrow told her. "The Jaculus should return soon with your son-in-law. He gets to watch, while you and your daughter scream, until you both die," Marrow said in an evil growl.

Maybe I should reward him for coming here with a small gift. How would dear old Mommy like to give her little son-in-law a nice blowjob?" Bolara could only sob aloud. She knew he could do what he wanted...she couldn't stop him.

"I asked you a question slut. Maybe I can get your sweet daughter to answer for you," Marrow said as he looked at Shea's suspended body.

Bolara kept her eyes down. "Yes Master. I would love to give Chad a blowjob," she said softly.

"Not good enough Bolara. I'll just have to get Shea to say it right," Marrow told her as he turned towards Shea.

"No please. I can do better." Bolara told him quickly. Marrow turned back to the cell, looking at the battered woman.

"That's a wonderful idea Master. I would love to have my son-in-laws cock down my throat. He could face fuck me and tell me what a good Mommy I was and shoot his cum straight into my belly," she said with as much excitement as she could muster.

"You're such a fucking slut Bolara. Now I know why I kept you around all these years. It truly will be hard to replace you; after I kill you and your bitch daughter," Marrow said laughing at her.

Marrow turned to leave the dungeon to check on the guards, and wait on the Jaculus to return. Before leaving, he decided to have a small chat with Shea. He slapped her face to wake her up. "Very soon Princess you are going to die, but not before your husband watches my cock slide into your sweet little cunt."

After all of you are dead and I get the Crystal of Physis, nothing will ever stop me," He reached up and pulled her nipple away from her body causing her to groan. Marrow laughed loudly as he released the now sore bud. "This is going to be a great day; a very great day."

**********

Chad, Feather, and Nugen said goodbye to Larry and Malifin. They wished each other well and good hunting, but before they separated, Chad knelt down next to the small Wokulo.

"Malifin, I know you don't like humans much, but there is something you should know before we part ways. I would give everything I have to get my wife back, even my life. The same thing goes for you and Larry. If it meant that I should die, so you can get home to your family, then so be it," Chad told him. Malifin looked at him for a short time before reaching out and placing his hand on Chad's shoulder.

"Go get your princess back. I'll see you when it's all over. I want you to do me a favor though, if you would please," Malifin said quietly.

"What ever you want my furry little friend," Chad said.

"Try not to stumble over the dead bodies on your way out of the castle," Malifin said with a chuckle. Chad grinned and went to join his group, as Malifin and Larry headed for the castle. Chad could only hope that the cave and adjoining tunnels would be empty.

Feather led the way into the dark cave. Chad pulled a flashlight out of his backpack and followed her, while Nugen took up the rear.