A Drow's Dilemma Ep. 95: Jailbrea

Author's Note:

A Drow's Dilemma began as a one-on-one roleplaying project and has been converted into a chapter-by-chapter format for weekly posting with the permission and assistance from my partner. It will contain a considerable amount of sexual themes such as femdom, lesbian, straight, 'reverse' rape, BDSM, group sex, romance, and other themes. The main goal of the story, however, is to tell an epic tale of adventures, gods and goddesses, fae, and nymphomaniacs. This episode and every episode to come will be available for free on Literotica for the foreseeable future. All characters that engage in sexual or suggestive situations are mentally and sexually mature: the human equivalent of 18 for their race.

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Episode 95: Jailbreak

In the neighboring cavern where House Dinoryn ran its school, a figure clad in loose, dark robes glided through the darkness and into the comparative light of the school. Her keen, silver eyes glimmered with their own light as she melded in and out of the shadows, examining the wreckage from Goelon's attack.

"Well, it sounds like the rumors I heard have some truth to them," Abanonda Blackdawn noted to herself. "Hmm... should I do things the boring way or the fun way?"

The 'boring way' was, of course, to listen in on conversations until she got answers. This had clearly been a big incident; people would talk about it. These drow seemed much less observant than the ones she grew up with, so it would be effortless to spy on them.

The fun way was to beat people up. Hmm... she had hoped the Frehelvi guards would pose a challenge, but they had barely warmed her up. Maybe the Mageguards of Dinoryn would be an actual fight. She was losing her edge fighting against all these weaklings.

Looking around, she saw a couple of guards. Drawing a deep breath and smiling, she stepped out of the shadows.

The two Mageguards were startled by the appearance of the extremely tall woman in a loose black robe. She had easily a foot of height on any drow they had seen before, and that predatory smile was unnerving. Also, she seemed to have some sort of... aura. One that put them very ill at ease. "Who goes there?" the first guard challenged, pointing a spear at the intruder. "State your name and purpose!"

"There was a man called 'Caleldir Blackdawn' brought here a few weeks back," Abanonda began. "I want to know where he is now."

The first guard opened her mouth to answer, but the second put a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. "We do not answer questions: you do. Who are you?"

Abanonda shook her head, smiling. She moved into a martial arts pose and beckoned them closer.

"Come and find out," she said, licking her lips.

Foolishly, the two guards did. Before they even knew what had happened, she had disarmed and disabled them, breaking their weapons with her bare hands. The guards looked to be in a state of shock. "Those... those were mithral..." the first one said in disbelief.

"Is that really the best Dinoryn has to offer?" Abanonda asked in disappointment. "It appears that living in the safe parts of the Underdark has done you no favors. What would you do if a hundred Dire Shadows and a thousand living flesh-boiled dolls swarmed you all at once? Die, that is what."

She shook her head. "Sound the alarm, 'guards'. I hope the rest of the 'famed' and 'respected' House Dinoryn is not so hopeless."

--

Beyond the door that Ethefein opened for Caleldir, the girl still focused on the book in front of her. The smile had faded, and she seemed to be concentrating.

Ethefein stepped quite close to the girl. She started when he came near enough to her, and looked up at him with a questioning expression.

Following Ethefein into the room, Caleldir surreptitiously activated his runes to create a needle. He would hold it summoned until he could get the blood back to Risa. Spinning the needle in his hand once, then sliding it up a sleeve, he approached the girl. "Greetings, young lady," he said cheerfully. "I am Caleldir Blackdawn. I am here to examine your health."

Her pink eyes darted to Caleldir, looked him up and down, and then turned back to her cousin with an even greater questioning expression. She picked up a bit of blue ribbon and put it in her book to make her place before she set it down. Then, cautiously, she slid off of her seat and stood before the two males with her eyes downcast and growing color rising to her cheeks. She did not acknowledge Caleldir's words.

"She is completely deaf, Lord Blackdawn. You do know drowsign, correct? Or has your split with the rest of us caused your people to forget that skill?"

Hmm... So, the girl was deaf. Well, that was easily cured, once the source of the curse was found. So easy a cure, most of the time that it was somewhat surprising that no one had as of yet managed to cure her, and spoke as to the intensity of the curse. "I do know Drowsign, but the sign language that I was raised with drifted a bit from yours over the course of the last millennium. I am still trying to get the hang of the broader dialect." Which was also true. He had not learned Drowsign back in his day but had seen it used, and it was slightly different. Immaterial for now, though.

Caleldir began signing. -Greetings, young lady. I am a doctor here to check on your health.-

A look of confusion crossed the albino female's face. Her cheeks grew a little redder, and her full lips turned down into a small frown. -Doctor?- she signed in question at her cousin.

-Doctor- Ethefein signed firmly. "We have been giving her vague promises of 'male companionship' recently to keep her cooperative," he said aloud in way of apology and explanation. "She's been an adult for a while now, but obviously no one will have her, and we don't want her pregnant anyway. She probably thought I brought you here for that." -Do what he says-

With a sigh, the girl nodded. She turned to face her 'doctor' and waited for further instruction, but Caleldir became temporarily focused on the awkward conversation.

The blush was mutual, in that Caleldir was a bit embarrassed as to the misunderstanding. More so because, as House Consort, he probably would be expected to be this girl's 'male companionship' eventually. He took a deep breath. "Oh dear." He said. "Not that I want you to, especially because of the knowledge a full analysis of this curse potentially offers my research into the nature of heredity, but why do you need her cooperative? Or alive? Why not kill her with the other females and end the shame? Once again, not suggesting you do that. I would rather you give her to me as a laboratory project first. Well, a nicely-treated laboratory project." He looked over the girl, trying not to let his actual feelings on seeing her and considering his position with regards to her show through.

Oblivious to the verbal conversation, the female continued to keep her eyes downcast - or, more accurately, fixated on the other drows' hands in case they wanted to use a form of communication she could actually understand.

"To be completely honest - and I shouldn't be telling you this - she has been useful to our cause in some ways," Ethefein admitted while Caleldir worked. "She has fertility magic. We don't know how or why, but she does all the same. Recently, she'd been refusing to do anything until we gave her the promise that we would one day let her use those powers on herself. And we were under a truth spell, naturally, so..." He twisted his mouth in disgust. "I suppose one day we might want multiple sources of fertility magic. I don't know how it was with your people, but such magics are extremely rare and heavily regulated. One day, we will let her breed. If anyone is willing to take that job, that is."

"Fertility magic?" Caleldir confirmed. "That is an interesting side effect. Interesting..." He drew out the word a little. "So, she is well aware of the mechanics of reproduction, then? I suppose that if she any relative of Selene and Ashyr, not being able to have sex would be quite irksome to her. Anyway, putting the coloration aside" - including the colors, for that matter, although the eyes were slightly strange - "she is pretty enough. And I would be interested in observing how the curse is passed on even if I am unable to cure it. Perhaps I could volunteer for the job." He spoke in the voice of one still thinking more about his research than anything else, although internally he was resolving to get this girl away from her brothers and into Risa's domain as soon as possible.

"She is... sort of aware. I think. She was not raised normally, as you might imagine, so she hasn't had any personal experience in coupling that one her age would normally have. There have been books, though. For a good long while, books were an excellent way to keep her in line. Somewhere in those tomes, the mechanics of sex would have been mentioned, else she wouldn't know to ask for it. If you cooperate with us, then I can probably bring you on board with this project. If you can stomach it. We certainly can't." Ethefein explained as he watched with casual interest how Lord Blackdawn interacted with the female.

'Not raised normally.' From what Caleldir could tell, that was something of a callous understatement. Locked away in a secure corner and treated like a disgrace? It would be a small miracle if there was no permanent psychological damage to the poor girl. Well, it would be some small comfort that Caleldir was well-used to dealing with such broken people. He would figure something out. As for 'stomaching' dealing with her: it would not be a chore to get to know her. He did not have anything against pale skin, blond hair, or pink eyes. The deafness was actually more of a problem than her coloration. He would try to find a cure.

-Sorry, I am not here to keep you company yet, I am afraid. There is not yet enough time to do so. Maybe another time?- He gave her his most dazzling smile. -For now, I just need to take some of your blood. It will prick a bit, but I will heal it. I am trying to find a way to give you your hearing. That would be nice, right? Right.-

Another sigh seemed to deflate the girl a bit. But she held out her arm all the same as if she was used to getting her blood drawn. She let Caleldir take some of her blood, wincing a little at the slight pain it caused. It was over soon, though. She rubbed at the spot that now felt as if nothing at all had happened. Then her lips thinned and she hugged herself, waiting patiently for the two males to leave again.

Caleldir felt a little regretful at the girl (what was her name? He should ask...) being so disappointed, but he would do his best in helping her up from that.

-There! See, that was not so bad.- he signed cheerfully. -I hope to be back soon to see you. You are a lovely young woman. But you will have to stay behaving for your kinsmen or they will not let me see you again.-

The pale woman nodded slowly in response to his sign, but still looked disappointed. 'Back soon' could mean anything.

"Is there anything else you needed, Lord Blackdawn?" Ethefein asked. "Or can we leave this place?" He didn't look very comfortable in her presence.

"That was all I needed. Let us be out."

On the way out, Caleldir signed behind his back at the girl, where Ethefein would not observe his hands. -Be patient. I promise I will save you.- He made very sure that Ethefein was not looking at him or her when he did so.

"So, have you given her a name? I could refer to her as 'prospective test subject number 13', but that is rather inelegant," Caleldir spoke casually, further deflecting attention from his subterfuge. And with that, they were out of the room.

"Felynriia is her birth name," Ethefein provided with an expression of distaste. He shut the door firmly between them and the girl. "A name for those of pale, sickly chaos. That was what her birth began in her own house." He signed what looked to be a combination of 'sick chaos' where Caleldir could see clearly. "That is the sign we use if we ever have cause to call her by name. That doesn't often come up, though."

"Felynriia," Caleldir mused. "A lovely name with an ugly meaning." He would ask Felynriia if she was at all attached to that moniker, or if they should rename her.

"So... that was a lot to consider. A curse on the women of Duskhaven. A plot to bring down the Spider-Queen. And all bound by a potent vow of secrecy." He looked thoughtful. "I hardly think that there is anything else that you have for me?"

Ethefein nodded. "There is nothing else for you at present. But if you make the right decision and abandon Ashyr's foolish quest and join with us, then there will be more that we can share with you." One side of his face twitched in a grin. "We have many more secrets that you might be interested in."

Once they had rescued her. Risa was no doubt even now plotting as to how to deal with the girl, and ready to relay the info to Selene and the others. Such was the use of an ethereal spy. "For now, I will think on what you have told me. But I must return to my former allies. Of course, I will not tell them anything that I have discovered here, but I have other things to discuss. Your other secrets may have to wait." He would find out sooner or later anyway. Once they were brought down. Because obviously he was not actually tempted to join the psychotic devil-worshipers. And they would not be so anxious to have him if they ever did an alignment scan. He did share Lawful with them, at least.

Ethefein seemed to accept Caleldir's parting words with restrained satisfaction. He appeared to like the sound of 'former allies.' Usually, that indicated that they would be allies no longer. But Ethefein was a native of drow society and knew full well that Caleldir's words could mean anything. He wasn't prepared to celebrate a diplomatic victory yet.

And so, he took his leave and retreated to the others. "It seems we were not able to learn Ashyr's location," he said grimly. "We will have to look for her elsewhere. Shall we be back to the Estate?"

Selene let out a sigh of disappointment. She had been hoping that some sort of clue of her cousin's whereabouts would be revealed. No such luck. "Yes, let us return. Then we can have a meeting to discuss what transpired. And... maybe you can check on me afterwards?" Selene asked as echoes of fear and uncertainty crossed her noble features. As was often the case, her hand was firmly placed on her slightly distended stomach. She knew that everything was probably okay if a little sped up. On some level, she knew that - else she would have demanded a checkup then and there. But there was still that insecure doubt in the back of her mind that Caleldir could assuage.

--

Soon, the necessary people were gathered around the main dining table - this time in the pocket dimension to prevent even the smallest possibility of spies overhearing any sensitive information that might be shared. Solerin, Jhul'une, and the children were of course excluded from the conversation (not that the two adults were often seen outside of the bedroom Jhul was given anyway). The goblin, Fucking, happily came and went, fulfilling any request that R.I.S.A. allowed him to assist with. He seemed to like to feel useful. Because of this, his was the only truly happy face in the room where a serious conversation was about to take place.

Caleldir sat cross-armed at the table, thinking over what had transpired, and what the results of the check-up on his and Selene's daughter were most likely to be. Especially considering the new information regarding Felynriia. That was sure to cause issues. Especially if it was a curse that took place just before birth. Of course, his mouth was sealed on that matter.

"Risa," Selene said to start things off. "Tell us what Caleldir was not supposed to."

The drow-looking woman gave the others a wry grin. "There was a... lot," she started with. "To say the least. So..." Risa described in detail all that Ethefein had said to Caleldir about the rebel's Patron and other plans, and then went into Felynriia's existence. She was fairly good at concise but descriptive details and relayed the information to the extent that everyone present knew about the same amount as Caleldir did. "Personally, I did not like seeing the girl in that state," Risa finished. "I am not sure how we can snatch her from the negotiations house, but I would really like to do so sooner rather than later. As soon as we rescue Ashyr, that is."

Caleldir breathed a sigh of relief when the information was all out in the open. After all, he had, in the end, promised not to tell people about what he had been told. He had not promised not to discuss such things with people who already knew. So, now they knew. And his oath was at an end.

Both Tsabdrin and Selene looked more and more shocked as Risa explained what had been revealed to Caleldir. At several moments, one or the other looked ready to interject with their incredulity. They both managed to keep quiet through the exclamation. And then, when it was over, they didn't quite know what to say. Their father, however, looked very serious and not at all shocked. A look which his daughter noticed upon looking around the room.

"You knew about this!" Selene accused.

"Yes, I knew about the problems the Duskhaven women had been having. Your mother and the Matron blamed me for it initially, until it happened again with a completely unrelated male." He sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. "It was a great secret that caused much strife within the females who knew about it."

"I didn't even know about it! Why didn't I know about it!" Selene demanded. "What if- This can't-" She bit her lip and looked down to her womb and was silent once more.

"Aside from me, only the mothers whose young had that birth defect knew," her father said gently. "I worked long hours trying to address the problem to no avail. When I finally determined that nothing could be done, they told me that they disposed of all of the defective young. I am glad that my youngest daughter survived after all. She was a pale, crippled thing, but had some absolutely fascinating qualities. I would advise that you focus some of your attention on retrieving her as soon as possible. I don't think you realize how much power that fertility magic gives the rebels, Risa."

"It makes sense that Sornamal would know," Caleldir said. "And as for our daughter, while it is very likely that there is still some sort of curse on her, well, I am more knowledgeable about such matters than the Duskhaven men are. Mostly because of Deusterran arcana that drow are not really familiar with. That said, this may still be beyond me. The nature of this failing in the bloodline indicates an outside curse, not a genetic defect. But you should not have to worry about ur daughter. Genetically speaking: she is perfection. As of last observation." He sighed. "Sornamal is right. We do not know where Ashyr is. I have my suspicions and theories, but I cannot be certain. I am leaning towards the Duskhaven rebels and Faust's father being one and the same. If that is the case, almost certainly she is in his demiplane. We may need to bring in Phanuel and Althaia to get Ashyr. But, this is just a hunch. We should strike for what we know before we strike at what we do not. Although, if my theories are correct, solving this curse and finding Ashyr are problems that have common solutions. I suspect the rebels' 'Patron' to be behind both."

He stood up. "If I can have Felynriia to examine, I can learn a bit more about the nature of the curse. Especially the DNA component, if any. So, when can we launch a rescue? I am afraid that I do not understand enough about the construction of the Negotiations House to formulate a really good strategy as to when and how."