"Bar it quickly!" I shouted in the chaos as the doors shook. All four young man pressed them back.
"Bring us more timber!" I cried to the guards at the end of the hallway.
Around me the women gasped slightly as the men strained. Cassipe touched my arm and I flinched slightly. "The fire did nothing. Those who met your sword still lay as bones and dust, but those I burned have risen."
"There's too many. I know what must be done."
He nodded and then we stepped back as the guards ran the bar from the dungeons over. The hooks for it could hold three so I sent them back for another and the men still held the doors.
It took them longer but they came back with another and settled it into place.
"Run now, get the masons. We must brick up this hallway. Harem, return!"
We ran to the end of the hallway but I bade them go on without me. The guards were fetching the women who would brick it up as additional defense, but in case the doors did not hold I stood there with my sword, ready.
When they were gone up the stairs, I was alone. There was the thumping of the mummies behind the doors which shook but the timber bars held. I was sweating, struggling with my fear. This could mean only one thing; Antal had risen as well. I had to kill her, and I had to kill that sorceress Fisine.
The guards returned, more of them, my own personal guards ushered in folded steel bars. I commended my captain, I had not thought of that. Carefully they removed the top timber, held the other two aloft, and began to slide the metal bars in until they had replaced the timber. The doors moved less but thudded more loudly.
They stood with me as we watched the masons work. Quickly they troweled down cement and placed heavy bricks. It took hours, and I was already exhausted, but I held myself at the ready. When it was set and drying I ordered a cot be brought down and had my guards stand over me as I laid down on it, placed the sword along my front as each queen in death did.
A queen out her people first, and I had two women to kill who were impossible to kill. I needed rest, and to my shock, sleep claimed me quickly.
***
I woke to chaos, Halfath shaking my shoulder.
"Your highness, you must come. It is war!"
My heart shook as I sat up and stretched. I wasn't sure how long I had, but my blood pumped fast and I was awake now. "What do you mean?"
"There are mummies at the city gates, and Halfath killed most of her priestesses and now they are mummies. She sent a rider, those mummies will not attack the citizens if you give yourself up."
"Open up the first level, begin assembling all the supplies you can. Empty the soldier's quarters, post them around the base. Send out the quietest and stealthiest along the back allies, begin bringing the citizens here one family at a time. Start with the closest and bring all, pay no attention to their rank or station. Arm the harem, every level, the top tier shall become my personal guard. My current guard will oversee the families. Hurry, is this all understood."
She nodded with a gentle smile that said she approved.
My guard accompanied me back to the harem but left me at the door. Inside it was chaos as fear and worry gripped them with rumors. Most looked at me, blinking in surprise, so I knew I didn't want to know hat rumors abounded about my fate.
I strode up the steps to the top tier and it was empty, they awaited me in my chambers. The sun was beginning to set, time was of the essence.
"We are at war," I said by way of greeting. I sent the attendants for food and then told the harem what Halfath had told me.
"No matter what I must greet the moon, and then we must act."
Marxim nodded first. "What you told Halfath, that was good. We must keep the people safe."
"There are nights among the nobility here, they should be organized to fight."
I nodded to Lucius and then looked to the rest. "That is why you will help organize them. We will eat, greet the moon, then you must go down to the common rooms and find the knights. Take the others of the harem with you. You will place a line of fire at the entrance to the lowest levels and guard it, and provide backup. You cannot kill a mummy, but you sure as hell can slow it down.
"Lucius and Marxim, you will stay with me. Cassipe you too, but for now you must go back to the masons. Find the one who is best with metal and bring her here after the greeting of the moon, is that understood?"
"Yes, your highness."
The food was arriving. "Now we must eat, our strength will be needed. If all goes to plan by morning this will be behind us. Morganna, come with me into my bedchamber. We will eat there together alone, we have much to discuss. The rest of you, eat well."
The brunette followed me into my bedchamber with attendants and simple fare was laid out. I poured myself wine and drank deep, thirsty from a hard day and needing the slight numbing. When the attendants left, I faced her.
"Morganna, you once told me your priest, a practitioner of the old religion, saw a second prophecy and entrusted it to you. This is why you came here, yes?"
She nodded and sat with me at my table. "Yes, why?"
"Tell me about the old religion."
"Well, my people are nomadic, we depend on the land. We believe the magic of the world comes not from the goddess and one consort, but two. And we believe that magic is in the land. You pull your magic from the goddess and god when you greet the moon, yes?" I nodded and she continued. "Our priests and priestesses pull it from the earth."
"And how do you pull it?"
"From fire or water, wind or stone. They control it. They can grow fire from a small spark, create a wave in still water, call the wind, move stones with their mind."
"And so you were trained as a priestess in this religion as well as the old?"
She nodded.
"Show me." I pulled a candle to the center of the table and set it down.
She looked me tenuously. "Antal forbade me to practice this, I have not done this in many years."
"I believe that you can. I am not Antal, I will not hurt you just because I can, or just because I want to. I will not hurt you if you fail. I need to know, you need to try. Our survival may depend on it. Your priest sent you here because he knew you would play a pivotal role in the coming of the true uniter. Please, try for me, for him, for our people."
She sighed, trembling, and stared at the candle with focus. Minutes ticked past and I held perfectly still so as not to disturb her. The flame bean to waver in unseen wind, and then suddenly it shot up.
"I did it!" The flame died again as Morganna clapped.
"Very good. Now eat well, and I will tell you my plan."
***
No one watched us as we greeted the moon. The rider I had sent in response to Fisine's rode back, her horse making lonely clacking sounds on the plaza. Across the city were a few red-robed priestesses standing with slight shifting movements that were jerky, creatures of dark magic and dead eyes.
The top tier watched, ready to help, they knew their places. That night, of all nights, we needed to raise as much magic as possible. Morganna might know the secret to find the magic in the elements, but the rest of us knew only how to call the goddess and god forth.
Below the rest of the harem was already at work like the top tier. Naked bodies flowing together, masculine and feminine cries of pleasure ringing softly on the eerily still twilight. To our left, along the city wall, soldiers guided families quietly. Many were gagged I knew, to keep them quiet, children and men weeping over their possessions left behind. I had declared no animals, our space and resources were limited, but if my plan went off by morning everyone would be home.
Outside the city gate a writhing moaning mass could be heard when the wind raised, pressed to the gate but otherwise unmoving.
On the altar both my consorts joined me, and though such beauty, blonde and dark, sleek and bulky, should have aroused me, my nerves were fraying. They kissed me now, Marxim suckling my breasts, Lucius massaging my buttocks and kissing along my spine. The cool air raised chills, but I looked to my harem for my pleasure.
Fear had driven them to need and they moved with frantic need, sweat beading along skin as hands and lips sought, tongues explored and cocks probed. I reached down to stroke my consorts' cocks. They were soft, but began to harden as my body twisted to reach them. Now each man took a nipple, and Marxim's gentle sucking contrasted with Lucius' hard flicking tongue to raise my pleasure.
I dipped on hand into the small pot we had brought and came back with viscous lotion, and I smoothed that along Lucius' now-hard cock. Marxim's fingers brushed the nubbin between my legs and Lucius slid two fingers inside me. I moaned, trembling, and Uloga's eyes met mine between Annist's thighs.
"Now," I moaned.
Marxim turned me, Held me high and Lucius positioned himself. One finger with the moisture slid inside my nether hole, then two. Quickly he replaced those with hiss cock and pressed inside. I breathed deeply and slowly and Marxim kissed me until Lucius was seated. Once he was I was lowered onto Marxim's thick cock.
With both men inside I was filled, moaning, my hands seeking them both, my lips passing from one onto the other. They both held me and moved me. The slow dragging kept them pressed close, every nerve stimulated, and Marxim's thick hair rasped the nubbin.
The threat of danger brought me close as we thrust, pumping together, and soon the goddess filled me. I felt the gods slide into my two lovers, growing, growing... "Now!" I cried and at my command the harem moved faster.
I arrived at my peak first and the men were close behind. The harem cried out as light from the goddess such as I'd never known filled me, eclipsing my peak. My body shuddered in hot explosions of pleasure, but my soul nearly burned. Knowledge whispered across my skin and it filled me over and over until I nearly swooned.
I heard Marxim shout and then I was back in my body, out of the light.
Panting, I gave him a weak smile and turned my head to the sky. The two moons had risen together. The omen was good, very good, and I could have wept.
"Clean yourselves and go, all but my consorts and Morganna." We extricated ourselves and stood as the rest of the harem did. They dressed themselves and went to their rooms to gather what they needed. Cassipe was with the mason in my bedchamber, working and the other "stock" had the small fire by the throne going.
Cassipe emerged with her as I was dressing, the two armored breastplates in his hands. "It worked."
"Now onto the throne," I directed the mason as she handed Morganna her sword and me the enchanted sword. It let off a shimmering glow as I touched it and she gasped. "Amazing!"
"Marxim, Lucius, you must stay here. I am going to greet Fisine. If I should fall, Antal's mummy will come here. She will try to do what she would in life, which is claim you. If she comes you must have her sit on the throne."
