The Amazon's Pledge

"Your

sister

?" I breathed. "What are you talking about?"

Kaseya's face twitched. The surprise and fear I felt through the ring slowly transformed into guilt.

"Ayrael is my older twin sister," she said. "Two years ago, she murdered her

Maskari

and fled Nol Krovos. We had no idea where she went until one of our

moshalim

seers finally located her in Vorsalos. Hestiah and I were sent to investigate."

I leaned back against the wall of our room as a thousand different questions looped through my head. None of the potential answers were particularly satisfying.

"We eventually confronted my sister, but even together, we were no match for her new powers," Kaseya went on. "Ayrael drove us off and nearly killed Hestiah. We escaped onto the ship where you found us a few days later."

I rubbed a hand across the three-day stubble on my chin. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I should have."

"That doesn't answer my question."

Kaseya took a deep breath and glanced away. "My sister's betrayal is source of great shame and dishonor, to me and my family. In all of our history, only a few amazons have ever broken their pledge and turned against their

Maskari

."

I studied her profile for several long, awkward seconds. I was reasonably sure she was still hiding something, but her guilt and shame were definitely genuine.

"I promised the Matriarch that I would not return home without my sister," Kaseya went on. "My family's honor cannot be restored until Ayrael faces judgment for her betrayal."

"Then why didn't you stay in Vorsalos? Shouldn't you have kept trying to stop her?"

"I wanted to, but Hestiah's wounds were too severe. I had heard rumors of the great healers living here in Highwind, so we boarded a ship and left as quickly as possible." Kaseya closed her eyes. "My conscience could not abide Hestiah's death, not after I begged her to aid me. She delayed her own

Maskari-Shan

ritual on my behalf."

"After I healed her, you could have turned around and headed back to Vorsalos," I pointed out.

"We could have, yes, but..." Kaseya swallowed and eventually reopened her eyes. I could tell that it was taking almost everything she had not to break down in tears. "I was no longer convinced that I could defeat Ayrael, and I wasn't willing to risk Hestiah's life again. I sent her home with news of our failure. She will complete the

Maskari-Shan

and serve her own

moshalim

well."

I shook my head. "So what, you just gave up?"

"No! I was just...

confused

. I truly believed that the gods would give me the strength to defeat Ayrael. When they didn't..." Kaseya paused and visibly gathered herself. "Our meeting was no mere coincidence, Jorem. You are

moshalim

, and you are being threatened by the same dark forces that have ensnared my sister. The gods have shown me another path forward--one that will result in the restoration of my family honor."

I pressed my tongue into my cheek. "Are you sure it was the gods and not your own guilt?"

Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I think you were so quick to bond with me on that ship because you wanted to be a dutiful amazon and pledge yourself to a sorcerer," I said. "You wanted to prove that you weren't a traitor like Ayrael."

"I am

nothing

like my sister!" Kaseya insisted. "I respect our people's traditions. I will never betray you,

Maskari

."

"Other than lying to me about all this, you mean."

She grimaced like I had just stabbed her in the gut. "I should have told you everything earlier. It was a mistake, but I will repay you. I promise.

Sighing in frustration, I turned and rubbed my face again. A part of me really wanted to be mad at her, but I knew it was completely irrational. She didn't owe me anything, least of all her life story. Any "debt" she might have incurred from a bit of healing magic had long since been paid.

"Look, I'm not really upset," I went on after a moment. "I didn't tell you the truth about my relationship with Valuri and the Huntresses right up front, either. We still barely know each other."

I shook my head. The truth of the matter was that I had only met this woman a week ago, but I already couldn't imagine doing any of this without her. I liked her, and not just because I woke up with my cock in her mouth every morning. I genuinely enjoyed her company.

"What's done is done," I said, waving my hand dismissively. "All that matters right now is that Ayrael is here in Highwind, and she has Valuri with her."

"My sister is using your friend as bait," Kaseya said. "This is a trap."

"Obviously," I muttered. "Do you remember that Huntress we spotted on the rooftops when we first entered the city? It wasn't Ayrael or Lenara. Whoever she was, I bet she ran away so she could tell your sister that you were here. Then Ayrael decided that offering up Valuri was the best way to reel both of us in." I took a deep breath and paused. "Still, if there's even a chance I can rescue Val without breaking into the Inquisitrix's dungeon, I have to take it."

Kaseya eyed me for a minute but then nodded. "You mean

we

have to take it," she said. "How shall we proceed?"

I smiled appreciatively. "We can scout the area before we commit to anything. Your sister won't be able to bring an army along with her in the city. At worst, she'll have hired some local muscle."

"Ayrael is dangerous enough on her own," Kaseya warned. "I am no match for her."

I frowned. "I've seen you fight plenty of times. You could easily hold your own against any knight or ranger in this city. Your sister can't possibly be

that

good."

"On Nol Krovos, she was widely considered the most gifted amazon warrior born in a generation. That was why she was pledged to such an important and powerful

moshalim

. Many believed they would lead our people into a new golden age." Kaseya sighed. "But more importantly, Ayrael taught me almost everything I know. I will not be able to surprise her."

"And if she's joined the Senosi, she's probably learned some of their tricks, too," I murmured. "My magic will be useless against her."

"Then there is no way we can defeat her."

I smiled. "For once,

you

aren't giving us enough credit. I might not be able to blast her to cinders, but I can still manipulate our bond to empower you. I can make you stronger and faster, and there's that new spell armor technique we've been practicing."

It took a few moments, but eventually Kaseya smiled back. "Perhaps you are right."

"I'm not expecting this to be easy, and I know there's a chance that Valuri isn't even here," I said. "But I have to try anyway. Who knows, maybe your gods are watching out for us. Maybe we'll have a chance to solve all our problems at once."

"Do you really believe that?" Kaseya asked.

"No," I said with a wry smirk. "But I've been wrong before."

***

I slept fitfully, mostly because I couldn't convince my brain to shut the hell up. My thoughts were torn between concocting a battle strategy, worrying about Valuri's health, and wondering what it would feel like to be beheaded by an amazon-turned-Senosi. I had always been something of a brooder, for better or worse, and I had a sneaking suspicion that my dark hair would turn gray before I hit thirty. Assuming I lived that long, anyway, which as a sorcerer and a fugitive seemed pretty damn unlikely.

I finally dozed off a few hours after midnight, and I awoke to the warmth of sunlight on my cheeks and the suction of Kaseya's lips on my cock. My fingers ruffled through her mane of red hair as I swelled in her mouth. I was so tired that I was tempted to have her stop, but as it turned out, nothing got the blood pumping quite like morning fellatio. Besides, all I had to do was activate my ring for a moment to know how much she enjoyed this. She considered cock sucking a skill in need of endless training, no different than swordplay, and it would have taken a far better man than I to refuse the privilege of being her practice dummy.

I fired my load down her throat a few minutes later, and thanks to the ring, I got to enjoy the aftershocks of her climax as well. Kaseya dutifully cleaned up her mess, then crawled back up into my arms and laid next to me until I could finally muster the energy to move.

"Imagine if we had actually been paid for that bounty," I commented as I stretched out and retrieved my tunic. "We could have rented the master suite for a long time."

"The private bath was impressive, but I still prefer sleeping beneath the stars," Kaseya said. "The streams outside the city are quite beautiful."

"That they are," I murmured, wondering grimly if I would ever see them again. I harbored no illusions about the ease of the task facing us tonight.

A few hours later, we arrived in the docks and began scouting out Gallowstone Pier. I didn't see any obvious signs of Senosi activity, and as far as I could tell, the Highwind Guard patrolled the area quite regularly. The Black Mistress and her illegal smuggling ring notwithstanding, this city didn't have anywhere near as many street gangs or petty crime guilds as Vorsalos.

"Back home, a private dock like this would have at least a dozen mercenaries lurking in the shadows just waiting for someone to try and steal a shipment," I murmured from our perch atop a building on the eastern edge of the pier. We had a perfect view of the entire area from up here. "Independent traders need a bloody army just to protect their goods."

"I do not understand how such a society can even function," Kaseya commented.

"It doesn't, not really. Though sooner or later, the Inquisitrix will probably crack down on the guilds as well. She found their infighting useful to distract her political opponents, but now that she doesn't have any left..." I shook my head and pushed away the thought. "Anyway, it doesn't look like anyone else here expects a crisis tonight. That probably means your sister

hasn't

hired a bunch of local muscle to help her out."

"As I said before, Ayrael is still an amazon warrior," Kaseya reminded me. "She may have betrayed her vows, but she will not allow others to fight her battles for her."

"Normally I would say we should use that against her. With enough coin, we could hire our own army of thugs and maybe surprise her."

Kaseya turned and frowned at me. "There is no honor in subterfuge."

I opened my mouth to retort but stopped myself. Every once in a while, I still forgot who I was dealing with. If we did end up forging some kind of alliance with the Black Mistress, Kaseya was going to have a difficult time adapting to the realities of a world where "honor" had about as much value as a rusted sword. But there was no point in getting ahead of myself and worrying about that now.

"We could simply ask the local authorities for help," she suggested after a moment. "Surely all these knights would be interested in capturing a Senosi."

"I bet they would, but involving them adds all sorts of complications," I said. "The Silver Fist wouldn't just let us walk away with Valuri. There would be questions, interrogations, possibly long imprisonment..." I shook my head. "We need to do this on our own."

Kaseya nodded. "Then we will succeed. I will bring my sister to justice, and you will rescue your friend."

I smiled and placed my hand on her shoulder. As naïve and confident as she was, I knew she was nervous. The prospect of fighting Ayrael had legitimately shaken her. It had shaken me, too, of course, mostly because I would be as helpless as an infant against a Senosi. I would have preferred to single-handedly fend off a horde of orc warriors, given the choice.

"Night will fall soon," I said. "Come on--let's find ourselves a place to hide out."

After a brief search, we located a secure vantage point atop an old building on the western end of the pier. The long shadows cloaked our position well, though it was difficult to see very far even with the aid of the moonlight and the magical lanterns scattered throughout the area. Thankfully, I didn't have any trouble replicating the vision-enhancing spell I had used back at the bandit fort, and echoing the effect in Kaseya worked just as well.

A single rowboat sloshed in toward the pier about an hour before midnight, and thanks to my spell, we had no trouble making out the lone passenger. Other than her blond hair, Ayrael could have easily been mistaken for Kaseya's mirror image. She was still wearing her leather amazon armor, too, which I found a little surprising for someone who was ostensibly an enemy agent attempting to blend in.

Kaseya is right--her sister probably does still consider herself an amazon, and she's expecting an honorable fight or a duel. Gods, there has to be some way to exploit that...

I took a deep breath and watched as Ayrael tied the rowboat to the pier, wishing that I'd had enough gold to hire some mercenaries. Charming them wasn't an option. I had never considered myself a particularly ethical person, but warping the minds of other men and getting them killed on my behalf was apparently a line even I wasn't willing to cross.

You're just worried the gods will judge you and take away Kaseya. You'd rather charge head-first into danger than give up your morning blowjob, admit it.

I scowled at the thought. Not because it was wrong, but because it hit a little too close to home...

"There, in the back," Kaseya said, pointing. "Is that your friend?"

I squinted toward the boat and swallowed nervously when Ayrael dragged a bound and gagged passenger out of the small boat. I hadn't even seen her before; she must have been squished down pretty low in the dinghy. The sack over her head made it impossible to definitively identify her, but based on her slender frame, it could have easily been Valuri.

"I can't tell from here," I said. "But it's either her or another woman almost the same size."

"I do not believe my sister would deceive us in such a way," Kaseya said.

"Ayrael murdered her

Maskari

and tried to kill you and Hestiah."

Kaseya didn't reply. I could see the emotional battle raging behind her eyes. I had a feeling I'd only scratched the surface about how much Ayrael had meant to her...and how much her sister's betrayal had wounded her. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to work it out.

"Are you sure you can go through with this?" I asked.

"Never doubt an amazon's resolve," she said, staring straight at me. "I will do whatever is necessary to rescue your friend."

I nodded solemnly. "Just remember, once I have Valuri, you can retreat. Ayrael won't be able to pursue you through the city, not with all the knights and guardsmen in the district."

"An amazon does not retreat," Kaseya said. "I will bring my sister to justice or die trying."

I placed my hand on her forearm. "What's more important, your warrior's honor or your pledge to me?"

Her cheek twitched. "I will not disobey you,

Maskari

, but without my honor, I am useless to you."

"You're even more useless to me dead," I said flatly. "With my help, I bet you can defeat her. But if not..." I shrugged. "Your sense of honor isn't worth dying for."

"You say that because you do not understand it."

"I say it because honor is a luxury I've never been able to afford."

I sighed and glanced back toward the docks. Ayrael had tied Valuri to a stump at the edge of the pier, and the amazon-turned-Senosi seemed content to wait patiently until we arrived. As loyal and committed as Kaseya was, I had no doubt that she would listen to me if I ordered her to retreat. I was less certain about whether or not she would forgive me for it later.

"Come on," I said. "Let's get this over with."

We slid down from our perch and looped through the shadows of the docks until we approached the long, narrow strip leading out to the correct pier. There were a handful of sailors and whores lurking about, but otherwise, the whole area was empty. Having watched it all day, I was reasonably confident that Ayrael hadn't arranged anything with the guards--she had chosen this particular pier

because

it was in the middle of nowhere.

Just before we moved into view, I closed my eyes and stretched out through the Aether. Bolstering Kaseya was practically second nature at this point, though I held back on the spell armor for the moment. Nothing would draw attention to us quite like glowing mantles of magical energy.

Ayrael's eyes locked onto us several seconds before we emerged from the shadows, side by side. The closer we approached, the more I was able to appreciate the subtle differences in her facial structure compared to Kaseya. Still, there was no question that the two women were related.

"I see the rumors are true, then," Ayrael said. "You really did enslave yourself...and to a foreigner, at that."

She casually leaned against one of the wooden pilings, but despite her calm demeanor, I could tell she was coiled and ready to strike. Whatever else she might have been--whatever else she might have become--this woman was still unmistakably a warrior.

"I have pledged myself to a worthy

Maskari

, just as all amazons should," Kaseya said, coming to a halt a safe distance away. Her hand was gripping the handle of her sheathed sword so tightly her knuckles had gone white.

Ayrael snorted softly. "I am sure he is pleased. Slavers often are."

There was no doubt in my mind that Kaseya would have lunged forward and attacked that second if I weren't standing next to her. I did my best to remain calm and send soothing thoughts through our link.

"You said you wanted to make a trade," I put in, creeping forward another step. I kept half my mind focused on the Aether so that I could summon my spell armor at a moment's notice. "What is your offer?"

Ayrael stared hard at her sister for several more seconds before she finally glanced over to me. "The Inquisitrix has been interested in you for some time, Jorem Farr. You must be powerful--I can see why my sister was so eager to debase herself for you."

I forced a smile. Taunting one's opponent was hardly a novel strategy, but it endured for a good reason. She really believed she could bait us into making a mistake.

"I bet you barely know anything about her," Ayrael went on. "Did she tell you that she already confronted me in Vorsalos? Did she tell you that she failed, and that's why she fled here to Highwind with her tail tucked between her legs?"

"I know what happened," I said. "I also know that you betrayed your vows and murdered your own

Maskari

."

Ayrael scoffed and glanced back to Kaseya. "Is that what you told him, sister? Unbelievable."

"It's the truth," Kaseya said.

"No," Ayrael spat. Her entire body seemed to stiffen, and her voice became dark. "The truth is that the Matriarch and the

moshalim

have been lying to us for centuries. The truth is that we are slaves, not warriors! They train us to fight, and then the instant we come of age, they order us onto our knees!"

Kaseya clenched her teeth. "We serve and protect the

moshalim

so that all of Nol Krovos will prosper."

"We serve and protect charlatans," Ayrael said. "We serve and protect corrupted monsters!"

"Magic is the blood of the gods," Kaseya insisted. "It is their gift--"

"It is their

curse

," Ayrael hissed. "It is their

taint

. The Inquisitrix showed me the truth I suspected all along, sister. She has pierced the veil of lies draped over our eyes by the Matriarch. The

moshalim

are not to be served--they are to be destroyed, by any means necessary."

"Let's all just pause and take a deep breath, shall we?" I said, raising my hands defensively and wondering why in the hell I had ever thought this was a good idea. "We're just here for Valuri."