Mountain of the Daemon's
Blackness enveloped him, he blinked his eyes but no vision returned. His tongue felt swollen in his dry mouth and his throat made a dry clicking noise as he tried to swallow. He tried to lift an arm but they remained fixed at his sides. A turn of the head yielded the same response. 'Had I done so wrong in my past that Gorgaroth has punished me?' He thought, the giant had crushed him, shattered him yet he fought on to his dying breath taking the monstrosity to his grave, had it not been enough for Gorgaroth? Despair was quickly rising in him, his heart beating faster. Wait, his heart? He took a deep breath and took in cold, clean air with no sense of pain. The stories spoke of a life without the need of mortal trappings, no water, no food and no air. So why was he breathing?
"Hello," He called out, his voice cracked and husky no more than a harsh bark. He coughed and tried again. The call echoed around him but no response. Yet he felt someone was there, lurking in the blackness. "I know you are there, I may be dead but my senses are just as keen as they were when I walked on the soil."
The laugh was quiet, not mocking his statement but finding amusement in it, he felt movement to his right, the air swirling and creating a draft over his skin. 'Naked, I am naked in the black.' He realized. "And how do you come by this conclusion that you are dead Lucan of Aldemar." The woman's voice was soft. He sensed that she was very close now. "Do you not breathe? Do you not taste the air about you?" A hand, as gentle as the air brushed along his fingers, wrist and up his arm. "Do you not feel? Then how did you decide you were dead?"
"I cannot see and I cannot move these are the traits of death. If I can see and I can move then I implore you to make it so." Sun light, strong and powerful appeared as a heavy cloth was pulled from his face. His head was still held rigid as was the rest of his body, but he had his sight back for what it was worth. The ceiling was visible, stone work held firm only one wall could be seen which led him to believe he was in a large room. The sunlight was from behind him, a window. "I cannot move." He said.
A face appeared above him, red hair tied back, full lips and pale grey eyes. "Your wounds needed time to heal. Restraints had to be used once the fever and delirium had taken hold of you." He felt both her hands running across his body. Pushing gently at his ribs then to his abdomen, he felt one finger run along a scar that he could not remember having before. "I shall remove the restraints, but try not to move too much." He felt the leather bindings begin to loosen around his legs and thighs. "You have been asleep a long time."
The woman was actually a girl not much older than eighteen Lucan guessed, helped him sit up which had seemed to be such a chore as if he were new to sitting up. "How do you know my name?" Lucan asked.
"When the delirium took control you were like a mad man, screaming your name and the names of your fathers and that you would take revenge on all." She went on to explain how they had to grapple him to the ground and knock him unconscious before they could strap him to the table. Lucan winced with embarrassment but the girl took it as a signal of pain and tried to lie him back down.
"No, no I am fine, the delirium thankfully is blocked from my memory I apologize for my outbursts," He placed one unsteady foot down feeling the cold stone beneath, then his other foot before raising himself. The girl steadied him as best she could he stood over six feet tall. He noticed his nakedness and reached to cover himself.
The girl laughed, "I may be a girl but I am aware of the male form, you do not embarrass me." He looked at her and finally took in what she was wearing. She wore a sheer gown that fastened high on the neck and ran to her feet where it trailed a few inches onto the stone ground. What was surprising was how see through it was. Her breasts were perfectly round, with dusky pink nipples and he could make out a full bush that matched the girl's hair colour. "As you can see, we of the house of Dianna are not easily embarrassed."
He had begun to harden at the sight of her form but at the mention of the house he reflexively pulled away from her, his right hand going to his waist looking for the hilt of his sword exposing his slightly engorged penis. Lucan's eyes flicked to the window, how high were they, could he jump and survive.
"You have heard of our House then." The voice came from the left, a stout wooden door had been opened and a woman stood there, her blonde hair pulled back behind her head. She wore the same sheer gown the sunlight revealing her nakedness underneath. Two other women entered the room, dressed the same as the blonde woman except they held long deadly spears. "Lucan of Aldemar welcome to the house of Dianna."
They left the room and while the girl had gone in one direction Lucan walked with the woman who had introduced herself as Cazadora, High priestess of Dianna. The guards stayed close behind. They had handed him one of the gowns which barely fit his frame, the house of Dianna was one of only a handful of all female houses. Dianna was one of the old gods, she stood shoulder to shoulder with Gorgaroth at the birth of the world, some of the older tomes even dared to name Dianna as the mother of the world, Gorgaroth filling her womb with his seed and the world birthed from between Dianne's legs. That was before the Crusaders had burned such tomes. Yet people still believed and witches as they were commonly known in Aldemar still worshiped the goddess and practiced what was surely dark magic. And here he was Lucan, Crusader of Aldemar trapped inside their coven awaiting a terrible fate.
Cazadora spoke with ease as she told him how he was brought there by three of her priestess'. Death had been encircling him but they had managed to fix what they could before the fever and delirium. "I had my doubts when you were brought here, so I apologize to you for not having faith in a Crusader." She said eyeing him up and down as they walked. Once he was there they had worked a spell to keep him under while his body healed and they had helped where possible with elixirs and more potent spells. He was surprised to hear he had been under for almost six months, no wonder he had felt so weak.
As they walked Lucan looked out of the open arched windows that lined the corridor, the sky was a deep blue and a snow capped mountain range rose in vicious peaks towards it. The two largest peaks, Daemon's Horns dominated the skyline. They had taken him south from the battlefield all the way to the land's end. As they walked priestess's of all ages and ilk bowed gently and whispered "mother" to Cazadora, to some she stopped for a moment resting a hand on their head a silent prayer moving her lips before they carried on.
They finally reached a great oak door adorned with engraved shapes of huntresses riding on giant steeds. Here another guard stood and like the two trailing them held a long deadly tipped spear at the sight of the High priestess the guard unbolted the door and opened it. Only Cazadora and Lucan entered. The door shut firmly behind them, the sound of the bolt engaging was muffled by the thick wood.
This was Cazadora's own chambers, to one side lay a large bedstead opposite which was an archway that led into another room which Lucan peered into. Books lined most of the walls and in the centre a small table and chair, a candle burnt brightly yet no wax dripped from it. "Many of those books would be lost to time had we not rescued them from war, famine and the less enlightened who walk this world." Lucan said nothing, letting the remark roll off him as he studied the room. "You are not marked for death Lucan of Aldemar. We would not waste our time healing you simply to kill you, so your time spent looking for a weapon or an escape are wasted"
Lucan let himself smile at this. 'A Witch she may well be but a warrior most certainly.' he thought. "Then why am I here?" he asked out loud.
She smiled, "Our Goddess Dianna simply wants the return of items that are precious to her house." She stood only a bit shorter than him and when she stepped closer to him their eyes were almost level. "Your Crusaders have taken possession of items that are very dear to us and we want you to return them." She circled him one hand trailing across him, touching his skin and muscle beneath the fabric of the gown. "What the Crusaders took, a Crusader shall return." She stood directly behind him. He turned his head slightly trying to catch a glimpse of her. His body tensed as he waited for the feel of cold steel at his back. It never came.
Instead he felt both her hands run up his back and over his shoulders, they slipped down his arms, momentarily she let go only to place her hands on either side of his waist. "And if I refuse?" He asked hoarsely, he tried to control himself, but felt his penis stiffening the more her touch lingered on him.
The laugh turned his blood cold. "A cursed man does not walk from this House easily." He spun round, grabbing both her wrists. She let out a gasp of surprise at his speed rather than the vice like grip. "You are a free to return our items as you see fit, but I am Cazadora, high priestess of Dianna and I see far. The moment you deviate from the path or attempt to rid yourself of the curse you will die, painfully." Her smile wavered as his grip tightened. It had been risky placing the elixir onto her palms but she had no other choice, he simply would have walked away. Cazadora needed a guarantee, something to control him by, something more than a curse and now the thin layer of elixir that she had rubbed into his back would provide her a backup. "The deal cannot be undone. Killing me will not bring an end to the curse only a quicker end to your own life."
He let go of her wrists and turned away from her. Lucan could feel a tingling across his back where the witch had placed her hands. It started off small and localized but already it had begun spreading. Cazadora went to speak but he swung back round delivering a harsh slap to her face, she stumbled backwards hand clutching out at a chair to steady herself. "Save that anger for the thieves," She tasted blood on her lips, "three items must be returned and the curse will be lifted." She straightened herself up and stepped close to him again, feeling Lucan's anger like a wave breaking across her she reached out and touched one of his powerful arms, he flinched then relaxed. "It has been a long time for you Lucan of Aldemar," Her voice suddenly so soft and warm "Away from home, fighting, killing with no rest and no comforts," Her hand slipped down his arm, onto the scar that was the only physical remnant left from the fight with the giant. "The house of Dianna is a lonesome place also." Her hand went lower still across his thigh.
