SCARLETS DOMAIN

I was free! I had been working my hand loose all this
time, and now I could escape. Unseen I dropped down to
retrieve Molly's fallen sword. Streeth was feeding,
unaware of my presence. Silently I approached from
behind.

Aranxia, who was sobbing silently at her sisters fate
suddenly saw me and shrieked, but it was too late.

My sword drove upwards between Streeth's legs.

She threw her head back and screamed a horrible
unearthly cry. Black blood slid down the sword
falling to the ground and hissing. She writhed and
squirmed, impaled by my sword, while I laughed with
elation.

It seemed as if the evil in her soul was flowing from
her and infecting me. I felt her insanity begin to
infiltrate my own soul. It took all my will to let go
of the sword, to stop twisting it inside the snakepit
of her guts and to throw myself back. She shrieked,
clutching at my weapon, her hips bucking as if she was
riding a lover. Smoke began to rise from her body,
and I could smell the stench of burning flesh.

I turned away.

When I looked again, all that was left of Streeth was
a blackened pile of ash and bone. My sword had been
burned, all its edge gone to the point that all that
remained of it was a charred spike. I looked up at
Aranxia.

"Your mistress is dead, and I cannot be killed, as you
killed my friend," I muttered. "There is a blood debt
to pay, and it must be yours!"

Noooo!" cried Aranxia backing away.

I felt that familiar surge of sick lust as I faced the
frightened girl. She was almost naked, the dark cloak
that she had used to try to intimidate, discarded.

I feinted, jabbing at her breast, and she skipped back
with a yelp, parrying my sword with hers.

I jabbed again, and she parried in the same way. Once
more, I made exactly the same move, but as she
parried, I circled my blade deftly under hers, opening
a deep cut just below her left nipple.

She shrieked, and began to sob. "Please," she begged,
"please spare me!"

I laughed, my voice thick with urgent lust, then
lunged at her again. My sword would have impaled her
had that been my intention, but I wanted her to
suffer. Seizing her arm as I advanced, I drove my knee
up into her crotch.

I can't stand weeping, but the animal cry of pain that
replaced her sobs was music to my ears. She threw her
head back, and dropping her sword, clutched at her
crotch with both hands. As she sunk to her knees, I
delivered a kick to her chin which sent her down,
splayed onto her back.

I walked around her, my lips quivering with sick
pleasure, taking in the desperate heaving of her
frightened body as she lay there, stunned. Then with a
deft movement of my sword, I cut the sidestring of her
loincloth, whipping the rag away from her and leaving
her naked.

"She has suffered enough, Antiope!" shouted Gudrun.
"Let her be!"

I turned. "Don't you understand?" I almost screamed,
"this scum has to be wiped from the face of the Earth!
Any association with witchcraft is evil and must be
destroyed!"

Gudrun would have replied, but she screamed suddenly.
"Look out!"

Aranxia had recovered remarkably quickly, and was on
her feet, her sword raised to strike at my back. I
whirled quickly, my sword slashing.

There was brief resistance, and an awareness of
something flying through the air, before I focused on
her headless body - incredibly still standing, blood
spurting from her neck, limbs twitching as the sword
slipped through nerveless fingers.

Slowly she crumpled to the ground as her knees gave
way and her body expressed its outrage of having been
deprived of life so suddenly with a series of angry
jerks.

I sighed, my hand pressed against my own crotch, now
swollen and sensitive. I closed my eyes and soothed
myself for a few moments, before turning to free
Karelia and Gudrun.

We made our way back to the village as the grey light
of dawn brightened our path.

Gregory was waiting.

"Where have you been?"

We looked at one another, unwilling to admit the way
we had been duped.

"We had some unfinished business," said Karelia.

"Hmmm, well we have more unfinished business to
contend with. My spies tell me that the Amazon Army is
probably too strong for us."

"You are not proposing that we surrender without a
fight!" said Karelia.

"No," said Gregory, "that is out of the question. The
concept of a prisoner is alien to the Amazons."

"So what are you suggesting?" said Gudrun.

"A pre-emptive strike," said Gregory. "A small unit
must find them and attempt to kill Ritta, their
leader. If we can do this, then the army will fall
into disarray."

I looked at the other two, then back at Gregory.

"When do we leave?" I said.

Will continue in chapter 5...