Rain pounded on the roof of the mansion, a steady rhythm that brought a smile to Merrie's lips. It was a week after her twenty-fifth birthday. It had passed with a lot of fucking and a lot of wine. And it ended with the best gift her master could give her, a night outside of the cage and in his bed.
The next day, she was back in her cage on the porch, happy and content. She was a bitch and it felt right to be caged at night.
Time didn't have meaning for her anymore. She never left the mansion. And the passage of seasons and months were blurred by sex and love she felt for her master. She didn't need to know the date, it was only an accident that she remembered her own birthday.
Her body was fit and strong, with a taut belly and arms. She could race across the mansion in seconds—which she frequently did while exercising the pack during winter—and wrestle for hours before getting winded. In many ways, she was just as sexy as the day she was sold, two years ago.
(You are more than that, girl.) Her master's warmth and love filled her.
Her tail wagged back and forth as she squirmed happily. (Thank you, master.)
(Is dinner ready?)
Merrie opened her eyes and looked down at the hall. She could see one of the dogs pushing a chair into place. The others were out of sight, but she could feel them darkly in her mind. One of the pack was sitting next to the oven, watching as the meat roasted. Another was outside at a small fire, adding branches as the fruit desert baked in the coals beneath.
Tamin was in the wine cellar, picking out a bottle of Yurik Gold 778. It was one of his most expensive bottles, stolen during the royal princes' birthday. The year was special to her master and would set the tone for the dinner he was planning.
The dog projected in a deep, rumbling thoughts, (Alpha? Any other bottles for your master?) The growl never left him even when he learned how to project.
She moaned at the warmth in his voice before she projected the question to her master. Even though she had bonded to all nine, the pack was still distinct from her master. Neither could talk to each other, but she was in both of their minds constantly.
(No, Merrie… wait. Yeah, grab a Decroix and put it on ice.) Memories came with the command, of Rimmy and her master on the floor of an attic, talking about the days when they would leave the orphanage. Her master had stolen a bottle of cheap Decroix and they were sipping at it and pretending they were rich.
She sent a wave of love and repeated the command to Tamin.
Her master had been thinking about Rimmy a lot lately. The day was special to him. It was the anniversary of the day her master saved Rimmy and the same day that Rimmy had killed his former best friend. The memories kept sliding down the connection, but she didn't need to see them. She had experienced them as he did and it was burned into her very being.
There were other reasons for the day to be special, but they were for the future, not the past. Even though he had been waffling for weeks, he was finally going to propose to Rimmy.
Merrie couldn't help feel jealous at that. As close as she was to her master's thoughts, intimate and dominated by them, she didn't want to share her love. It didn't matter that her master had lent her to Rimmy frequently. It also didn't change the fact that her master and Rimmy remained lovers for the last five years, using and commanding Merrie. She obeyed Rimmy without question because her master wanted it. But, the little shred of jealousy was still there.
She thought of Sable, Bass' alpha. She was jealous too, of Merrie. Sable hated Merrie and Merrie remembered the constant fighting and snubbing. All because Sable didn't want Merrie to remain behind, to steal Bass' love.
Shadows darkened into knife-edge hardness. They gathered into the room, briefly turning it black. When the shadows receded, Tamin was there with two bottles of wine in his massive mouth. (Alpha? You were threatened?)
Merrie looked up from her cage and realized she was crying. She shook her head and got on her wrists and knees. Crawling out, she sat down. (No, just remembering.)
Tamin set down the bottles with a clink. He inched forward and then licked Merrie's face, wiping the tears away. (I love you, Alpha.)
Merrie smiled and kissed his nose. (And I you, Tamin.)
She felt like she had lost something at the Puppy Mill. Every time she remembered the hatred and rape, there was something else, a feeling that she had forgotten something. She couldn't remember what it was and asking her grandfather didn't help; she had long since finished the lessons he gave her and regained her true memories of her grandfather. She occasionally visited him again, in the middle of the day while the rest of the house slept. And, on sly days when she was horny and locked in her cage, she also let him fuck her as a little girl.
Tamin sniffed and sat up straighter. (You need mounting?)
Merrie gave a giggling woof and rubbed her face against his chest. (Maybe later. The master will be home soon.) She cast out her mind, finding the rest of the pack in the house. They were finishing up the chores and cleaning. Two were finishing up with fresh blankets on her master's bed while another was dusting Rimmy's room.
She smiled with approval. Inching forward, she pressed her soft, defenseless body up against Tamin and enjoyed his warmth.
(I will never leave you, Alpha.)
(I know, Tamin, I know.) She continued to lean into him as she guided the pack through the rest of the chores. She was unable to do much herself, but with eight dogs uplifted by her magic and influenced by her thoughts, she was able to maintain the household just as her master wanted.
She closed her eyes and checked the shade on the house. It was a cool throbbing in the back of her mind, a constant trickle of power that sank into the foundations of the house. Rimmy taught her how to cast it, but it was now her responsibility to keep the endless layers of magic protecting the house from detection.
(Stop worrying about that,) chided her master, (your ward is stronger than Rimmy's ever was. Only the master could do better.)
Merrie blushed at the compliment and her tail thumped against Tamin.
(We just finished splitting up the loot. We'll be home in about two minutes. Front door, girl, and make it fancy… please?)
With a grin, Merrie was up and heading toward the kitchen.
Tamin picked up the bottles and followed after her. He didn't need any more orders to set both in a bucket with a cold rune engraved on the inside. Mist rose up around him and then followed in a curl of power as he thudded back to the ground.
The cooking food was a bit harder, but Merrie managed to guide the dogs into using two wooden rods to ease the food out and set it down on the dining room table. The fire outside was much easier since sending the flame to the Shadows instantly snuffed it. The dog watching it dug out the food, carried it to the back porch door, and then jumped in Shadows to clean himself off in the nearby river. Another took it from the stair and set it down the table.
The front room was cast in deep shadows when she arrive. She could feel the pack coming through the Shadow to appear in place. Four dogs on each side of the door, sitting perfectly still and waiting. She took her place in the center of the room, watching the door and waiting anxiously for her master to return.
She felt them arrive, a deepening of the shadows and the sensation of two lives stepping from the dark.
Nine tails began to wag.
Rimmy opened the door and the morning sunlight streamed in. She took a step through the door, and then stopped in shock. “Um, Kine?”
“Yes, Rimmy?” Her master was filled with happiness and excitement. He kept playing his proposal in his head, adjusting it with her imaginary responses.
“This isn't my birthday.” The last time Merrie and the pack greeted them at the door this way, it ended up in a second gangbang for Merrie and a celebration that took three nights to recover from.
Merrie felt the heat in her pussy, a liquid flame. She loved being banged by the pack, the feeling of submission and helplessness. It was nothing compared to when her master fucked her, which was almost daily still, but the variety brought passion to all of them.
“No,” he murmured as he slipped his arms around her waist and held her tight. “Even better.”
“What is going on?”
“A fancy dinner and a surprise. Come on.”
“No, if we are going to be fancy, we both need a shower and then put on your fancy clothes.”
He beamed. “I'll send Merrie—”
Rimmy stopped him with a kiss. “Keep your peeping bitch downstairs. I know that you just want a look.”
“Nothing I haven't seen before.”
“Yes, but you're hoping to get lucky tonight, aren't you?” Merrie picked up a flash of thought from Rimmy. Her master's lover was hoping that there would be a proposal that night, something she had been longing for the last few months herself.
Merrie inhaled sharply. In her mind, she couldn't resist anymore. Her master loved Rimmy and Rimmy loved him back. They both wanted to be together forever.
(Merrie,) came the doubting thoughts of her master, (am I doing the right thing? What if she rejects me?)
Merrie felt the curl of hope in his thoughts, it leaked through his mind. If she just told him, it would ruin the enormity of the moment and steal him of what he wanted. She opened her mouth and panted. (I think she will be open to it.)
(Can you read her mind and tell me?)
Merrie was relieved it was a question, not an order. (Her mind is shielded,) she lied.
(Oh, I hope… I hope she says yes.)
Merrie wrapped him in her love. (It will work out, master.)
She watched as her master hugged Rimmy tightly and then separate. She headed for her rooms upstairs, dreaming about a black wedding, and he headed for his rooms with fear and anticipation burning inside him.
Merrie crawled after her master, ready to serve him.
An hour later, she was in the dining room. She sat on the floor at the foot of the table. She felt the tension in the room and felt it in their minds. Both her master and Rimmy were dancing around the topic.
He was trying to build up the courage to propose. What-if scenarios ran through his head, many of them turning dark with imagined rejections. Merrie gently ended the nightmares with a light touch, subtly encouraging him to get on his knees and finally go through with it.
On the other side of the table, peeking at him through her lashes, Rimmy was going through the same fantasies. Of being proposed and how she would respond.
He was wearing his formal suit, the dark colors melding in with the shadows. He hadn't pulled it on since the prince's birthday, but it still fit him neatly. And, like before, his anxiousness was relieved only when Merrie took him in her mouth and let him vent his anxiety into her.
Her tail snapped back and forth. She could still taste his cum on her mouth, her only meal until they cleaned the table. She smiled and enjoyed the warmth that filled her belly.
Rimmy wore her favorite dress, a mustard yellow sheath dress. Underneath, there was nothing. Her nipples tented the front and the sweet smells of her pussy drifted underneath the table.
They both were dreaming of the same thing, but neither knew how to start.
(Merrie? What if she says no.)
(She won't.)
(But, what if? Des betrayed her.)
(You won't.)
(I love her, but I'm afraid.)
She fought the urge to roll her eyes. She felt torn by his indecision, knowing it was the perfect time. She made up her mind. (Master, take a deep breath.)
Her master inhaled and then let it out with a long, shuddering breath. The candles danced even faster.
Across the table, Rimmy perked up. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest. She knew something was about to happen.
(I-I can't, Merrie. I can't.)
(Take another one,) she commanded, feeling dirty that she was ordering her master. But she was about to do far more than command her master.
He took another deep breath, steeling himself. She felt his courage faltering.
Merrie ran through the runes of the domination spell and felt the power throbbing inside her. It ached in her bones as she released the spell. It was only a simple nudge, subtle enough her master would never know what she did.
He pushed back the chair. Not realizing that he was driven to move, he started forward. It had broken the ice. He continued on his own, no longer driven by her magic.
Rimmy gasped and squeezed her legs together, tears welling up in her eyes.
Her master circled the table and looked down at her. And, without looking away from her, lowered himself to his knees. He pulled out a bag with a black shadow-stone ring in it. Magic burned inside the stone, potential but no structure.
“Gods,” whispered Rimmy, her heart pounding in her chest.
Merrie rested back on the floor, tears in her own eyes. She had just forced her master into the action that made her jealousy worse. How could she be the submissive when they were so much in love? She felt sick to her stomach but couldn't pull her mind from their thoughts. Their love was intense and powerful, forged from years together and blood shed for each other.
She was just a bitch.
As the tears ran down her cheek, she listened to her master's proposal.
“Rimmy, I been thinking about this for a long time. And, I know that… he hurt… no, I'm been in love with you for a long time.”
It didn't matter that he was fumbling. There was nothing he could say at that point that would stop the answer screaming in her mind. Merrie closed her eyes and sobbed quietly. She shielded her thoughts to avoid ruining the moment.
(Alpha?) Tamin's thoughts were worried. He was already inside her and she could never keep him out. (Do you need us?)
(I'm okay.)
(You are hurt. Your… heart hurts.)
(I know, but I'm okay.)
(I love you, Alpha.)
(And I love you, Tamin.)
“… and I've… I've been in love with you for a long time.”
Rimmy choked back a sob of her own. “You already said that, silly.”
Her master took a deep breath, his mind bright with fear and excitement. “Will you marry—”
“Yes!” Rimmy threw herself off her chair and into his arms, peppering him with kisses.
(—me?)
Merrie wiped the tears from her face as her master hit the ground. She put on a false smile as she watched them ripping each other's clothing off.
The dress tore loudly and buttons snapped. Their lips never left each other as they clawed at their outfits. Their lust was a bright flame against Merrie's neck. She felt like a third wheel.
Her master broke the kiss with a gasp. “What about Merrie?”
Merrie jerked and realized her shields had cracked. She blushed hotly and looked away, but she could feel Rimmy's gaze on her.
“What about her?”
“Well, you know, she's kind of my bitch.”
Rimmy chuckled. “You mean she's in your head and there is no way I could ever have one without the other?”
Merrie froze, her skin prickling. She peered over at her shoulder and saw that both of them were looking at her. Her own heart thumped.
“Well, yeah,” whispered her master, “I am her master.”
“Do you think,” Rimmy asked as her naked breasts rose and felt, “I could be her mistress?”
Fresh tears ran down Merrie's cheeks. She gasped and turned to them, her body trembling.
(What you think, Merrie, think you could have a mistress too?)
(I-I,) she could barely control her thoughts. (Yes.)
Her master smiled. “She says yes.”
“Then if we're going to fuck right here, she better join us.”
Merrie's wrists slipped on the floor as she hurried underneath the table and into them. Both of them opened their arms and pulled her tight to their bodies. She felt her master's strong chest against one side and Rimmy's—her mistress'—soft breasts on the other.
“And you thought I'd get rid of you, didn't you?” whispered Rimmy in her ear before nipping it. “Don't forget, you're my bitch now.”
Merrie moaned and kissed her master and then her mistress. She reached out and held them both, her short arms unable to reach around them. Her tears mixed with their own as they embraced and touched and kissed each other.
“I get first fuck,” whispered Rimmy as she tore the remains of her dress off her hips. Her dark skin was shadowed by the table but it glowed with excitement. She was straddling Merrie's master, her bush resting right up against his. The whiteness of his cock was a startling sword in the darkness, even though it was a deep purplish-red in color.
Merrie shifted away and crawled up between his legs. She kissed Rimmy's buttocks and spine.
Rimmy lifted her hips high in the air. Her asshole brushed past Merrie's tongue but then it was her soaked pussy that was ground against Merrie's face.
Merrie lapped at her sex, almost drowning in the liquid pouring out. She fought the throbbing clitoris and gave it a few swirls.
“Oh, Kine, I love you,” whispered Rimmy. She lowered her hips and Merrie caught her master's cock between her arms to guide it into the dark folds of his lover. She almost came as she watched Rimmy seat herself on her master, his cock buried deep inside her pussy.
The sensations rippled down the connection. Merrie felt her mistress wrapped around her cock, the wet pressure grinding down. It was focused and driven, pure pleasure filling her with warmth.
After stilling for a second to kiss, Rimmy lifted and dropped her hips. The cock slid in and out with wet slurps. Her buttocks flexed with every movement and Merrie stared in rapture as she watched his cock disappear inside her body. Every vein and ridge stood out sharply, dragging on the pink insides of Rimmy's pussy before she ground her bush into his.
The smell of their excitement, musky and intense, man and woman, filled Merrie with a burning lust of her own. She gulped and leaned forward, kissing Rimmy's ass as it rose and fell. She brushed against Rimmy's ass and felt a curious pleasure rising up.
With a grin, Merrie waited until the apex of Rimmy's thrust, then lapped at her asshole, teasing the wrinkled opening.
With a gasp, Rimmy slammed down. “Oh, she licked me!?”
“I know,” her master whispered, “that's what she does.”
“No, my ass! She licked my ass.”
(That's hot,) came from her master, followed by a thousand fantasies. “Did you like it?”
Rimmy thought for a moment, struggling with the pleasure.
Merrie reached down and buried her face between the dark brown cheeks. Her tongue darted out and she laved along the clenching opening. She used the tip to trace along the sensitive wrinkles. It tasted earthy, but nothing compared to the foul stuff Borias had fed her. She smiled and probed deeper.
Rimmy lurched forward, then let out a cry as she shoved back ti impaled her body on his cock and Merrie's tongue. “Fuck,” she gasped.
“Feels good, doesn't it?”
Rimmy moaned and then gave him a playful punch. “You aren't fucking my ass… tonight.”
Her master burst with lust, his cock surging inside Rimmy's cunt. “But later?”
“Yes,” Rimmy said with a giggle, “I'll do it once. Maybe more if you're good.”
“I'm good. I've been practicing.”
“I noticed. Now, keep your bitch licking because I want you to cum inside me.”
He almost lost it again.
Merrie shoved her face in deep, lapping and sucking. She felt her own pleasure filling her, reflected by her master's lust.
“And,” continued Rimmy through the moan. She shoved back on Merrie's tongue, clenching her ring around it as if trying to catch it. “When you cum, your little bitch is going to lick it out of me.”
“Gods!” bellowed her master as he came inside her, all control lost in the single fantasy. His balls clenched as he pumped hot jet after jet into Rimmy's pussy, filling it until it dribbled out.
Merrie squeezed her muscles at the sensations that filled her. The pulse of a cock, the heated pressure of Rimmy's sex.
Rimmy gave a mock sigh, her mind dark with an orgasm of her own. “You are so,” she spat out the word with a smile, “immature. You'd think you were twelve again we were messing behind the front office again.”
“Sorry,” he said with a blush.
“Well…” Rimmy sat up and stretched, her breasts sticking out in front of her. She lifted herself up off his cock. “We better try again.”
“A-Again?” stammered Merrie's master.
“Yes, again,” she said with a smile as she stood up. Cum dripped down her thighs. She turned to Merrie. “Bitch, on your back.”
Merrie rolled over on her back, her tail wagging.
Rimmy stepped over her. A splatter of cum splashed against Merrie's face as she stared up at the shaggy black lips. With a moan, Rimmy straddled Merrie's face and sank down. The hot folds plastered against Merrie's mouth and noise. “Now, clean me out so your master can try again. And maybe this time, he won't blow off like a damn teenager.”
Merrie reached out and wrapped her arms around the brown things above her. She nuzzled her face deep into Rimmy's sex. The tangy smell of her pussy mixed in with her master's cum. She shoved her tongue up into the sloppy hole, lapping at the cum and juices that pooled into her mouth.
Her master's hands grabbed her thighs and spread them. His body caressed her legs as she felt him aiming his cock for her slick pussy.
Surprised, Merrie ground her face into the wet hold, sucking as hard as she could. She found Rimmy's clitoris and latched her lips on it.
Rimmy ground down on her face, crushing Merrie's ears against her head as she humped her face. She was kissing her master, the sensations leaking through the connection and swamped Merrie's own sensations.
Struggling to remain still for her master's cock while lapping as hard as she could. Fresh air slipped in tiny slips into her lungs and she grew dizzy with her efforts to please her mistress.
Her master drove home, impaling her deep with his cock. It set off an explosion inside her and she bucked violent and screaming into Rimmy's hole.
Hands grabbed her breasts, shoving her down even as they were twisting her nipples. Pain sparkled across her vision and she clamped down on her pussy and her lips, nipping and crying out without ever stopping her lapping.
His shaft thrust hard into her, every millimeter of his bumps and length burned into her memory. She clung desperately her mistress as her master pounded into her. They were kissing without her, but it was her body they were using to calm their lust before a night of tender love-making.
Her master pounded into her, his cock reaching to the perfect apex of her body. He filled her completely and she came with every thrust, a tiny orgasms wracking her body.
She writhed and bucked.
Smothering her, Rimmy suddenly came. The flood of juices poured into her face, drowning her as the brown thighs crushed the side of her head.
Her master came moments later, pounding erratically a few times to ram his cock deep into her sex before flooding her inside.
Both of them rocked into her, spending the last of their hard-edge lust into her body before slumping into each other. They were kissing and touching each, lost in each other's eyes and passions.
Rimmy lifted her hips and Merrie inhaled the fresh air. She looked up at the swollen lips, glistening cleaned of every milliliter of her master's cum. She smiled, it was a sex ready for her master.
He slipped out of her as they both stood up, leaving her in a pool of sweat and cum.
“Kine?” Rimmy's voice was low and husky.
“Yes… love, um, Rimmy?”
They both beamed at each other.
“Lock your dogs up and come to your bed.”
There was a moment of silence, shocked and nervous.
“The first time I spent the night with you, I want it to be just the two of us.”
He let out a sigh, but Merrie felt worry rising up.
Rimmy glance at her. “And tomorrow, you can bring her cage in.”
Merrie fell in love with her in that moment. Most than just lust, more than her master's love, but that simple act of understanding Merrie's relationship with her master. She sniffed and got on her knees. When her wrists touched against her throat, she barked.
Rimmy and her master looked down. As one, they said “good girl.”
Merrie came from the sudden words. She sniffed and bowed. Pulling on the shadows, she stepped into the darkness. Around her, the rest of the pack joined her. Their shadowed forms flowed across the Shadow before coming back into their respective cages.
Her heart thumped with excitement and love. Her master and her mistress loved her. She circled twice in her cage and flopped down on the thick pillow.
In front of her, her master stepped out of the Shadow. He smiled. “Thank you, Merrie.”
Merrie looked up, surprised at the sudden serious.
“I know you pushed me to do that.”
She froze, wondering if she was going to be punished.
“And,” he reached into the cage and brought her head to the bars. He kissed her on the lips and on the nose. “I love you for that. I don't know if I could ever do it without you.” He kissed her again and stood up. He picked up the padlock that Rimmy bought and clipped it into place.
Merrie looked up at him, her tail slapping hard against her cage.
“One night, girl. One more night and then it will just be the three of us,” he sighed. The love inside him rose up. “I-I got to go. Will you be okay?”
Merrie crouched in her cage, as straight as she could, and barked once. (I love you, master.)
(And I you,) he replied as the shadows swallowed him up.
Minutes later, love and passionate burned down their connection. Flashes of kissing and touching, exploring as if they didn't know each other bodies for years. Everything was new to them, the proposal somehow erasing years of familiarity and bringing a freshness to their touches.
Merrie smiled and shielded her thoughts. Her master deserved his privacy with his lover. Merrie would get her time soon enough. She settled back to her pillow and squirmed, her tail snapping against the bars.
The pack settled down, except for Tamin who sent a query through their connection. (Are you leaving us, Alpha?)
(No, they are just moving my cage.)
There was a strange, warm shiver down her spine.
(They are mating without you,) thought the canine.
(Yes.)
There was a pause as Tamin struggled with the words. (You are the Alpha and he is yours, but what is she?)
(She is going to be my alpha female.)
(But you are Alpha. There cannot be two alphas.)
She smiled and wiggled her ass in his direction. (I am your Alpha, but she will be mine.)
(I don't understand. That is not how it works.)
Merrie stared out into the darkness, feeling the leaks of emotions rippling through her connection. She loved her master without question and she loved Rimmy but not as strongly. No matter how much they accepted her now, she didn't know if it would last.
(Alpha?)
(Tamin, I'm your Alpha. Let me figure out the rest.)
The canine sent a wave of confused love. He settled down with a flop. (I don't understand, but I love you,) he finished.
(And I love you too.)
Merrie closed her eyes and tried to doze off. She wanted to give her master some privacy, but it was difficult with their minds shared. She could feel the love for Rimmy burning down the connection along with flashes of physical sensations: kissing, sucking, touching. When he penetrated Rimmy, she could feel every centimeter of his cock sinking into the wet heat of Rimmy's body.
With a whimper, Merrie curled up and tried to shield herself, but the intense sensations continued to assault her. She pressed her arms between her legs and stroked along the wet folds.
(I love that sensation, girl.)
Merrie whimpered and rolled on her back, stroking faster.
(But, let me focus, okay? Just for tonight.)
Shivering with need, Merrie forced her dripping arms away. Flipping back on her stomach, she let out a long sigh and rested her head on the blankets. (Yes, master.)
He was thrusting harder, pounding his entire length into her wet hole. “I love you, I love you—”
Merrie curled up tighter, lost in the sensations of her master fucking Rimmy. She whimpered and pawed at the cage, rattling the door. She had to distract herself, to not focus on the heat curling in her pussy and the lust burning in her mind.
Desperate to distract herself, she checked on the wards. But as soon as she focused on the Shadows, she felt something wrong. Instead of the shifting darkness of shadows and the comfort of darkness, the other side was laid bare to brilliant light. The layers of protective magics were being stripped away even as reached out for them.
Merrie tensed as she cast the warding spell, but the magic flowing from the realm of Shadows sputtered and broke apart. She felt the spell crumbling in her mind, along with every other spell in the mansion.
Fear slammed into her and she pushed herself up to her knees. (Master!)
In the other cage, the pack lifted their head. Tamin made a curious woof noise. (Alpha?)
(… I'm going to cum, I'm going to…)
Merrie reached out for her master's lust and clamped down it, killing his erection and his passion instantly. (Master!)
Her master stopped in mid-stroke. (Merrie? What's wrong?)
The fear kept rising. She prayed she was wrong but she forced the thought through. (The ward is down. The Shadows are burning.) She remember Tabitha standing at the picnic, trying to find an intruder. (I think… something is wrong. I'm sorry, I'm—)
He was moving, pulling out of Rimmy and throwing open his wardrobe. (Better safe than sorry. Be safe, I'll be right there.)
There was a trembling and Tamin's thoughts broke through. (Alpha, I cannot go into the dark.)
Merrie's heart skipped a beat. She tried to step into the Shadows, but the shadows wouldn't darken enough. Even if she could, the enchantments on her cage prevented her from her escaping. But, she could feel the brightness in the Shadow, the shadow realm peeling back from some magical light. Fear slammed into her, an icy river down her spine. (Master, I cannot step across. We cannot come to you.)
(What?) Shadows gathered around him but he also couldn't step across. (Shit! Rimmy is heading toward you.)
The door creaked open.
The pack began to growl, stirring as they felt someone intruding their home.
Merrie spun in her cage, staring at the door as a bright light streaked through. A voice, quiet as a whisper drifted through. “He has dogs. Big ones. Be ready to kill them if they make a noise.”
Reflexively, Merrie slammed her control over the dogs and halted the growls in their throats. Tamin resisted, but she crushed his thoughts with a single blast of fear. (Be silent!) She sent a flash to her master. (They are coming through the porch.)
He acknowledged as he frantically dressed. (Merrie, hide the pack and yourself. And then tell me who's coming.)
She assembled and threw a spell, a mixture of shadow magic and her psionic powers. It was a repulsion, but a gut feeling told her that shadow magic wouldn't be enough against the intruders. The spell hummed in her mind and she set a portion of her mind to maintain it.
She was just casting the same spell, when three translucent figures slipped into the room. They were cloaked in magic, but it wasn't the chaotic shadows of her master's power but something structured and patterned. It was arcane magic, created from ritual and spells instead of the organic feel of psionic or the shadows that throbbed in her bones.
“Where are the dogs? I thought they were back here.” It was a man speaking in a sharp whisper.
“Quiet, Sithe! Maybe he moved them?” It was a woman speaking in a street accent, a kid with magic.
“Scan the room,” ordered the last voice, a gruff old voice. “He uses repulsion effects. Look for the shadows.”
(Master, there are three coming in on the porch.) She sent the feel of magic along the connection. (Mages using stealth magic.)
“There's a naked chick in that cage,” said Sithe, “Damn, I need to get one of those.”
One of the translucent figures smack Sithe. “Look for the hounds and shut up. They can't know we're coming. If those dogs warn them, they'll make a break for it.”
Merrie whimpered under her breath. She felt magic rising around her, a detection spell. It was powerful and she felt self-doubt rising. The eyes of one of the translucent figures glowed brightly and the room lit up with the power of his spell. She could see where he was looking at, it lit up every surface in a sky-blue color.
Unsure if her spell could resist, Merrie gave up on her own repulsion and enforced the spell around the dogs. She could feel them wanting to growl, to attack and protect their alpha's alpha. (Quiet, please.)
Tamin resist. (Must protect.) His growl shook her mind.
(You are!) She closed her eyes and layered the spell, dropping the shadow magic aspects to wrap them in the psionic version of repulsion. It was stolen from bits she learned from her grandfather, Bass' manipulation, and the idea of the shade. Her world spun around as she fought her panting breath.
The spell scanned around the room, but slowed as it grew closer to the cage. And then, without warning, the mage looked the other way. “Nothing, boss. Except for the chick with tits in the cage, it's empty.”
(They found me, master.)
(Do they think you're a threat?)
(No. I'm helpless.)
Joy and anticipation filled her connection. (Keep visible, be pretty and distract them. Give me strength.)
Her mind raced through the strength spell and she threw it through the connection. The shadowy braid that connected them grew solid for a moment and she watched the translucent figures to see if they noticed it. None of them reacted. As soon as she enchanted her master, she added spells to increase his speed and resilience.
(Good girl.) Her master was arming himself. Flashes of Rimmy dressing and picking out weapons burned through the connection. His thoughts were merging with her own and she could hear his voice overlaying with her own. Her sense of self grew hazy as his desire forced her mind and body into action. Spells bubbled up and she cast as fast as he wanted. They were preparation spells. Each one took energy to maintain, but she accepted the burden without hesitation.
The woman spoke up. “Is that her?”
The old man responded. “How many other women would be in a cage with her hands and feet cut off?”
“Fuck me with a spear,” said the younger mage, “what happened to her?”
“Sithe,” growled the older man, “if you don't shut up, I'm going to melt your bones. Keep looking for the hounds. Oli? Sneak through the house and see if you can find them. Be quiet and mask your scent. As soon as you neutralize the dogs, signal the attack.”
A sparkle of magic rolled over Oli.
Her master brushed in her mind. (Merrie, how many are there?)
Merrie fought with her fear. She stared down at the ground, fighting the urge to look up. They didn't seem to treat her as a threat. (Three so far, but there are more outside.) A detection spell burst out from her, her body shuddering with the power coursing through her. (Sixty-one attackers.) Another spell and she could barely identify herself as Merrie anymore. His needs wrapped around hers and she was helpless obey. A flicker of heat boiled inside her pussy, her submission giving her strength. (Three mages, but there are others with holy magic outside.)
She threw detection and perception spells, overlaying her intimate knowledge of the mansion grounds with the results of the spell. A detailed image of the mansion appeared and she held it for her master, highlighting every attacker. She could see him and Rimmy preparing to coming out of the bedroom.
(Fuck.) Her master was angry but an undercurrent of fear ran through his mind. (I won't be able to see the invisible one coming for us. Give me a tracer on her, we need to take out the mages first.)
Merrie concentrated. The woman had well-formed shields and she was powerful. But, Merrie was a shield breaker and she was protecting her master. She slid into the cracks of the woman's shields, taking advantage of the blind spots, and punched deep into her psyche. Images flashed past her as she scanned for a place to hang a tracer spell. She found it and cast the simple spell, thankful that her grandfather had taught it to her.
She withdrew, but one of the woman's memories stopped her.
She was sitting at the end of a table, looking over the floor plan for the shadow thieves' mansion. According to the man who delivered it, it was taken from the minds of previous guests of the mansion's owner, the Silk Gray Cat. She glanced over at the informant, a plain-looking man watching the proceeds in silence.
The Gray Cat was lazy and a notorious drinker and now a loner. He was also famous for the thefts he pulled off, including a three million mark picture that was never recovered. He was known to work with other thieves, but he lived alone in his mansion. It would be an easy attack and the world would be better with one less shadow thief in it.
*At the head of the table, a quiet-spoken man in a white robe. He was pointing to the map. “The Guild of Arcanes will provide three mages to break the wards. We'll put them here, here, and here.” He pointed as he spoke. “That will prevent them from stepping into the Shadows, but they'll still have access to local shadows.”
“I'll handle that,” announced a broad shouldered man with a stylized “L” embroidered on his chest. “There will be no hiding from the light.” He had a booming voice, deafening to the woman's senses.
“Can you bring additional fighters, sir paladin?” asked the man in white.
“Two dozen holy warriors, including two squires-in-training. All of them are aching to rid the world of this evil.” His booming voice ran out, making the woman wince with discomfort.
Merrie shivered at his thoughts but kept following the memories.
The woman waited her turn. “The Artisan's Guild will bring three mage-scouts and two spell-blades.” She was one of the scouts. "We'll scout the building, neutralize his dogs and alarms, and locate the thieves."
“How long do you need?” asked the man in white.
"Twenty minutes, max."
The paladin leaned forward. "Don't be cocky. Evil is never that predictable."
The woman felt a wave of dislike for the loud-voiced man. She waved her hand. "We'll do our part, you do yours."
“Excuse me,” said a voice from the far end of the table. It was a quiet, unassuming looking man. Everyone at the table looked at him. He glanced around. "I just wanted to remind you, that there is a price for this information."
Merrie gasped. She knew the quiet man. It was Rakin's second-hand man, Tass. If Tass was there, he was working for Rakin. Hatred rose up, shared by her and her master.
“Yes,” muttered the paladin, "your daughter, right?"
Tass nodded. “Yes, though I'm afraid that… cruel man,” he sniffed with fake tears, "has done horrible things to her. I just want my little girl back. Please? I have the money."
"Don't worry, you'll get your daughter back. And the man who kidnap her will be destroyed."
The memory shattered and Merrie bit back a gasp.
(Fuck,) snapped her master. (Rakin? When we finish this, we are going to hunt him down and kill him.)
(Master, escape if you can. They won't hurt me.)
(No.)
(Master, please! Save me later but don't risk yourself.)
Heavy footsteps shook the back stairs of the porch.
“Crap,” muttered Sithe, “the paladin is ahead of schedule. Why does everyone who bows down to a church can't invest in a—”
“Sithe, quiet!”
A bright light poured through the door. As the spears shone across the room, it splashed on the two invisible men. Their spells crumbled and they burst into view.
Sithe was about Merrie's age, with clothes made for sneaking. His necklace sparkled as the dispelling magic shone on him. The old man carried a dagger and a sword, both of them glowing with stored magic.
The paladin entered the room. He was clad in brilliant white armor from helm to boots. A massive “L” was carved in the front, right above his sternum. In his left hand, he had a sword as long as his body but it was a narrow blade. In his right, he held a lantern by a thick chain; the light was blinding, but Merrie could see how was burning away the magical shadows that permeated the room. The smell was rank and choked Merrie, she had lived in shadows for too long to be comfortable in the light.
Pulling on her master's memories, she identified the lantern. It was called the Takor Brilliance, a weapon for hunting shadow walkers. It also had other powers to strip away magic, including psionic, but it could only do one type at a time. Her master also knew how to destroy it, by bathing the flame inside in blood.
(Get ready to destroy the weapon,) projected her master, (but not yet.) His mind was focused as he planned how to free her.
Sithe held out his hands. “You're too early, sir paladin.”
“Evil never waits,” came the response as if it explained everything. “I need to set up a sanctuary.”
“We haven't neutralize the dogs. Actually, we haven't found them yet.”
The helm turned to the younger man. “Then hurry up, boy.”
Merrie concentrated on Sithe and plunged past his shields. They were ragged with youth and she attached a tracer spell to him. Feeding it to her master, she prepared to do the same with the older man.
The paladin turned toward her.
Merrie cringed, trying to give the impression of helplessness. Reaching out, she pawed the air and let the tears run down her cheeks. She projected a sense of a tortured young girl, frightened and tortured.
The paladin's mental shields resisted her, but the others were drawn to look at her.
Sithe let out a soft “aww” noise. “We should free her.” He stepped closer to the cage.
She pictured Tamin and told him to open his cage. Hidden from sight, the massive hound reached through the bars of his cage. He lifted the bar that sealed the cage shut. He moved with the intelligence of a human, not an animal. As the bar tilted out of place, two of the other dogs reached out and caught it before it hit the ground. Working it quietly, they pulled it into the cage and set it down.
The paladin spoke sharply. “She's using magic.”
Sithe stared at her. “What? How? She got her hands lopped off.”
“I can feel power in the room. It's her.” The paladin strode forward until he was looming over her.
Merrie whined and crouched down, waiting for a strike.
In the cage, Tamin pushed the cage open. It opened in silence, but he held still. Behind him, the other seven dogs prepared to attack. They would die for her and they would kill for her.
But the paladin set down the lantern a meter from her cage. She could feel the power rolling off of it as it burned her skin. He flipped the top and pulled out a sheet of blue crystal.
Merrie watched with growing fear as the paladin fitted the crystal into a slot. Slamming it down, the bright white light grew into a painful blue that hurt her eyes.
“No, that's not it,” muttered the paladin.
Her master swore in the connection. (Damn. They are coming through the doors and windows. And we can't get to you. We have to deal with the outsiders first.)
(Master, please be safe.)
(Of course,) came the cocky though. (I will save you. I promise.)
Sithe spoke up. “Sir paladin, what are you doing?”
The paladin snapped his head up. “Find those dogs.” He returned to the lantern and pulled out the crystal sheet. Putting it back, he picked up a yellow crystal sheet and dropped it into the slot.
This time, Merrie's body lit up with sparks of power and magic.
“Psionics,” growled the paladin.
Merrie whimpered in fear. (Master, they know I can use magic.)
There was a blank thought as movement filtered down the connection. Her master struck from the shadows into the invisible woman, his knife sliding into her throat and dropping her before she could make a noise. (Let loose the dogs,) he commanded.
Merrie sent the command. (Kill.)
Tamin burst out of the cage, teeth bared. His dark form slammed into the paladin. Another went for the armored man's legs, knocking the lantern to the side. The crystal plate shattered and the lights strobed as the light spun around.
The other dogs streamed out of the cage. She sent four of them out the back door to attack outside. The remaining two went for Sithe and the other thief. There was a high-pitched scream from Sithe before the first dog tore out his throat. A splatter of blood painted the ceiling as the body hit the ground. A heartbeat later, the other man dropped to the ground from a shattered leg.
Merrie dropped herself into the pack, melding her senses with her own. She controlled the eight bodies as if they were her own. The energy flowed through her, reminding her that she was maintaining spells and the connection at the same time.
The paladin bellowed as he scrambled to his feet. He swung his sword but Merrie sent one of the dogs to grab his wrist, chomping down on the armor and spoiling the blow. The blade slammed into the ground but the canine couldn't get through the armor.
The remaining one in the porch finished tearing out the downed man's throat before he raced into the mansion, to assist her master who was slashing through the attacking fighters.
Tamin flipped over and dove into the shadows, it wasn't stepping across but simply using the darkness for a short-ranged teleport. He came out a meter away and launched himself at the Paladin's injured arm, accelerating with all his might.
Merrie powered a strength spell through Tamin as the canine slammed into the paladin's elbow. Rending metal and shattered bone filled the room and the sword dropped from the paladin's slack fingers.
The paladin lashed out with his fist, pounding into the dog still holding on his wrist. The pain exploded across Merrie's senses. She tried to force him to release, but the dog's primal anger rebuked her. He wouldn't let go, not when Tamin was attacking.
Tamin released the elbow and dropped to the ground. He spun and charged again. (Give me more strength, Alpha.)
Merrie threw another spell into him, giving him as much power as his massive form could take.
Tamin hit the paladin the back of the knee, shattering metal and bone.
The paladin dropped to the ground with a howl of pain. With a shaking hand, he grabbed the dog with his other hand. Raising the creature up above his head, a strength spell of his own coursed through his body.
Merrie cried out as he slammed his hands down, crushing the dog into the ground in a splatter.
She felt the dog's death intimately, like someone had ripped her heart out. Merrie lost her balance and slumped to the ground, hitting her head against the bars. A bruise throbbed in her head.
(Defend the Alpha!) barked Tamin and renewed his attack. He savaged the paladin's helm, tearing it off and reveal the man's face. Through the back door of the porch, two more hounds came rushing out of the darkness with blood on their muzzles. They launched themselves at the paladin, fangs flashing.
Merrie was no longer commanding the pack. They were responding to her needs instinctively as she was obeying her master. She gasped at the conflict of emotions and needs. She was a master but a submissive. She struggled with the dual roles even as she was being consumed by them.
As the paladin struggled with the hounds, Merrie checked on her master. (Master?) A rapid series of runes settled into place and she dropped a confusion spell into the center of her master's opponents; she didn't even remember starting the spell. As the shadows rose up, they slashed at the mirror images of her master and Rimmy.
(I'm sorry, Merrie, we can't stay and survive. Can you clear the path?) He pictured a path through the back of the yard. There were two dogs outside near there, staining the ground with blood from their surprise attack. A few meters away, there was a man holding out his hands as he chanted a spell. It was a ward against shadows, she could feel the revulsion of his magic against her own.
A smaller lantern between his feet, shining light on the mansion and stripping away the shadows.
Merrie sent two of the pack on the paladin outside and all four of the dogs began to clear out the path. Each one fought in perfect synchronization, killing and moving on in showers of blood. Their bodies glowed with her magic, moving faster and stronger than any natural creature could.
But, it was obvious that her master couldn't make it while the lantern was still there. Reluctantly, she pulled another dog off the paladin and sent it out to kill the mage.
Tamin and the remaining canine continued to assault the paladin, tearing at his feet and hands. Blood splattered everywhere as they gouged at the fallen man.
But, the paladin kept trying to get up, despite a broken knee and arm. He shielded his face the best he could.
Merrie cried out, feeling helpless. She couldn't join in the fight, not that she could do anything, but if she was outside, she could defend her master.
(Keep driving the pack, girl,) came her master's struggling thoughts.
There was a sharp pain as two more dogs died outside, one from a sword to the throat and the other exploding from the inside.
Merrie sobbed, feeling every sensation of being impaled and burned out from the inside. She was dizzy as the deaths filled her, sapping at her strength and concentration. She felt despair rising up, she wasn't able to defend her master.
In the center of the room, the paladin managed to stagger to his feet. He held out a broken hand. “Lemetri!”
Merrie froze at the hated name. A rune appeared in front of the paladin, followed by a second and a third as they swept around him like a clock. Merrie remembered the spell and commanded at the Tamin and the other to escape.
As Tamin spun around, scrambling through the blood, the paladin spun around and the spinning runes followed.
Merrie screamed out in terror. She couldn't bare to lose Tamin. But, the noise came out not as a dog but as a woman. “No!”
Her insides twisted violently. Blood spurted out of her nose and ears and she almost lost conscious. She felt heat pouring down between her legs, but she couldn't tell if it was blood or urine or something else.
The paladin caught the two dogs in his spell and let it go. There was an explosion of blood as the entire side of the porch blew out. It tore out the yard, the fence beyond it, and clear through the house on the far side of the street.
Merrie blacked out as she felt the death crash into her.
(Merrie! Merrie!)
(Master?) Her thoughts were dizzy.
(I got separated from Rimmy. Can you enhance her?) Even as he asked, he knew the answer. Merrie needed to touch anyone that she wasn't bonded to. (Damn it. I'm trying to get to her but she's coming for the paladin.)
Blood poured down the side of Merrie's head. Her ear was in agony and if felt like she somehow broken it. She could feel more blood dribbling down her thighs and throat. She struggled to focus on the man who killed her pack.
The paladin was on his knees, helpless but there was no way for her to kill him. Outside, the remaining two dogs were fighting for their lives, desperately serving her with the last of their strength. One was bleeding from multiple wounds and the other was on fire, but they were hell-bent on taking out as many as possible before they died in her service.
She sobbed and flailed at the cage, rattling the padlock she could never open.
The paladin finished his spell with a gasp. Yellow green energy roared around him as a vortex of healing energy surrounded him. She heard the sickening sound of bones realigning and cracking as they repaired. Flesh sealed over, leaving deep scars and gouges.
Rimmy was surrounded by five men. She was fighting for her life. Her blade slashed through a man's arm, then a leg as she moved with the grace of the shadows. Her eyes met with her master's. "Run, damn it!"
(Fuck!) Reluctantly, her master broke through the front door and race down the path Merrie had cleared.
The paladin pushed himself to his feet. Panting for breath, he turned around. “You are not the daughter of that man.” He said, murder in his eyes. “You are the cursed woman sold in Blood County, the so-called Alpha.”
Merrie fell against the side of the cage. She was trying to regain her balance, but the exhaustion and death tore at her. She could barely keep up even with the adrenaline and fear pouring through her. Her chest hurt with her attempts to breathe.
“You are bonded to the thief.” The paladin groaned as he held out his hand. The sword tore out of the ground and snapped into his palm. “And you are evil.”
Merrie shook her head.
“Evil must never survive!” He raised his sword.
She stared up at the bloody blade, terrified for her life. Her heart pounded in her chest and urine ran down her legs. She couldn't escape, couldn't flee. There was nothing she could do.
Rimmy's scream filled the porch.
“Sir paladin! We can't hold her long!” called out a man. Four men, bloody and injured, dragged Rimmy into the room by her hair and arms.
Merrie's mistress lashed out, thrashing as she tore at her hair and clawed at them. She was wearing Merrie's master's shirt but her bare legs continued to flash as she kicked and surged in their grip. There were cuts across her body and blood soaked the gray fabric that wrapped her. Her eyes were wide with fear and she kept screaming incoherently.
The paladin looked torn for a moment, but then he turned to the men bringing in Merrie's mistress. He gestured to the center of the room. “Bring her to the center.”
In her mind, she could feel her master's frustration and anger. He was hesitating in the middle of combat, struggling between saving Rimmy and fleeing. Merrie didn't know what to say, she didn't know what to do.
Rimmy saw the paladin's large sword and her eyes widened. “No!” she screamed and the shadows gathered around her. Her body blurred, but she couldn't step through.
Merrie delved into her mind to find a spell that would help her escape. She stretched out of the cage looking for something, but her body couldn't reach. All the spells she knew required touch and Rimmy was too far away.
Throat swelling up with fear, she reached out for the last remaining pack members, but they were defending her master. She closed her eyes and sobbed, then rapidly threw every spell she could into the two canines.
“Give it up, thief. Your days are over,” groaned the paladin as he limped over to her. “Lemetri will purge you from the light forever.”
The world wavered and Merrie lost her balance. She could taste blood in her mouth. She staggered to her knees, but then the final two dogs died and their deaths slammed into her. She hit the ground. She tasted blood in her mouth as an empty hole ripped itself in her heart and left a space in her soul that could never be filled again.
“Hold her,” commanded the paladin.
The four men stretched Rimmy out, each one holding a limb.
(I can't leave her, I'm sorry.) Regret burned in his mind, he had almost escaped the battle.
Rimmy screamed and thrashed, desperate to escape. The shirt rose up on her bare stomach, revealing the many wounds from her fight.
The paladin brought his sword up. “Begone, evil!”
With a flash, he buried his sword into her chest, severing her spine and cutting her almost in half. Blood and guts poured out on the ground. The splatter filled the room as her insides splashed on the ground.
Merrie screamed shrilly. She felt the geas tearing her insides, but she couldn't stop.
(Merrie!? What happened?) It was her master, but he already knew what happened. (I'm coming to kill him.) His thoughts became pitch black anger. There was no noise, but she could feel everything solidifying into a hatred that threatened to consume her.
The paladin took a deep breath. “Defeating evil always comes at a cost.” His head turned around, blood still dripping out of the deep wounds the pack inflicted on him. “And it is everywhere.”
Merrie sobbed, staring at the corpse of her mistress. The edges of Rimmy's body grew blurry as black flames erupted from her. Merrie had seen it before, when her master was dying. Tears pouring down her face, she could do nothing as Rimmy melted away into shadows, slipping through the burning light that prevented them from stepping forward. On the far side, Merrie felt a presence welcoming her into the darkness.
The paladin staggered back and picked up the lantern. He righted it and the revealing light once again filled the porch. “If this was set up properly, then her spirit would have never escaped the power of light.” He sighed. “We will destroy her in the next life.”
(I'm sorry, Merrie.) Her master's thoughts were painful as they came across. He had been stabbed in the side. Men were on top of him, pounding him into the ground. (I'm so sorry.)
(No, master, no. Please don't. Let me save you.) She started a strength spell for him, but the energy fled out of her and she slumped with weakness. (I-I can't.)
Through the sorrow, there was anger. His thoughts were focused and hard-edged like a knife. (No, get ready to fight. I need that lantern destroyed. Can you do it?)
Merrie looked around, trying to find something to use. There was nothing she could reach, so she cast her mind along the senses of the five men in the porch. The paladin had strong shields, almost impermeable with brilliance. She didn't have time to break through it, but the other four were weaker.
She gave a grim smile, struggling against the dizziness and the pain that filled her insides. (Yes, master.)
(Give me shadows, girl, and then we'll walk out of here. And when we recover, we are going to destroy Lemetri and Rakin.)
Crafting a domination spell quickly, she slipped it into the minds of the four men still in the room. They were tired and exhausted but there was pride in their defeat of evil. She was sickened by their joy as she delved deep into their minds, finding the secret places and anchored the spell. They would die for her, one way or the other.
Her master came in, with a proud head and surrounded by three men. Blood poured down his side and she could feel his pain, but there was nothing she could do but obey his last command.
The paladin stood up, lit up by the magical lantern. “The Silk Gray Cat. You're younger than I would guess.”
“Who are you?” snapped her master.
“It doesn't matter, Kine.”
Her master and Merrie both stiffened.
The paladin smiled with triumph. “You lose power against people who know your name, don't you?”
Kine's shoulders slumped, but he was faking his fear. There was a fierce joy and triumphant in his mind. (And false rumors save my ass one more time. He thinks I can't fight him. Are you ready, Merrie?)
Heart thumping and her mind dizzy with pain, she sent an agreement. The spell was ready with the last of her energy. She would do anything for her master and she could feel her life pulsing in her mental fingers.
“You killed my fiancé. I loved her.”
“Evil cannot love,” announced the paladin.
“I loved her more than anything you can understand.”
“You are too far lost to know what true love is.”
Her master started a spell, the calligraphy of magic scraping across her mind. She let the tattered remains of all other spells fall back to enforce the spell, to give him as much power as she could. The energy pulsed around them as they cast it together.
Magic gathered outside of the room. Merrie could feel it, the shade of the World Tree coming alive. It was more than just shadows, it was part of the Shadow tearing into the world. The light in the other realm snuffed out, consumed as they brought the plane of darkness into the world.
It couldn't enter the light of the lantern, but she could feel the horrible energy gathering around. The sounds of the outside silence as the porch was cut off from reality itself.
Her master sighed, gathering his strength. He looked up with pitch black eyes. “It is time.”
The paladin stepped back in surprise. “H-How?”
Merrie slammed all her power into the four men. Their minds crumbled under her assault as she tore apart their consciousness. She felt their screams and locked them in their throat. She forced all the pain and sorrow she felt in their minds and felt their sanity shred. She didn't need their minds, just their bodies. With a surge of power, she snuffed out their consciousnesses and stole control of their bodies.
As one, they spun on their heels and launched themselves at the lantern.
The paladin gasped and turned after them. His sword flashed out and he cut one of them in half, slicing through the man's spine and hip in a single blow. The impact of his sword shook the porch.
The other three caught the lantern. They grabbed the lantern and tore at it, stripping off metal and heedless of the flesh slicing on the glass.
The first man got the plate off and burst into flames. He made no noise as he reached in and grabbed the flames. It melted bones as he brought the divine light and swallowed it. The bright light traveled down into his gut.
The other two grabbed their swords and pierced his belly. The room was plunged in darkness as the flame snuffed out.
“Lemetri!” The paladin's chest grew with a brilliance, but it was too late.
The three men holding her master were already dead, their bodies shredded by tentacles that rose out of the master's shadow. The tentacles charged forward and punched through the paladin's armor. The darkness tentacles burst out of the other side in a shower of blood.
Merrie pawed at her throat, trying to breathe. Dominating the four men used everything she had and the world was growing hazy as she struggled to remain conscious.
Her master raised his hand. His arm shifted into a thick tentacle which shot out and punched through the paladin's throat. “You killed my love.”
The paladin dropped to his knees, blood pouring out of his mouth. His body shuddered but there was a look of triumph on his face.
Behind him, in the reflected light of his armor, Merrie saw a glint of something. She frowned even as she was sending out a warning to her master.
The first sword flying out of the darkness grazed his leg. The second punched through her master's arm. The third, fourth, and fifth each slammed with unerring accuracy into his chest.
Merrie felt every blow in her own body as more swords came out of the darkness, a storm of blades that pierced her master. They came faster, peppering into his body and throwing him back with every blow.
She tried to bring up a protective spell, but there was nothing left to use. She tried harder, delving deep into her very being until she found the pulse of life that kept her heart beating. She pulled on it, struggling with the instinctive need to survived, and forced it into a protection spell.
The magic surged through her master, healing and protecting him, but the blades kept coming. They were fueled not by the paladin's magic but the force of the goddess Lemetri herself. They kept coming, faster than she could heal.
He used the shadows to deflect some of them, but there was more. Blade after blade slamming into his body. He dropped to his knees and they threw him back.
Merrie screamed and screamed, her body ripping itself bloody as she reached out for him. “No, no, no!” The geas tore through her and darkness crowded her vision. She was dying and every heartbeat was a clock counting down.
She felt him dying. (Master! No, please! Don't die.)
The paladin dropped to the ground, his eyes blank and lifeless. The porch plunged into darkness.
Merrie tried to find some spell to save her master. She would do anything to stop it, even if it meant giving up her own life. But there was no final lesson from her grandfather, no magic that would stop it. She tried to find the healing spell, but the runes refused to focus in her mind.
(Merrie,) came the fading thought.
(Master!) bloody tears dripped down her face. She plastered herself against the ground, trying to reach him.
Her master crawled across the ground, leaving a trail of crimson behind him. His body was burning up, black flames rising up from his edges. Merrie felt her soul trembling as his death tugged at her own soul.
The Lord of Shadows was reaching through the darkness for him and there was no escape the inky claws.
His hand reached out for her, shaking and dripping with blood.
Merrie reached as far as she could, trying to force herself through the bars so she could touch her master. If she could, she hoped something would save him. She jammed herself tight against the bars and pushed harder. Her bones ached.
He hit the ground, his fingertips millimeters from her the smooth end of her arm. (Be… safe.)
His body turned to shadow, roaring as it burned away. The ethereal smell turned into the burn of Shadows and she felt his soul being torn away, to be claimed by the Shadows he got his power.
With his death, shadowy claws plunged into her very being. With a sharp rip, the bond was ripped out of her soul, leaving nothing but a gaping hole. The world plunged into the black hell of agony.
She thrashed in the cage, clawing at her throat as her insides twisted and ripped. Her world turned into a singularity of suffering. She prayed it would end, but it wouldn't. It kept on tearing her apart, shredding her very sense of being as her entire world, her life, her master, was taken from her.
With her final thought, she hit the ground in a wet thump. Her body refused to move. Dark shadows of oblivion surrounded her. Merrie prayed the Lord of Shadows would take her and she would never wake again.