The Beast Within

Captain Horace Dex wearily made his way down the stone spiral staircase. The metal from the heels of his boots clicked and echoed along the wide grey passages that adjoined the great stone steps. His black and red garb, a golden crested

emblazoned eagle with outspread wings on his breastplate, showed his allegiance to Lord Marbury. The golden eagle was flecked with the red stains of the battle that had been fought only hours before, rising and falling with his chest, and yet his

garments remained whole. Not one enemy had managed to so much as nick him. Not all of his command were quite so lucky. He had lost five good men to that ambush. All had been young and unmarried, the eldest being no more than seven and twenty

years. Dex smiled grimly. They had died as men, with their swords and shields clashing.

Dex was a stern looking man, although youthful in appearance despite his many years of battle. His dark hair held back in a knot that combined with his dark goatee framed his sun tanned face. Dark brown eyes burned fiercely, yet the lines around them

showed care.

He reached the bottom of the staircase and entered a room identical to the many that lined the passage. The room was lined with armour and weapons, all bearing the crest of Lord Marbury, suits of armour standing to mock attention with their weapons

carefully stacked to their sides.

Dex unbuckled his armour, leaving on his red and black tunic and black breeches. He placed his short sword and shield on an empty rack but left his dagger strapped to his thigh. His leanly muscular frame shadowed the doorway for a few moments as

though he were deep in thought. Abruptly he sighed and turned on his heel, out of the armoury. Walking briskly to the end of the long corridor he approached a large wooden desk at which an elderly guard was writing something meticulously in a large

leather bound book. The grey haired one looked up and saw Dex approaching and gave a large genuine smile.

"Dex, my boy! Heard you gave those bloody dark elves a what for today! Killed three of the seven with your own hands from what I hear!" Dex allowed the indiscretion over not calling him Captain slide. Mortimer had known him from a pup, and had been

the first to train him with sword and shield.

Dex smiled widely. "And you would have still told me to widen my stance had you been there old timer!"

Mortimer smiled hugely, "That I would my boy, that I would!"

Dex turned his face into a frown. "We did loose five good men out there today however. Such loses are not easily recouped, or forgotten."

Mortimer smiled sadly, "aye my boy, such is the way of things."

Dex looked around the goal. "Were you not on duty this morn? Where is the night guard to relieve you? And where are the cell guards?"

"Yes Captain, I mean to speak to you about that."

This has to be bad thought Dex, he only ever calls me Captain when something has gone wrong. "What is it Mort?"

"It's about the prisoner your command brought in."

"Yes?"

"Well you know what they say about witch elves sir."

"Mort, I have slain more witch elves than I have fingers. It is true that they are bloodthirsty fighters, and highly skilled fighters at that, but as for the legend that they can ensnare men by merely looking at them, it is but that, merely legend."

"Well then Captain, the men have been most taken in by this legend. Young Pontius was caught taking furs to the witch, saying he could not bear to see her cold, and master Bannorn? Well, he was caught trying to let her out of the cell."

Dex raised an eyebrow. Mort nodded emphatically and continued, "then when the night guard came to take over, well, Seargeant Mattock broke out in a sweat and had to go home to take a cold bath. I told him to stay there."

Dex folded his arms. "If this witch really does have this ability, then why are you mercifully unaffected?"

Mortimer snorted a short laugh. "Pleasures of the flesh seem to cease after the years have taken their toll. The mind dwells upon other things."

Dex looked at the older man, his age lined face creased with worry and fatigue, his fingers trembled as his body fought off sleep.

Dex placed and large hand on the old guards shoulder, "you get home old boy, and show Bess that your mind is still concerned with flesh pleasure!"

Mortimer laughed, "She would probably be more shocked than I!" He turned serious suddenly. "But, Dex boy, will you be alright? The witch seems...."

Dex cut him off with a short snort of laughter. "Mort old timer, I have slain many of these wicked fiends and have so far managed not to throw myself at their feet. If there is anyone adept at dealing with these witches it is myself!"

The relief showed clearly on Mortimer's face as he smiled at the thought of home and blessed sleep. "Thank you my boy! The torture of that one tomorrow will surely earn us back the problems she has caused!"

With that Mortimer slowly gathered his belongings and plodded heavily down the stone passageway until he was out of sight. Dex sat down heavily on the rickety wooden leather backed chair made comfortable by many years of bodies wearing against

it. He opened the large book in front of him and read the cramped spidery script. Prisoners. One. The witch elf Cerissa captured after a dark elf ambush on the crossroads. He glanced beside him and saw the artefacts that had been taken from her. Witch

elf armour was minimal, yet adorned with spikes and spires that would instill fear into the enemy. Her let his eyes run over the runed poisoned daggers that lay beside the armour, the venom still glowing slightly in the gloom. Pushing the chair back he

walked over to the cell where she was confined. Peering through the bars inlaid in the heavy wooden door he could see nothing but a form covered in furs that made a makeshift bed in the corner of the cell. He shook his head. Furs in a prison cell! He

should take them from her, but stopped. Such a course of action would be folly. He had no gaolers to provide back-up, and battle hardened he may have been, but he was no fool. He walked back to the desk and reclined in the chair, placing his feet

upon the desk. Ensnare men indeed! The young guards were just trying to give just cause to their actions when the sex hungry fools would do anything for a pretty face. He stared into the torch lights watching the flames dance and presently his eyes

began to droop. Sleep enveloped him.

He felt...hands. Cool and soft they ran across his face, fingers entwining in his hair. He smelt a sweet musky scent but he still could not see. He felt warm sweet breath on his face, a soft thumb ran across his lips and his mouth opened in response. Soft

lips pressed against his and a tongue flicked into his open mouth. He pressed back against it eagerly, deepening the kiss. The hands ran down his body, dexterously un-belting his breeches and reaching toward his hard length, tongues entwined,

breathing heavily into one another.

Dex awoke with a start. He was breathing heavily and gripping the arms of the chair with a brutal fierceness. He looked down to see if his breeches were undone. They remained belted, but his arousal was apparent under the cloth. He sat for a few

moments and struggled to regain composure. His immediate thought was of the witch sleeping not too far from him. He turned his mind away from that train of thought, he was no simpleton to be taken in by legends of witch elves. All the talk of of those

legends must have turned his mind to those thoughts. He sat for a few more minutes until his body was once more completely under his control. He smiled mirthlessly. All it needed was a little self control. He stood up slowly and looked over to the

occupied cell. Tomorrow she would be carved up by the Lords finest truth extractors. A loathsome bunch. He never could stomach the sustained torture that they were capable of. He walked over to the cell and peered inside. There was no form under

the furs. There was no sign of the witch whatsoever. He scanned the room desperately. She could not have got out, the door was heavily barred, and the cell itself was carved from stone. He snatched the keys from his pocket and quickly unlocked the

door. Pushing its bulk aside he stepped inside the cell, closing the door and locking it behind him. If she were still in the room he was not about to have her get out behind him. Pushing the key back into his pocket his withdrew his dagger and

approached the fur, carefully lifting them with his blade. Just as he saw that there was no-one underneath the furs a voice like silk behind him said, "Looking for someone?"

Dex spun around, dagger held expertly to his side. The witch elf was stood leaning against the wall looking at him with a faint smile playing on her lips. She was tall, taller than the average human, her pale white body firm and thin, belying none of the

viciousness of battle. Her long black hair fell loose and reached to her waist in waves. She wore a purple top that showed her bare arms and midriff, and a long purple loincloth that reached almost to the floor, baring her supple legs. She smiled her full

red lips more widely when she saw him take her in, and batted her long dark eyelashes in pleasure. Dex's face remained impassive.

"Get you back to your nest hole shadow lurker."

Cerissa's brow creased into a frown. "So you are not here to play with me? Shame. I play well with others."

Dex pointed the dagger to the furs. "Go."

Cerissa sighed and with a pout walked over to the furs and stood with arms folded looking over at Dex. Dex backed toward the door, dagger still held at his side. When he reached the door he reached to his pocket for his keys. He patted his pockets

again. The keys were missing! He glanced down around him to see if they had fallen. He looked up at the witch. She stood there smiling at him. The witch must have done something with them!

"What have you done with them witch?"

Cerissa smiled mischievously. "Have you lost your keys? Oh my. Then we are in a pickle are we not?"

Dex narrowed his eyes. "Tell me what you have done with them and I wont cut out your heart and feed it to the dogs."

"Now what makes you think I could possibly have your keys? It's not as if I have anywhere to hide them now is it? We are in a bare room apart from these furs which I have only just walked over to, and I am hardly dressed for concealment." To prove

her point she rubbed her hands over her garments to show she wasn't hiding anything.

Dex swallowed heavily. They must be in the furs. He looked over to the manacles that were on the wall and back at Cerissa. She caught his gaze.

"You want the dangerous witch elf manacled to the wall while you search the furs yes? Spoil all my fun!" She giggled.

Dex hesitated. He did not want to lay hands on the witch elf. He felt sure that doing so would be dangerous. He was more preoccupied with her flesh than he would ever admit.

She sighed, "You want me to manacle myself? You do like to take away the little pleasures don't you? Fine." Cerissa walked over to the wall and clicked one manacle over her wrist, then using her manacled wrist clicked the other into place. She stood in

place against the stone wall, her arms raised above her chained to the wall. She smiled sweetly at Dex. "Go on then. The big bad witch is all chained up." Dex hesitated for the second time, wondering if this was a trick. But she did look so vulnerable

manacled to the wall like that. Slowly, like a lion stalking its prey he approached the furs. Carefully he lifted each one in turn, and found nothing. He looked up sharply to the witch still chained to the wall.

"I will ask you once more where are they keys?"

"Still haven't found them? Oh dear. Looks like you will be my playmate till the morrow. I do get so bored so easily."

"Silence! You pick pocketed my keys, and you will tell me where they are!"

Cerissa rolled her eyes. "Look, I do not have your keys, if I were to pick pocket you, would it have been for your dagger so I could kill you and be out of here? Sense would suggest yes."

Dex folded his arms across his chest. "I will concede to that. But that still leaves us locked in this room together, which I find rather distasteful."

Cerissa cringed as if she had been slapped, "You find me distasteful?"

"You and your little raiding party killed five of my men today. That leaves me with a bitter taste in my mouth."

Cerissa nodded, "and you killed seven of my fellows. This is a war."

"You ambushed us!"

"We ambushed you because three weeks ago you cut our supply lines! We were foraging!"

Dex glared at her, "Your kind only revels in bloodshed."

Cerissa let out a small giggle. "Believe me, that is not the only thing we revel in", she smiled.

"And you will not ensnare me like the other guards, do not try your wiles on me witch."

Cerissa looked at him for a moment, "Oh Captain Dex, I thought you were better than that. You know as well as I that those legends are false. Tis but your own sense of longing." She smiled to herself. What she was saying was truth to an extent. Such

small contact would never ensnare a man through magical means. But all witch elves are well versed in the art seduction. Humans just didn't know the difference at times.

Dex snarled, "I have no longing for you."

"Well it looks like we will be sharing this room until dawn whatever your thoughts."

Dex nodded and sheathed his dagger. "As much as this displeases me, you are right."

"It will be good to have some company on my last night, even if my companion loathes me."

Dex shook his head, "You do not deserve any convenience this night."

Cerissa looked up at him sadly. "You say your race is different to mine because of mercy. Then have a small mercy on this elf this night before her death."

Dex studied her face. Her beautiful features masked in sadness, her head drooping allowing her hair to cover her face. He nodded. "You are right. Even when we are tested we must never forget who we truly are."

Cerissa smiled. "Well spoken!" and she slipped her hands out of the manacles.

Dex's hand flew to his dagger, "Deceitful wench! You tricked me!"

Cerissa flexed her hands to get the blood circulating again. "Surely that just makes me even more trustworthy? If I had the freedom to remove the manacles whenever I wanted I could have done something when your back was turned searching the

furs. Besides these manacles of yours are for large mens hands, they would never have held me."

Dex's hand relaxed on the handle of his dagger. "You are skillful with your words Cerissa."

"Just one of my many skills I assure you." she purred.

"I have warned you about such talk before Cerissa, do not attempt to beguile me with it."

Cerissa giggled. "I am sorry Captain Dex, I am unaccustomed to how how humans converse. This is more regular banter among my people. Think of it as an insight into the ways of dark elf culture."

"I have seen some of dark elf culture that makes me wish to see no more of it." sighed Dex.

"Then tell me of your life," said Cerissa, "You wear a band that symbolises devotion in your culture. You are attached to another?"

Dex looked down at his wedding ring. "Yes. A wife. Her name is Yvonne. I have two sons to her." Dex looked away. He could not tell her that his marriage had been arranged. His wife, not an unattractive woman, was comely in a plump sort of way. She

had a vacant air and agreed with everything he said. His sons he was intensely proud of however, the eldest studying to be a bright wizard.

Cerissa looked at Dex closely. She could tell that coupling with this wife of his was not something that either held much regard for. She could not imagine such a lifetime of servitude to ritualistic couplings, where-by their woman were taught to deny

intercourse, and when it did happen, to lie as a fawn frozen in fear.

"In dark elf culture, we can choose one mate, but that is purely down the the individuals involved. If one wishes to take another, then they can. Our people are not imprisoned into one another as yours are." Cerissa said.

"We are not imprisoned!" Said Dex. "I love my wife dearly." He sighed. Half was true. He did love his wife. Dearly. But it was more from habit, as one would come love anybody that had been in your life for so long, and bore you two sons. But he was

imprisoned. He knew pleasure of the flesh could be so much more. His mind worked racy magic inside his skull, and the pleasure he gave himself was greater than that given to him by his wife. He had heard tales from other lands, and even from a few

guardsmen, and he had laughed raucously along with them as if agreeing.

Cerissa walked over to the furs and sat down. "I do not have anyone that I call mine. That is enviable."

Dex looked at her sat amongst the fur. She was wrong. He was not enviable. He sighed and sat down next to her. He wondered what it must be like to have complete sexual freedom. He realised he could smell her from here, a sweet musky scent. The

cloth began to tighten around his loins. Thank goodness for the heavy tunic that covered him.

Cerissa watched him ponderously. "It is strange." she said simply.

Dex looked up into her eyes. "What is?"

"That you cage your inner animals so tightly. You think the dark elves bloodthirsty. You think us lascivious. You think us raucous. We just understand what we are. We are beasts. Yes I admit" , she said smiling, "that we do often over indulge, but I would

rather that than bind it away, to only ever feel it strain at its bonds."

Dex looked squarely into her eyes. How could she know his inner workings? Unless it were true of all men and women. "You think that I am caging my beast?"

Cerissa maintained the steady eye contact. "I know you are caging your beast. This is not due to any sorceries, but pure observation. You are a powerful animal that could have whatever it wanted, and yet you only allow it to chew grass."

Dex was breathing heavily. His eyes locked with hers. "Whatever I wanted?"

Cerissa smiled, "Anything."

Dex's heart thudded in his chest as he leaned into her, closing his eyes to meet her parted lips. Her sweet breath mingled with his and he pushed his tongue into her waiting mouth. Her tongue sent shivers of pleasure coursing down his body. Greedily

he pulled her small form to him, feeling her high firm breasts press against his chest, his arm easily encircling her waist. The very feel of her smooth pale skin against him, almost made him loose control. He felt like a pressure was slowly being released

from inside. Her smooth fingers ran through his hair pulling him more and more into the kiss. When she pulled away he was panting, heart beating a rhythm he could hear in his ears. She skilfully unbelted his tunic pulling it over his head baring his

tanned muscular battle scarred chest. Her tongue traced a saliva outline over his network of scars, and he gritted his teeth as his erection strained from its fabric prison. His rough hands pulled her face up to his, and she leaned in for another kiss. As

their lips met again he pulled at the purple cloth covering her chest, tearing it from her body. It was Dex that broke away from the kiss this time to mould her small firm breasts in his hands. He lowered his mouth to them, licking and teasing until they

were hard and erect. Gently he bit his teeth down onto to a rock hard nipple. Cerissa arched her back and hissed in pleasure. Pushing him back onto the furs she pulled off his boots then grabbed his breeches throwing them across the room. His member

was an iron rod, bobbing up and down gently under her gaze. She smiled up at him and he looked back down at her his eyes burning. Grasping the shaft she lowered her mouth slowly onto his erect phallus, pushing it in and out of those soft lips. Dex

shuddered and his vision began to swim. His hands were entangled in her hair and his breathing came out in ragged pants. If she kept doing this he was going to climax. He was about to pull her head away when she released his shaft, kissing up his

navel until she reached his mouth.

He rolled over so that he was on top of her. He looked down, surveying his conquest. His hands pulled aside the loincloth, tossing it to one side. Looking into her blue eyes, he saw her own longing as his hands slid down her stomach and thighs. Using

his fingers he stroked them between her legs, feeling her moistness, watching her writhe as he stroked gently but mercilessly. He pushed one finger into her centre and she cried out in pleasure. Using a second finger he entered her, coaxing more

moisture from her. Without warning he lowered himself and placed his lips against hers, drinking in her musky scent, his tongue causing her to convulse in waves of pleasure, her cries muffled by her strong thighs clasped round his ears. He pulled

himself away and wiped his face. He sat up as she pulled herself up to a sitting position. He looked at her fiercely, and she smiled a knowing smile in return. She straddled him as he sat, slowly lowering herself onto him. Upon feeling him enter she arched

her back feeling the pain of him stretching her beyond what any elven male would be able to do. She relished the pain with the waves of pleasure as her warm flesh encompassed him. Dex threw his head back and growled. She was so tight! He had

never felt this must pleasure, and for such a sustained amount of time, he began to move slowly within her, hanging on to the last thread of control. She gyrated on top of him crying out in pleasure. He lay back on the floor and placed his hands on her

hips pulling and pushing her as he groaned. He needed to keep control! He fought desperately against it.

Cerissa stretched across him, her long black hair falling either side of his face and she looked down at him. "Let go." She purred. "Loose yourself."

She leaned in and kissed him once more. The fire grew in Dex's belly and he lost his grip on himself. Roaring he pushed into her mercilessly hard, sweat ran down his body and Cerissa smiled ecstatically. Leaning she reached for the discarded dagger and

held it above her. Dex stared in wonder at the dark elf maiden riding him holding aloft his own dagger. Fear began to course through him, but he knew he could not stop now for anything. Crying out Cerissa sliced the dagger over her own index finger.

Blood dripped onto Dex's tensing torso as Cerissa threw the dagger aside. Never stopping her pleaures she drew a rune onto his chest. As soon as she was done she came to a shuddering orgasm, gasping and bucking on top of him. She looked into his

eyes and said, "Now."

Dex came with a cry, forcing himself further within her, he shuddered as he spent himself inside her. He knew he would do anything to have that feeling again.

Cerissa looked down at him, still adjoined and smiled softly. He was all hers.