AN: We are two sisters who worship the Author Goddess and merely want to fill months until the next book comes out with a little imagination and fun with our favorite characters. No money has been made, from this and no disrespect intended.
Tears of the Devil
By Riverflowwanderers
February 2nd 9545 B.C.
As the man wrapped his hand in her hair and dragged her from her room, the fleeting thought of 'I didn't do anything' floated through Kiara's head. It would be useless to think such things though so she merely relaxed her body and ignored the pain shooting down her back as the guard pulled her ruthlessly towards the punishment hall. Though people lined the halls, no one questioned her treatment and many sneered in amusement at Kiara's pain. When they reached the hall and the double doors slammed shut behind her, Kiara looked up into the eyes of her owner, Jasilikos.
"Take your proper position slave, or suffer more than your client's wrath."
She placed her legs beneath her and spread them. She clasped her hands behind her back and bowed her head.
A portly man dressed in gold and blue came forward and smirked at her presence, "Thank you for bringing her so quickly Jasilikos," he said haughtily, "The humiliation I suffered at her hands must be punished! I have never been so disgraced by a common whore."
Kiara flinched at the man's voice. He was a frequent client and often gave her gifts for her services to him though he liked rough sex. She couldn't stand his attentions but last night, she had been too eager to please him and send him on his way. He lasted 10 minutes before she had him cumming into her mouth. He backhanded her so hard that she tasted blood but then left and she had thought that was the end of it. She was wrong. The customer scraped her cheek with the rings on his left hand, wrapped his meaty hand around her throat and dragged her to the middle of the room. Two guards came in carrying long whips and a set of chains as he dragged her to her feet. They placed the chains around her arms and legs tying them together behind her back before forcing her to her knees again. The whips were heated in a nearby fire until they were cherry red and Kiara braced herself for the first agonizing lash. Though she knew what was coming, she couldn't help screaming as the first whip fell across her back, slicing and burning her skin at the same time.
"You know that you are paying for her recovery time as well Lykos?" Jasilikos mentioned to the fat man smirking beside him.
Nodding in agreement, Lykos went back to watching Kiara scream and twist in the bonds as the whips methodically fell across her back and shoulders. Usually she was punished on her feet or on her head so no one could tell she was beaten but her client must have paid her recovery time to see her punished so severely. Not many people want to fuck an incapacitated whore.
'Why can't he just leave me alone? I already told him no.'
Nikayla sighed as she looked around at the random destination in front of her. As a Katagari she was able to escape from her stalker in the flow of time and as a member of the Collter bear family, time travel was second nature. As she pictured a place and time in her head that she was sure Gerrik would never consider searching, the bright lights of New Orleans had flowed into a dimly lit temple-like building. The decorations were scarlet and gold with tapestries of the most obscene sexual acts Nikayla could imagine. No one was walking about but there were many doors lining the corridors and as Niki approached them, the sounds of flesh hitting flesh and moans of pain could be heard through the muffling stone. One door had not been closed all the way and the crack of a whip could be heard followed by a man grunting.
"I so do not need to hear this," Niki muttered as she moved through the hallway as quickly as possible.
Niki shuddered as the sounds began to die out and moved toward the other end of the hallway as fast as she could. Pushing open the last door, she snuck in and found a room surrounded by pillars with an open space in the middle. Once the door had quietly closed behind her, Nikayla caught sight of the scene in the middle of the room. Two large guards were standing behind a kneeling woman with thick whips that rhythmically cut flesh from her back. Nikayla covered her mouth to hold in the gasp of horror. Sound was coming from the left of her and she looked over. Two men dressed in rich clothing were watching with gleeful amusement and one was rubbing his crotch as if the scene was turning him on.
"What a piece of flesh she is Jasilikos, I just can't get enough of watching her scream. If it weren't so expensive, I would have her whipped while I fucked her."
Once again, Niki had to cover her mouth to keep from making noise but her body and mind had other plans. She didn't think about the repercussions of her actions, or the witnesses she would leave behind. She was taken by a sense of justice inside her to protect the hurt woman. Dashing out from behind the pillar where she had been hiding, Nikayla threw herself on the gagged and beaten woman and transported them to the hall where Savitar judged the Katagaria.
June 23rd 2009
As they appeared in the hall, a handsome man dressed in surfer shorts and no shirt appeared as well. By his wet hair and annoyed expression, Nikayla knew she had interrupted his surfing.
"You have one minute to give me one good reason why I shouldn't toast your ass right now."
"I don't have a reason, I have a someone," Nikayla said through her mounting fear and pointed to the young woman on the floor draped in gold chains and nothing else. Blood seeped from her wounds to drip on the marble floor. Savitar paled as he recognized the signs of a tsoulus.
"What have you done bear?"
Nikayla growled and placed a protective hand on the woman's shoulder, "I rescued a victim of cruelty. If that condemns me to die then so be it."
Her hand dropped to her side and Niki prepared herself for death. He thought about his decision and perhaps he would have struck Niki down if the woman kneeling in her own blood had not realized that she was no longer gagged. A scream of absolute pain echoed through the room. Niki forgot about Savitar and his judgment to kneel next to the woman.
"You are safe now," she whispered as her hand stroked the woman's head. The screaming didn't end until Savitar spoke in a soft voice, in a language that Niki couldn't understand. The woman melted into a quiet crying mess on the floor.
"I should blast you apart for this Niki," Savitar said with a grimace, "but she is worth saving. Take her to Sanctuary and get her cleaned up."
"Couldn't you take care of her injuries?" Niki asked but Savitar merely smiled before disappearing from the room.
Niki sighed as she leaned down to pick up the weeping woman, "The least he could have done is got you some clothes. Hope there isn't too many guys there tonight."
Once the woman was tucked firmly in Niki's arms the bear transported them to Sanctuary.
Sanctuary June 23rd, 2009
"I don't see what kind of competition we could possibly have from the modern inkblot. They are absolutely useless as opponents and only marginally fun to kill because of their incompetence. Wonder what Ash would say to training them up a bit before we killed them."
Valerius laughed at Kyrian's complaining. They were sitting at a table covered in gothic black lace with red candles and black roses waiting for their guests of honor to arrive. Since Tory couldn't be trusted not to tell Ash about his party, they had kept the real reason for the late night meeting a secret. Of course, now the guests of honor were late so everyone was sitting around talking shop about Daimon hunting and how lame it was getting. A movement from the front caught everyone's attention and 'Surprise' was on everyone's lips when Tabitha groaned.
"It's just Styxx guys!"
Valerius laughed, "Babe, you know that this is his birthday as well right?"
Styxx snorted and held up his hands in surrender, "I am here for Acheron, not to have my very unimportant existence celebrated. Do not rope me into anything else."
Kyrian pushed out a chair with his foot and Styxx to the offered seat with relief. Not even a minute passed before someone hissed, "Here they come!"
Three people walked through the door of Sanctuary to be greeted with shouts of 'Surprise' and 'Happy Birthday!'
Ash stared in astonishment at the small crowd of people clapping and shouting for him as Tory and Simi began cheering with the crowd. In a show of disbelief, Ash looked behind him confusion and then around him, searching for the recipient of all this love.
"Oh stop it sweetie," Tory said from his side, "they are all here for you."
Tabitha whooped and then laughed, "Let the party begin!"
Styxx smiled to see his brother laughing and teasing the people around him. Seeing his twin relaxed and enjoying the celebration of his birth sent a wave of guilt through him and the tall blonde shook his head to keep the memories of past birthdays from surfacing. Today was about Acheron and he wasn't going to ruin it with thoughts of the past. It was enough to be here to see his brother's joy.
When Tabitha called for presents, Zarek smirked and waved a table in the back closer. On it was a pile of presents wrapped in Viva Piñata wrapping paper. Ash laughed and went to take his place beside the table. He began unwrapping the gifts to find gothic clothing, new Priest manga and a T-Shirt that said 'Older than Dirt' on it. Everyone looked at Wulf and groaned as the Viking tried to hide his smirk. Ash was getting to the bottom when he caught a glimpse of a small box sitting off to the side. The outside was decorated with gold and silver painted shells and it seemed ready to collapse at any moment from age. Ash picked it up tenderly and looked around the room for the only person who could have had Ryssa's jewelry box. When Ash's eyes landed on him, Styxx motioned for him to open it. Inside was a collection of delicate necklaces and in the false bottom was a small cloth doll looking out with blue marble eyes.
"Ryssa's doll," Ash gasped.
Tears came to Tory's eyes as she realized what a treasure this would be to Ash and the hostility she had always felt towards Styxx seemed to lessen. Ash seemed close to tears as well but he wouldn't allow them to fall. Walking up to Styxx, Ash pulled his brother to his feet and threw his arms around his blue eyed twin.
"Thank you Styxx," the Atlantean god whispered.
"Why did I spend my money on all new biker gear if dolls and jewelry are all it takes to make T-Rex happy?" Talon complained before Sunshine elbowed him in the side, Tabitha slapped his arm and Katra smacked the back of his head.
"Ow," Talon said holding his hands up in surrender, "I give!"
Styxx and Ash threw the Celt identical glares before Styxx backed away and smiled at his brother.
"Go enjoy the rest of your party," the Greek prince said, "I will guard Peku."
Ash nodded and set the small box next to Styxx before walking back to where Tory sat with tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips, smacking Talon on the head as he went by.
Tabitha brought out the red and black cake shaped like demon as Ash set aside the last present, an original Sunshine painting of Simi lying out in the sun playing with a diamond necklace.
Simi squealed and headed for the cake when Tabitha stood in the way, "Wait Simi, Ash is supposed to have the first slice. He is the birthday…well not... boy but-"
Tory rescued the fumbling warrior woman, "It's tradition Simi."
Ash shook his head, "It's okay, I don't really eat cake. Give the first slice to Styxx if you want to satisfy tradition."
"You were born first though Acheron," Styxx said, "You really must take the first slice."
Ash glared at his brother but said nothing as Tabitha set a piece of the cake in front of him. As soon as Tabitha turned around, he slid the cake over to Simi who immediately gobbled it up. Everyone laughed and Tabitha glared at Ash in mock anger before serving everyone else. Just as she was handing a slice to Valerius, a flash of light at the bar indicated that a were-hunter had teleported in. Everyone turned to see a tall woman with her arms around a thin bloodied girl decked out in gold chains, wrist cuffs and nothing else.
"Someone help her please," the Katagari uttered in a breathless voice.
Ash and Styxx reacted at the same time, both swinging their jackets off to cover the woman. Styxx's tan duster fell across her shoulders as he swung the small woman into his arms and began carrying her to the back. Aimee was there to open the doors and she led them into the infirmary with Ash, Tory and Katra following behind.
"Who are you?" Dev asked the exhausted Katagari as Colt and the quadruplets came into the Sanctuary main room. Niki sat down in one of the abandoned chairs before answering the question.
"I am Nikayla, bear swan of the Collter clan. I was time traveling to escape an unwanted suitor and found myself in a beautiful palace on an unfamiliar island. I found her there in one of the many rooms being beaten with heated whips. It was a whore house for sure but…the things they did there," Niki shuddered as some of the sounds she had heard in that hallway came back to her, "I can't imagine what she has been through. Savitar told me to take her here."
Dev looked at his siblings in disbelief that the female bear wasn't dead for breaking the rules of time travel. If Savitar had spared her however, he wasn't going to condemn the bear swan.
"Come with me," Dev said, "we have a bed where you can rest."
As the two bears left Simi turned to Tabitha, "Can I have more cake now?"
Tabitha nodded, not really in a party mood. The whole room seemed to be in shock while Simi ate most of the cake with her ever present bottle of barbeque sauce.
"Lay her down here," Aimee told Styxx, pointing to an operating table as Carson appeared from his room and began washing his hands. Ash stayed in the background trying to keep his flashback at bay. Carson threaded a needle and thanked the gods that she was still asleep. He stuck his needle through the first section Aimee had cleaned off when the woman suddenly woke up and screamed at the pain, showing a row of small silver balls piercing her tongue. She began chanting and four people in the room started at the ancient language she used. Styxx stilled as fluid Atlantean flowed from the woman's lips.
"Please, let me die, please, let me die, please, I am sorry!"
Ash knelt beside her and made a quick gesture with his hand. Her eyes opened at his command and dark violet eyes filled with pain met his silver ones.
"You are safe," Ash whispered in her native language.
The woman moaned and shook her head, "I am never safe, you lie."
Sytxx stroked her arm and Katra joined her dad. Tory looked at Carson and motioned him closer.
"I think you need to get her some anesthesia. She shouldn't be awake for this," Tory whispered into the older man's ear.
He nodded and slipped out the back to grab the human first aid kit he kept. Katra was talking to the woman and trying to get her name. As Carson came back in the room the woman finally turned to Styxx.
"Kiara, my name is Kiara," she whispered through her teeth and then a needle pierced her arm and she slipped into the drug induced sleep.
Carson moved quickly once he knew she was knocked out and her back was stitched up and wrapped in bandages as fast as he could manage.
He placed a blanket over her and turned to Ash and Styxx, "One of you needs to move her into a bedroom. She is going to be scared when she wakes up and this room tends to freak people out more."
Styxx moved forward and gently took her into his arms before Ash even moved. Securing her in his arms, the blond haired twin looked towards Aimee to lead him to a room. Once again the thin bear led the way to an empty bedroom close to where Dev had placed Niki. She opened the door and Sytxx placed Kiara on the soft bed.
"Is there a room I can stay in?" Styxx asked, "I don't want to leave her without someone who knows her language when she wakes up."
Ash looked at his brother in confusion, "What are you doing Styxx?"
Styxx looked up, "She needs help Acheron, I have a need to help someone. It is as simple as that. She…she reminds…"
He didn't finish his sentence but his meaning was clear and Ash sighed in understanding. Taking Tory's hand, the tall god left the room with his daughter and wife in tow. Styxx smiled at Aimee who was waiting for him by the door.
"Come on tall one," Aimee said, "let's hope the bed is long enough."
Kiara woke up to the sound of silence echoing in her head. Pain shot through her back as she moved and she bit her lip to keep from making noise. Looking around the room she saw that she was all alone in a large comfortable bedroom. There were rugs on the floor, a nightstand and table with magazines scattered on them and a black box sitting in the corner. She began shaking as she hated being left alone for any length of time. Alone time was never a good thing, because that meant she wasn't making money for Jasilikos and he would be angry with her. Getting up from the bed, she stood on shaky legs and made her way to the door. The hallway was lined with similar doors and she opened the first door she came to. It opened silently and Kiara walked very carefully towards the occupied bed as the door slid shut behind her. Crawling onto the bed, she hissed as one slash caught in the sheets but when the person beside her didn't stir she snuggled into the blankets and finally went back to sleep.