Here it is – FINALLY. I apologize once more for the absurdly long wait,
and ask forgiveness of my readers. My excuse is that my computer crashed
and I haven't had Internet access for nearly a month, but I know that no
one will buy that so I'll just let you get to the story. Who reads these
comments anyway?
Chapter Twenty-Nine:
Calathi's nerves were on edge, her senses humming with awareness. Since her exodus of the camp with Harem, her insides had been a bit queasy, the way they usually were before a battle or competition. Harem had been keeping his distance, leading the group in solemn seriousness.
As the day passed uneventfully, Calathi felt her anxious feelings melting away. Fatigue was partly to blame, since they had been traveling quickly throughout the day with few stops, but it was also her enemy's calm direction. He acted every bit the Captain, and the soldiers in the troupe followed him steadfastly, their devotion evident.
Soon enough the sun was setting and Harem had stopped. "We'll rest here for the night," he ordered. Calathi shrugged and agreed nonchalantly, too exhausted to argue in spite of herself. The Captain moved the group off the worn trail some distance, stopping at a point where the trees an brush appeared less dense. Calathi felt slightly uneasy so far from the known path, however, and she approached Harem with her misgivings.
"Bands of goblins have been known to watch that trail at night, catching lone creatures by surprise," he responded. "I do not wish to be ambushed in the darkness with so few warriors to defend you, my lady."
Calathi started to protest but then stopped, knowing that an argument would be futile and going instead to retrieve the bedroll from her pack. After inquiring to the guard shifts, she finally lay down and fell into a deep, troubled sleep.
Legolas chased her through a dark forest, shouting for her to stop running. She raced on, laughing gleefully as she led her love on into the darkening woods. "Come and find me!" she called, and screamed in mirth.
"Melamin, NO!" the Prince shouted, voice anxious. She stopped finally and allowed Legolas to catch her, eagerly anticipating doing what they had so long desired. He surprised her by tackling her, pinning her to the ground, his features angry and tense. "How could you do that to me?" he cried, sobbing. "How could you leave me again?" She was scared now. Why was he so upset?
"Legolas, it's all right. We're together now."
"No!" he shouted. "Don't you see, my love? We cannot be together if you're dead!"
She shoved him off of her. "Stop it, Legolas, you're frightening me."
"It is too late! It's too late..." he cried, head in his hands as he shook uncontrollably.
Calathi screamed as pain erupted in her stomach. She looked down and screamed again when she saw a knife buried in her flesh, held by ghostly white hands.
Agony seized her as the blade was yanked out, and she looked up to see Harem grinning maliciously. He bowed, never taking his eyes from her trembling form, and advanced on her. Calathi yelped and stumbled back, whimpering as her stomach continued to ooze blood onto her tunic.
"Legolas," she tried to call, but no sound emerged from her tight throat. "Help me!" she whispered, and it seemed as though she moved through a pool of mud. Her limbs reacted slowly, too slowly, and Harem raised his arm once more. He laughed manically and she let out a silent scream.
Calathi bolted upright, scrambling out of her bedroll and glancing around frantically. A cold sweat made her shirt stick to her uncomfortably, and she grimaced at her own folly. "The guards keep me safe," she muttered to herself. "No need to worry." Still, the feeling of unease remained and she decided to check the status of the guard on duty.
Climbing back into bed many minutes later after receiving confused looks from the warrior keeping watch, Calathi tried to sleep. But sleep wouldn't come, and she found herself thinking of her beloved prince. Would he be angry when he discovered that Harem was with her? She doubted it, for Legolas had enough to worry about back at the former location of Ilinar.
She worried for him, though. Even if he wasn't upset about her traveling companion, he was in constant danger. The number of elves protecting his camp was pitifully low, and should the goblins who'd destroyed her home village decide to return, they would have a tough job of repelling the enemy without tremendous casualties.
The next moment, Calathi felt herself being shaken awake. "My lady," a soldier murmured, "Captain Harem wishes to depart shortly. There is a small meal waiting for you when you have prepared." She nodded and changed clothes quickly when the elf had departed.
She didn't hear Harem approach because of the clean shirt being pulled over her head. She did, however, sense his presence in the way her skin prickled and coolness washed over her.
She whirled around, shirt untucked and eyes wild, a cornered beast. "My dear lady," he greeted politely, "I've come to collect you."
"I have already been summoned, my lord," she spat back. "If you don't mind, I'd like to finish dressing."
"By all means, continue," he answered, "but I cannot depart, for I fear you will be unable to find your way."
"I am perfectly able. It is only over there that I must walk to." She pointed and gasped suddenly, for a great commotion had arisen just out of sight. She reached for her sword but her hand was stopped by Harem.
"No, no, my lady," he said, wrestling the weapon from Calathi's belt. "You must come with me now. The time has past for gallantry."
She gaped open-mouthed at him. How had she not seen his plotting? A burning raged filled her and she lifted her hand to strike him. Harem grabbed her arms before she could do so and held them above her head, pushing her roughly against a tree.
"Ah," he murmured into her ear, grinding his hard body against her. "We're back where we started, aren't we?" He maneuvered her tiny wrists into one of his large hands. "You, weaponless and powerless–" He used his free hand to rip open her shirt, the only attire she had put on besides her undergarments. "–and I, ready to take my pleasure..." She struggled against his hold, but he would not underestimate her this time. Harem's strength greatly outmatched her own, and without her sword or another advantageous weapon, she was indeed defenseless.
Abruptly he ended his torturous actions, forcibly turning her around. While Calathi feared the worst, he only began to tie her arms behind her with a rope he must have stored in his tunic. Taking a breath, she realized that the sound of fighting had ended and a disconcerting sort of wheezing filled the air.
Goblin laughter.
Their guttural language made Calathi cower. What was she to do? Harem had finished binding her and was now pulling her toward the noise of those foul creatures. "You are in league with the goblins?" she questioned her captor, appalled. How could anyone make an alliance with such vile beings?
"They have their uses," he answered, grinning. The scene they entered made Calathi nauseous. Though several goblins lay dead, most with visible knife wounds but some with arrows protruding from their bodies, two elves also lay on the ground, mangled. The other two elves from her company were fighting against the hold of several goblins, gashes covering their faces and bodies.
The creatures must have tired of the labor, for one landed a blow on the head of the soldier Elduarin and knocked him unconscious. The other, Hilane, protested violently, freeing an arm and hitting his captor on the nose. He ducked nimbly out of the retaliating attack and kicked the goblin again. The elf managed to beat the creature insensible with another solid strike and then turned to flee. A goblin shot him with a crude arrow and he fell, dead.
"NO!" Calathi screamed, leaping at the goblin in a blind rage. Harem grabbed the back of her shirt, ripping it further and leaving her panting and indecently exposed. The goblins leered, throwing insults at her and making provocative gestures. She stood up and glared through tears at the evil beasts.
"I see you have met Ulked," Harem stated. He indicated the goblin holding the bow. "He leads this lovely army." Ulked smiled, revealing rotted teeth, and Calathi spit at him.
Harem knocked her to the ground, clucking his tongue. "That was not very polite, Calathi." She climbed to her knees, head pounding and skull smarting where he had struck her. He lifted her bodily and set her on her feet. Pointing at a particularly ugly goblin, he instructed it to carry the unconscious elven warrior. Calathi he pushed forward, and she was immediately surrounded by the horde of goblins.
Inwardly cringing but putting on a brave face, attempting to conceal her fear and anger, she stumbled onward in front of her long-time foe, moving deeper into the dark forest. Though she could never be afraid of the darkness with these ancient trees around her, she was terrified of what the end of their journey would bring.
Calathi was at the point of collapse by the time the company finally stopped. The temperature had begun to drop, and she found herself cold and painfully hungry. They had reached the entrance to a forbidding cave, and Calathi was horrified to see that still more goblins guarded this base.
The reprieve lasted only a few moments as Harem consulted with Ulked and gave directions to a few creatures. Then he shoved Calathi inside the cavern, the goblin carrying the still comatose Elduarin preceding her. Down several dreary tunnels they marched until Harem stopped them beside a thick wooden door.
"You will leave this elf here. Bring water and bread and leave it in the chamber, then return to your usual post," he commanded, and the goblin nodded, going to work. Harem took Calathi by the elbow and continued down the corridor.
She protested in earnest, her first words since Elduarin's companion was killed. "Harem, that elf needs help. He is losing too much blood." When Harem did not answers she continued quickly, "I could tend to him. I will not need many supplies to do so, only bandages–"
"No." Harem smirked at her. "Is dying really so bad? Think of what life will bring him in this place." He gestured around the dank dwelling, and Calathi had to swallow a mouthful of bile. Indeed, what would be the point in saving Elduarin if he was going to be tortured and killed anyway? Life in darkness is almost a death sentence for an elf of the light.
They continued walking deeper into the cave, and though the air was becoming slightly warmer, the sinister atmosphere made her shiver. Harem threw her into another dungeon further down the hall. Well, at least she thought it would be a dungeon. What she least expected was what she got – a suite, brightly lit with clean lamps and decorated with rich furniture and tapestries, many of which she guessed had come from Ilinar. The thought made her sick.
There was also a grand bed in the center of the room, and she recoiled in trepidation. Harem, however, did not follow her inside, for which Calathi was greatly relieved. "I will return when the matters at hand have been dealt with," he explained, eyes dark. "Then I will return and we shall finish what we started." He let out a bark of laughter and left the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Her heart sank when she heard a key turn within the lock, and she sat down on a chair far from the disquieting bed.
Using a pitcher and a dish on the table, Calathi washed the dust from her hands and face. She examined herself in a mirror situated on the near wall and sighed. Her shirt was completely torn down the middle, the buttons gone. Her only covering – if it could be called that – was the silken slip she had been wearing underneath her clothing.
A blue gown was draped over another chair, almost begging her to put it on, proof that Harem had planned Calathi's capture from the beginning. She scowled. A dress would make her feel inferior to Harem – not to mention the overabundance of fabric would hinder her defensive strategies. She would simply have to make due with her own inadequate clothing.
Despite attempts to convince herself that she would survive this ordeal, Calathi was nearly quaking when ten minutes had elapsed. Each second felt like an eternity, yet each was not long enough, for every moment that passed brought Harem's return closer. She had to do something, had to try to escape. Sitting had become a chore and so she began pacing the room, searching fruitlessly for anything that would aid her in overcoming her lifelong nemesis.
Soon, the trapped elf was sitting once more, head in hands, though she leapt up at the sound of the door rattling. Oh, Valar save me, he's back! she thought, terrified. She backed into a corner fervently when the door swung open and Harem entered. He relocked the door behind him and turned to face his prisoner, who was clutching her torn shirt across her chest. "My lady." He bowed mockingly. She inched closer to the stone wall, trying to sink into its depths. "If you comply to my wishes," he murmured, moving closer to her as her heart raced, "this may prove to be relatively painless."
She was positively shaking now. This was the culmination of all of her fears. This was why she had trained to defend herself. But all of it was for naught, for she had never learned hand-to-hand combat – while that may not have helped her against such an unequal opponent as Harem, it would have given her at least some means of postponing the imminent event.
"Come and sit, Calathi," Harem invited, beckoning to her and patting the bed beside him.
"Never," she replied, disgusted to think that Harem could believe she'd willingly do as he asked.
"All right." He sighed dramatically and began to walk toward her again.
"No, no!" she screamed, and ducked when he grasped at her with is repulsive fingers. She shot past him, running to the other side of the room.
"You are only delaying the inevitable," he declared, advancing on her once more. Calathi glanced around frantically, but again could not see a way to escape. She noticed, however, that the door's key was hanging on Harem's belt, glinting invitingly in the lamplight.
Though it seemed futile, Calathi was so desperate that she was willing to try anything. This can't get any worse... She halted in her retreat. "Harem..." she whispered, the picture of feminine submissiveness.
He also stopped, grinning. "Yes, my dear?" he asked. "Have you come to your senses?"
"I – I suppose..." She gulped, trying to hide her fear. "If I – perform willingly what you ask of me... would you release me once you are through?"
"Of course not," he responded maliciously. "I intend to keep you as my pet."
Calathi hid her grimace. "Could you, perhaps–" She stepped toward him, repressing her quivering nerves. "–be gentle?" The image of a dangling key flashed within her mind as she went against her instincts and approached Harem.
"I may, if you play your part acceptably." When she stood before him a moment later and had placed her hands on his chest, he growled lustfully and pulled her against him, letting her feel his hard body. She gasped when he captured her lips with his, then stood rigidly and allowed him the pleasure.
Her unresponsiveness did not seem to deter Harem and he began instead kissing her neck, bending down as he continued tasting her flesh. Calathi, not knowing how much longer she could abide this torture, reached to Harem's belt and fumbled with the buckle.
"Getting anxious, are we?" he murmured against her. "I can quicken things, if you'd like..."
"No," she muttered, concentrating on the belt. A few seconds more... Harem began pulling her torn shirt apart and lifting her slip to continue his onslaught. "Yes!" she cried, the key's loop sliding off the strap and into her hand as she nearly screamed at her own folly. Expecting a clout from Harem, the other elf merely chuckled with satisfaction, chauvinistically believing her exclamation to be a result of his own ministrations. With a burst of speed she wrapped her leg behind Harem's knee and yanked. He went down with a yell, hitting the floor hard. Dodging his outstretched hands, she dashed to the door.
She was shaking so badly that she could hardly fit the key into the lock. Harem was scrambling to his feet now, face flushed in aggravation. Abruptly it slipped into the door's mechanism and she turned it, wrenching open the heavy door and taking the key with her when she jumped into the hall. She heard Harem's shout from the far side of the room as she shut the door behind her and quickly locked it again.
Oh, what relief she felt! Standing in the empty stone passageway, she tried to recall from which course they had entered. There was no time to think, however, for Harem was yelling loudly. His calls resounded throughout the hall and so she turned in one direction and raced down the hall.
To Egged: Thank you for changing your pen name. Huzzah, my uniqueness has been restored! And Calathi never got sick – she was poisoned by a shard from an evil blade of Mordor. Nothing from this story has even a smidgeon to do with Tamora Pierce's series.
Blessings to everyone else who has been reading my story and reviewing. I am forever grateful! The next chapter is already half-finished and so hopefully (without further technical disasters) I will post again soon. Only a few chapters left until this epic story is complete! I say epic because it's been two years since "Calathi" was begun. Amazing that you people still keep up with it...
As an added note, for those of you who don't know, I have a list of e-mail addresses for anyone that wishes to receive notices of updates for 'Calathi.' So, if anyone would like to be added to that list, please let me know – it is easily accomplished!
Chapter Twenty-Nine:
Calathi's nerves were on edge, her senses humming with awareness. Since her exodus of the camp with Harem, her insides had been a bit queasy, the way they usually were before a battle or competition. Harem had been keeping his distance, leading the group in solemn seriousness.
As the day passed uneventfully, Calathi felt her anxious feelings melting away. Fatigue was partly to blame, since they had been traveling quickly throughout the day with few stops, but it was also her enemy's calm direction. He acted every bit the Captain, and the soldiers in the troupe followed him steadfastly, their devotion evident.
Soon enough the sun was setting and Harem had stopped. "We'll rest here for the night," he ordered. Calathi shrugged and agreed nonchalantly, too exhausted to argue in spite of herself. The Captain moved the group off the worn trail some distance, stopping at a point where the trees an brush appeared less dense. Calathi felt slightly uneasy so far from the known path, however, and she approached Harem with her misgivings.
"Bands of goblins have been known to watch that trail at night, catching lone creatures by surprise," he responded. "I do not wish to be ambushed in the darkness with so few warriors to defend you, my lady."
Calathi started to protest but then stopped, knowing that an argument would be futile and going instead to retrieve the bedroll from her pack. After inquiring to the guard shifts, she finally lay down and fell into a deep, troubled sleep.
Legolas chased her through a dark forest, shouting for her to stop running. She raced on, laughing gleefully as she led her love on into the darkening woods. "Come and find me!" she called, and screamed in mirth.
"Melamin, NO!" the Prince shouted, voice anxious. She stopped finally and allowed Legolas to catch her, eagerly anticipating doing what they had so long desired. He surprised her by tackling her, pinning her to the ground, his features angry and tense. "How could you do that to me?" he cried, sobbing. "How could you leave me again?" She was scared now. Why was he so upset?
"Legolas, it's all right. We're together now."
"No!" he shouted. "Don't you see, my love? We cannot be together if you're dead!"
She shoved him off of her. "Stop it, Legolas, you're frightening me."
"It is too late! It's too late..." he cried, head in his hands as he shook uncontrollably.
Calathi screamed as pain erupted in her stomach. She looked down and screamed again when she saw a knife buried in her flesh, held by ghostly white hands.
Agony seized her as the blade was yanked out, and she looked up to see Harem grinning maliciously. He bowed, never taking his eyes from her trembling form, and advanced on her. Calathi yelped and stumbled back, whimpering as her stomach continued to ooze blood onto her tunic.
"Legolas," she tried to call, but no sound emerged from her tight throat. "Help me!" she whispered, and it seemed as though she moved through a pool of mud. Her limbs reacted slowly, too slowly, and Harem raised his arm once more. He laughed manically and she let out a silent scream.
Calathi bolted upright, scrambling out of her bedroll and glancing around frantically. A cold sweat made her shirt stick to her uncomfortably, and she grimaced at her own folly. "The guards keep me safe," she muttered to herself. "No need to worry." Still, the feeling of unease remained and she decided to check the status of the guard on duty.
Climbing back into bed many minutes later after receiving confused looks from the warrior keeping watch, Calathi tried to sleep. But sleep wouldn't come, and she found herself thinking of her beloved prince. Would he be angry when he discovered that Harem was with her? She doubted it, for Legolas had enough to worry about back at the former location of Ilinar.
She worried for him, though. Even if he wasn't upset about her traveling companion, he was in constant danger. The number of elves protecting his camp was pitifully low, and should the goblins who'd destroyed her home village decide to return, they would have a tough job of repelling the enemy without tremendous casualties.
The next moment, Calathi felt herself being shaken awake. "My lady," a soldier murmured, "Captain Harem wishes to depart shortly. There is a small meal waiting for you when you have prepared." She nodded and changed clothes quickly when the elf had departed.
She didn't hear Harem approach because of the clean shirt being pulled over her head. She did, however, sense his presence in the way her skin prickled and coolness washed over her.
She whirled around, shirt untucked and eyes wild, a cornered beast. "My dear lady," he greeted politely, "I've come to collect you."
"I have already been summoned, my lord," she spat back. "If you don't mind, I'd like to finish dressing."
"By all means, continue," he answered, "but I cannot depart, for I fear you will be unable to find your way."
"I am perfectly able. It is only over there that I must walk to." She pointed and gasped suddenly, for a great commotion had arisen just out of sight. She reached for her sword but her hand was stopped by Harem.
"No, no, my lady," he said, wrestling the weapon from Calathi's belt. "You must come with me now. The time has past for gallantry."
She gaped open-mouthed at him. How had she not seen his plotting? A burning raged filled her and she lifted her hand to strike him. Harem grabbed her arms before she could do so and held them above her head, pushing her roughly against a tree.
"Ah," he murmured into her ear, grinding his hard body against her. "We're back where we started, aren't we?" He maneuvered her tiny wrists into one of his large hands. "You, weaponless and powerless–" He used his free hand to rip open her shirt, the only attire she had put on besides her undergarments. "–and I, ready to take my pleasure..." She struggled against his hold, but he would not underestimate her this time. Harem's strength greatly outmatched her own, and without her sword or another advantageous weapon, she was indeed defenseless.
Abruptly he ended his torturous actions, forcibly turning her around. While Calathi feared the worst, he only began to tie her arms behind her with a rope he must have stored in his tunic. Taking a breath, she realized that the sound of fighting had ended and a disconcerting sort of wheezing filled the air.
Goblin laughter.
Their guttural language made Calathi cower. What was she to do? Harem had finished binding her and was now pulling her toward the noise of those foul creatures. "You are in league with the goblins?" she questioned her captor, appalled. How could anyone make an alliance with such vile beings?
"They have their uses," he answered, grinning. The scene they entered made Calathi nauseous. Though several goblins lay dead, most with visible knife wounds but some with arrows protruding from their bodies, two elves also lay on the ground, mangled. The other two elves from her company were fighting against the hold of several goblins, gashes covering their faces and bodies.
The creatures must have tired of the labor, for one landed a blow on the head of the soldier Elduarin and knocked him unconscious. The other, Hilane, protested violently, freeing an arm and hitting his captor on the nose. He ducked nimbly out of the retaliating attack and kicked the goblin again. The elf managed to beat the creature insensible with another solid strike and then turned to flee. A goblin shot him with a crude arrow and he fell, dead.
"NO!" Calathi screamed, leaping at the goblin in a blind rage. Harem grabbed the back of her shirt, ripping it further and leaving her panting and indecently exposed. The goblins leered, throwing insults at her and making provocative gestures. She stood up and glared through tears at the evil beasts.
"I see you have met Ulked," Harem stated. He indicated the goblin holding the bow. "He leads this lovely army." Ulked smiled, revealing rotted teeth, and Calathi spit at him.
Harem knocked her to the ground, clucking his tongue. "That was not very polite, Calathi." She climbed to her knees, head pounding and skull smarting where he had struck her. He lifted her bodily and set her on her feet. Pointing at a particularly ugly goblin, he instructed it to carry the unconscious elven warrior. Calathi he pushed forward, and she was immediately surrounded by the horde of goblins.
Inwardly cringing but putting on a brave face, attempting to conceal her fear and anger, she stumbled onward in front of her long-time foe, moving deeper into the dark forest. Though she could never be afraid of the darkness with these ancient trees around her, she was terrified of what the end of their journey would bring.
Calathi was at the point of collapse by the time the company finally stopped. The temperature had begun to drop, and she found herself cold and painfully hungry. They had reached the entrance to a forbidding cave, and Calathi was horrified to see that still more goblins guarded this base.
The reprieve lasted only a few moments as Harem consulted with Ulked and gave directions to a few creatures. Then he shoved Calathi inside the cavern, the goblin carrying the still comatose Elduarin preceding her. Down several dreary tunnels they marched until Harem stopped them beside a thick wooden door.
"You will leave this elf here. Bring water and bread and leave it in the chamber, then return to your usual post," he commanded, and the goblin nodded, going to work. Harem took Calathi by the elbow and continued down the corridor.
She protested in earnest, her first words since Elduarin's companion was killed. "Harem, that elf needs help. He is losing too much blood." When Harem did not answers she continued quickly, "I could tend to him. I will not need many supplies to do so, only bandages–"
"No." Harem smirked at her. "Is dying really so bad? Think of what life will bring him in this place." He gestured around the dank dwelling, and Calathi had to swallow a mouthful of bile. Indeed, what would be the point in saving Elduarin if he was going to be tortured and killed anyway? Life in darkness is almost a death sentence for an elf of the light.
They continued walking deeper into the cave, and though the air was becoming slightly warmer, the sinister atmosphere made her shiver. Harem threw her into another dungeon further down the hall. Well, at least she thought it would be a dungeon. What she least expected was what she got – a suite, brightly lit with clean lamps and decorated with rich furniture and tapestries, many of which she guessed had come from Ilinar. The thought made her sick.
There was also a grand bed in the center of the room, and she recoiled in trepidation. Harem, however, did not follow her inside, for which Calathi was greatly relieved. "I will return when the matters at hand have been dealt with," he explained, eyes dark. "Then I will return and we shall finish what we started." He let out a bark of laughter and left the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Her heart sank when she heard a key turn within the lock, and she sat down on a chair far from the disquieting bed.
Using a pitcher and a dish on the table, Calathi washed the dust from her hands and face. She examined herself in a mirror situated on the near wall and sighed. Her shirt was completely torn down the middle, the buttons gone. Her only covering – if it could be called that – was the silken slip she had been wearing underneath her clothing.
A blue gown was draped over another chair, almost begging her to put it on, proof that Harem had planned Calathi's capture from the beginning. She scowled. A dress would make her feel inferior to Harem – not to mention the overabundance of fabric would hinder her defensive strategies. She would simply have to make due with her own inadequate clothing.
Despite attempts to convince herself that she would survive this ordeal, Calathi was nearly quaking when ten minutes had elapsed. Each second felt like an eternity, yet each was not long enough, for every moment that passed brought Harem's return closer. She had to do something, had to try to escape. Sitting had become a chore and so she began pacing the room, searching fruitlessly for anything that would aid her in overcoming her lifelong nemesis.
Soon, the trapped elf was sitting once more, head in hands, though she leapt up at the sound of the door rattling. Oh, Valar save me, he's back! she thought, terrified. She backed into a corner fervently when the door swung open and Harem entered. He relocked the door behind him and turned to face his prisoner, who was clutching her torn shirt across her chest. "My lady." He bowed mockingly. She inched closer to the stone wall, trying to sink into its depths. "If you comply to my wishes," he murmured, moving closer to her as her heart raced, "this may prove to be relatively painless."
She was positively shaking now. This was the culmination of all of her fears. This was why she had trained to defend herself. But all of it was for naught, for she had never learned hand-to-hand combat – while that may not have helped her against such an unequal opponent as Harem, it would have given her at least some means of postponing the imminent event.
"Come and sit, Calathi," Harem invited, beckoning to her and patting the bed beside him.
"Never," she replied, disgusted to think that Harem could believe she'd willingly do as he asked.
"All right." He sighed dramatically and began to walk toward her again.
"No, no!" she screamed, and ducked when he grasped at her with is repulsive fingers. She shot past him, running to the other side of the room.
"You are only delaying the inevitable," he declared, advancing on her once more. Calathi glanced around frantically, but again could not see a way to escape. She noticed, however, that the door's key was hanging on Harem's belt, glinting invitingly in the lamplight.
Though it seemed futile, Calathi was so desperate that she was willing to try anything. This can't get any worse... She halted in her retreat. "Harem..." she whispered, the picture of feminine submissiveness.
He also stopped, grinning. "Yes, my dear?" he asked. "Have you come to your senses?"
"I – I suppose..." She gulped, trying to hide her fear. "If I – perform willingly what you ask of me... would you release me once you are through?"
"Of course not," he responded maliciously. "I intend to keep you as my pet."
Calathi hid her grimace. "Could you, perhaps–" She stepped toward him, repressing her quivering nerves. "–be gentle?" The image of a dangling key flashed within her mind as she went against her instincts and approached Harem.
"I may, if you play your part acceptably." When she stood before him a moment later and had placed her hands on his chest, he growled lustfully and pulled her against him, letting her feel his hard body. She gasped when he captured her lips with his, then stood rigidly and allowed him the pleasure.
Her unresponsiveness did not seem to deter Harem and he began instead kissing her neck, bending down as he continued tasting her flesh. Calathi, not knowing how much longer she could abide this torture, reached to Harem's belt and fumbled with the buckle.
"Getting anxious, are we?" he murmured against her. "I can quicken things, if you'd like..."
"No," she muttered, concentrating on the belt. A few seconds more... Harem began pulling her torn shirt apart and lifting her slip to continue his onslaught. "Yes!" she cried, the key's loop sliding off the strap and into her hand as she nearly screamed at her own folly. Expecting a clout from Harem, the other elf merely chuckled with satisfaction, chauvinistically believing her exclamation to be a result of his own ministrations. With a burst of speed she wrapped her leg behind Harem's knee and yanked. He went down with a yell, hitting the floor hard. Dodging his outstretched hands, she dashed to the door.
She was shaking so badly that she could hardly fit the key into the lock. Harem was scrambling to his feet now, face flushed in aggravation. Abruptly it slipped into the door's mechanism and she turned it, wrenching open the heavy door and taking the key with her when she jumped into the hall. She heard Harem's shout from the far side of the room as she shut the door behind her and quickly locked it again.
Oh, what relief she felt! Standing in the empty stone passageway, she tried to recall from which course they had entered. There was no time to think, however, for Harem was yelling loudly. His calls resounded throughout the hall and so she turned in one direction and raced down the hall.
To Egged: Thank you for changing your pen name. Huzzah, my uniqueness has been restored! And Calathi never got sick – she was poisoned by a shard from an evil blade of Mordor. Nothing from this story has even a smidgeon to do with Tamora Pierce's series.
Blessings to everyone else who has been reading my story and reviewing. I am forever grateful! The next chapter is already half-finished and so hopefully (without further technical disasters) I will post again soon. Only a few chapters left until this epic story is complete! I say epic because it's been two years since "Calathi" was begun. Amazing that you people still keep up with it...
As an added note, for those of you who don't know, I have a list of e-mail addresses for anyone that wishes to receive notices of updates for 'Calathi.' So, if anyone would like to be added to that list, please let me know – it is easily accomplished!