Legends of Belariath

Melec Ric

The Passing of a Nightmare

Amelinda's Quest

Chapter one

The forest was covered in snow, a thick and soft layer that muffled all sounds to mere whispers, at least it seemed that way. It was a cold and cloudy day and the air was still, as if the trees themselves were holding their breaths. Still, it was a nice late afternoon for walking through the woods, if one enjoyed cold air, the stillness and the silence.

Amelinda walked slowly through the forest, seemingly deeply lost in her thoughts.

She was a human, about 20 years of age with a slender and agile body. Her eyes, now half closed as she had a lot to think about, were in the colour of light grey. Though it was a quite chilly day she were no clothing at all and seemed completely untouched and unconcerned by her nakedness, her bare feet made soft imprints in the snow as she walked on. She moved with a grace, her muscles showed under her light brown skin as she walked slowly, brushing down some snow from a nearby bush. She sighed softly and wiped away the snow from her very light blonde hair with her left hand, a golden ring with a small diamond gleaming brightly in the soft light. She stopped and took a deep breath as she looked around her, noticing that she had walked quite a fair bit away from the lonely inn, outside the town of Nanthalion, in Belariath.

She pondered on turning back, knowing quite well that she was deeper in the forest, then was safe, especially so close to the evening. She looked down on her arms and smiles softly as the thin golden armlets gave her a sense of security though, she already enjoyed and used the left armlets enchantment fully; the warmth enchantment that enabled her to walk outside in the winter without feeling any coldness at all. She fingered her leash carefully and gave a slight shiver of feeling well. Her mistress had forbidden her to remove her leash as it was attached to her leather collar, marking her as she property of her mistress, lady Kerian.

Amelinda bit her lower lip softly as she though of when she had given the two leashes as a gift to her mistress, and the joy when she found out that Kerian had liked the gift. She shivered softly as she remembered when Kerian had leashed her and her slavesister, Eucep… Eucep! Amelinda looked up and gave a tremble. She felt a sudden need for her beloved Eucep, the chirot girl that was not only Amelindas sister slave, but also her love and lover.

Amelinda begun to walk back towards the inn, swiftly on her nimble feet, but she had just begun to stride back as she heard it, the scream of a young woman in fear or agony.

She stopped and opened her eyes wider as she turned around towards the sound. She glances nervously around her to make sure that she was alone, with no danger lurking close to her. She heard another scream and she gave a tremble, now getting scared.

She wanted to get away, to safety but something in these screams drew her to get closer, as she felt that she somehow had to. She had to often been the one, crying for help and assaulted in these parts of the forest to just turn away now. Soon she came upon a clearing and as she hid behind a snow laden bush she saw them, the girl and the orcs.

The girl was held by her neck by one of the creatures and she cried in terror. She was young and dressed in white clothes, with brown leather boots and grey cloak. She was about the same size as Amelinda and she had the same skin colour too, though her eyes and hair was dark.

Amelinda bit her lower lip hard as she watched the orcs, there were five of them and the largest one held the girl and shook her as he laughed. They were all grinning viciously, showing their teeth, as the growled in appraisal of their beautiful prey. They were all clad in black leather armour and had both bows and dark, dented scimitars. The leader, the one grabbing the poor girl by her slender neck then snarled. “Ah… a nice human female, for us all to share…. Fresh and tender human meat to have a feast on after the fun.” The girl cried in pain and fear and wriggled her body as she tried in vain to get free. Her struggles soon stopped as the leader slapped her hard across the face.

Amelinda gave a whimper and backed off from the bush, accidentally brushed against a branch that snapped with a loud crack. She then turned around to run away as the orcs immediately detected her, only to fall on her back as her leash had entangled itself in the bush.

She yanked the leash free and got up on her feet just as two of the orcs reached her. She struck a blow with her right fist, hitting the first orc in a slash across his nose and then gave a cry as the other orc launched him self over her, pinning her to the frozen ground. Amelinda cried as they grabbed her and then dragged her to the others and the girl. The leader growled lowly and then laughed again, as Amelinda was brought before him, pulled by her leash.

“Ha! And what do we have here? Another Female… already naked and oh, so nice… We are going to have us a bloody feast tonight! First a lot of pleasure with tight human pussies and then all of us will have a bellyful of tender human meat… Let’s go and find the others.”

Amelinda trembled violently as she once more froze in complete fear and horror. She and the other girl were to be mass raped by the orcs and then eaten. She gave a wailing cry in horror and despair and sank to her knees in the snow. She closed her eyes and wept as she heard the orcs snarl and laugh. The orc pulled hard in her leash and forced her to her feet and Amelinda tremble badly in fear. She saw the other girl and their eyes met. There was an equal amount of fear in the girls eyes but, also a flash of recognition as if she remembered Amelinda from somewhere or knew her. Amelinda blinked a little as she was sure that she had never seen this girl before and was about to ask her who she was, only to give a hard gasp as the orc pulled harshly on her leash and begun to lead Amelinda and the girl away to their dark fate.

“Noooooooooo! Leave her! She is MINE!” There was a scream and someone rushed towards them through the surrounding bushes. As Amelinda turned her head to watch the rescuer, her heart almost stopped in terror. The man, for it was a human male, was in his mid-fifties and his skin was darker then her own. He was clad in brown leather and he had stains of white in his otherwise dark hair. The orcs, stopped and watched the man as they were surprised by his sudden appearance. Amelinda closed her eyes and turned her face away from the man, she knew him all to well. Even if he rescued her from the orcs she would still be doomed. He was her uncle, her only living kin, outcast from their people and the former warlord. She cried and trembled as she fell to her knees when the orc released her leash and grabbed for his sword.

Her uncle, Olof, gave a powerful war cry and drew his sword as he continued to run towards the five orcs. She felt a hand on her shoulder and saw the girl looking on her, just as scared as she was too. The girl pulled and Amelinda understood, and got up on her feet. They heard the clash of swords and grunts of pain as they begun to run away from the fight. The leader of the orcs gave a shout as he saw the girls run. “Stop them…Get them! “ He then met the attacking elder human warrior with his sword, growling in the rush of battle fever. He swung his sword to ward off a blow and then gave a cry in pain as the elder man changed the direction of the blow, much faster then the orc could react and he felt the blade cut right through his leather harness and deep into his belly.

Amelinda run together with the girl and heard and felt arrows barely miss her as two orcs tried to stop them. She then heard a cry in agony and the girl fell into the snow, Amelinda pulled her up again and helped her into cover behind a tree. The girl cried in pain and whimpered as Amelinda quickly assessed and examined the damage on her body. The girl had an arrow, buried deep into her back. Amelinda shivered as she felt on the arrow and felt that it was lodged deep into the girls body. She then heard the twang of bowstrings and more clashes of swords and knew that the danger was still right upon them, that time was precious.

The girl shook her head and gently took hold of Amelindas hands, she breathed deeply and then begun to spoke, in a low voice on broken common.

“It’s ok… I fell to save you… You are… one of us… you must help…I was sent to find you.”

Amelinda blinked and looked curiously on the wounded girl. “Me? Who are you? Who sent you?” The girl trembled in pain and then answered. “I …am Nemea, of the tribe Deneor… I was sent…to find a warrior, the golden haired, to save us…wee need you…the band…of… raiders….you must help…us…” Amelinda looked around quickly and then shook her head and sighed. “ You are wrong… I am not a warrior; I am just a slave…nothing more. Don’t speak now, I must hurt you badly if I am to save your life.”

The girl screamed out loud as Amelinda yanked the arrow out of her back, the wound gushing blood on the white snow. She then panted in pain and seemed scared as Amelindas hands begun to glow a little. Amelinda laid her hands on the wound and poured small heal into the wound to heal the damage done. Then there was a cry in anger and despair and the sounds of the fight stopped. Nemea whimpered as the wound closed and Amelinda gently put one hand over the wounded girls lip and whispered. “You must keep quiet now…and please, lay still.”

She then saw someone walking next to them, stumbling and as she looked up she saw her uncle look back at her, smiling. Amelinda gave a gasp and begun to tremble in fear again but even as fear once more took hold of her she saw that her uncle was very badly wounded. He gasped as blood coloured the snow red as it dripped from his wounds and he sagged down onto his knees.

“ Amelinda… I found you at last, but alas in time…and now…I am through…don’t fear me…child… I will never harm you again…I am, at last free of my madness. Free of her... the goddess, out of her grasp.”

He panted deeply and Amelinda could see that he was pierced by several arrows. He didn’t move, just watched her and he held his sword firmly in his hand; he then dropped it in front of Amelinda. “ There…I am unarmed…please, Amelinda, listen to me…you must flee…more orcs are on the way, the…last one of them got away…I couldn’t stop him” He stopped and beheld Nemea, and shook his head slowly as the wounded girl writhed in increasing pain. Amelinda watched the sword in front of her; somehow its slightly blue toned blade seemed familiar to her, almost calling to her. She then became aware of the girl and her agony. She leaned down and stroke Nemeas face and tried to calm her, then she heard her uncle. “ It is no use, child…unless you can cure poisoning…the arrows…was smeared in the orcs own filth… I can feel it burn in my veins too… who is she? A friend of yours?”

Amelinda gave a whimper as she saw that her uncle was right and she shook her head slowly, with tears forming in her eyes. “No, I heard her scream and …then the orcs got me too.. She said that she was sent to find me, or at least a blonde warrior. She said that her name is Nemea and she is from the…” Her uncle sat down with a gasp in pain and interrupted her “ …from the tribe of Deneor… I know them… and indeed, she might have found the right girl to help her people.”

Amelinda looked on the dying girl and then she turned towards her dying uncle and her face had an expression of utter surprise and confusion.

“I am not a warrior…I am just a slave…and why me of all the people around here? “

Her uncle dropped slowly down on his back in the snow and watched her sadly.

“They…are… related to you…your… mothers family were Deneorians… They…live…at the coast…in the southeast…go…help them…”

Amelinda shuddered as she watched her uncle with blank eyes; she then faced down and gave a whimper. “ I can’t uncle, I’m not strong… I can’t fight and I am too scared.”

She looked up as she heard her uncle chuckle a little and her eyes met his.

“Amelinda…you are everything, you need to be…I trained you once back in our village…and I really never doubted that you eventually would beat me…only…the orcs…got me first… I am at last free, free from the Dark Goddess and her calls, to do her dark deeds… Take the sword, the katana that once belonged to your father, and our father before him, the sword of the chieftain… You must use it wisely… Go, leave me…I am at last at peace…leave me…and help the Deneorians…they need you…as do our own people…you…will save them…all… from…the …”

He removed the scabbard from his back while he gasped for breath and then sank back into the snow and whispered. “ … the dark goddess, has them…save them…you…are the only one…the chosen…”

Amelinda trembled and whimpered as she heard her dying uncle, fearing him and the task he set for her. She took his hand in hers and watched him as she felt how cold and stiff the hand already was. “ Uncle…how, can I trust you? You’ve tricked me before… almost sacrificed me to the Goddess.”

“Amelinda… i beg you to forgive me… You are quite right to doubt me. I was in the service of the Goddess for far too long…but now I am at last free… Her power over me has diminished, as I am dying… I see the light now, in you… my brother, your father was right to take you away, even though he failed…as I did, I had not the strength to even try to save our people… you… are the truly chosen… I see that now… alas, too late. I wish…that… I could…go… with you… guide…you…forgive….me…”

Then he lay still and spoke no more and as Amelinda looked at Nemea, she saw that the flicker of life had left the girl. She heard the sounds that told her that the orcs were coming. She whimpered and shivered in fear and watched the sword in front of her, fearing it. She was afraid of any weapon and she bit her lower lip and felt sick at the thought that she would wield and use one… But somehow, as if her right hand suddenly got a will of its own she could see and feel it pick up the katana, holding it as if it was made for her. She looked amazed on the old sword and didn’t fear it; it seemed to belong to her, as if it had been waiting for her to pick it up. She grabbed the scabbard and stumbled to her feet; she sheathed the katana and gave her uncle a last look.

The man she had feared for so long, the beast, the brute that had wanted to eat her heart, had wanted to sacrifice her to the Goddess of their people. She saw a different man now, her uncle as he could have been… She then moved over to him, kneeled at his side and kisses his forehead once and as he barely managed to open his eyes, she whispered to him. “I forgive you, uncle…rest in peace now. I will not fail you or father.”

Her uncle gave a smile and then his eyes went unseeing as he breathed his last breath.

Amelinda then took the scabbard with the sword and slung it across her back. She got up on her feet and broke off a branch and begun to move back towards the clearing, destroying the tracks that would lead the orcs to the girl and her uncle. She then turned and ran away in another direction to lead the orcs away, not wanting them to feast on her uncle and the poor girls bodies. She ran for a while and then she rubbed her enchanted ring and took off from the ground. She trembled as she had only used her flight enchantment once before, but she soon steadied herself and flew away towards south east.

Chapter two

Amelinda sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She blinked as she slowly looked around her, wary for any signs of approaching danger. She then drew a sigh in relief and then felt her belly rumble as it cried for some nutrients. The naked slave girl crawled out from the sheltering bush, under which she had slept during the night. She knew that she had travelled far the last couple of days, thanks to her enchanted ring that allowed her to fly for about an hour, three times a day. This far away from the inn to the south east, there was no snow, even in the depth of winter.

The girl moved around a little and begun to gather berries and mushrooms and some roots, simple food that was fresh enough to eat even during the winter months. She spent the best of an hour to fill her belly and then picked up her fathers, her uncles katana that now belonged to her and begun to walk away. She looked on the blade and suddenly knew that it was now her sword, hers as it had passed through the ages of her family. She stopped and took some swings with the sword for practise and she felt how it fitted her hands perfectly, as if it had been made just for her to wield one day. She smiled for herself and watched the sun gleam in the blade of the sword. She looked on the worn, ivory handle and she felt a shiver running down her spine. She bit her lower lip a little as this wasn’t like her at all, just a few days ago she would by now have been scared enough to vomiting, just by holding a sword.

“A few days ago”, she thought and begun to walk again, sheathing the sword , she had important things to do, even if she doubted within her heart that she had the strength and courage to do anything, except getting frozen in fear or running away.

“ A few days ago, I was just the slave Amelinda, and I was perfectly happy with that…getting trained by my mistress and my beloved Eucep…Ohhh…Eucep how I miss you…sweetie…my aviri!” Amelinda couldn’t help thinking about her dearly beloved slave sister and about her mistress as she kept walking towards south east. She hoped they would understand, and forgive her. She was scared of…she didn’t even know as she didn’t know what waited for her. She was just scared, even if she seemed to find some comfort in her sword. She knew she was quite useless in most peoples eyes, and she had felt that they were right, until about about a week ago, when she had realised how her mistress and Eucep was changing her through her training, moulding her into something new, making her stronger and more secure in herself. She shook her head slowly and then looked around her again. She then rubbed her ring and took off into the skies once again.

Later that day as evening was approaching and the light was fading. Amelinda walked though some open land, there was slow slopes and low hills, mostly covered by grass and some small groves. She felt the change in the air, telling her that she was going closer and closer to the sea. She walked up on a slope and as she reached the top she sat down and decided to rest there for the night. She laid down her katana and gathered some dried grass to make a soft bed. She felt hungry and thirsty again and searched around for something to eat and drink. She found only some fruits that seemed to have gone bad and she left those alone. She sighed and walked back to her small camp and curled op on her grass bed. She whimpered a little as she tried to sleep, she did feel very uneasy and very, very small and alone as she gazed up to the stars until she at last fell asleep.

It was a couple of days of tiresome walking, and some flying although she couldn’t fly for more then a few hours each day, that she begun to hear the sounds of waves rolling into a sandy beach, thundering as they broke and then washed over the sand. She climbed up onto a sandy slope and then saw the rough sea and the shoreline, miles and miles of a beach that seemed to go on forever. She bit her lower lip as she couldn’t see any sign of people, she had gone as far as she could and now she had no idea of where to search for the Deneorians. She sat down in the sand and watched the huge waves thunder in and she felt very hungry and empty inside. She then stretched out on her back in the sand to rest, she closed her eyes and her hands felt over her slender body as she really missed her beloved Eucep.

Her fingers had just begun to part her labia and she arched her back as she begun to stroke herself with a soft moan as she heard voices close to her. She sat up and looked around, still with one hand on her lower lips. There were three young women watching her and they talked between themselves in a language Amelinda couldn’t understand. They were all clad in long and simple un-dyed linen tunics; they had about the same skin colour as she had herself, though they had dark hair and brown eyes, eyes that watched the naked stranger with curiosity. Amelinda blushed and tried to wipe her moist fingers on the sand, but the women smiled at her and didn’t seem to mind. They seemed puzzled and curious about her collar and the leash, and they sat down close to her and one of the women pointed at Amelindas katana and then on Amelindas collar, with the leash and she said in broken common. “Varriorr?” Amelinda blushed even more and shook her head slowly. “No…I am not a warrior, I am Amelinda, a slave…but I will help you if you need any help. Are you Deneorians?” The three women smiled and chattered between themselves and then the woman that has spoken to her said softly. “ Yess…ve’re Deneorians…come vith us to our village…meet our elders…Amlinda, slave varrior.” They stood up and Amelinda nodded and took her sword and followed them along the beach further south towards their village.

The young women continued to talk among themselves as they took Amelinda into the village; it was a nice looking village, clean and with small huts made with clay and white coral stones.

Amelinda looked around and smiled softly as she beheld the village, it was covered by some sandy dunes and that was shy she hadn’t seen it. She then blinked as she watched the people and she felt that something was wrong. There were only women around. She couldn’t see a single male, not even among the children. She walked slower and thought for herself that, the men could be someplace else, maybe hunting or fishing…but why were then every male gone? Amelinda walked slower as they approached a small square in the middle of the village, it seemed to her that everyone in the village by now was out and watched her and she for once felt that she wanted to have some clothes to shield her from some of the looks she got.

She stopped just as she had stepped into the square. She shivered a little as she didn’t know what to do now and she felt very insecure. She held her sword in her right hand and was careful to point it towards the ground. Then there was some noise and the women in front of her on the other side of the square parted a little and gave way for one small woman, very old and bent with age, clad all in white. She watched Amelinda carefully and she then smiled and motioned for Amelinda to come to her. Amelinda hesitated a little and then walked slowly across the open square and stopped in front of the leader of the Deneorians. She laid her sword on the ground as a sign that she meant no harm and then kneeled down in front of the old woman. She parted her thighs wide and thrust her chest out as she had been trained to do. She faced down and waited patiently to be spoken to, ignoring the few giggles she heard from some of the other women.

Then there was a silence and she could feel the old woman move close to her and she felt a hand on top of her very light blonde hair, caressing her softly and she heard a mild voice. “Rise child…you have travelled far and a feel that you are weary. “ Amelinda slowly looked up on the old woman and she saw her brow eyes, warm and welcoming eyes, though at the same time they seemed to pierce deep into her soul. Amelinda slowly stood up and the smaller, old woman smiled to her kindly. “ I sense your confusion, child… You are brave, but yet scared, broken in will and yet free minded and strong. You are a servant and also a proud leader, both lamb and the lioness at the same time…very strange… I bid you welcome to our village, to rest and to share our simple lives, though I must warn you…there lies a curse upon us that will return soon to claim new victims… But I think that is why you are here, child…as the chosen one… In any case, Welcome…I am Azela, the chieftain and shaman…”

Amelinda bit her lower lip nervously and watched the old woman carefully. She shivered at the chieftains word and almost gave a whimper as she heard Azela call her the chosen one. That had been her curse since she was born. She had been supposed to be sacrificed to the Goddess after giving birth to the next chosen one, as had her mother, and all of her mother’s line. They had all been the chosen one and had all lost their life on the sacrificial altar in the temple in the village, after giving birth to a female child, the next chosen one.

Had that curse brought her here…and was that she was supposed to be or do here too?

Amelinda swallowed and then said softly as she felt that she had to say something. “ I am Amelinda, the property of my mistress Kerian… I was sent here by Nemea…to help you, if I can…” Azela smiled softly to Amelinda and stroked her cheek carefully. “ I know, child… But here, nobody is property to anyone, we all serve each other at need… and do not fear…we will do no harm to you… Stay here, enjoy our hospitality and rest.”

Amelinda nodded slowly as she felt the words from the old chieftain calm her. And as she reached down and picked her sword up, she heard Azela give a couple of commands in their own language and then she smiled to Amelinda when the three young women that had found her approached again. “ Amelinda…These women will take you to a hut of your own…and they will see to your every need… I will talk with you later, when you’ve rested and been refreshed.”

Amelinda smiled softly and let the three women lead her away from the square and to a smaller hut not far away.

The following morning, there was a meeting of the elder women in Azelas, the shaman and chieftain, hut and Amelindas aides were taking her there.

As Amelinda was shown inside and given a pillow to sit on she was thankful that she had one of the tunics that had been offered to her. The elder women smiled kindly to her and talked softly among themselves for a little. Then Azela clapped her hands together once and begun to speak, she didn’t smile but her eyes, Amelinda thought, the eyes looked very kind and softly on her.

“Dear child, I hope that you have had a peaceful night.”

Amelinda blushed a little and then nodded slowly and Azela continued.

“You must have many questions about us by now, do not fear to ask us. I think you are the one that is meant to help us, save us…from our dark destiny. The chosen one“

Amelinda blinked and gave a tremble “lady…I…i…”

The chieftain smiled and nodded kindly “yes, you have heard that expression about you before, that is a good sign…and fear not, we will not harm you. We will not sacrifice you as your own people would.”

The face of Amelinda grew pale and she felt her heart beat faster and she looked scared.

“ b..but…h..how?”

“How I knew?“ The chieftain mused and she shook her head slowly

“I know, let it rest with that, I know… and you have nothing to fear from us. I can not tell you more, not yet at least…the time is not right…when you get back to us, I will tell you more.”

She slowly rose to her feet and moved over to Amelinda and caressed her hair slowly.

“you are confused, your spirit is not awakened, it’s almost broken…but you will…must grow, here and now, because our need for you is…there is still some time…rest easy and let us tell you about our tribe, our village and our…curse.”

She moved back to her seat and sat down slowly. Amelinda blinked and looked very confused and bit her lower lip nervously. Then she heard one of the other women begun to sing slowly.

“At the shore of the great sea, we dwell, we the poor tribe. The sea is our mother, caretaker, And curse, as the darkness has fallen. Hear our songs, o mother, Hear our cries, mother dear. We, your tribe of mothers to be, wails at the moonlit ocean.

Where once she, the dark goddess descended upon us. She took our men, turned them into her servants. Three ships she brought and they sailed away. Returning only to take and breed us. Hear our songs, o mother, Hear our cries, mother dear. We, your tribe of mothers to be, wails at the moonlit ocean.

We are the mothers, our sorrow is deep. For once the seed has grown in our wombs, We’re given to the goddess as gifts, So she will remain strong and beautiful. Hear our songs, o mother, Hear our cries, mother dear. We, your tribe of mothers to be, wails at the moonlit ocean.

Our male offspring is taken beyond the sea. We’re left to carry on, until the next time our men returns And so the circle goes on and on. We’re the women that will be bred as we cannot leave. Hear our songs, o mother, Hear our cries, mother dear. We, your tribe of mothers to be, wails at the moonlit ocean.

Amelinda listened carefully to the song, which went on and described even more to her about the village and the tribe of the women.

The men had been turned against their own women, using then only to get them carrying their children, and then after giving birth, each young mother was sacrificed to the same dark goddess that ruled Amelindas own people, the same Goddess that she herself was supposed to be sacrificed to.

Amelinda watched the elder woman around her and she shivered in fear and disgust of their fate. As the song ended she turned towards the chieftain and she saw sorrow but also hope in the old woman’s eyes. “Can’t you do anything about all this? You could run away and settle somewhere else…or defend yourselves? This is horrible…”

Azela sighed deeply and shook her head slowly. “We cannot, this is our fate and our curse. We live here, this is our home…and where could we go? They would find us with the help of their Goddess. If we fight, they would only beat us down, and then enslave us. And you’re forgetting that they are also our people. We have been waiting for you, to free us... waiting for the chosen.”

Amelinda closed her eyes and begun to weep, and gave a whimper. “But…I am not a warrior…I am just a slave… I can’t fight…I am scared…”

The women watched her and they mumbled among themselves and Azela, the chieftain sighed even deeper. “Then we are doomed to be the sacrificial lambs in all eternity. Only the ones of us that haven’t given birth are allowed to live to see old age. Or the ones that was too old when this started thirty eight years ago.”

Amelinda bit her lower lip hard and whimpered as she looked around the hut again, seeing that the women all had their hopes in her, that she would save them. She shivered and faced down as she couldn’t face them and still, she couldn’t crush their hope too. She sighed and trembled badly, remembering her dying uncles’ words and the little chirot ghost Gizle. She took a deep breath and looked up again. “I’ll…do what I can…but I can’t fight them all…I am just one, and a slave. “

Azela reached for Amelinda and stroked her face slowly, soothingly. “You will find a way, I am sure. We don’t want them killed…we want them back, they are our people too. The leader is Lurthagon, the former chieftain of us all. He received a gift from the goddess and I fear that he is lost forever. He is still as strong and as young as he was thirty eight years ago when this darkness begun. He, I fear…you must fight somehow. He is a strong warrior, and cunning, but without him, there is hope.”

Amelinda nodded slowly and slowly stood up. “How many are they? And when will they come, how long time do I have?”

“They are as numerous as we are, about two hundred, some are old, some are young and they have swords and spears, although they don’t use them against us. They have the three ships that the goddess gave them, ships that are enchanted to bring them safe through any weather or storm. The elements can’t damage the ships from the outside, no seas, no reef, no flash of lightning and no wind can destroy the cursed ships. The raiders will come soon, any day now…then you’ll see for yourself. We cannot help you, as they are of our own people…and we are not trained for fighting, even if we were we wouldn’t, can’t fight them.

We depend on you, the chosen one.”

Azela smiled sadly and them made a gesture to the other women and they all got up and bagun to leave the hut. “ You’ll have these three young women, to satisfy every need you’ve got. They will serve you until the males comes, then you have to deal with them in any way you can.”

The chieftain then turned away and left the hut too, and Amelinda was shown back to her own hut by her servants.

Chapter Three

It was in the morning a few days later that Amelinda was awoken by a loud scream.

“THEY ARE HERE!!!”

The scream was followed by more screams and wailing sounds as the women all got out of their huts and watched the dreaded ships as she sailed into the bay. Amelinda watched her three servants and saw fear and despair in their eyes, especially in the youngest, Antelas. They looked back to Amelinda and shivered, Antela closed her eyes and begun to murmur a prayer and the eldest of the young women moved closer to Amelinda and whispered. “Antela is in season…she will most likely be impregnated this week. Please…save us!”

Amelinda nodded slowly and turned around, not wanting them to see her face. She breathed deeply and fingered on her leash, she then decided to leave it on as she still didn’t want to disobey her mistress order, that she would no remove the leash unless Kerian gave her permission. She removed her golden armlets and the diamond ring, to avoid getting them stolen by the raiders. She removed her leather cuffs on her ankles and her wrists, not wanting anyone get tempted to tie her up. She then finally hid her sword under her bed; she had no idea of how to save these people and didn’t want to have to fight until she knew what to do. She then turned around again and nodded once more to the three women. “ Let’s go outside… I want to see what is going on.” Antela looked up on Amelinda and seemed surprised. “ You’re not going to fight? “ Amelinda shook her head and sighed. “ Not yet, I need to see them and wait until the right moment…I will do my best to help you.” The women looked unbelieving on Amelinda, clearly thinking that she was abandoning them in their need and the left the hut, silently and trembled in fright of that would happen to them now.

Amelinda sighed as she saw them leave. She shivered too and wished she had any idea of what to do, she didn’t want to let them down. She stood up and walked slowly out of her hut.

Outside she saw the whole village stand on the beach as they watched the ships anchor in the bay. Some was weeping, others wailing but most of them stood there silently. All of them was sad if they were to old to be in danger, or scared if they were in the right age or had a girl that was in the right age. Amelinda walked down to them and tried to ignore the pleading looks she got as she moved towards the elder women. She then had to suppress the need to kneel at Azelas side and ask her what to do, as she would have done to her mistress. She instead moved closer to the aging chieftain and she watched the ships and the males.

The ships were tall; they had one mast and twenty pairs of oars. They had a upper deck with some large crossbows mounted on the railings, catapults Amelinda corrected herself and she saw the raiders lower large boats into the water and begun to climb down into them. She turned towards the chieftain. “What will happen now? Why are we all standing here, why not hide in the village. “

Azela shook her head slowly. “ If we hid they would destroy our homes, searching for us… They will come ashore and they will then go to the temple and set up their camp there. The leader, Lurthagon, will then light the fires in the temple and after that they will come back here. Lurthagon will choose which ones of us that are too old, these will go to their camp and prepare a feast. He will then chose which ones that is too young and send them back to their homes. Then he as the leader and priest make his own choice first. When he has chosen, the others will have their turn to choose one woman for the nights feast. Tomorrow, they will choose another, so that all men will have a woman during this week, at least once. And that every woman that is in the right ages, will have several men, so no one will be able to know who the actual father will be. Normally the elder males will not choose any of the younger females, in that way they think they’ll avoid choosing their own offspring.”

As Amelinda listened to the chieftain she saw that the boats were closing to the shore and soon the beach was filled with heartily laughter and grinning barbaric males with hunger in their eyes. They were clad in light clothes, breeches and shirts; some had leather or metal armour while most of them had no armour at all. All of them were armed with a sword; mostly they seemed to favour scimitars, or an axe and spears. One of the raiders immediately took command and soon they all walked towards the temple. The women stood on the beach and waited until the raiders returned and the one of the males that had taken command before strode towards them, grinning.

Amelinda watched him carefully as she stood close to the chieftain. That man must be Lurthagon, she thought. He was a tall man, with broad shoulders and a curly long black hair. He had a trimmed beard and seemed to be about 40 years old. He had leather boots and a scimitar hanging from a broad belt, with a huge belt buckle. He had a white loose shirt and pendant, with a blood red gleaming stone dangling against his chest. The leader watched them all and then begun to point at the women he considered to old, the last one he chose was the chieftain, Azela. The elder women turned around and begun walking towards the camp next to the temple, to prepare the feast for the raiders and their females.

Lurthagon stopped in his tracks and blinked as he saw Amelinda, he frowned a little as he saw her collar and her leash and stepped closer to her. “Who are you? Why is there a slave here?” Amelinda bit her lower lip as she looked back at the towering leader, he was almost two feet taller then she was, and she tried to find an answer. Then she heard Azela respond in her place. “ She is a guest…she came her to find shelter and to rest.”

The leader narrowed his eyes and then burst out laughing as he grabbed Amelindas leash and pulled her down on her knees. “A slave girl as a guest? She is a runaway then…a slave without an owner. Whatever she is, she will be mine tonight as she is one of you now.” Amelinda gasped as she was yanked in her leash and forced to follow the leader as her went about to choose which of the remaining females that were too young. She watched all the women with sad eyes as she was lead like a puppy dog in her leash, the only comfort was when Lurthagon, after a little hesitation picked Antela to join those he considered to be too young.

When Lurhtagon was done he moved away from the women and said to his men. “ Now, there are all yours… make your choice, but remember…No fights, there will be pussies for you all this time even if you don’t get one tonight. Besides you can always share a pussy between two or three of you… You can have a share of this slave, when I am finished with her.”

He then strode away towards the camp with the leashed and helplessly scared Amelinda in his tow.

Chapter Four

(A few days later…)

Amelinda sat on a sandy slope east of the village on the evening of the sixth day of the raiders visit. She wept, not only because she had been raped and used harshly several times a day the last few days, she had suffered far worse before, but she also felt utter despair of the situation. She could hear the sounds from the village and they told her that far more women then she had been ravished and still were being ravished. She shivered and felt really helpless; the women of this village had had so great hopes in her, that she would save them. But Amelinda just didn’t know how. She was all alone, no one of the women dared to use force, even to save themselves. No one had listened to her pleas that they would just simply leave the village to get away from the raiders.

Amelinda looked up and hugged her knees, and then she watched her shivering hands and sighed deeply. The crying and weeping had somehow helped her, calmed her enough to think. She could not possibly hope to fight the raiders off, even if she had the courage. She might have been able to kill a few and hurt some more, but there was just too many of them. She looked back at the village and towards the small temple to the south, tomorrow was the last day of the raiders visit. Tonight they would feast and ravish the women again to plant their seed in their wombs, and tomorrow they would then sacrifice the poor young women who had given birth since the last visit and take the male children with them on their ships.

“The ships “She thought and turned her head to watch them. Something begun nagging at the back of her mind but she couldn’t make out what it was. She sighed again and looked carefully on the three beautiful and large, powerfully looking ships that lay anchored in the bay, calmly riding softly on the waves. They seemed to be unmanned now and were anchored well apart from each other, perhaps so they wouldn’t hurt their oak planks if the wind turned to make them bump into the next ship or…if one caught fire, the fire wouldn’t spread to the next ship. Then she remembered that they were enchanted and could not suffer damage from each other or from any weather. Amelinda sighed and looked down on her feet and closed her eyes. Perhaps if she challenged Lurthagon, the fearful leader of the raiders, and won, the rest of the raiders might listen to her and give up their cruel traditions.

She looked back towards the village and saw some raiders hunt a young woman as she tried to get away from them. The woman cried in despair as the three raiders caught her and dragged her away behind a hut. Amelinda sighed as she heard the woman scream once and she knew what was happening to her. She wanted to go there and help her, but she also knew that it would be in vain. She would need her sword and if she fought she would only get more attention to herself and finally get beaten as there were more raiders close by. Her sword, she thought…it was still inside her hut; she would have to get to it and then try to challenge the leader openly for his leadership if she were to have any hope of convincing the raiders to stop.

She did not think she would win, not easily anyhow, and even if she did, the rest of the raiders would probably kill her and sail away in their ships to return nine months later. She looked at the menacing looking ships again and that nagging thought inside her mind tried to tell her something again. She had to convince the raiders to stop… before they sailed away in their ships…the ships…

Amelinda gave a deep gasp as it struck her and she opened her eyes wide. The ships! If the raiders didn’t have their ships…they would have to give up this way of living, they would have to settle here, or at least close by…only, the ships was protected from damage from the outside…but…maybe…

She slowly rose to her feet and watched the tall ship again as a plan was beginning to form in her mind. She would still have to kill the leader, or the raiders would probably just settle some way off and continue to use this village as a supply of male children. She looked on the boats that lay on the beach; they were far too heavy for her to handle on her own. She had to get out there to the ships to do something about them and she had to get her sword and her other things. She hunched low and begun to slowly make her way back to the village, careful to not get detected by the raiders.

As Amelinda sneaked into her hut she heard the horn sound and she knew that the raiders would withdraw to the temple for another night of feasting. She heard them laugh and shout joyfully to each other, each one bringing a woman to take pleasure from during the feast and all through the night. She sat still in her hut as she heard some of the raiders pass close to the hut, hoping that no one would peer inside and drag her away as well. Soon they had all passed and the only sounds from the village were the wailing and weeping of the ravished women.

Amelinda removed her ruined tunic and threw it away. She looked at the few belongings she had; the sword, her enchanted armlets, her enchanted ring. She still had her collar on, she fingered her leash that was clapped to her collar and smiled softly and felt a pang of sorrow as she missed her mistress and her beloved Eucep really badly now, wishing that they were here to help her and to give her strength. She watched her golden armlets and the golden ring with the small diamond. She then sighed and shook her head sadly; she had to rely on herself, only on herself now and she didn’t want to risk loosing the armlets or the ring.

She sat up straight and took her sword, drew it from the scabbard and laid it across her lap. She felt the cold steel against her naked legs and she shivered softly as she watched the old but very deadly katana. She lifted the sword and held it in both of her hands, firmly around the hilt. She drew a deep breath and she then spoke in a calm voice loud for herself. “Mistress Kerian, Eucep my aviri, Father… Uncle Olov… I will not fail you. I didn’t start all this, I didn’t want this to happen… but…I am here, and I will finish this. Whatever the outcome may be…I will make you proud of me whatever happens to me… I shall see this through in my own way, and in the end, the raiders better beware.”

She heard a noise from the door to her hut and jumped to her feet, in a soft, yet fast and swift motion, turned towards the door ready to strike. Azela, the old and worn shaman and chieftain of the denorians smiled to her and she didn’t flinch the slightest, she moved slowly into the hut and held her hands out to Amelinda. “I heard… and now I se, that I wasn’t wrong. At last your spirit has awoken, chosen one…”

Amelinda relaxed a little and slowly nodded as she lowered her sword. She bent down and picked up the scabbard and fastened it across her back, with the belt around her slender waist and the straps over her shoulders.

“I will do what I can, but I can’t give any promises of success. I will do this, must do this, even if I am scared for what ending fate has in mind for me…I can’t hide anymore from what everyone seems to tell me is my destiny.”

The old woman smiled softly and moved closer to her. “Then, go with my blessings and know, that whatever happens is meant to happen, as you are the chosen one.”

She held her hands towards Amelinda, who now kneeled down and kissed the hands. No more words were spoken and Amelinda slipped out of the hut and sneaked down to the beach, quiet like a ghost floating through an eerie night.

She waded out in the water; it felt warm and soothing as she descended deeper into the oceans embrace. She then stopped with water up to her breasts and watched the ships again, thinking of which one she should swim out to first. She still didn’t know exactly what to do but she was sure that something would come to mind when she was there. She was about to begin to swim as she saw someone moving on the closest ship. She sighed softly, of course they had put at least someone as guard, it was just stupid of her to think otherwise. She slowly began to swim towards the closest ship.

She had wanted to start with the ship that was furthest away to have closer to the shore when she had finished. But she also knew that the guard would have a lot more chances of seeing her as she swam pass his ship. She took slow and careful strokes with her arms and her legs to not make any noise that would get her detected. As she closed in on the ship she stopped for a while and watched and listened carefully, then she swam to the bow. She hauled herself up slowly on the anchor line, slowly rising up from the water so that the dripping wouldn’t betray her. As she reached the deck she slowly peered around and watched nervously for the guard. She saw him standing in the aft, he seemed to look towards the small white temple outside the village.

Amelinda smiled and slowly pulled herself, silently upon the deck and carefully drew her katana. She moved slowly over the planks of the deck to the mast and she peered around towards the other ships and tensed. There were other men on guard on the two other ships too. She moved closer to the mast, to let her shadow blend with the masts and she slowly sheathed her katana, knowing that the sounds of a fight would surely make the guards sound an alarm. She thought for a few seconds and then unclasped her belt and the straps, and laid the scabbard with her sword silently on the deck at the mast. She then stepped out from the shadow of the mast and walked calmly towards the guard.

She saw him turn around at the sound of her bare feet against the deck and she smiled sweetly in reply to his startled and surprised look. “Who…who are you? Where did you come from? “he rasped, as if he didn’t get his voice to carry his words. He saw the naked and stunningly beautiful young woman walk softly towards him, her hips swaying and her chest heaving as she breathed softly. She moved up to him and he couldn’t bring himself to react before she put her right index finger to his lips and she whispered.

“Shhhhh…don’t disturb the other guards…I am your reward for tonight…Lord Lurthagon sent me himself…” She looked up on him as he was a feet taller then she was and she smiled with her eyes glittering in the moonlight and whispered again, before he could respond. “Obviously he must trust you a lot to let you guard one of his ships, and he told me to tell you, that he will remember your loyal services to him. “ The guard just stared at her and she felt his hands move around her, feeling on her naked back. He swallowed hard and she also felt something begin to grow inside his trousers and she pressed her body closer to tease him, keeping him off guard and she breathed against his chest. “ Let us…move downstairs…so the others don’t…get jealous or something…” The guard breathed hard and nodded and picked her up in his strong arms.

Amelinda felt that he was a lot stronger then she had thought when she first saw him, she knew that she was lucky to not trying to fight him or to knock him out. She might have succeeded but it would surely have alerted the other guards. He carried her down the hatch and hunched, to not knock his head into the timber as her took her to a cabin in the aft of the ship.

The aft cabin was crude and not that big, even as Amelinda didn’t know much about ships she somehow knew that the cabin must belong to some of the officers. She smiled and giggled softly as the guard threw her down on her back on the bed. She hoped she could act good enough to convince him, then as the guard almost ripped off his clothes she realised that she didn’t have to worry. She smiled and reached with her hands for his hard member and begun to stroke it carefully. The guard gave a deep gasp and she heard him mumble. “ Ahhh…yes…that feels so good…suck me…then I will take you, give you my seed.” She nodded and moved a little closer to him and she kissed the head of his cock softly and she smiled as she heard him moan softly as she begun to suckle.

He moaned softly as she licked and suckled on his member. She slowly caressed the shaft with her fingertips, softly letting the tip of her tongue circle the head of his cock. She felt him grab her head and she didn’t resist as he shoved himself deep into her mouth and throat. She suckled harder and swallowed to give him more pleasure. He begun to stroke his member into her throat in long and powerful thrusts and she continued to lick and suckle to pleasure him. She felt his cock throb and soon, after a few more thrusts she felt his seed splash into her throat and mouth as he gave a cry in ecstasy. She swallowed all of his seed and as he moaned in delight she continued to suckle on his member to sustain his hardness.

Amelinda smiled and let her eyes glisten towards the guard as she leaned back and purred like a kitten, slowly licking her lips. She parted her thighs wide and smiled as he watched her naked body in the light from the lantern. He saw her shaved slit and he moves up on the bed to the naked morsel, this willing female that had already given him so much pleasure. He took her feet in his hands and kissed the feet, each one in turns and then placed them on his broad shoulders. She arched her back a little as he folded her legs against her and she felt his hard cock slowly push into her pussy. He gave a deep sigh in pleasure as she clenched her pussy around the head of his cock when is slid into her moist and quivering pussy. He grabbed hold of her hips and pulled her hard against him and pushed deep into her, as his cock reached the bottom of her pussy, he held still savouring her tenderness and her tightness.

Amelinda felt him push deep into her and she squeezed his cock to make her pussy feel even tighter to him. She gave a deep gasp as she felt the tip of his cock reach her cervix, he held her tightly and didn’t move, she arched her back and moaned softly. She hoped that she would keep her control and convince him that she wasn’t faking. She squeezed his cock hard and as a response she felt him pull back, almost all the way out of her and then he pushed hard deep into her again. He began to pump his hips to thrust his cock deep and powerfully into the female, enjoying her responses fully as she squirmed and gasped in pleasure. He felt her inner walls squeeze and milk his cock in pace to his thrusts and he increased the speed and force. He watched her breathtakingly beautifully face as she obviously took full pleasure from his treatment of her and he kissed her softly, beginning to feel some tenderness for this lovely girl.

“Do you want me to pull out when I come?” He watched her surprised reaction and smiled, keeping the pace and force of his thrusts. She clenched her pussy hard around his cock and he could feel her juices leak from her, soaking the bed under her as she gasped in pleasure. She looked back on him with shining eyes of pleasure and arousal.

“No… I want you… fill me with your seed”

He continued to stroke his cock deep into her moistness and wasn’t sure if he could stop now, even if he wanted to. He knew that if his seed begun to grow within her she would be sacrificed at their next visit nine month later. He watched her and moaned in delight as this was the best girl he ever made it with; she did everything to give him pleasure. She was not like the other girls in the village, scared to get pregnant and seldom giving much response, even if there were some that took as much pleasure they could. This girl, with the collar and the leash, seemed almost trained? She was the girl that was moister then anyone else he had encountered before…

His thoughts didn’t wander much more as Amelinda pushed hard against him and kissed him with a show of full passion. Her flowing pussy squeezed his cock hard and she shuddered under his thrusts. He kissed back and felt his cock throb and then he cried in ecstasy as he came, his seed spurting into her waiting womb in strong jets. Amelinda felt his seed burst into her and she arched her back hard and screamed into his mouth as she orgasmed for real around his cock. Her pussy contracted hard in spasms and milked every drop of his seed from him. She felt his cock throb and she then felt him panting hard against her neck as he still orgasmed with her, emptied himself completely into her womb and her spasming pussy.

Amelinda lay on her back, still with her ankles on his shoulders and she stretched her upper body delightfully and sighed with satisfaction. She smiled warmly to the guard with her eyes hazed with pleasure. She felt him move his cock out of her pussy and she lowered her feet and turned towards him with an impressive display of her agility. She smiled to him again and saw the surprised and very pleased look in his eyes as she stroked his cock and then took it into her mouth and licked it clean from her juice and his seed. She heard him gasp deeply as she suckled hard on his member to sustain its hardness.

As she felt that his member was ready again she took one last suckle and pulled back from him and watched him with her eyes shining. He panted softly and caressed her breasts as he laid down on his back. Amelinda didn’t wait and moves quickly on top of the guard and straddled him. She arched her back as she felt him squeeze her breast and she eagerly responded by guiding his hard member to her pussy and they moaned in unison as she moved down, impaled herself on his cock, her nectar leaking from her pussy and down on his crotch. She let her tight pussy clench his throbbing member and she leaned a little backwards as she felt the tip touch against her cervix. He squeezed her breasts again and pulled on her rock hard nipples and moaned as she begun to ride him hard. She thrust down hard each time and let her strong vaginal muscles hug his cock hard the tip hit her bottom and she kept that hard squeeze as she pulled up, milked his cock with each thrust. He soon trashed his head and tensed his body as she brought him to another orgasm. She leaned down on top of him and kissed him furiously to muffle them both as they moaned loud in pleasure as his seed splashed against her inner walls and once more flowed into her womb.

Amelinda then sat back up again and her body glistened in the lantern light with her perspiration. She saw and felt that he was as damp too from the intense sex. She shivered a little as she squeezed his cock with her moist and flowing pussy and rocked gently with her hips to keep him hard. He soon responded by grabbing her waist and then throw her onto her back, still with his cock buried to his hilt inside her pussy and he begun to pound her mercilessly and panted to his hard and fast thrusts. Amelinda squirmed a little and did her best to meet eche hard thrust with a push of her own and she twisted her hips. She breathed in hard and fast gasps as he kept pounding her hard and she smiled a little as she felt that he wouldn’t be able to keep this up for long as he grunted and his sweat was dripping down onto her. She closed her eyes and gave a moan as her pussy spasmed around his cock. He felt her orgasm and then gave a cry as his seed filled the hot woman under him for the last time, as he panted deeply in exhaustion.

He finally gave a deep sigh and rolled off her and laid down beside her on the bed on his back. She smiled and watched him drift off into a blissful sleep.

Amelinda gasped softly, she hadn’t planned on orgasming but she still wasn’t good at controlling her own arousal. She watched the guard and as she was sure that he was deep a sleep she carefully slid off the bed. She took the lantern and sneaked out of the cabin. She closed the door carefully so it wouldn’t squeak and she then begun to look around the ship. She didn’t know exactly what to do, she had had a plan to find an axe and just cut a hole in the bottom of each ship. But with guards on the other ships she was sure that they would give an alarm if one ship begun to sink. She moved forwards between the rows of oars and then slowly opened another door and peered inside. She saw that she had reached the bow; there were two smaller doors and a staircase, going both up to the upper deck and down to the bottom of the ship. She opened one of the smaller doors and found coils of ropes that smelled of tar inside. It was probably the anchor line, she realised. She then stopped a little to think. She held the lantern high and opened the other small door. There was a lot of folded canvas there, maybe spare sails, she thought and she went back again.

She slowly moved down the stairs to the bottom of the ship. It was a rather cramped space and she could she the hull. There were some small barrels and some crates and she begun to explore them carefully as a plan finally begun to form inside her mind. She soon returned to the middle deck and smiled softly. She then poured one small barrel of olive oil over the spare sails and made sure that it would make pools in the canvas. She then placed a candle in one of the pools and next to some soaked canvas. She lighted the candle and made sure that it wouldn’t fall. She then did the same with the coils of anchor line, poured olive oil over them and then placed a lit candle there. She smiled softly and carefully closed the door and moves silently back to the aft cabin with the lantern. The guard was still sleeping soundly and she hesitated a little, but she was sure that he would sleep for some time yet and that he would be able to get away before it was too late. She left the lantern there and carefully sneaked back up onto the upper deck and fetched her sword at the mast. She then moved over to the railing and slipped back into the ocean and swam slowly to not make any sounds over to the next ship.

Amelinda slowly hauled herself up along the anchor line on the ship and peered carefully over the deck. She hoped that the guard wouldn’t see her and sound an alarm, and that she could dupe him as she had with the first guard. She didn’t see him at first, but then she saw a shadow move across the deck. This guard seemed older and he hobbled a little on his way. She saw him take a swig from a bottle and she heard him curse a little for himself. She pulled herself up on the deck and removed her scabbard quickly and stowed it away out of sight. She then crawled over the deck and laid on her back and closed her eyes. She breathed slowly as she heard the guard move closer to her and then she heard a deep intake of air as he saw her.

The guard blinked as he saw the naked girl laid sprawled on her back on the deck. She seemed unconscious and he blinked, wondering where she did come from. He moved closer and noticed her collar and her leash, this was getting more and more strange. She was a slave, and there were no slaves around here, or was it? He looked around to see if there were somebody else around, but he couldn’t see anyone. He moved closer to the slave girl and watched her slender and wet body, her lovely breasts heaving slowly as she breathed. She had come from the sea; he could clearly see that, from the drops on the deck. But why had she lost her consciousness? Had she pulled herself up with the last of her strength? She was very beautiful and she looked so vulnerable and he blinked as he felt his member give a throb and begin to strain against his breeches. He gave a groan and felt that whoever she was, and however she got there, he had to have her. He got a tear into the corner of his eyes as he reached for his member and stroked it slowly, he couldn’t remember last time he had felt his member hardening, it had been ages ago.

Amelinda felt the vibrations in the deck from the guards movements and she heard his groan. She concentrated on remaining limp and to not show any expression in her face. She smelt him as he moved closer, he would really need a good bath and then she felt his hands on her body. She breathed softly as if she was passed out and she didn’t respond to his hands that examined her soft skin. He felt over her soft breasts and he kneaded them slowly. She then felt him kiss her between her breasts and he moved a hand down over her belly. She begun to think that he would take her right there on the upper deck as he slowly picked her up.

He lifted the slave girl and she hand limply in his arms. He looked around to see if any of the other guards had noticed him. But he only saw the guard on the ship that was anchored furthest out to the see and he smiled as he hurried down below with his prize. He dropped her onto the middle deck as soon as he had got her down. He then removed his breeches and laughed happily as he felt his hard cock in his hand. He moved down and pulled the slave girl onto her back and parted her legs, trembling with hunger for her promising body. She gave a groan and opened her grey eyes, blinking as she seemed to regain consciousness. He gave a growl and threw himself over the defenceless girl, wanting to impale her before she could put up a fight. To his surprise she smiled and pulled him close to her, guided his cock into her tight and waiting pussy.

Amelinda emerged from the lower decks some time later; she smiled softly and then used her clean spell on herself. She felt some pity over that poor old man and had changed her mind, first she had planned to knock him out directly but she let him have his way with her first. She had then dragged his exhausted form to the aft of the ship and then done the same thing as she had done to the first ship. Only that she had used shorter candles, this time. She picked up her sword and then silently lowered herself down the anchor line into the sea and she begun to swim towards the last ship.

As she pulled herself up on the deck, she couldn’t see anyone at all. Amelinda frowned a little and removed her scabbard and hit it carefully. She them moved slowly and completely silently over the deck and down the stairs in the bow. She couldn’t find anyone on the middle deck or on the lower deck too, was this ship really deserted? She shrugged and wasted no more time. She poured olive oil on the spare sails and on the anchor line, she then placed two quite short candles, one in each room and closed the doors carefully. She smiled as she moved back up on the upper deck and as she moves towards her hidden sword she heard a grunt and then felt the coldness of a blade against her neck.

“And what do we have here, a female sneaking around…”

Chapter Five

Amelinda tensed and she gave a gasp as someone grabbed her leash and pulled her around.

There were two guards looking her over, she realised that they must have been in the aft cabin when she came aboard. She trembled and gave a whimper as the closest guard tugged on her leash again. “ Where did you come from? What business did you have below?” Amelinda made her eyes grew bigger and more moist as different alternatives went through her mind. She had to silence them or distract them, or they would find the candles and alert the rest of the raiders. She then saw the guard open his eyes wider as he saw her sheathed katana on her back. She gave another whimper as the other guard also saw it and raised his sword again.

“ She is armed… this is really fishy….better sound the alarm.”

Amelinda saw the guard that held her leash hesitate while the other take a step back to have room to swing his sword. She wasted no time and somehow her fear seemed to melt into the background noises as she kicked the guard that held her leash, hard in his groin and as he sagged to the deck, whimpering and holding his aching crotch. As she felt him let go of her leash she took a step back just in time to avoid a slash from the other guards sword.

She drew her katana and then as the guard swung his sword again, she met his slash with a blow of her own and the swords clanged in the stillness of the night. Amelinda saw the opening immediately as she blocked the guards slash and she punched him hard in the middle of his face with the pommel of the katana and then jumped back from him. The guard groaned as the hilt of the sword hit his face. He cursed and spat blood and two teeth from his mouth and blinked in pain. The armed slave girl stood waiting for him, in a defensive stance. His mind flashed with anger, how dared that bitch? He was a seasoned, sea raider – he would show her!

He attacked with a wild and wide arc of his sword over his head, aiming for her upper body, his vision reddening from his anger. To his surprise she just seemed to shift her stance a little and then she lashed out almost casually with her sword to meet his. He then saw his sword tumble through the air over the railing, his cut off hand still holding the hilt firmly, he felt no pain only anger and surprise as he glimpsed a flash of the naked slave girls katana. Then his beheaded body stumbled over her foot and followed his hand and sword over the railing.

Amelinda didn’t flinch or even blink as her mind and body seemed to act on its own. Not even when she heard the splashes of the hand with the sword, the headless body and finally the head as they fell into the water. She turned around towards the remaining guard, he had by now got back to his feet and he stared onto her with fear and awe in his eyes. He swallowed hard and held the hilt of his sword harder in his hand, and then as he saw her walk slowly towards him with her bloodied katana in her right hand, he turned around and hurled himself into the sea.

She saw him jump and she sighed deeply, thankful for not having to kill him. She looked around and from what she could see nobody had raised any alarm in the village or at the raiders camp. She sheathed her sword and trembled with a whimper as she sank to her knees on the deck and she begun to weep. She didn’t want this to happen, she hadn’t wanted to kill that guard, it just seemed to happen on its own. She sobbed and wept for a while there on the dark and deserted deck as the surviving guard swam towards the shore.

Lurthagon was not in a good mood as this stuttering imbecile had drawn him from the warm embraces of a sweet young woman. He squinted angrily towards the man in front of him and then struck him with all his strength and anger across the face with his fist. “ Idiot! You fled for one naked woman…” The man groaned and fell backwards over a coupling raider and a village girl, knocked senseless by the hard blow. Lurhtagon pulled his trousers on and grabbed his sword. He then strode out of the tent, ignoring the curses from the raider that had got interrupted by the falling man, curses that got worse as the whimpering woman took the opportunity to get away. Lurthagon walked hurriedly out of the camp and stopped to squint out to the anchored ships that lay peacefully riding the soft swell in the bay.

The angered leader of the raiders frowned and wondered what was going on, he then tensed as he watched the ships again, suddenly there were a soft red glow from the ship closest to the beach. Lurthagon stood there for once struck with a fear filled realisation. He watched the glow increase, it seemed to come from the bow of the ship, then flames appeared and there was a roaring sound. He gave a groan and then cried loud enough to wake up even the most drunken raider.

“THE SHIPS!!! AT ARMS! AT ARMS!!! AWAKE!!! AT ARMS!” He motioned to the guards of the camp to follow him and rushed to the beach and the boats, perhaps they could save the remaining ships if they acted fast. As he reached the boat he saw that the first ship now was at full flare, the fire spreading fast along the entire deck, flames eating the ropes at the mast and he also saw a single man trying to beat the flames with a wet cloth. Then the guard gave up and jumped over board to save himself.

Lurthagon heard turmoil and cursing voices behind him as the raiders in the camp roused and begun to run towards the shore. The guards were already struggling to pull the closest of the boats into the water. He shook his head as he saw the same red glow at the bow of the next ship. He called out loud towards the ships, cupping his hands around his lips to make his voice carry better against the roar of the inferno that not long ago had been his flag ship.

“ Ohoy! FIRE! FIRE ON THE SHIPS! GUARDSMAN! “

He saw a single figure, move on the ship furthest away. The middle ship was already burning with bright flames as the fire had begun to consume the planking of the upper deck. The flames made enough light for them all to see the naked form of a woman stand on the railing of the remaining ship, their last ship. They could see her peer at the burning ship next to her. The flames reflecting on her light brown body, she had a collar with a leash and she seemed to wait for something.

Lurthagon cursed loudly and struck the closest raider in fury, knocking him down and then he roared in anger. “The slave girl…the stranger…bitch! Oh… I will…hurt…pain…kill…just wait…until I got my hands on you…BITCH!”

They rest of the raiders moved respectfully out of reach from their leader’s immediate reach and as they watched the ships they could see two things happen. First a burning figure of a man rushed up onto the deck of the ship in the middle and threw himself over board into the water, then the last ship begun to smoke and the bow begun to cast that same glow as the rest of the ships had. Lurthagon got down onto his knees and cried in pure rage, howled at the fading stars as daylight approached. The raiders saw the woman at the last ship dived gracefully into the sea and begun to swim towards the shore, slowing at the wounded man to help him to safety.

The women from the village moved together and stood between the raiders and the village as they watched the dreaded ships burn as funeral pyres. The enchantment on the ships, they realised, only protected the ships from external damage.

Amelinda helped the burned elder guard to safety at the beach and then stood in thigh deep water and watched the raiders as they cursed and cried in anger and, she realised, fear. They had not planned for anything like this to happen, she saw many angry eyes watch her, many swords and spears was already pointing at her. She felt a shiver as she knew that she could not possibly beat them all. The mightly leader made the raiders stop with some angry signs and words on a language she didn’t know. He then moved towards her with his scimitar in his hand, deadly silent with fury glowing from his eyes, piercing her with pure hate. Amelinda felt the fear, the numbing fear in her body, beginning to take over her again. She trembled and felt her knees weaken and she begun to sink deeper into the water. She saw him move closer to her and she gave a whimper in fear, and sank to her knees on the sandy bottom. She closed her eyes and then, she heard a voice within herself give a cry and somehow as she opened her eyes, she still stood up with water reaching her thighs “Noooooo! I will not fail now… “ She moved up from the water and faced the approaching Lurthagon and cried out, loud enough for them all to hear.

“I challenge you, Lurthagon, betrayer of your own people. I challenge you for your leadership of the entire tribe!”

The raiders gave a startled cry as something in the slave girls words stirred inside them, wakening something they didn’t remember or didn’t know about. The women looked at each other and then gave a cheer. Lurthagon stopped in his stride and blinked as if he had been struck. He then watched the slave girl over as she stepped up on the beach, dripping with seawater and shining from the fire of the burning ships and from the first rays from the rising sun. She shone as if she had a light burning inside her soul and for a few seconds he actually felt afraid, though he didn’t show it. He then recovered and sneered “ You! Slave! You can challenge as much as you want…I will hack you to pieces anyway! I will then sacrifice the remains of you to the Goddess, and for this…your foul deeds…I will also sacrifice not only the mothers…but all the women over 30 years of age… so that the Goddess will give me new ships, I am her most trusted and beloved servant.” He glared at the naked girl in front of him as she moved into a stance with her katana.

“ Slave! Give up now, and you’ll spare yourself of a lot of pain. The end will be the same though, I will sacrifice you, but if you give up now, you’ll suffer far less.”

Amelinda moved into a fighting stance as she watched the huge leader of the raiders, she realised that somehow, she, the slave girl, had invoked some fear into him. Otherwise he wouldn’t give her any offer like this, he would just fight her. She still felt her won fear, but to her own surprise, she could master it, as she had done out there on the ships. She shook her head slowly as she heard Lurthagon mentioning the Goddess, without doupt the same Dark goddess as her own people worshipped and sacrificed to. She had seen the markings on the ships, the same markings as in the temple back in her own village. She then saw the first sunlight cast reflections in the blood red stone of the warriors’ pendant. The stone…it seemed to flicker a little or was that just an illusion from the light? She watched Lurthagon and shook her head slowly and her voice was loud but deadly calm. “That, I am afraid, has been tried before… twice I have almost been sacrificed to the Goddess. I loathe you, and I loathe your Dark Goddess…May she claim me herself if she is to have me. I am Amelinda, daughter of Amalthea and Torgrim, chieftain of the people of Nenethor. I am the property of Mistress Kerian and I AM the Chosen one of the Dark Goddess! I challenge you, fight me or be gone forever from these parts of the world!”

Lurthagon heard the grumbles and murmuring from his men and he knew that he had to fight this insolent slave. He squinted at her, barely able to control the rage that burned through his veins. This little slave had destroyed his mighty ships and efficiently destroyed their way of life, threatening the pact he had made thirty eight years ago with the Dark Goddess. She was not someone to take lightly, though she puzzled him. Just a few days ago she was scared into submission and she had been ravaged by him and some of his men. Still, she now stood there and dared to challenge him. He lifted his scimitar and charged her, slashing down with his sword to strike her down and ending this foolishness.

Amelinda saw the leader narrow his eyes and she braced herself for his attack even before he charged her. She blocked his slash, holding the old katana with her both hands. There was a clang of steel meeting steel and the brute force of his blow forced her down to one knee, the sharp edge of his scimitar only inches away from her face and she grunted with the effort to hold him off. He pressed harder and used the weight of his massive body to force her down even more, grinning as he heard her try to withstand him. Then she just seemed go give in and she rolled backwards and onto her side, barely avoiding his blade and he grinned. He raised his scimitar a little to slash at her before she could parry with her sword and he then gave a surprised grunt as she kicked at the back of his knee, throwing him off balance.

She rolled away and leaped back at her feet just as Lurthagon recovered and she heard him curse as their swords once more clashed together. Amelinda knew that he was far stronger than her and she had to trust her better agility to avoid his blows long enough to wear him down. She parried a vicious strike that would have cut her in halves if it had hit her. She then spun around and kicked again, this time feeling her foot impact on his side. She ducked low as he slashed towards her head and then she rolled out of his reach and flipped back onto her feet.

She saw him holding a hand onto his ribs where she had kicked him and then she jumped back a little to avoid another hard slash and she stroke back with her sword. The katana swished through the air and the sharp blade bit into the flesh of her opponents left thigh.

Lurthagon growled as the slave avoided his strikes and he gave a gasp as she hit his leg. He narrowed his eyes and attacked again. He didn’t seem to be slowed down by his wound and he didn’t loose any force in his blows either. Amelinda gave some grunts as she had to use her full strength to ward of a series of hard blows. She then moved to her side as he pressed her hard and the force of his assault moved him forward. She crouched low and stuck out a leg to trip him and as he lost his balance she slashed at his bared back. The furious leader of the raiders fell to the ground and growled in rage as he felt the flashes of pain as the sharp blade cut his back. He stood back up and slashed wildly behind him as he rose to his feet again. He grinned as he heard a groan and felt that his scimitar had hit the slave. As he turned around he saw her holding her left hand on a long gash just below her breasts and he grinned as he saw her blood. He charged again to not give her time to recover.

Amelinda gasped as she felt the pain and she fought back her raising fear. She wasn’t badly hurt and she steadied herself just in time to ward off a heavy blow. The sword locked again as he pressed her backwards with his brute strength and she saw his grin and also knew that he wasn’t getting tired or weakened by his wounds. She on the other hand couldn’t match his strength much longer and she knew she was about to loose this fight if she didn’t use her head instead of her muscles. She gave a cry in despair and moved backwards as he struck a new hard blow. She parried and dug her toes into the sand as she desperately tried to keep him from throwing her onto her back. She shivered as she strained her muscles in a futile attempt to hold him away.

Lurthagon grinned as he felt the slave girl weaken as he used his massive frame and his powerful muscles to force her backward. He felt his wounds bleed but he didn’t care about that right now, he wanted this girl to suffer, and he knew that he was winning.

Amelinda gasped and kept moving backwards and used her higher agility to avoid her opponent’s powerful strokes and slashes. She then made a backwards somersault to gain some ground and as she got to her feet she parried a blow and kicked high with a soft jump. Her foot hit his jaw and he growled in pain and rage and Amelinda followed up with a slash. Lurthagon gave a groan as the sharp katana cut through the muscles of his left upper arm, sliced deep through his biceps and he growled loudly in pain and fury. He struck hard with his right hand, hitting the girl on her chest with the hilt of his sword and knocked her back.

Amelinda fell hard onto her back and gasped for air as the vicious stroke winded her completely. She saw the huge warrior cry in anger as he clutched his now useless left arm with his right. She struggled back to her feet knowing that she would be killed if she didn’t. She then ducked low as

Lurthagon slashed with his sword like a madman and she rolled on the warm sand to avoid his sharp scimitar. She couldn’t believe this; he still had strength and didn’t slow down or seemed tired at all. His left arm hung useless but he was as fierce as before. She moved back to her feet and parried a blow from the right, she tried to strike at his left side but he was still fast and powerful enough to ward her blows off.

They fought on, moving up and down on the beach as the raiders and the woman watched them silently. The fearsome and brutal leader of the raiders was not an ordinary man, this they could all see clearly as he kept pressing the slave girl backwards with out any signs of getting tired even with the wounds he had. The slave girl on the other hand seemed to have harder and harder holding him off, she got many cuts from close misses and bruises from many falls and desperate rolls.

Amelinda panted and moved quickly backwards a little and watched him as he followed her, intent on giving her no rest and her body was glistening in the sunlight from her sweat and blood. She was by now desperately seeking a way to end this, she was still faster and more agile and that was what had saved her this far, but she was getting tired and weary from her wounds.

Lurthagon grinned and lumbered after the slave girl and raised his scimitar high and slashed down on her. Amelinda saw his slash and also saw just a tiny chance. She raised her katana as if to block the slash and then instead, turned a little and sank down onto her knees in the sand. She thrusted her sword, holding it with her both hands, towards his chest, hoping to kill him, as the scimitar just barely missed her. The old katana glimmered a little blue as it hit the red stone in Lurthagons pendant, chipping it and barely sinking into Lurthagons chest before the pendant exploded in a shower of red sparkles. Amelinda was thrusted backwards, knocked almost unconscious by a shock wave, still holding her sword. She then lay on her back in the warm sand and panted of air as the burst had winded her. Her arms and legs felt like they were filled with led as she slowly stirred to her feet. Lurthagon laid on his back a couple of feet away from her, she knew that it was Lurhtagon but he didn’t look the same anymore. He had a small cut in his chest where the katana had wounded him, that cut was not serious though, he still bled from his other wounds. Amelinda blinked some sweat from her eyes and just stood there as the rest of the raiders slowly walked towards her and their fallen leader. They seemed very confused and didn’t pose a threat right now. The women also came towards them and watched the tired and wounded slave girl and the…skinny, wearied down old man, that just before had been the seemingly invincible and fearsome proud warrior. Lurthagon looked up on Amelinda and his eyes was filled with hate and he cried with a rasping old mans voice. “You!!! It is all destroyed… the jewel… You bitch… you are all bitches…just like my mother was… She was nothing but a whore after my father died… I hate you all… Bitches!”

The raiders still seemed confused, almost dazed and they watched each other like if they didn’t know what they were doing there. Amelinda left the whimpering old man as he laid bleeding in the sand and she staggered towards the women. The chieftain, Azela met her and gave her a hug and smiled to her. “ You did it… the curse is off.. It is over!” Amelinda shook her head slowly and stepped away from the older woman. “ No…it isn’t over, I still have something to do.” She turned away from Azela and watched the other women, the confused raiders and the still burning ships that by now were sinking beneath the waves forever. She then moved and stood between the women and the raiders and she took a deep breath.

“ Hear me… You are all of the Denorian tribe… Azela just told me that it is now over…but she was wrong…THIS, is where everything begins. Now you are free of the curse, and you must live together…As One people! You must learn to trust and love one another, the days of fears and terror is over. Tear down the temple so that the Goddess can’t return here. I have helped you to get rid of your curse, your past. It is up to you, all of you… to build your future.”

She smiled as she saw that the men, the former raiders nodded and dropped their weapons. She saw the women watch the men and slowly some of them moved over to the men. The healing and forgiving had already started, she could feel it.

She smiled towards Azela and was about to tell her something as she saw the look in the old woman’s eyes. She never heard Azelas cry of warning, as she already was spinning around. The scimitar slashed through the air and Amelinda brought her katana up to block it from below. She easily warded off the slashing scimitar and then continued her motion, swung the sword in an arc. Lurhtagon watched her with pure and burning hate in his eyes, even as the katana slashed through his neck. His head then fell to the ground and rolled away a few feet as his body sagged and then fell too.

Meanwhile,

In the main village of the Nenethor:

There suddenly were a low but intense rumble from the ground and in the huge white temple of the Goddess there were a creaking sound. The people of the village stopped with whatever they were doing and looked towards the temple with a look of fear.

The scholars stopped their meeting in the village square, where they had been discussing the subject of who should now lead their people, a question they had been discussing for almost a year, ever since they had made Amelindas Uncle Olov Ordsbryte, the former warlord, an outcast of their people and left them without any leadership.

One of the scholars who had originally made the suggestion that they now discussed, that they would form a council that would be elected by the people every fourth year, hastily withdrew his proposal in fear that it was the thing had angered the Goddess, and the question would never arouse again in Nenethor.

The temple maids looked scared on each other and on the High priestess. The high priestess kneeled down in front of the altar in the middle of the cubical temple Then from deep within the grounds of the temple there was a loud scream as in agony and then the floor creaked and there was a one inch wide crack as the ground rumbled and shook. The High priestess grew very pale and then sunk to the ground and whimpered in pain and fear. “The raiders, has betrayed the goddess…the chosen one…is stronger…we must, sacrifice to strengthen the Goddess.”

Then she lost her consciousness and slumped to the floor.

Meanwhile,

back in the village of the Denorians:

Amelinda watched Lurthagons head a little with a sad expression in her face and she then turned around to Azela, the old Chieftain of the women. She walked up to her as she sheathed her katana and she trembled, weary from the long fight.

“I… will go now; you don’t need me here anymore. My work here is done and I long to see my slavesister and my mistress again. “

Azela nodded slowly and hugged her closely.

“Yes, you are right… but not until you have rested and I have seen to your wounds.”

Amelinda was way too tired to argue and let Azela lead her away into the village.

Epilogue

It was early in the morning as Amelinda sneaked out of her hut, careful to not wake the three sleeping young women that had helped her, washed her and put her to her bed after Azela had left them after that Amelinda had used her small heal on herself. She smiled softly as she watched them sleep, each of them sleeping next to a young man. She closed the door slowly and carefully and moved out of the village. She looked around her and felt a pang of pride, that she for once had done something on her own. That she had been able to help them to find a new future. She walked down onto the beach and after a final glance at the sleeping village of the Denorians, she turned north west, starting her long journey back to the lonely inn. To a future where she belonged, with her beloved and with her mistress, she sighed softly and then rubbed her enchanted ring and took off in the morning mist and begun to fly back home.

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