Bard's Tale 02 - First Outing

"No guild these days. But a very long time ago, I ran with Stilgar the Black."

Brackton scoffed. "There's no such-"

"Shut up!" shouted the king. "Stilgar the Black was a mean bastard. He once had control of half the city. But he's been dead about forty years. Killed in the war against the Christians. Are you an elf, girlie?"

"I am a bard. Keep the money, but I want my husband and my sword. But before I go, I challenge Bryce to a knife duel, thief to thief."

"Denied," King Miles said. "You aren't a member of my guild. If you ran with Stilgar, who was his enforcer?"

"Epineaeus. But most knew him as The Bloody Hand."

He stared at her for several seconds. "You remind me of someone I know. What is your name?"

"Mindal Theláyna Landers Whisper Wind, late of New Brittany."

"Aw, bloody hell on a biscuit! Cut them loose, Bracton. And give back whatever you took from them. Now!"

The thieves around Brackton immediately protested. A magic blade was worth a fortune, good for months of partying, and then there was the sale to the Undertaker to consider!

"No!" Brackton yelled. "They're our capture. Ours to do with as we will!"

"Shut yer hole! You stupid moron! You should have found all this out before even bringing her here. Her sister has the duke's ear! It won't be the constables looking for her. No, it'll be the fucking army! But that's not the half of it-"

From across the courtyard a woman's voice called out. "I demand that you release your prisoners! Now!"

Heads turned. People moved aside, some drawing back, responding to the authority in her voice. Some of the mothers scooped up their kids and disappeared behind barred doors, just to be safe.

"Cursed luck! It's the Bitch Hound herself," King Miles muttered, then snarled at his underling, "If you survive this, Bracton, you'll have to deal with me afterward." Then he called out, ""We've kept our agreement. No children here who don't belong with us."

"You have my sister and my husband prisoner," she replied. "I want them back!"

King Miles had worked hard over the years to keep her from ever seeing his face. Other than recruitment, he'd kept his guild from having anything to do with children. King Belos, the previous guild master had failed to heed the Bitch Hound's warnings, and had actively trafficked in children. Then one cold winter day, the Bitch Hound and her sister-priestess had smashed into the thieves den and laid waste all around them, killing most of the guild present in less than ten minutes. The two demon witches employed by the guild fled without a fight, only to be cut down by the duke's troops waiting outside. Only a footpad at the time, battered and in hiding, Miles had watched as the Bitch Hound, holding a warrant, pronounced sentence and executed Belos. Then the priestess turned Belos and his lieutenants to ash and scattered their remains to the wind, before sternly warning those still alive to heed the lesson or suffer the same. No child trafficking.

That fool Bracton had brought the Bitch Hound to them, and now she had actually laid eyes on him.

"If they are yours, you can have them," King Miles assured her in his most agreeable voice. "I have abided by our agreement."

"As I have with you. Otherwise you would be in the duke's dungeon and we would not be speaking now."

The thief guild master caught sight of the second woman in her dark dress, standing on the rooftop, glaring down at them, her hair billowing as if in a high wind. The priestess! Something enormous, yet nearly transparent moved beside her. And several small somethings. Elementals? Didn't matter. From what he could see, neither woman had aged in nearly thirty years.

He felt a cold weight descend into the pit of his belly. King Miles of the Westside Guild was determined to survive this day. Outwardly calm, even with close to fifty thieves able to fight and at least that many more within the buildings, he began plotting his escape.

"Come. Advance in peace." Then louder, announcing to the guild, while glaring at Bracton, "No one loyal to me will raise a hand against you or be declared the king's enemy."

While they were distracted, Mindal whispered several more untie cantrips, selecting footwear for her targets. Cantrips are quick but have a very short range, so she could only target those very close to her. Having untied five pairs of boots, she used the reverse, tie, to connect their boot laces together. Glancing at her husband - her heart fluttered that they were truly wed! - he gave her a barely imperceptible nod, but remained facing toward Tahna, so as to not draw attention to Mindal or what she was doing.

As Tahna slowly advanced, King Miles was surprised. The Bitch Hound wore a dress, looking a lot less severe than he last recalled. He couldn't resist remarking, "If this is new church attire, I heartily approve."

"I'm on my honeymoon. Or was, until you stole my husband and my sister. Mindal? Reison? Are you all right?"

"Indeed." The master thief was surprised, but got on to business. The Bitch Hound was married? Information to store for later, in any event. Better that he and his trusted lieutenants were all were away as soon as possible. "Release the prisoners, Bracton. That's the Bitch Hound and you've brought her down on us! Give them their possessions back. And I mean everything, down to the last copper penny. Including the magic blade."

Brackton laughed harshly, pointing to all the onlookers. "What? A single woman? The other two are tied up and our prisoners. I'm not impressed! You're just another woman in a skirt. Even a warrior monk cannot stand against all of us! I say to you, Bitch Hound, it's time for you to come to heel. Surrender or die! And I say to you, Miles, you are a coward, unworthy to remain king!"

Miles yelled out, backing up toward the building, "Clear the streets! Do not impede the warrior monk! And you, Bracton, you and your men are now outcast!"

Only Brackton's gang of twelve remained.

"Cowards!" Brackton screamed after the retreating thieves. Dozens of doors and even more windows slammed shut. In seconds, the courtyard was nearly empty. Whirling about in fury, he screamed out, "Kill them all!"

Several things happened at once.

Mindal jerked her hands free. As the thieves holding her and Reison began to shift, the bard curled one set of fingers and pointed out with the rest. "Sheetanee!"

A blue, glowing, crackling ball of light blinked into existence and immediately shot outwards, slamming into the thief Grady. Electricity exploded around him. Dropping her flaming sword, he was knocked to the ground, scorched and winded.

Reison pulled and his own loosened bonds came free. Using his elbows and feet while his captors stumbled, he grabbed a sword and moved beside Mindal.

Tahna drew her both of her sais and closed the thirty meter gap in seconds. Bracton was nearly through shifting to his rat-man form when she reached him. Much faster than he'd anticipated. Both sais slammed into his ribs, puncturing both lungs and depriving him of air. When she withdrew them, to his surprise, he didn't immediately heal. Then he dropped to the ground.

"Were-rats, Mindal! Protect the husband!"

Grabbing her sword, she moved back to Reison's side. Scorch ignited immediately. "Protect the husband!"

"Well, I say protect the wives!"

Startled, Mindal glanced at him, then grinned at him.

One of the whores screamed, backing away from the rat-men in terror. To her greater terror, Maizy was one, too!

Several of them still struggled with Mindal's efforts with their footwear. Five of them continued struggling in a rolling heap. The others, however, drew swords and daggers and advanced on them, baring their huge, growing rodent teeth.

On the rooftop, Tia ordered the air elemental, "Defend the humans!"

And literally, as fast as the wind, the living force of nature spun up as it flew, whirling as it moved, then slammed into the cluster advancing toward Reison and Mindal. Were-rats were flung about like dolls, crashing against the ground or flung against stone buildings.

Tahna went to Reison's other side, letting the air elemental pound their enemies. Saw the blood in his hair, then descended on the thieves like a farmer cutting wheat.

Mindal spied Bryce trying to get away. "No, you don't!" Scorch descended, severing his head in one blow. His rat-head bounced away while his body collapsed at her feet.

Tia floated down from the roof, carried by two aerial servants.

Reison was glad the lycanthropes were quickly dealt with. Their disease was fatal to demi-humans such as himself.

The air elemental was thorough. Any were-rat that moved was promptly picked up, rapidly twirled in the air, and then slammed into the ground, shattering bones. Tahna followed up, making sure they were dead.

"I think they're done," Mindal observed.

Nodding, Tia told the elemental, "Collect them and lay them together on the ground. Then keep a watch for danger."

"Yes, Priestess," came its breathy acknowledgment.

"Come on, Reison," Mindal urged. "Let's see what we've found."

Knowing that were-blood was tainted, as the bodies were stacked together, Tia cast gathering the sheaves, and all the gore slithered or flew to the pile of dead.

Once the thieves were looted of cash, Tia cast rest eternal, and their bodies crumbled to dust. She then addressed the elemental. "I thank you for for your service to me and to the Lawgiver. Carry the dust of their bodies to the river, and your service for me is completed."

"Yes, priestess. By Her will, so it is." The whirlwind scooped up the motes, rising over the buildings and dashing away.

Tahna turned on her husband and sister, both of whom were topless. "Okay, what happened? And why did you sneak off?"

Both of them blushing, Mindal said, "It was my fault. They caught us having sex in the alley."

"Don't be too mad at her. I agreed to go," he added.

Tia and Tahna both blinked, then began to snicker.

Mindal stomped her foot, her angry face quickly dissolving into fear. "Stop it! They punched me in the abdomen. Four times! Tia, I... oh, goddess. I need you to check me! Am I still pregnant?"

Suddenly serious, Tia said, "What? Of course."

Casting the spell, she looked at Mindal, scrutinized her for several seconds, then held out her arms. "I'm sorry, Mindal."

Falling into her big sister's arms, she began to cry. "No! It's not fair! I just found out today!"

Reison added his arms around the bard. "We can try again, Mindal."

Tahna came in and joined the hug around Mindal. The priestess noticed his matting hair and cast cure light wounds.

Mindal sniffed as she calmed down. "All the way to the Clerk's Office, I got used to the idea, and the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. Tia and I having our babies at the same time. I want a baby, Reison."

"Your body is young and healthy, Mindal," Tia said, rubbing her sister's back. "The way you and Reison are going at it, some time next month you'll undoubtedly catch again."

"Next month!" she wailed. "No! Can't you... can't you do that fertility spell?"

"Yes, I can," Tia replied. "You really want this that bad?"

"Please, Tia?"

The priestess looked around. "I would prefer to wait until we are away from here. Besides. You need to talk to Reison about this. After all, he has to help."

Mindal turned, but before she could ask, he said, "If my wife wants a baby, I'll do my best to give her one."

Overjoyed, the bard turned her full attention to fiercely hugging her husband.

"Are we ready to leave?" Tahna asked.

"A moment," Tia said. She walked over to the terrified whore, huddling against the wall. "Do not move," the priestess warned.

"Don't kill me, yer worship! I didn't do nuthin'!" The filthy woman had pissed herself.

Touching her pendant, Tia reached out and touched her. "Relax. I'm not going to harm you."

As the magic of the pendant took effect, the whore visibly relaxed.

The priestess muttered three spells in succession. No lycanthropy. Tuberculosis, and ugh! parasites, too. Not exactly evil, and not exactly good either. "You are lucky. You survived. What do you intend to do with the life ahead of you?"

"I dunno, yer worship."

"Do you like the life you have now? Do you like being a whore?"

"Can'ts read. Don't know nuthin' else to earn coin."

Tia crouched down before her. "I am Mother Tia. I'm giving you an opportunity to change your life. If you like sex and want to continue earning a living at it, you can serve at the temple of Osh Mayan. They will train you and teach you many things. If you want to learn to read, and do something else with your life, there are other options. You can come with me or you can remain here, and continue living as you have been. Scrambling for food. Living from day to day. It is your choice. What is your answer?"

The whore looked up at her. "Why? I'm nuthin' to the likes of you."

"Because I can. We're leaving, so I need to know, do you want to change your life and get away from what you've had till now? Make no mistake about this. If you want a better life, you will have to work for it. I will open some doors for you, but you will earn your way."

The young-old whore shook her head. "Can'ts go. Has Toby and Belle to mind."

"Who are they?"

"My babes. Miriam watches 'em while I works the streets."

"What's your name?"

"Vera."

* * * * *

Once they left the alleyways, Tia dismissed the aerial servants. Tia loaned Mindal her shawl. They collected the two small children and after hailing an open-air carriage, headed back to the Pixie Palace.

Vera tried to return the now-soiled shawl to Mindal, but the bard tersely told her to keep it. Reison's and Mindal's shirts, too, had been beyond repair and were left on the street.

On the way back, Tia sat beside Vera, and held two-year-old Toby, talking to him while the younger Belle sought her mother's breast. Their faces and hands were relatively clean, but like their mother, their clothes were torn, stained, and in dirty. All three needed a bath. Vera wrapped the soiled but warm cashmere shawl around her daughter, doing her best to keep her eyes down.

Sitting between Mindal and Tahna, Reison watched his first wife with the boy. Initially afraid, the little boy soon settled onto her lap and she had him smiling and even giggling. Mindal closed her eyes and leaned into her husband, and he put his arm around her, nuzzling her. Then he surprised Tahna by reaching out and pulling her hand to his lap and holding it. The warrior monk scooted closer to him.

The priestess noticed the exchange with approval. Humming to little Toby, he was soon fast asleep in her arms.

Vera, overwhelmed, remained silent except for a few comforting noises she gave her daughter. When one breast was empty, she moved Belle to the other one.

The little girl's periodic coughing and the boy's wheezing were noticed.

Once they arrived at the inn and paid the driver, Tia handed Toby to Tahna, and on the sidewalk, quickly cast the fertility spell on Mindal.

Mindal frowned. "I don't feel any different."

Tia laughed. "Give it about six or eight hours, Mindal. Trust me. You will know. As for now, you three don't have to hang around. I'll take care of them. You can go get cleaned up and into fresh clothing. I'll be up after a while."

They agreed, but Tahna warned her older sister, "Don't go anywhere. I'll be down after I get changed."

* * * * *

Later, Reison, Tahna, and Mindal were downstairs in the commons having their meal when Tia finally returned. Noticing an extra plate with a warming cover, she sat down with a sigh.

"How goes your project?" Tahna asked.

"It goes. They're healed, clean, and have new clothes to wear. The kids have some toys, and they're settled in. I've told Vera to think about what she wants to do to support her children. In the meantime, they have room service for their meals. Tomorrow, I'll ask her some more questions. We'll go from there."

"How bad were the kids?"

Tia closed her eyes, taking a steadying breath. Children were always the hardest to deal with. "Both were terminal. The TB is gone and the parasites have been destroyed. I also fixed the nutritional damage in the children. Barring something unforeseen, they should both live to reach adulthood. The mother was nearly as bad."

"That sounds like a lot of spellwork," Reison commented. "In addition to what you did earlier, too."

"I'm okay. Just under half my spell strength. But I don't intend to do anything more tonight. Sometime tonight I will get some sleep, and in the morning, I'll pray to restore what I've used. I appreciate your concern, husband."

Tahna snorted. "If you expend yourself to exhaustion again without cause - like all of us are dying and can't escape - well, I will voice my displeasure, big sister."

"Me, too," Reison added, taking the last bite from his plate. He nodded at Tia. "Eat your dinner, Tia."

Picking up her fork, she gave him an odd look. "Yes, husband."

Mindal grinned with unabashed glee. "At last! Someone is bossing Tia around!"

Shaking out her napkin, Tia gave her sister an indulgent smile. "I know he loves me and is concerned that I take care of myself. And when I tell you to do things, Mindal, I hope you remember it's because I love you. So, did you three keep yourself occupied?"

The priestess looked at her plate. Chicken with melted cheese. Wild rice, and winter peas. No tea, but apple beer was okay.

Blushing, Tahna looked away. Tia then looked at Mindal, who also looked away. When she looked at Reison, he just grinned and shook his head. "Okay. Now you have my attention. What did I miss?"

"Nothing," Mindal told her.

Chewing thoughtfully, she looked at Tahna. "Well?"

The warrior monk took a breath, then, "First off, I want to say we got the place cleaned up."

Mindal and Reison both nodded.

Taking another bite, she raised her eyebrows, waiting for them to continue. "And?"

"Our husband discovered that Mindal is ticklish," Tahna explained.

"Fascinating. Keep going."

"They were bathing together when I suddenly heard Mindal give several shrieks. I thought she was dying. Nearly knocked me over, bursting out of the bathroom. Dripping wet, with an equally naked and wet Reison in hot pursuit."

"Hot pursuit?"

"He was hard and it was very hot. Also, he was chasing her into the bedroom."

Taking a drink, she pondered this information. "I see. Well, the water will dry eventually. Wait. I can see there's more. All right. Tell me what else."

"The two of them wrestled a bit, then they wrastled, then he pinned and did her."

"Wrastled? As in they started groping each other? Okay. It's our honeymoon, so getting frisky is expected and encouraged."

"Just as I was going to leave, Mindal hit me with the pillow. And he joined her."

Tia sat back. "You three had a pillow fight?"

"Yeah? I fixed the end table, Tia," Mindal added. "But I can't fix the lamp. And maybe we got all the feathers cleaned up?"

"You broke my ceramic horse lamp? Silmodan's wife, Tara, gave me that!" The priestess took a long breath. Turning to the monk, she raised her eyebrows. "You are actually ticklish?"

"It's easy to resist when it's just one person trying to tickle you. It's a lot harder when there's two. Plus, he started poking me with his hard cock, too. It's very distracting."

Tia ate a few bites, watching her sister speculatively.

Mindal nodded, confirming the events. "Reison got her just like he got me. One moment, she's laughing while we're both getting her, and the next he's inside her, giving it to her good and hard. He likes to pin us down on our bellies and give it to us." Giving him an accusatory look, she added, "I'm beginning to think he really likes that position."