Demon Lord 6: Garnet Tongue Goddess (22 page)

And then the poison wind magic hit me.  The agony burned more intensely than anything I’d endured to pay for my magic, worse than any injury I’d ever taken.  I screamed like a girl from a throat gone raw, and fell into bottomless darkness.

1

TWENTY-TWO

“Oh, what new hell is this?”

                                                  —
Caine Deathwalker

I expected to wake up dead, in a place with zero humidity, with Satan offering me the throne of hell.  I didn’t expect the chains on my wrists—or the bed under me. I didn’t expect to be naked in semidarkness, surrounded by fifteen hot chicks with cold, piercing eyes. 

Nausea hovered in the wings.  I groaned, feeling as powerful as a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest.  My hands trembled and seemed a bit greenish.  There was an awful taste in my mouth.

Yeah, poison wind attack.  About a thousand times more intense than in the dream.  Why stronger?  Ah, yes, all those ghosts—that extra lifeforce—spiking the magic.  How am I still alive? 
That was obvious when I thought about it:
My new apocalypse suit.
 

It had done its work well, protecting me.  I wondered where it was, and what had happened to the revenant.
 
My questions could wait.  The suit had a built in GPS locator chip.  I’d get it back, sooner or later.

One of the women broke ranks, strolling to the bed.  She turned, sat, and peered sideways at me.  Her eyes were jade medallions with vertical stripes—pupils.  Her
café noir
hair was piled in a chignon leaving the pale column of her neck exposed.  She wore a translucent gown of emerald, and had a gold-chained pendant that smelled like 24 karat gold.

“I hope you’re done throwing up,” she said.

I tried to sit up.  My strength failed.  I fell back.  At least they’d given me a pillow. 

I asked, “Can I have some water and a breath mint?”

She smiled without warmth.  “Certainly.  You’re going to be here a while.  You should be comfortable.”

I lifted a shackled hand and rattled a chain.  “Comfortable?  Then what about this?”

Her smile vanished.  “It’s to ensure you don’t wander off and get eaten by a revenant.”

“Thoughtful, aren’t you.”

She leaned closer.  Her arms were well-defined with muscle.  Her voice dropped into a hard whisper.  “Having a killer of children here is not pleasant for us, either.”

“I haven’t killed any children.  I’m pretty sure I’d remember something like that.”

The other women murmured sibilantly. 

“We found the body.”

“You found an armed sentry.  If that’s the
child
you’re talking about, you killed him by giving him a man’s job he couldn’t handle.”

The sibilant hissing escalated.  I saw a couple curved knives come out of hiding.

The lady sitting on my bed found her smile again.  It failed to warm her eyes.  “Arnav says we cannot kill you, having been the ones that provoked the current situation.  But the ancient law says a life for a life.  You are here until one of us bears your child.”  She looked toward the others.  “That means you are here for the rest of your life since none of us will defile our bodies with your filth.”

There were muttered comments about just chopping off my
little snake
and removing temptation. 

Little?  Are they blind?

Apparently, these were Arnav’s wives, his harem, and some of them hadn’t been laid in a very long time.

Beat-down time. 
I glared.  “Just so we’re clear, abstinence is
your
loss.  When not weakened by poison magic, I have the most powerful cock in the known universe.  And how would any of you be defiled when I’m the heir to the dragon throne?  I not only can go snaky but I get to keep my arms and legs when I do.  And grow wings besides.  Any child of mine would be a definite upgrade to mere naga.  You think just anyone gets to sleep with me?  I wouldn’t fuck you cold-hearted sluts with a ten-foot condom-tipped pole if you begged me on hands and knees.  Oh, one more thing.  If you weren’t all ugly as fuck you’d get more action.  Try a very dark bar.”

Several of the women—tightly gripping knives—rushed toward me, murder blazing in their eyes, teeth bared in fury.

The lady on my bed hissed at them.  The wave of their anger rolled back from the breaker of her will.  They stalled out, used to being under command.

Those who know of my sexual exploits might think it strange that I wouldn’t leap at the chance to fornicate heavily.  As punishments go, this wasn’t
that
unbearable, though, yes, the chains were a bother, but I do these things on my terms. 

I’m no one’s bitch.   

I sighed and closed my eyes, signaling my intention to go back to sleep.  Offhandedly, I muttered, “Really, none of you are good enough for me.”

The woman on my bed stood, shifting the silk-covered mattress.  A heavy silence took hold.   I was actually on the verge of sleep when a wash of cold water splashed up my torso, into my face. 

My eyes popped open.  “Son of a serpent!”

“There’s the water you asked for.”  It was the head woman with the muscular arms.  Holding an empty, dripping bucket, she glared down on me.  “I am Esha, and you are at my mercy.  Remember that.”

My playing “hard to get” hadn’t worked on her.
  Must be a lesbian. 
I waved her away dismissively.  “Go munch some carpet.  I’m busy here.”

She threw the bucket at my head. 

I’d expected it.  Weak as I felt, I couldn’t display too much vulnerability; that would just encourage them.  I used a backfist that crackled with lightning—the little I could dredge up.  I shattered the bucket midair.  The
thoom
of thunder echoed in the chamber.  Slivers of burnt wood chips flew like shrapnel. 

Several of the women cringed back, blinking, eyes stunned by the light flash.

I stared with the promise of death in my eyes.  “Try to remember that even a wounded dragon can kill most other things.”  Weakness swooped in.  I yawned, and let sleep take me, fairly confident they’d leave me alone for a while.

*   *   *

  I heard casual conversations in the distance.  I was being ignored—mostly.  By scent I could tell one of the nagi was very close.  My right leg had been bent at the knee, raised to form a kind of prop.  She leaned against it, her arm circling, her hand exploring me.  I opened my eyes as she stroked my turgid length.  I wanted to make sure they weren’t going to cut it off as a souvenir. 

Her left hand held a tin plate with food on it.  A pleasant smile curved her lips.  Lust shone in her eyes as she squished her tits against my leg.  Belying her enjoyment of swollen cock, her voice lashed me with contempt.  “I have brought you food, worthless scum.  Be grateful!”

“Oh, believe me, I am.”

“So big!” she whispered.

“It’s why I’m under-tall.  Nature put all her efforts into perfecting my best feature.”

She stared me in the eyes, hungry, fuck-starved, and squeezed me with painful intensity.  “Eat it all, or I will punish you!” 

“That’s my line.”

She looked around to make sure no one was watching.  “Are you really royalty?” she whispered.

“Several times over, actually.  How long are you going to choke my python?  Not that I’m complaining.”

“We can’t do this now.  Later, after everyone is asleep, I’ll be back.”

“Do you have a name?”

“Aashi.  It means smile.”  Which was odd because she wasn’t smiling.  “Can you can give it back to me?” 

“It’s a sure thing.”

She shoved the plate into my hands.  “Eat.  You will need your strength.”

I smiled.  “Yes, ma’am.”

The plate had curry rice and some kind of meat-like substance drenched in a cream sauce, with a side of yogurt.  The smell alone was burning my eyes.  Still, I needed food.   Fortunately, there was a bottle of water left within reach.  I quickly finished the plate and bottle and slid them down to the floor with a rattle of chains. 

Another of the harem women approached.  I drew back and relaxed, waiting for whatever was coming.  She stopped a foot from the bed and spoke with a raised voice for the benefit of others.  “Vile beast, I spit on you.”

“Of course you do.”

“I am
Amla
, the pure one.”  She grabbed her tits and jiggled them for my benefit.  “Look and eat your heart out, knowing I will never be yours...”  She lowered her voice.  “Until tonight.  Be ready!”

I nodded.  “Sure.”

She picked up my plate and bottle, simulated spitting in my face, winked, and strutted off with an over-pronounced saunter.

An hour later, many of the woman had drifted off to their own beds.  Only a few had private quarters of their own.  The beds in view were canopy style, surrounded by frilly curtains.  As lamps were dimmed for the night, shadows robbed the area of detail.  I expected my half-dragon eyes to easily pierce the gloom.  Surprise set in.  The darkness defied me.

An aftereffect of the poisoning?  I wonder what else isn’t working right.

I stared down at my penis.  I wanted it to speak—as it sometimes did—to reassure me. My cock remained ominously silent.   I suddenly realized that I hadn’t heard from my inner dragon lately either.

Fuck, don’t tell me the unholy trinity is down to just me now!  That would be just too cruel.  Hey, dragon, wake up.  You’re still inside me, right?

A terrible silence answered.

I’ve got to get out of here and get some help.

A chain rattled as I lifted my left hand, holding it close to my face.  I visualized the energy of my lifeforce, my chi, flowing up from my center of gravity below my navel.  The channel was the same used by my raw magic as it circulated through my body, touching nerve and chakra centers.  Drawing the chi usually brought magic along for the ride. 

I imagined a flush of raw power, a flash of gold fire in my palm.  What I got was a wan glow and a weak glimmer of star-points.  Most disturbing of all, the pure gold color was soured with a hint of tarnish green. 

What the hell!

My armory used its own stored magic.  I could still summon weapons.  What sent a cold shiver up my spine was the idea that I could no longer activate my tattoo magic.  Even just
trying
could be very bad, but I had to know for sure. 

Better use a lesser tat on low power for a low-key effect.  Wait, who’s this?

I dropped my hand to the bed, looking up as a thin, lithe woman approached.  She had a red-brown mane the color of henna.  Her body was wrapped in crimson silk edged in gold.  Her voice flowed gently, a water-soft murmur.  “I am
Rishita
; it means the best.”

“Hah!  I’ll be the judge of that.” 

But first, since I had a willing victi—uh—volunteer, I went ahead with my test.  I sent raw magic into my
Dragon Voice
tattoo.  I expected pain. Harsh, biting, tearing, rending, soul searing … fucking bad. 

I got the equivalent of a mild pinch.  And nothing else. 

Rishita
came to the bed and put a knee on the edge.  Her hands came down, one on the mattress, the other on my chest as she leaned closer.  She smelled peppery and floral, like white tea.  There was also a hint of rose water.  My nose worked very well; I could scent her arousal as well.  “I am your present.  Unwrap me.”

I tried using the power of my command voice, holding up a shackled hand.  “Take this off and it will be a lot easier.” 

She looked at me like I was stupid.  “Not going to happen.”

Fuck.  Double fuck!  This is so not good.

She slid a bent leg across my body, straddling me.  “Try your
best.”

There was a low-voiced growl off to the side.  I looked that way and saw Aashi,
the smile
.  She still wasn’t smiling.  She tapped an agitated, slippered foot.  Her fists were on her hips.  She glowered at
Rishita
for skipping the line. 

If looks could kill…  C’mon, girls, there’s enough of me to go around.  I hope.

Ignoring the voyeur,
Rishita
reached under herself, her hand vanishing between us.  My cock was gripped and milked by her eager fingers.

I mentally addressed my cock. 
C’mon, buddy, you were hard as a brick before my nap.  Let’s see what you’re made of.

My cock hardened, stirring slowly, but definitely coming to life.

Oh, bless every fucking goddess!

I looked over at Aashi, but she was gone.  It was just as well.  I wasn’t sure I could handle a three-some just yet.

Rishita released my cock, grinding herself against me.  She dropped her lips to mine, her kiss hard, demanding.  She licked my lips and plunged her tongue into my mouth, determined to rape it.