Clockwork Butterfly, A (14 page)

Chapter 23

Mae squinted into the midmorning sun. They’d decided to stop for a break and wait for the butterfly to be sure of which direction they should go.

“Why didn’t we bring any food?” complained Angelo, plucking shriveled blackberries and discarding them. “I’m so hungry.”

Mae rolled her eyes and shielded them with her sleeve, trying to figure out if she was seeing the silhouette of a bird or the much anticipated butterfly. She rose quickly as the creature fell from the sky into the long grass just beyond.

“Angelo, over here,” she called, hitching up her skirts and running through the meadow, which was still wet with dew.

He came lumbering after her, utterly clumsy in the robes. Mae’s heart sank when she realized what an impossible task it would be to find the butterfly amongst the tall grasses. She ran to the area where she saw it landing and began to search frantically. Angelo joined her.

“I knew she’d know what to do!” he said, nodding his head with joyous enthusiasm. “I knew she’d release it back to us.”

Mae had a thought that could have stopped her heart. Angelo had said “us”, but Lena didn’t know that she and Angelo were an “us”. She quickly threw the thought from her mind and concentrated on the search. “Look for the glint of the sun striking it,” she said, trying to slow her breathing. It had been too easy until now, there had to be a catch. Either this was it and they’d never find the butterfly or Lena would reject her.

A soft thumping noise made Mae look up to see a horse and rider coming toward them. “Angelo, get down. Pretend you’re sick. Quick!” she directed, and he understood immediately and sank into the long grass.

“Everything all right?” the rider asked as she approached, peering around Lena to Angelo who was hunched over.

“Yes, yes. My colleague here has just eaten the wrong kind of mushroom, that’s all.”

The rider eyed Mae suspiciously. “You do know this is restricted property. You will have to leave.”

“Really?” Mae smiled as sweetly as she could, hoping the panic in her eyes wouldn’t give her away. “I’m afraid we had no idea. We got a little off track, I guess.” She thought she was going to be sick as the rider moved closer.

“Where are you headed? She looks like she needs assistance.” The rider made as if to go to Angelo, but Mae stopped her.

“Oh no, really, she’ll be fine, nothing a trip to the latrines wouldn’t sort out.” Mae cursed Angelo for performing his role with such gusto. He was now rolling about groaning in a freakishly high pitch and convulsing now and then. “She’ll be fine,
won’t you
?” she addressed Angelo forcefully, and thankfully he controlled his performance and nodded with his face still obscured by the cloak. “If you could let us rest here for a little longer, just until we catch our breath, we’ll be on our way.”

“Which way was that again?” The rider’s stare bored into Mae.

“We’re off to visit the manor just yonder.” She waved her hand in the general direction from where they came.

“Are you now?” The rider’s tone was getting colder by the second.

Mae swallowed hard. “Why yes, it’s been scheduled for months.”

The rider looked her up and down as if considering her next move. “Who is the head Archmatria at the manor?”

Mae released her breath. The rider must be a guard of the surrounding districts. “Well, we are going to meet Archmatria Raquilla, who first took up residence as a birther many years ago and now holds the coveted position of not just Head Archmatria, but Reverend Head Archmatria.”

The rider’s expression softened. “I see.” She came closer and reached down to shake Mae’s hand. “Can’t be too careful, you know. There’s been many a nutter trying to get in to that manor. They have men in there.”

Mae smiled as she caught a flash of lust cross the rider’s eye. “Yes, I had heard that.”

“Will you get to see one?” The rider unashamedly licked her lips.

“Oh goodness, no.” Mae laughed humbly. “We are far too unimportant for that. Ours is a social call, you know to keep up communication and camaraderie between manors.” Mae could have kicked herself, if this guard had any security kudos, she would ask which manor that would be.

“Yes, well, that’s a pity. I should like to hear what it’s like to see a real male.” She turned her horse and looked over her shoulder. Mae braced herself. “I could escort you if you like.”

“No, no, we can’t take up any more of your time. We just need a little more rest, but thank you.”

“If you say so,” said the rider, sauntering off down the field.

Mae collapsed to the ground and sobbed. Her heart had been banging in her ears and the adrenalin that she’d managed to control now flooded through her veins, making her shake violently. Angelo came running over and took her in his arms.

“Well done,” he soothed. “You were brilliant.”

Mae smiled through her sniffing. “You were too brilliant. Have you heard of the word
overacting
?”

Angelo dramatically put his hand to his brow. “How dare you!” he exclaimed then clutched his heart. “You see fit to question my talents? I’ll have you know I played Hamlet.”

Mae chuckled as Angelo pounced on her, tickling her and kissing her. The rushing chemicals began to subside and she felt calm again.

Angelo let her go and sat back on his heels, picking something from within his robes. “Look what I found.” He held out his palm where the lifeless little butterfly lay glinting in the sun.

Mae embraced him, hope restored, and smiled. “We should send it off again.”

Angelo checked for the hair and found it still securely wrapped around the butterfly’s neck. He carefully pressed the tiny trigger that clicked the wings into motion and flicked his wrist. The little creature rose and flapped and dipped around them before flying off once more directly into the sun.

“At least we know we’re headed in the right direction,” Mae said, righting her robes and making her way to the tethered horses.

* * * *

“In here,” whispered Cheryl as Lena passed the tiny cupboard they’d last talked in. She’d been brought by the guard and had entered as instructed, making sure to indicate that The Wasp was present. Lena glanced up and down the hall then darted in to the dark, warm space beside Cheryl.

“What is it?” she asked, blinking to adjust her vision to the dim lighting.

“I wanted to talk to you alone.” Cheryl’s hand slipped around her waist and Lena pulled away sharply.

“Don’t you start,” she said with hostility brewing.

“I wasn’t… I…” Cheryl sounded hurt, and Lena calmed down a little. “It’s not like that. I just wanted to let you know about the Mistress’s plans.”

“Why? I thought you were her loyal servant or something. Why would you tell me her secrets? Wouldn’t she be angry?”

“Yes, she’d kill me,” said Cheryl evenly. “But I need you to know something.”

“What?”

“She will keep stringing you along forever, no matter how well you follow her instructions and carry out her demands. They will just get harder and harder for you to perform, and even if you are perfection, she will still find a fault.” Cheryl’s voice diminished to a whisper. “You will never be free.”

Realization began to dawn on Lena. “Is that what happened to you?” She could see the shadowy figure’s head bow.

“Yes.”

“How long?”

“Three years. I was training to be a collector, just like you. It was only my first week and I missed a couple of lessons trying to spy on the males.”

“I missed lessons too…”

“Well, they obviously couldn’t see a future in collection for me and used me as an example to rule breakers. I was only supposed to be here for a fortnight.”

“What happened? Why are you still here?” Lena was open mouthed with incredulity, surely this was illegal.

“The Mistress took a liking to me and gave me impossible tasks to win my freedom. A few bad reports here and there and you’re kept another week, then month, then…well, I think they’ve forgotten I’m here.”

Lena put her arm around Cheryl’s shoulders which were shuddering with stifled sobs.

“And you think that’s going to happen to me?” Lena could feel Cheryl nodding assent.

“There’s more.” Cheryl looked up. “She will hold you here until you tell her the whereabouts of the farm.”

“The farm?”

“Yes. She thinks that the collectors in your particular manor know about a secret farm where sterile males are housed as playthings for Archmatrias and other high level dignitaries.”

“I’ve never heard of such a place.”

“Me neither. I’m sure it’s just a rumor, but it’s why she always grabs any corrections needed from there.”

“And keeps them until they spill the secret.”

“Yes.”

“Why doesn’t she just go looking herself? It’s not like she’s held captive here.” Lena paused as Cheryl’s body language changed. “What, she’s a prisoner?”

Cheryl nodded again.

“How has she got so many privileges? How the hell is she the corrector when she’s not even corrected herself?”

“You’ve seen how commanding she is. The officers are scared of her. If she has a plaything, it makes their lives easier.”

“How long has she been here?” Lena was getting a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. “What did she do?”

“She used to be a research scientist, responsible for finding a counter toxin to clear the world of this poisonous cloud taking all our males.”

“What happened?” Lena leaned into the velvet-lined wall and let it take her weight as she listened to the fascinating tale.

“All the signs and research showed that a breakthrough was close, and yet, still more men were dying. The Mistress had been working on an even more powerful poison that would eradicate every male in every species. She was looking to mutate the already powerful toxin, wipe out half the world.”

“It doesn’t make sense. She’d be killing the entire population.”

“Yes, but we have been stockpiling great oceans of sperm for many years now. She knew there’d be plenty to keep us in embryos for years to come.” It was getting very hot in the cramped space and Cheryl flapped her blouse free from her skirt and continued, “As for the end of humanity, I think she believes a couple of generations of an all female population followed by the extinction of the human race entirely is just what the planet needs to reconstruct itself.”

Despite her horror at the story, Lena could almost see the woman’s logic. The planet had been being sapped of every resource for hundreds of years. And hadn’t Lena herself decided not to partake in any more collections for the very same reason?

The Wasp had tried to orchestrate the end of the world. Lena realized that she would definitely succeed in bringing about the end of hers, unless she could find a way to escape.

The two women fell silent and Lena let her fingertips trail along the wall until they found Cheryl’s. In a split second decision, Lena rolled and pressed up against the assistant’s body. They were the same height and Cheryl’s nipples stood rigid through her blouse, brushing against Lena’s. Lena felt the hunger inside the woman and kissed her hard on the mouth. The air in the stifling space grew static as Cheryl kissed her back, leaning in to pull up Lena’s dayshirt and brush her buttocks delicately with her nails. It was tender and beautiful. They made love with every move of their bodies as equals. Neither one dominant nor submissive. Lena slid her hand up under Cheryl’s blouse and kneaded her full, round breasts, squeezing them together and letting them fall, quivering into her own. Lena pushed her pelvis in to Cheryl’s and they ground their hips together, feeling the hard, bony pudenda between. Pleasure rose quickly and Lena squeezed the walls of her pussy hard, amazed to feel a climax building with nothing inside her and no direct pressure on her clit.

“You’re making me come,” she breathed into Cheryl’s neck. “We’re barely touching and you’re making me come.” She reached down and clasped Cheryl’s ass, drawing her even deeper against her body, grinding and humping. Cheryl did the same and Lena let out a soft shriek as one of Cheryl’s fingers slid into her soaked pussy from behind. Lena began to twitch and she wanted Cheryl to come too. She pulled up Cheryl’s skirt and quickly plunged a finger into her, mirroring what was going on in her own. It was instant. Liquid flowed from her wet folds and the two women came against each other, slumped on the wall.

“Thank you,” said Cheryl, sinking to sit on the floor.

“What for?” Lena was fixing her dayshirt and sweeping the tangle of hair from her eyes.

“Making me come.” Cheryl’s voice was small. “The Mistress doesn’t let me and I can’t do it myself.”

Lena could believe it of The Wasp. She thought back to herself strung up the other day in a state of extreme arousal, being cut loose at the brink of her need.

“That bitch,” growled Lena and rested her head on Cheryl’s shoulder. The mood suddenly grew cold and Cheryl shrugged her away.

“I’ve got to go,” she said abruptly, getting up to leave. Lena was confused. “The Mistress will be angered if she finds out. I trust you won’t tell.”

“Of course not.” Lena reached out to touch her hand, to acknowledge what had just passed between them but Cheryl whisked hers away.

“You’d better go. The guard will be waiting.”

Lena fumbled to standing and dipped her head as she passed by the assistant. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying and walked stiffly to the door. She only had to knock once and the guard opened it.

“Can’t have been that good today, eh?” the guard sneered, following behind her.

“Hmm?” Lena queried, not really interested in what the lumbering officer had to say.

“Well, you’re walking without a limp.” She chortled to herself.

Rage suddenly built in Lena’s chest. She had a vision of turning around and flying at the thick-faced woman, grabbing her by the throat and screaming at her, but she didn’t. It took all her strength, but she stopped herself and kept stiff and silent all the way to her cell, knowing that the butterfly would be gone.

Chapter 24

“I can see something.” Mae pointed to a dark, characterless shape in the distance. “That must be it!”

They’d been traveling without a break for what seemed like hours now and Angelo felt as though his buttocks had worn through to the bone. He looked over to see Mae shifting in her saddle, as if she was trying to nudge life back into sore, numbed flesh too.

“It looks miserable.” Angelo took in the shadowy, rectangular building. It really was as bad as the rumors had suggested. He thought about Lena sprawling over the lush interior of his chamber, so comfortable with the decadence, so grateful for it. How would she cope in such a soulless place?

He pulled his horse to a halt and stretched out his back, cracking his spine all the way up to his neck. It felt good. He needed to get down from this saddle; his balls were tight and aching in that strange, hideous, yet not completely unpleasant way. He swung his legs over the hard leather and jumped to the ground. Blood coursed back into his testicles and he had to cup them and give them a massage.

“Can I help you with that?” Mae asked.

He looked up at her smiling with the midday sun shining though her hair like a halo. He thought it suited her; she was his angel, rescuing him from that stifling place and bringing him to his love. She hopped gracefully down and leaned into him seductively, reaching down and lifting his robe. He shifted his feet apart in the thick grass and let her tiny, nimble fingers find their way to his aching loins. Her touch was like magic, easing the tender sacks around and over their contents, rubbing away the discomfort. Relief washed through him from the groin up and his cock began to stir. He was shocked when she gently slapped it away.

“Uh, uh.” She smiled, waving a finger up to his face. “My turn.”

She turned away from him and bent over, pulling her robe up. Her ass was red raw and her pussy pouted with swollen lips. His cock went rigid at the sight. He could just grab her by the hips and plant her onto it. He went close to her and smoothed her buttocks with his palms, feeling the heat spread to him. He couldn’t help but separate them, exposing her pussy further and dipping both thumbs in while massaging the flesh of her ass with his fingers. She groaned and ground her hips back, forcing his thumbs to burrow in deeper. He kept up the rhythm and pulsed his digits inside her, then pulling them out, smearing their mingled juices all over her lips, clit, and ass. She was slippery with want and Angelo couldn’t stand it anymore. He took one lasting look as he stretched the flesh once more then withdrew a hand, pulled up his robe, and rammed his dick into her welcoming hole.

She was like a hot, wet furnace sucking and clenching at his cock. He was in another world as he drove into her again and again in the midday sun under the shadow of their steeds. He watched his length slide right into her and come out slick and shining with yet more fluid. He held her buttocks again and smeared the juice over her behind, taking in the ridges of her tight ass. She bucked a little, but yielded when he eased the tip of a thumb into the twitching entrance. He shuddered with excitement as it opened up to him and he slid his thumb in, feeling the motions of his cock just beneath it. She groaned hard and he could see the movement of her shoulders as she frantically rubbed her clit while he held her shoulder with his free hand for balance.

He was completely turned on by her horny behavior and his climax gathered in the root of his cock. “I’m going to come,” he sputtered as her pussy spasmed and jerked around him. He lurched forward, thrust once more, and came into her warm, sated pussy.

Adrenalin teemed through his veins and his legs buckled underneath him. He withdrew from her and fell into the clover, laughing and panting. She collapsed beside him and closed her eyes to the sun’s blinding rays.

“We’re nearly there,” she said softy and yawned.

He draped his arms around her like a cloak and was amazed at how small she felt. It was the same with Lena. Sometimes he felt like they stood eye to eye and at other times she was a tiny bird to him, frail and in need of protection. He knew, of course, that both of his women were mighty and powerful, but it was also nice to know that his hug could protect them. Make them feel protected.

He sighed and closed his eyes.

* * * *

Lena was astonished to see the butterfly still sitting on her windowsill. Picking it up, she realized she must have imagined it flapping off through the window. She flopped down onto her bunk and wriggled her toes into the shaft of sunlight striking through the glass. The butterfly seemed to be more intricate and special the more she studied it. She ran her fingers along the carved writing and a sob welled in her throat. If someone like Cheryl was still here three years after her initial sentence of a fortnight, what hope did Lena have? She’d already made the decision that she would have to escape anyway, but this news just made it all the more desperate.

Something was caught in the head and proboscis of her butterfly.
Eww, a hair
. Lena quickly pulled it free and flicked it to the floor in disgust.
Probably picked it up by mistake on the way here
, thought Lena, so glad it had still made it. She began to think about how unlucky it would have been if the creature had found its way to that person instead of her.

Lena slowly sat up; hope tentatively forming in her chest. Jumping quickly from her bed, she picked up the discarded hair and plucked one from her own head and compared them. A match.

Lena’s heart raced as she scanned the horizon, looking for anything that would back up her frivolous imaginings. They were coming for her! Feeling sure it must be true, she scoured her cell, searching for something sharp that would carve a note into the wings of the homing creature. Finding nothing she grabbed at her hair and screamed in frustration. “So close, so close,” she kept muttering to herself over and over again as she tore the cell apart. At last, she managed to free one of the springs from the bed frame and began to carve tiny letters with the chunky piece of coiled metal.

“Open up.” The guard banged noisily on the door, obviously less patient this time.

Lena panicked and tried her best to finish scrawling her message as she heard a key being inserted into the lock.

“What the hell has happened here?” demanded the guard, looking around the disheveled room with a nasty grin plastered over her face.

Lena leapt to standing and hid the butterfly behind her back. “Nothing, I was just…” But she couldn’t think what to say as an excuse. “…angry. What are you doing here?”

“It’s your lucky fucking day,” the guard said with a satisfied sneer. “You’ve been summoned again. Someone’s obviously Ms. Popular.”

Lena’s heart sank. Of all the days. She needed to let the butterfly go out of the window. “Just give me a minute to sort out this mess a little, would you?” she asked hopefully. Just ten seconds of privacy was all she needed. She held her breath as she waited for the reply. The guard actually looked like she might be considering it.

“No.” She smiled wickedly. “Now!”

All Lena could do was reluctantly drop the butterfly and hope it would find a way out. She opened her fingers to release it, praying the guard wouldn’t see it. “Come on then,” she said and abruptly barged past, trying to pull the guard’s focus. It worked and the door slammed behind them. Lena wished she could make sure the window was open, she was sure it was, but her mind kept being cruel.

“Wait.” She wriggled her toes. “I forgot to put my sandals on.” Her heart raced with hope. “Let me go and get them.”

“No,” snapped the burly woman, pushing Lena on with a sharp strike between her shoulder blades. “You don’t need them. And anyway, it’s not my fault you’re so forgetful.”

“You must love your job,” said Lena as they neared The Wasp’s entrance.

“Oh, but I do.”

Lena could smell the guard’s sour breath as she leaned past and rapped on the door.

* * * *

“We need to talk.” Lena couldn’t read The Wasp’s expression or her tone of voice. She thought Cheryl wouldn’t have told her of their meeting, but she couldn’t be completely sure. They were in yet another ornate room, dripping with finery. There was a bed at one end with mahogany posts rising from each corner like four erect phalluses. This must be her personal chamber.

“What about?” Lena asked, sinking deeper into the silk cushions that surrounded her on the sofa.

“I want out of here,” said The Wasp, scrutinizing Lena. “And I want you to help me.”

“What makes you think I can help you?”

The Wasp bit her cheek in contemplation. “I actually don’t know. It’s just a feeling. I’m usually accurate when it comes to knowing when something’s afoot.”

For the first time, Lena noticed Cheryl who was standing in the shadows, shifting uncomfortably.

“Why don’t you just leave?” Lena inquired innocently and regretted it instantly when The Wasp’s expression changed.

“Don’t play fucking games with me. I know about your little scene with my assistant.” She stared right into Lena’s eyes, sending a chill through her.

Lena feigned composure. “Then what makes you think I would help a murderer escape?”

“A murderer?” The Wasp laughed. “Really, Cheryl, I would have expected something a little more creative from you.” Her focus remained entirely on Lena even as she addressed the other woman. “Is that what you’ve been telling people, that I’m a murderer?”

Lena was now well and truly confused. Cheryl had seemed so sincere when she’d confessed all in the cupboard but now…

“I’m the one who was finding a cure for sterility! I’m the one who synthesized a serum to counteract the toxins.” She looked at Lena, a defeated woman as she began to tell her story. “The Archmatrias aren’t looking for an end to the toxins, they’re looking to control the gene pool. The less men there are to procreate with mere normal women, the more elite they’ll continue to be. It’s a farce. It’s genocide at a molecular level!”

Lena couldn’t deny the passion and force of The Wasp’s argument, but she didn’t know who or what to believe. All she knew was that Angelo had sent the butterfly and it had made it and now she wanted to go back to him.

“But what about the farms?” Lena’s curiosity got the better of her.

“So you do know of them?” A light shone behind The Wasp’s intensity.

“No, I never heard of the places before I came here.” Lena watched disappointment flood into The Wasp’s face. “I just want to know your business with them.”

“In light of what I’ve just told you, can’t you guess why I might want to find them?”

Lena glanced over at Cheryl to see her biting her lip sheepishly.

“Oh, I don’t know, to finish your plan to murder them all?” Lena lifted an eyebrow detective style and waited for the confession. She was shocked when The Wasp’s face creased in to a rather attractive smile and laughter bellowed out of her perfect little mouth.

“Is that what you really think? Oh, for God’s sake. You were much more fun when I was just fucking you.” She looked bored and stood up. “It doesn’t matter now anyway, all my anti-toxins and research papers have been destroyed. It’s not like I have any track record of being able to help them escape. I can’t even get out of here and it’s fucking minimum security.”

Lena looked from The Wasp to Cheryl and back again. “Why would you lie like that, Cheryl?”

The Wasp rolled her eyes. “Isn’t it obvious? She’s as desperate to escape as us. She’d tell you anything to get your help. She thinks you’re the key to her freedom.”

“I wanted to get away from you, Mistress,” she said submissively, yet with a cruel edge. She had been playing her part very well, Lena noted and began to figure out whom she trusted more. When she saw The Wasp trying to hide the unmistakable shining of tears in her eyes, she was sold.

“Listen…” Lena decided that if she was going to see Angelo, and for that matter, Mae, she would need as much help as she could get. “How about we join forces? We all want the same thing.”

The three women eyed each other suspiciously, weighing up whether each could be trusted.

At last, Cheryl stepped forward and held her hand out. “Okay, let’s do it.”