Enthralled: Book 2: Picking Up the Pieces Read online

  Mark did not expect to see two giant naga in the process of uncoiling from around each other in a pile of colorful, silk pillows. One was a handsome male with scars all over his muscular chest, and the other was assuredly female. She looked a lot like Vale, only more refined, with darker skin. She also had bigger tits than Vale, if that was possible. They were more affected by gravity, however, and her enormous nipples pointed downward. Based on the solid erection protruding from the male naga, it looked like Vale's mother had been in the middle of fornication with this burly gentleman.

  “Vale?” the woman asked. “What is the meaning of this! How did you get in here? Who are these people?”

  “Mother, I came to talk to you alone during your evening meditation! I did not expect to see my combat instructor here... like this.”

  The two naga untangled themselves and approached the intruders. The male was shifting his eyes around to everyone, assessing who he considered the highest threat. He settled on Mark and the crossbow he was holding. The angry, male naga clenched his huge hands into tight fists and took up a protective position in front of Vale's mother.

  She crossed her arms under her huge breasts, not concerned in the slightest bit about modesty and peeked over the male's thick shoulder.

  “And I did not expect to see you again at all, my daughter.”

  Mark attached his crossbow to his belt. “I'm sorry, Vale I thought you called out for me.”

  Vale's mother narrowed her cobalt blue eyes and focused on Mark.

  “You got yourself enthralled?”

  “Yes, mother he-”

  The queen interrupted Vale, “Senjin, apprehend this Collector for kidnapping and defiling the princess.”

  Vale moved in front of Mark as the male naga slid forward at alarming speed.

  “Stop! I will protect him until my death. He is my Master now.”

  The giant naga called Senjin froze, looking into Vale's eyes. Mark was not sexually attracted to males, but this guy was undoubtedly in the upper echelons of the good-looking. He had piercing, light blue eyes that seemed at once hard and understanding. He had shiny black hair with hints of gray growing just above his long, pointed ears. His skin was a light brown until his snake-half, where dark blue scales took over below. Not to mention the gargantuan genitalia hanging below his tight stomach.

  “Move, Vale,” he said, in a soft but commanding voice.

  Vale's dusky face was flushed a rosy red as she blocked her old Master.

  “Test me,” she said. “I have never been filled with such purpose. We are saving the world, and I need your help.”

  The queen let out a short laugh, “You have been filled with something, alright.” She focused on Mark again. “You, Collector, what is your name?”

  Mark bowed deeply. “I am called Mark, your grace.”

  She pointed at his girls standing behind him, “And these are your other Enthralled, Lover?”

  “Yes your grace, Ahnix and Roo.” The velvet-girl performed a little curtsy, holding the edges of her black leather skirt when he said her name. Ahnix just nodded, one queen to another.

  “Well, at least he's not an animal,” she said, and Mark took a moment to consider that besides Roo (who was in her own category) he was the least animal-like person here.

  Vale slid forward, facing the giant naga queen, eye to eye. “Mother, I came back to tell you that I was wrong for running away. I know what turmoil I must have caused the kingdom, and I apologize. But now I am a part of something much larger. He can heal the tears in the land, and we are working toward restoring the Crystal Heart.”

  “Healing the tears?” The Queen's white eyebrows pulled down over her eyes. “How is that possible?”

  “He's no ordinary Collector, mother.” Vale looked back at Mark with love in her eyes. Mark gave her a half-smile.

  “Prove it,” Senjin said, next to Mark. “If this human can heal the tears he will prove it by demonstrating on the one under the abandoned section of the keep. If he cannot, I will end your enthrallment by removing his head from his body.”

  Ahnix's tail started to jump around behind her.

  “Deal,” Mark said, with no hesitation. “We are always looking for more tears to close up.”

  The queen looked from Mark to her daughter. She seemed to finally see the fur blanket Vale had wrapped around her.

  She shook her head. “This is madness. You run away from the empire, join a harem, appear in my private quarters wearing the skin of some filthy bear, and now you're telling me... Never mind. Subdue him.” She waved a hand, and Senjin instantly sent one of his thickly muscled arms towards the back of Mark's head.

  The blow never landed on him. Instead, Vale activated her Perfect Cover ability and caught the strike meant for Mark in her hand. She held the naga's fist locked in her iron grip, and Mark thought he saw the snake-man wince a little.

  “I have grown, War Master. You have taught me well, but Mark has given me the power to implement your lessons. I will not let you harm him.”

  Senjin looked over at the queen who waved another hand. The giant, male naga disengaged from Vale and returned to stand by her mother again.

  “Very well, my daughter. We will play your game and all go to the horrible tear within our keep. Senjin, get dressed and assemble a contingent of guards. Get Jord, too. He might want to see this.” The handsome snake-man nodded and slid out of the room.

  “As for you,” she looked at Vale again. “Take your harem to the reception chamber, if you can remember where it is. Then go to your room and put on something befitting a princess. By The Flames, if anyone saw you like that...”

  “My room is still there? All my things?” Vale asked, her voice growing small.

  The queen's face softened. She was quite beautiful. Her long flowing white hair was just like Vale's, but it stood out more on her darker skin.

  “Of course, my child. Now go!”

  Vale led Mark, Ahnix, and Roo out of the queen's private chambers, and he finally took in his surroundings. The extensive set of connecting rooms were made from huge stone slabs and decorated with draped silks and lush carpets. There were bookshelves cluttered with large tomes and other strange objects Mark didn't have time to properly identify. A large fireplace took up one of the walls, and the skin of a fearsome, black panther lay spread out before it, its head intact.

  Mark followed Vale into an enormous stone hallway with wide, open arches looking out onto an impressive castle below them. The sun was below the horizon, but there was enough light for Mark to see the rest of the stone keep and sprawling city beyond it.

  They soon entered a room with a polished wooden table. Every square inch of wall was covered by paintings and murals. In the corners were massive granite statues of important looking naga.

  Vale waited until everyone was inside the reception area and then clasped her hands in front of her.

  “Welcome to my home, everyone. I wish I could have brought you here under better circumstances... Please wait here- I will return as quickly as I can. My mother, Queen Vicera, can be stubborn, but once she agrees to something she will not go back on her word. Don't worry about further attempts to harm any of you.”

  Mark walked up to her and took one of her hands. “It's okay, Vale. We get that this is a delicate situation and will follow your lead. I'm looking forward to closing this tear and collecting some more essence. Is it a big one?”

  “Yes, it's a big one. I saw it once as I explored the keep as a child.” She squeezed his hand and looked around the room, including the other girls in the conversation, “But together, I know we can do anything.”

  She gave them one last, strained smile and slithered out the door.

  Ahnix stood leaning against the open door frame, looking out into the hallway while Mark and Roo examined the paintings. It felt as if he was in a museum. Some of the painted scenes depicted various naga performing mighty feats, such as wrestling a hydra, leading an army, or forging a sword. Others seemed t
o be exaggerated portraits, some of them erotic in nature. His eyes lingered on a mural showing a naga male being serviced by three shapely females at once. He seemed to finally have an answer regarding the uniqueness of Vale's cup size.

  “I want to make a trophy room at home,” Roo said, running her hand along the side of one of the marble statues. “First thing I am going to do is form a painting of us fighting that giant, red dragon!”

  “Great idea, Roo.” Mark gave her a big smile then pointed to the naga orgy panting and said, “Maybe something like this could be next.”

  She stepped up next to him, her high heels clicking on the stone floor as she moved and inspected the pornographic work of art. She cupped one of her white, velvet hands around her chin and nodded.

  “Maybe, but I will probably need to do more field work before I could honestly capture the essence of such a piece.”

  “Guards are coming,” Ahnix said, pulling back into the room.

  He saw three, blue tinted giant naga pass by the doorway wearing plate armor and holding short spears. It seems like there were many more out there and that they were taking up position outside the reception chamber.

  Mark and his girls stood near the back of the square room as two giant naga entered through the doorway. One was War Master Senjin, outfitted in golden chainmail armor, and the other was a new naga Mark hadn't seen before. He was much older and had long gray hair woven into a braid that rested on his chest. He wore a simple red tunic that hung over his waist and a pair of spectacles perched on his thin nose. His skin color was a muddy red, and his bottom snake-half was covered with dull red scales.

  “You must be the Collector who Enthralled our little Vale,” the old naga said, in a gravelly voice.

  Mark extended his hand. “That's right. I'm Mark.”

  The red colored naga looked down at the offered appendage and saw his heart ring.

  “Mmm, a Lover Class. A good match for a Shield Warrior. Ooo- what's this?” The old naga ignored Mark's hand and went right to Ahnix. He adjusted his spectacles as he looked her over. The cat-girl crossed her arms, and the tip of her tail began to hop under his intense scrutiny.

  “This one's unique! Those claws and that athletic build, surely an assassin type or some-such. Ah! And, this one!” The naga slid over in front of Roo and put a gnarled hand to his cheek.

  “A construct perhaps? Animated doll? Combat type... I have no idea! What a treat!”

  Roo gave him a wide smile, her pure black eyes sparkling.

  Mark shook his head and approached Vale's old Master, Senjin. He held out his hand again, this time expecting a more civil response.

  “I have witnessed Vale do some amazing things with her shield. I assume I have you to thank for that- Senjin, was it?”

  The dark-blue naga called Senjin looked down at Mark's hand and reached out to firmly grip it with his giant one. He held Mark with his gaze as the naga squeezed harder than was socially acceptable.

  “Yes, I am War Master Senjin. This old fool is Jord. We are to wait until the queen and the princess arrive. Then we will go and watch your parlor trick fail.”

  Mark pulled his hand out of Senjin's crushing grip and shook it out.

  “No problem. Actually, about that parlor trick. Do you know what was there before the tear formed? I have some experience with- “

  “Mark, you must tell me her specialty!” Jord blurted out, still analyzing Roo. “I just can't figure it out.”

  The velvet-girl tilted her head, “The name is Roo, and I specialize in Metalmancy.”

  Mark furrowed his eyebrows. The description made sense, but he had never heard her say the name of her ability path out loud before.

  Jord put both hands over his mouth, and his eyes grew huge. “By the fires, a demonstration is in order!”

  Mark saw Roo lift up her hand, and terror washed over him.

  “Wait!” he shouted. “Roo, be careful. We don't want to start an incident here.”

  She bit her puffy lower lip, looking around the room for a target and settled on the expensive looking wooden table behind the old, red naga.

  “Can I use the table?” she asked.

  “Yes!” Jord shouted, as Senjin sternly said “No.”

  The red naga turned to face the blue War Master. “Oh please, Sen. It's just wood. It grows on trees, you know.”

  Mark could see Vale's old master struggle with the decision. He could tell the War Master was curious about Vale's teammates. Once that connection was established, Mark got a vibe that he could Enthrall the handsome blue naga. Maybe in another universe...

  “Fine.”

  As soon as the word left his mouth, Roo launched a three-foot sewing needle from her hand that lodged itself directly into the middle of the table. There it quivered at a forty-five-degree angle with a satisfying hum.

  “Burn us all, what is going on in here!” Queen Vicera said from the doorway.

  Mark turned and saw Vale's mother now draped in layers of gauzy, multicolored silk and wearing a silver crown, tipped with rough chunks of gemstone.

  Vale was behind her, her breasts wrapped in flowing, pink silk, leaving her muscular stomach exposed. She had a wide belt around her hips with linked plates of silver hanging down like a dress. Mark could still see hints of her jet-black nipples and the glint of their piercings through the fabric. He couldn't take his eyes off of her.

  “My queen!” Senjin snapped to attention. “I wanted to get a better sense of the threat these charlatans pose to the empire and to the princess.”

  Jord tried to pull the giant sewing needle out of the table, but it was stuck fast.

  “I have never seen anything like this, your grace. I need some time to study this object and this magnificent creature.” The older naga turned to face Roo again.

  She loved the attention, but Mark pictured this lunatic hovering over her with a pair of scissors, rooting around in her stuffing and had to speak up.

  “After you sever my head for failing to heal your tear, then you can study her all you want. Might I suggest we get this over with, your grace?”

  Queen Vicera locked her eyes on Mark, and he saw the slightest hint of a smile tug on the corner of her dark lips.

  “Yes. Senjin, to me. The rest of you take up the rear.”

  As they traveled through the stone keep, and they moved down level after level, Mark noticed the distinct lack of stairs. There were pebbled ramps everywhere, and he assumed the textured surface was much more comfortable for the snake-like naga to use. Eventually, they came to a long hallway that ended in a massive double door, with a rusty, iron lock looped between the handles.

  One of the guards moved forward, inserted the key and pulled the lock off the door. He then took position nearby. Mark's skin prickled as he began to feel the oozing wrongness that emanated from the corruption beyond. Two other naga guards pulled the doors open, and they moved into the sealed off section of the keep.

  Mark expected to see the swirling glob of chaos that represented a tear in the world. He did not expect to see black robed naga worshiping it, and they sure didn't expect to see the queen and a contingent of guards, either. The robed naga scattered, running for the back of the chamber.

  Senjin barked out orders while moving to protect the queen, and the naga guards surged forward, intent on apprehending the cloaked naga. Mark could see deteriorated gaps in the mossy stone wall that led into the darkness outside and realized that they were at ground level. The excitement was over quickly, and the guards returned with a prisoner. The rest had escaped out into the night.

  The queen turned her head to Senjin. “When was the last time you cleaned out this cultist filth?”

  “Not recently enough, it seems. I will draft an order to repair these walls as soon as we are done with this farce.”

  She appraised the naga cultist brought before her as the guards removed his hood. He was covered in filth and looked like he hadn't seen a full plate of food in a long time.

  �
��Well?” The queen said. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

  “We listen. She whispers. The void comes!” There was a hot madness in his eyes that Mark found unsettling. Was Sasha trying to influence people through the corruption?

  The queen waved a hand, and a pair of guards pulled the raving, green-scaled naga back down the hall, one at each arm. Then she moved forward, and the entourage followed her in.

  “Collector. You have exactly two minutes to perform your ritual or whatever it is you think will make us believe you can affect this blemish on my keep.”

  Mark looked up at the towering mess of corruption that virtually filled the expansive hall. It seemed to brush against the smooth stone ceiling, at least thirty feet high, and he could feel it extending below the surface, deep under the ground.

  He turned to face the queen. “I'll need my Enthralled. This is a big one. If it were smaller, I could do it by myself. I don't want to take any chances.”

  Ahnix, Roo, and Vale moved to assist him when Senjin reached out to grab Vale's arm.

  “Are you absolutely sure about this,” He said. “He doesn't have you under some spell?”

  Vale patted his arm. “No. We've done this before. Just watch. But be ready to deal with whatever was here before.” She pulled away and joined Mark next to the tear.

  “Okay, ladies,” Mark said, looking at his girls. “Let's do this quickly and get back to our mission. Focus. One, two, Three!”

  They all shoved their arms in and winced at the sharp pain biting and rending their flesh. They each knew it was all in their mind and bent their will on healing the tear.

  The queen gasped and put a hand over her mouth when she saw her daughter shove her arm into something she was positive would maim her. Senjin clenched his fists but waited until his queen gave the order to interfere. Jord was just grinning from pointy ear to pointy ear.

  Mark started to feel like this was dragging out too long. The pain ramped up the longer they were in there, and he began to worry.

  “We can do this. Together now, we push this abomination closed!” Mark shouted over the pain shooting up his arm.