Chapter 13-381: The Last Kiss (1/2)

“I do not know. I do know that Evil men do not like being slaves, and that is all they will end up being if they choose the wrong path. Whether they can choose the Right Path is something completely different.” They were already on the path of serving Dark Powers who gave their people horrible afterlives. It really came down to whether they cared enough to doom all their descendants to the same thing. It was REALLY hard for Goblins and Orcs to shake off the influence of their gods once they were born into a society worshipping them.

“What was the secret Shvaughn had in Memphis for you?” I asked curiously.

They frowned slightly as Sleipner pulled away, heading cross-country, across the continent of Africa towards the middle of the lands, where jungles and savannahs reigned the most... and other things might be present, too. Since we were already here, seeing if there really were timelost lands deep in Africa was just something to do.

“The last Poison Kiss Warlock in the world,” they admitted after a moment.

I lifted an eyebrow. “Poison Kiss?” I repeated. “What would that have to...” I put together the place. “Ah, she was in Memphis. That was the last Pact she Granted...” I narrowed my eyes. “And she hadn’t Consumed a man yet, had she?”

“No, ah hadn’t. Thinking about it now, it was really stupid to take the Pact in the first place.”

I tilted my head at the new voice, and the blonde hair that was now running walnut brown. “That is totally true. Who are you, and why did you do it?”

“Ah’m Lillabelle Jefferson. Ah wanted revenge on the bastard who raped me.”

I could barely roll my eyes. “Do you have any idea how many Amazons are out there who would be happy to take revenge on your behalf for anything like that? Not to mention Aethrans, Eryllians, and Powered women in general?”

“It was Malcolm Jonez,” she muttered, the defensive statement still falling flat.

I frowned. He was a famous country singer... and single, and known for being a womanizer. Still, proving she was telling the truth... didn’t mean they could make him do so, and he could convince himself she was just playing hard-to-get. Add in peer pressure and other factors... “And?”

“Well, y’all can now bring up the shocking scene o’ his death at his sex-shop mansion outside Memphis,” she declared in satisfaction. “Ah was goin’ t’ Consume him an’ take his place an’ really get revenge on the fucker, but ah guess ah’m going t’ have t’ be happy with putting three bullets in his fucktard face.”

A quick inquiry from my techies confirmed that such an event had indeed happened. As a matter of fact, Legion had also filed a Valusar Drunken Writ on it, and elders of the Church of Harse were reading it and verifying the facts within.

“They worked pretty fast for you,” I noted for her, and she sighed.

“Ah definitely was going t’ eat the bastard,” she said, knuckles popping on Sleipner’s handles for a moment. “But that won’t happen now. Ah wasn’t that bad a person, until...” she trailed off, and I gave her a hug from behind.

“Stop. You know what color you are.” She hesitated, and nodded slowly. “Maybe you could have gone to Penitent Hall, sure, but that Pact you have would have sucked you in sooner or later. I’m guessing the only reason you didn’t take action is you felt your Patron get Consumed, and you were terrified of being caught out.”

She nodded, flushing. “Yes, and right after ah swore the Pact, too.”

“But you were working up to it.”

She grimaced in front of me, but nodded again. “Ah was.”

I had to shake my head. “They really hate that Pact of yours, you know. And now they’ve got access to it if they need to devour men.”

Her face worked around a minute. “Uh, they’re saying we-all still can’t turn to a man because the Amazon Pact is locked now?” she half-asked, half-wondered.

“I’m aware. I’m also aware that the men you all might Consume are as bad as any of the women, if not moreso, judging by the Hungry Kiss Warlocks they’ve eaten.”

Her dark eyes flashed as new memories were made available to her, and she snarled, “Fucking bastards! Ah wish, Ah wish...” she trailed off and ducked her head again.

“You’ve got a lot of angry company in there. You’ve also got a tremendously steady man.”

She took a deep breath, visibly calming herself. “Yes. He’s so calm. Ah know he wouldn’t evah do something like that t’ me, and the main reason they Consumed me is because ah swore the Pact, and they just couldn’t tolerate it being out there... and, uh, ah emptied a whole clip into them to try t’ stop them from taking me.” Well, that would just kinda spur a response on the moment. “They think Shvaughn basically guilted them into it, so she doesn’t have t’ Consume all the male Warlocks whose Pacts we-all are tying up.”

“They are no doubt absolutely correct on that point.” And Shvaughn would be totally unrepentant about it, too. The fact they’d gone ahead and done so, and their Heavenbound Pact was still active, meant that it wasn’t a wrong decision, either. “You’re all such a bunch of idiots, you know that?”

She managed to snort, and wiped away a tear from her eye. “Whatevah. This is still bettah than goin’ t’ Hell.” She stretched out despite herself in my arms, and I had to smile, especially when she suddenly blushed and turned her head to look down at me, then away. “Uhhh...”

“Oh, no, please continue.” Sacred energies began to dance on her skin as ki swirled between us, and she sat upright sharply. I just leaned into her, effectively weightless at her level of strength, and indulged in touchteke fun. “You needn’t worry. I’m very familiar with the Cohort you’re a part of now.”

“She definitely is!” the rest of the Cohort supplied helpfully.