A Deal with a Devil Ch. 03

I'm not a big fan of off-topic/introductory stuff, so this will be the last. That said since this is in the SciFi category, I'd like to reiterate that this story has nonconsensual elements, and that this chapter in particular deserves that warning.Enjoy!

***

Tamaryst drifted from sleep into a comfortable haze. She wasn't used to sleeping in beds and the soft blankets that covered her gave a warm satisfaction as she twisted in a lazy stretch, a quiet yawn issuing from her mouth. There was a slight crick in her neck as if something small was lodged between the pillow and her spine.

Then she remembered why she was in a bed. Startling upright, she tossed the blankets away and opened her eyes to take in the room. She was alone; the gray-skinned demon was nowhere to be found, her clothes sat in a neat pile by the door, and the moderately furnished room seemed the same as in her hazy recollections of the night before. It was mid-morning, she guessed from the light coming through the window and t he room's warmth. Tamaryst swallowed, grimaced at the dryness in her throat, and dragged herself out of bed. It wasn't likely that Asiishma was entirely gone, but she had no desire to lay in bed waiting for its return. Stiffly moving through the room, she tamed her hair, washed her face, and dressed.

Upon stepping out into the hallway Tamaryst realized the tavern was much quieter than it had been last night. The common room below was virtually empty, though a few people were scattered at tables over meals or small clay mugs. A portly man wearing a faded white apron stood behind the long bar along one side of the room, and when he noticed her descending the stairs into the room he lifted a hand in a beckoning gesture. She looked him over with a slight purse of her lips, then set off for the bar in a slink. He was middle aged, with wispy, graying hair and pudgy features. He had an air of hospitality about him, and as she shifted into place onto a stool he poured a cup of light brown tea and set it before her. His eyes flicked to the slim band around her throat and the smile on his lips twisted minutely for a second, nearly disappearing.

"Your... Ah, owner is out on a few errands," he rumbled in a low baritone. "She paid for your meal and said she would be by to collect you."

She took in the explanation silently, hands settling around the mug and guiding it to her lips. The tea was mild but tasted good, and had to have been sweetened by something.

"Your... The lady," he began again, "Have you been with her long?"

She paused, eyes flicking up to study the barkeep. Taking another gulp of tea to excuse the lack of a verbal answer, she shook her head.

"Ah," he said. "You don't look it. Hold on and I'll get your food."

He stepped through a door behind the bar, returning shortly after with a bowl carried in one hand. Setting it down in front of her, the amiable barkeep started back into speech, far more comfortably than before.

"We Flehrites have all but abolished slavery in the city. It goes against so many of the teachings we hold dear, but it's still legal for now. You don't look much like a believer, but there's a teaching you might take comfort in, lass. A person can always grow, no matter their circumstances. Flehr uses the places we find ourselves in to strengthen us."

He continued speaking about Flehr's wisdom and guidance as she ate and listened. Briefly, she considered asking what the barkeep's god thought about indentured servitude to heart-eating demons, but decided against it. He was genuine, and more importantly was the only person she had interacted with lately that wasn't trying to cage or conquer her, so she listened and nodded occasionally.

Her focus was down on scraping together the last semblance of a spoonful from her meal when he trailed off mid-sentence. She glanced up. Seeing his attention locked near the door, she twisted around and similarly froze, with far more alarm and far less reverence.

Asiishma stood in the doorway. The demon looked much the same as when she had last seen it, though its golden eyes had dimmed to a more acceptable chestnut hue, but now the creature was adorned in breathtaking fashion. A tan-on-white silk dress outlined its silhouette suggestively, and the lengthy skirts were parted to allow riding. The vibrant fabric stood out against its ashen skin, and jewelry adorned its neck, presenting the image of a perfectly-adorned Rethi lady. She didn't have to look behind herself to know the barkeep was virtually transfixed. When the succubus' gaze settled on her, she hunched her shoulders down in a feeble effort to escape view.

"Bernard!" The demon warmly called as it stepped through the room, flashing the man behind her a broad smile. "Such an attentive host. I certainly hope that Ryst hasn't given you any problems."

"N-none, lady," the barkeep stammered back. Recovering to his former joviality, he asked, "I take it then that you might be leaving us shortly? We'll mourn such a distinguished guest leaving so shortly."

"I'm afraid so. We've a long journey back home ahead of us, but rest assured that your services have been absolutelyexquisite."

Tamaryst watched Asiishma's hands produce a silk kerchief, holding a number of coins bundled within, and place it on the bartop as the demon heaped on the overdone praises. Soon after the succubus turned to her, tone growing condescending as it said,

"Come along now, Ryst. It's time to for us to venture onward."

She glanced blandly over at the barkeep as he hastily swiped away the payment. Sighing, she followed the ornately-clad demon out onto the streets.

***

Their path through Tirth's verdant roads wound eastward and Tamaryst found her attention moving to those they passed as she let the demon lead her onward. Guards were out in force, though they hardly resembled the men she and Asiishma had fought within the baron's manor. These were dressed crisply in white cloaks that hung over padded leather or metal armor, their expressions made up of peaceful intensity. She realized, as they went, that word of the baron's murder had spread through the city and that many of the people they passed were gossiping on the events, and that so little was known about it that there was virtually no chance the guards were likely to recognize them. There had been a brutal sort of efficacy in Asiishma's method of killing anyone who had seen them.

Finally they reached a well-established stable positioned a few dozen meters from the sprawling gates that surrounded one of the main avenues out of Tirth. The demon swept into them with Tamaryst in its wake, exuding an air of hospitable tolerance at the dirtiness of the place. The man who seemed to be in charge recognized Asiishma almost immediately and hurried away, soon returning with a magnificent dark-haired mare. She warily looked the horse up and down, tension forming in her gut, and forced herself to catch the tail end of the obiesant conversation the man had struck up with the succubus.

"... Would you like to purchase a mount for your companion, Lady Arch?" he was asking in a reedy voice, eyes set uncomfortably on her before flicking back to the demon. Her worries confirmed, she widened her eyes and glanced along as well.

"That should hardly be necessary," Asiishma informed the man, left hand waving dismissively at Tamaryst. "She's of a fine stock, you know. They say the tribes from her land can run for days at a time, when pressed. I imagine we'll find out just how true that is."

The succubus' dulcet laughter followed, though despite the man's uneasy expression of worry in her direction Tamaryst felt a surge of relief. It was true that she felt more confident on the ground, and she had no desire to attempt learning to ride a beast like the mare in front of her. She sighed gratefully. The man scurried off after exchanging a few more pleasantries with Asiishma, returned leading a smaller packhorse laden with hide bags, then assisted the ashen-skinned demon on mounting the black horse. They joined the thin stream of people and animals making their way out beyond the city walls, and they were on their way.

***

The next few days passed in an exhausting plod that made it seem as though the demon were seeking to drain all her mental and physical reserves. Walking along Asiishma's horse, her hands developing the habit of toying at the thin band around her throat in search of some hidden latch, Tamaryst trekked eastward from Tirth and wound her way up the ragged, steep trail that rose into the jagged ridge of mountains sprawling to the north and south. They were too far away to have a name among her people, and she couldn't remember what they were called around here. As they ventured from the fields to the foothills, and higher, the terrain changed: sprawling golden crops gave way to forested hills, which turned to shrubs, wind-battered trees, and age-worn rocks.

They hiked for the better part of each day, stopping only once or twice for Tamaryst to eat some of the rations Asiishma had purchased in town - the demon never seemed to eat. Each night they would find a place to make camp, then establish a more comfortable space than Tamaryst would have expected, though her companion seemed to have spared no expense in securing proper supplies. And invariably the succubus would set upon her at night, dragging orgasm after orgasm from her until she lost focus and simply woke up the next morning.

That was Tamaryst's exhausting routine. Walk. Eat. Walk. Orgasm. Wake. In a few short days she began to ache everywhere, and her mind was fatigued from the lack of sleep. Gradually, as she finally crested the narrow pass the trail had until this point been ascending toward, she decided that Asiishma was aiming to run her ragged so that she wouldn't have the energy to escape. Its plan worked. She'd spent the better part of the day dreading things to come, rather than escaping. And she knew she had to escape; she wouldn't be able to handle weeks more of this treatment, let alone months.

As she considered her situation a steely sense of resolve manifested in Tamaryst's gut. She was strong. She was as capable a warrior as any from her tribe, and her stamina was unrivaled. The misfortunes she had recently gone through could not have dulled her capabilities entirely, and she had already spent more than enough time sullenly accepting her circumstances. She would escape and make her way homeward alone, her pride and health restored on the journey. All she needed was an opportunity.

***

Tamaryst's opportunity came the next day. The terrain had shifted toward rocky scrublands, though a narrow path allowed them to make quick time for most of the day. The path they followed was mostly flat, though they were still at a far higher elevation than they had been upon leaving Tirth. There was almost no conversation, as with earlier days, though occasionally Asiishma made a comment back toward her, not seeming bothered by her silence in return. Eventually they stopped in the late afternoon, breaking out enough supplies for a small meal. After the meal Asiishma decided the mounts needed more rest before continuing, then stripped off its robe and stretched out lazily on a long, flat slab of sunny rock. Tamaryst sat a distance away, watching the demon. It took her a few minutes to recognize that it had stretched out simply to enjoy the sun, and a few longer to become convinced that it was asleep.

She hesitated, fighting down the sudden welling of fears at the prospect of actually fleeing, then quietly rose. Her pack was nearby and prepared. She crept close and eased it from the ground to her shoulder, then more relaxedly made her way to the small pot that had been used to mix a sauce for the meal. A few centimeters of grayish water sat in the pot now, and she stooped to lift it up and start walking away from the camp. Pot clanking softly, footsteps thudding lightly on the packed dirt of the path, she made her way down the trail a short distance and then turned toward the brush. Holding the pot out to one side, she poured the water out while glancing back at Asiishma. The demon hadn't moved in the slightest.This is about as far as I'll get openly,she decided, sinking down into a crouch and gently laying the pot on the dry earth near the damp patch of soil. Rising, she carefully stepped back onto the trail and began making her way further along it. Now her steps were silent; her pace was a little slower than earlier, but each step was carefully placed and hardly made an impression on the trail. The silent escape dragged on for minutes, and her shoulders bunched uneasily. She refused to look behind herself as she made her way up the small rise in the trail, and she couldn't shake the feeling that the demon's lengthy, flawless fingers were about to clamp down on her shoulder.

When she finally reached the top of the rise, after about five minutes of the agonizing pace, she did glance over her shoulder. Asiishma was still sprawled out on the rock, now a considerably smaller sight given the added distance between them. She allowed herself a near-silent sigh of relief and turned back to the path. Once she had begun to descend the hill's other side she picked up into a quick jog, one hand holding the pack tight to keep it from jostling her. The minutes stretched on, her breath deepening and sweat beginning to bead on her skin, but she maintained the pace with ease. After twenty or so minutes she abruptly turned right, slowing a little as she abandoned the trail. Taking more care for each foot placement, she made her way across loose rocks and through waist-high brush on her way further down the hill, aiming for the denser vegetation of the alpine forest that spanned out from where the hill's curve abated. Whenever Asiishma awoke and found her missing, she knew she wouldn't want to be anywhere visible. Moving without leaving a trail was second nature to her and she didn't imagine the demon had much experience in tracking.

The sky darkened and the air cooled as she made her way to the fringes of the treeline. She cut through the woods, waiting until her vision to the path along the ridge was obstructed before squatting down behind a tree and dropping her pack to the earth. She listened to the nighttime sounds as she rested, right hand drifting up to curl a finger around the band encircling her throat. She'd have to get it removed at some point. As her breathing steadied she realized that the adrenaline charging her during the earlier stages of her escape had faded, and she grimaced against a wave of fatigue. She pushed to her feet, collected her pack, and started navigating the woods.

The night provided enough visibility for her to travel easily - there were scarcely any clouds hiding the stars, and the moon overhead was full and bright enough that the trees she moved between cast long, dark shadows against the pale blue cast upon everything else. She followed the contour of the forest as it wrapped around and down the slope of the ridgeline above, broadening into the start of a valley over the course of a few hours' travel. As she lost elevation the shrubs and trees began to change, growing broader and more numerous. Eventually she came upon and crossed a slow-moving river, boots draped over her shoulders to stay dry as she waded across the thigh-deep water.

A few hours before dawn Tamaryst came across a broad meadow. The moon had nearly fallen behind the horizon by then, much of the blue light it had been casting down now gone. The darker shadows comforted her. She had no wish to go around the meadow, and the added darkness would make her crossing less conspicuous to whatever, if anything, might be watching it.

She hadn't taken more than three steps from the treeline before a dark shape hurtled out of the sky and crashed heavily into the ground a dozen paces in front of her. She startled back a step and sank into a half-crouch, squinting at the shape in confusion. Leathery, dark wings to either side as the shape pushed upright before they curled inward to settle against the creature's back. She took a rapid step back when she realized the dark form was Asiishma, completely naked and now sporting large wings that framed its head. She twisted around and sprinted back into the forest.

The demon followed after her, making more noise than her even in her panicked dash, but not seeming to lose any ground. Suddenly she felt something start slicing into her side, and she reflexively twisted away, body arching as she fell. She curled into a roll, coming up and twisting around to face the demon, though the weight of her pack pulled her back an additional step before she steadied herself. The cut in her side didn't feel particularly deep, but it was bleeding. Asiishma had halted when she rolled away, its stance broadened in preparation, angry gaze locked on her face. She swallowed. The demon lunged forward and she flipped the knife she'd been allowed to keep into her hand, slashing at the gray hand moving for her chest. She connected, the blade dragging across Asiishma's forearm, but before she could withdraw the demon slammed bodily into her and knocked her backward. She tried to regain her balance but Asiishma's other arm grabbed her with vice-like strength, then sent her flying backwards.

She hit the ground a few feet away. Clawing at the dirt with her open hand as she bounced, she twisted around to get her feet under her and and looked up in time to see the demon lunge at her again. It intercepted her swing with the knife, a hand clamping down around her forearm, claw-like fingers biting roughly into her skin. She reflexively brought up a knee but before it could connect with anything Asiishma upset her balance, slamming her down onto the ground. As she choked to regain her breath the demon flipped her over and wrenched her arm up behind her back, pulling until it ripped a scream from her lips and her fingers snapped open to release the knife. The weapon thudded lightly between her shoulder blades, resting there for a few seconds before Asiishma tossed it into the underbrush.

She took in a strained breath, taking stock of her situation. Her cheek was digging into the ground, a flattened twig pinching against her cheekbone. One arm was twisted behind her back, waves of pain radiating from the locked-up joints, but the other was still free, palm pressed against the ground beside her chest. She grunted and shoved her free hand into the ground, knees digging into the earth as well as she bucked against the demon above her in a bid for freedom. It was like crashing into a boulder. Asiishma shoved her down again, fingers digging into her snared arm, cutting deeper into her skin before twisting the limb savagely, wrenching another raw shout from her. The demon's other hand grazed the outside of her hip before wrapping around to her front, its head dipping to the side of hers as it harshly growled,

"Nothing you do can change the fact that you belong to me. Accept it."

Suddenly her leggings were shoved down to mid-thigh, forcing her legs closer together in the restrictive crumple of leather. She startled at the sensation and renewed her struggle, free hand twisting down. The demon intercepted it fluidly, hooking an elbow around her bicep and pulling the limb higher to clamp its hand down against her nape, fingernails digging into the side of her neck.

She spit dirt from between her lips and sucked in a breath. That indistinct smell around Asiishma was more intense but still vague, and she almost grudgingly felt the flutters of arousal spreading through her body.At least its hands are full,she thought, twisting experimentally within her confined position. The demon coiled over her may as well have been made of iron for all that she could manage to move it. The earth bit against her cheek, pinching skin and leaving indents, but her focus was drawn to the brisk chill that surrounded her exposed hips and legs. She sucked in a deep breath and fought off the faint, embarrassing build of arousal she was feeling at being pinned down. Suddenly she felt something on the air she'd breathed in and realized it wasn't a reaction to being pinned down. The faint smell that surrounded the demon at every moment was more intense now, tugging at her heart - or better said, her loins - and quickening her breath. She swallowed against the feeling and pressed her hips up, starting to work her knees up beneath herself.