Jahaliya Ch. 06

"I heard..." John paused and lowered his voice as a servant hurried past, her arms piled high with linen. "I heard from the King that he suspects one particular land - I won't say which, not here - as the culprit of this attack. There is one Lady that has been dealing in aphrodisiacs derived from animals."

"Ah, yes," Lydra nodded, her eyes narrowing. "I know the one you are talking of. She's a piece of work. Upon occasion, she attempts to establish a trade route between herself and Jahaliya but, of course... Using animals for aphrodisiacs? Killing them solely for that quality within their bodies?" Lydra shuddered, the tremble running right through her body to the tip of her twitching tail. "I couldn't imagine the thought of it. She encroached here for a time before being duly sent back to her homeland. Quite rightly so, but she was most displeased."

John's whiskers twitched at this new scrap of information and he glanced over his shoulder to ensure that there were no eavesdroppers or lingering servants.

"What did she do when she, ah, encroached?" He asked delicately.

"Killed a great many rare animals for their parts before she was stopped," Lydra said bitterly. "She escaped before we could put her before the law and her own country refused to punish her, to spite us, I suspect. Now we can only punish those she sends in her stead."

Her gaze grew frosty and faraway as if she was recalling a particular event.

"And we do punish them."

Swallowing hard, John could not help but imagine all the horrible ways that a fur could be punished for their crimes. He was certain that the moral Jahaliyans would not do anything torturous, although he doubted that any of the poachers enjoyed their capture and punishment in the slightest. He had overheard casual talk of the harem being sent on a poaching patrol, which sounded reasonable when he considered the severity and extent of the problem; he had wondered why such a skilled group would have been needed for poachers.

"Do you think there is anything that we can do for Ryoga?" John awkwardly changed the topic, much to the panther's relief as she did not enjoy lingering upon such topics. She tilted her muzzle thoughtfully and raised her paw so that it lay horizontally in midair, suggesting that there was something, a little something.

"I have the dream of an idea."

*

"Princess Jasmine and...ah...Robin?" Lydra tapped on the door to her quarters with a claw tip, surprised to see the jackal with her refined muzzle on Robin's shoulder. The ladies looked up as one, though did not shift from their intimate position, Robin with a comforting arm snug around Jasmine's waist and Sapphire seated nearby. John peered over the panther's shoulder, his whiskers twitching excitedly.

"What is it?" Robin said disinterestedly, the calm in her voice forced as if she was holding something back. "Is something wrong with Ryoga?"

"No, no, Ryoga is fine," Lydra reassured her. "But there is someone that you, both of you, must meet with immediately. No time to explain."

"Then we will dress -"

"No," Lydra cut across Robin, surprised the wolf who had half-risen from the low seat with Jasmine. "No, formality is not required now, this is too important. Come."

"As you wish," Jasmine said stiffly, turning to Sapphire with a beckoning paw that Saph, of course, could not see, but her tone was unmistakable. "Let us go with them."

The small group of furs hurried down the corridor, standard cloaks and Jasmine's heavy dress drawn tight around their bodies against a light nip in the air. Lydra was secluded and refused to impart a scrap more information, directing them along the side corridors until the exited into the cool evening air via a servant's door. The wives huddled close together for warmth, Princess Jasmine strangely wishing to be much closer to another female fur than usual, and blinked at a small tent that had been erected outside, constructed from plain, orange canvas.

"Miss Lydra," Jasmine struggled to maintain her composure, her back stiff and held rigid. "What is the meaning of towing us out into the cold? Is this something concerning Prince Ryoga? Tell us right now what is happening - is he worse?"

"No, no," Lydra said soothingly, brushing aside the tent flap and motioning for the small group to enter ahead of her. "Please, all will be explained very shortly."

Ignoring Jasmine's frosty look (or what part of her glare that could be discerned from under the dark veil), Lydra ducked into the tent and darted to the head of the group, her eyes alight with...what exactly, John wondered? He had never seen the panther so worked up and so openly secretive, despite the contradiction. The tent was 'furnished' in a minimalistic fashion with only the absolute essentials gracing the pale walls, which reminded one of that particular shade brought forth by a glorious sunset. A woven grass sleeping pallet was rolled up neatly in a back corner with a small pile of coarse looking blankets stacked on top. It took John several glances around the confined space until he noticed the figure kneeling in the shadows at the rear of the structure, head lowered as if deep in thought. Edging curiously closer, he supposed that she - for she was certainly female by the way the clothes draped and caressed her shape - was some kind of canine with tawny fur and narrow, little ears that were pointed sharply upright. Whoever she was, she made no indication that she had any knowledge that anybody had entered her tent.

"Oracle," Lydra murmured, bowing respectfully a few feet away from the kneeling figure.

Oracle?

"Oracle," Lydra went on, unfazed by how the canine stared unblinkingly at her knees, paw relaxed on her thighs. "Oracle, we are in need of your guidance. We have asked you to come today because - "

"I know why you are here, Lydra," the Oracle replied slowly, rolling Lydra's name off her tongue as if she was tasting something foreign and exotic. "You do not need to explain to one such as me."

Caught off-guard, Lydra hesitated and glanced from side to side as if she was suddenly and unexpectedly unsure of how to proceed. The Oracle did little more than raise her head and survey the group, her expression showing neither interest nor disinterest. John had the flashing thought that it was all the same to her.

"Well, I don't know why we're here, so we could use an explanation even if you are clued in," Robin piped up.

The Oracle laughed, the sound rasping out of her blunt, wrinkled muzzle; she had many years upon her shoulders.

"You have come to seek a cure for the prince Ryoga," she nodded her muzzle at Robin. "You have come to seek my wisdom in this matter. But only one is able to help you."

"Who? Who can help us?" Jasmine seized this scrap of information desperately and half-lunged forward before remembering herself. Again, the Oracle laughed gratingly.

"The Goddess and no other, young one."

Jasmine gasped and her paws slipped beneath the veil to press over her lips, muffling the sound in its last breath. The rest of the group, new citizens of Jahaliya who were not privy to the might of the Goddess yet, shook their heads in dismay, wondering how on earth such a deity was to help them. If she was going to help, would she not have done so already? Only Robin pricked up her ears a fraction more, recalling the strange, unearthly force from the bakery chambers - the secluded, so rarely used chamber where she had performed the ritual with the wedding cake. There had been something or someone there watching her intimately. Seeing disbelief on John's face and near contempt mixed with longing in Jasmine's eyes, Robin locked her gaze with the Oracle's. Whether they believed that their deity was able to assist them in this time of crisis or not, the two of them and Lydra knew the truth.

"The Goddess," the Oracle continued as if she had not paused at all, "is willing to help. If, and only if, a sacrifice is made."

"Sacrifice?" Jasmine repeated suspiciously. "What manner of sacrifice?"

"Her," the Oracle extended one bony finger towards a fur at the back of the group. One who blinked uncomprehendingly behind a soft, white sash that covered her eyes.

"Sapphire?" Jasmine hissed between her teeth. "What do you want with my servant? A sacrifice? You are a fool if you think that you can take Sapphire away."

"Not a blood sacrifice," the Oracle coughed. "But a sacrifice must be made. And it must be her... Sapphire. The blinded servant."

Jasmine bit down on her lower lip, infuriated at the Oracle's implication. Sapphire had not been blind from birth - how would she ever have been chosen to serve royalty if she had not had some view and knowledge of the world? All servants of the ladies in her country were made to be so that they could not see, but that was simply how things were there. Every servant knew the possibility of losing their sight and they considered it an honour to serve. Yet the Oracle had said 'blinded' and not 'blind'. The subtle difference stirred something inside Jasmine, although she brushed it aside, her gaze becoming fierce.

"Sapphire?" Robin said quietly, calling the servant forward as Jasmine remained mute. Stunned, Saph did as she was bid. "Are you willing to go through with this? You will not be harmed. She won't be harmed, will she?" She asked of the Oracle for confirmation, which was much needed.

"No harm will come to her," the Oracle intoned seriously. "You have my word."

"But if it will not involve harm..." The wolfess broke in, grappling with the concept. "How will the sacrifice work? Is it simply about pleasing the Goddess."

The Oracle nodded, gesturing with her paw for them to come closer.

"You must create a swell of energy," she whispered, forcing them to lean in closer to grasp her words from the air. "All must be involved. The harem of Ryoga. Their matron, Sylvia the lioneses. You, advisor to Ryoga. Lydra. The teacher, Horace. Sapphire as the sacrifice. It is vital that every fur mentioned plays their part and plays it well. It is your sole opportunity to save Ryoga from what has become his life."

"Excuse me? But what am I expected to do now? I heard my name."

Heads turned as Sylvia ducked into the tent with Horace at her side, the bear appearing comically large under the canvas. The Oracle ignored her presence and Sylvia's eyes narrowed marginally, although she stepped closer to the group.

"I was bid to come," she hissed under her breath to Lydra.

"Yes, you were," Lydra murmured. "We are fighting to bring Ryoga back - the harem and you are part of the Oracle's plan, as I suspected."

"Us? Why?"

"Shush! Listen."

The Oracle continued as if there had been no interruption at all.

"All must work with these males," she indicated John and Horace, the younger of which jumped, startled, "to create this energy. This energy is both necessary to heal Ryoga's pain and to reignite his lust. This energy must peak before it will be deemed pleasing to the Goddess. You cannot fail."

"But how is this to be done?" Sylvia cut in, earning a flicker of disapproval from the Oracle's steady gaze. "I understand the energy but...what form should it take? Will preparations need to be made?"

The Oracle sighed and Lydra hid a tight smile behind her paw, although Sylvia was not to know.

"Ryoga must witness those closest to him living out their deepest sexual fantasies," Lydra explained gently, glancing to the Oracle for confirmation. "Normal sexual energy will not be great enough to please the Goddess this time - it must be something on another level, something spectacular. It should take place in the illusion cave as we can manipulate it at will to create whatever scenario John and Horace desire, as it is their fantasies that the Goddess has chosen."

"So...it will be like a 'magic fuck show'?" Sylvia said slowly, comprehending at last. "But none of the harem will be hurt. I will not allow that under any circumstances."

"No, no, no one will be hurt, Sylvia," Lydra swallowed, her tail twitching. "Only healed, we will hope."

"Then, speaking for the harem, we will do everything within our power to help," Sylvia said firmly, clenching her fingers into a tight, determined fist.

Lowering her head, Jasmine stepped back and away from the group. Sexual energy? How could she ever participate in something of that nature? She did not have the stomach to even mate with her own husband. Even Sapphire had more of a part to play than her - the Oracle had not mentioned her name in the list of those closest to Ryoga, the ones who would save him from depression and impotency. And what was she, his first wife, to do? The others, caught up in the hope that Ryoga would be healed and a door closed on this dark period, did not notice Jasmine slip out beneath the tent flap.

"Now," the Oracle smiled toothily. "The chosen males. Come closer. Tell us what fantasies will be played out for Ryoga's salvation?"

*

John shivered as they approached the illusion cave. 'They' being Sylvia, Horace, the harem, Sapphire, Lydra, Robin, the Oracle, a very reluctant Ryoga and himself. Jasmine, predictably, had opted out of the arrangement and had in fact not been seen since the meeting in the tent of the Oracle. But John had more immediate things to think about, although he felt a shiver of guilt at leaving the princess to roam or hide within the castle alone, most likely distraught. Why, she did not even have Saph with her. Yet the cave loomed before him, a chill in the air that made his whiskers quiver, he swallowed, following Lydra's confident lead.

The cave was unexpectedly empty, something that surprised John after Horace and he had been respectively cajoled into revealing two of their most intimate, secretive fantasies. His cheeks had burned after that session, even if the Oracle had proven to have a kinder side than was immediately obvious, and yet he found it peculiar that the illusion cave was not already projecting the fantasy world that the pair had agreed upon. Instead there was a granite altar close to the entrance of the cave with a broad, flat section suitable for a fur to be placed. John shook gently: that was where Sapphire would kneel.

As if she was privy to his thoughts, the Oracle glanced in his direction and nodded, gripping Sapphire's arm tightly, limping to the altar.

"Here, girl," she said gently, pressing down upon Saph's shoulder. "Kneel here. You will be quite well, I assure you."

"I will do what is necessary," Sapphire said very quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. Her whole body was rigid with tension and it took all the self-control she had to not jerk her head up warily to watch for danger. Her only knowledge of a sacrifice was something that involved pain, as her blindness attested to.

The remainder of the group huddled together to watch, although Ryoga huffed dispassionately as if he was thoroughly bored with proceedings; if he was not corralled in by John, Lydra and Horace, they suspected that he would have stalked out of the cave and declared his presence a waste of time. Ignoring the prince, the Oracle stepped up to Sapphire and bowed her head forward, swaying unsteadily on her old, tired legs.

"What's going to - "

Whichever member of the harem that spoke was shushed - all eyes were riveted to the scene before them. Robin's hackles prickled with that odd sensation that something was there and she instinctively shot a glance skywards, although she was merely greeted with the sight of the stone ceiling far above, dripping moisture. Could the others feel it? She thought not. Robin smiled as if she was welcoming back an old friend and watched as the Oracle lifted her creased muzzle, the only other who felt the same. The Goddess was upon them.

Sapphire froze, her scalp prickling as if grazed by the prongs of a comb drawn too roughly through her short, light hair, hardly discernable from the colour of her fur. The Oracle tugged the scrap of fabric that covered Sapphire's eyes, loosening the tight knot until it could be pulled free and cast aside, apparently unneeded. Resting her cool hands upon the blind canine's head, the Oracle breathed slowly and deeply, channelling something that darted around the edges of her mortal comprehension. Sapphire moaned and fought off a wave of nausea, the prickling traversing a hidden path behind her eyes. Robin leaned forward, captivated, and watched as Saph blinked once, twice and jumped in shock.

She saw.

Blinking rapidly through a watery view, Sapphire swung her head heavily about, unused as she was to the notion of having to turn her head for more than hearing more clearly what another fur had to say. The dim light of the natural cave stung the rejuvenated nerves and she clasped her paws to her chest - was this some kind of cruel trick of their goddess? How would being granted sight be any kind of sacrifice? Theirs was a strange world if this was all there was to it.

"This..." The oracle hissed between her teeth, raising her hands high above her head. "This is the sacrifice. She sacrifices the darkness and the ignorance of the world - sacrifices to experience the life she should have led."

"And thus a wrong is righted," the Oracle added, struck by a stray thought. "Here, girl, take this instead of that old cloth. Wind it over your eyes so that you are not blinded a second time."

She handed a roll of clean, white gauze to Sapphire; when rolled, it was translucent and would allow her to partially see without the light harming her eyes. After all, it went without saying that she would need time to become accustomed. Still in a state of shock, Saph stared at the bandage dumbly until Robin stepped forward with unsteady paws to wind it carefully around the kneeling fur's head. When the protective material was securely in place and tied in such a way that Sapphire could unravel a strip or two as she felt more comfortable, Robin embraced the older canine in a warm hug. She only wished that Jasmine could be there to see Sapphire relieved of this ailment.

"The first stage is complete," the Oracle proclaimed, somewhat unnecessarily, thought Robin. "Take the prince and..." She paused, waving her paw to 'tap' into the magic of the illusion cave and calling forth a plump, white mattress, strange in the comparative emptiness. "...Rest yourselves on this. Your part in this has only now begun, Sapphire. Watch and learn now."

"Thank you," Sapphire whispered hoarsely, allowing herself to be gently tugged upright by Robin.

Guiding Saph to the mattress, Robin sat her down on the edge, which was high enough to function as a comfortable seat. The older canine was trembling and her tail lay flat against her leg where it would normally be perked up and even faintly wagging as she went about her daily business.

"My eyes still hurt," Sapphire murmured, her eyes flickering beneath the gauze; Robin patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"I think you need time to get used to the light and, well, seeing again," the wolf said soothingly. "Let us know if it gets worse, but I am confident that it will become easier from here. Trust me."

Nodding her acceptance, Sapphire set her shoulders and took a deep, steadying breath. Trusting her to her own devices, Robin touched Ryoga on his shoulder, flinching when he shook her off.

"Oh, what do you want now?" He growled, flattening his ears to his skull. "You're as bad as the other one, always bothering me."

"Jasmine doesn't bother you!" Robin snapped, temper flaring up even if she knew that it was not really his fault that he was behaving like a petulant, uncaring monster, in kind words. "Keep your muzzle closed and watch with Sapphire. Everything will be much better in a little while, please believe that. A little while longer."

He snorted and Robin bit her lower lip, turning tail without another word with tears making the corners of her eyes itch. She would not cry. Trying to distract herself, she looked to where the others were dividing up: John and Horace together, the harem in a cluster and Lydra standing on a small, circular platform that hovered quietly a foot above the ground.