Page 16 of Immortal Alliance

I look up again and notice something white in the distance, within the forest. I start towards it, thinking it could be my chemise? The white cloth is maybe twenty feet from me—in the dark forest and when I reach it, I realize it is my chemise. Reaching down, I pick it up and wonder how in the world it got here. I turn around, looking for the rest of my clothes, but realize nothing else can be accounted for.

That’s when I hear it—a low growling sound from behind me. With my heart in my throat, I turn around and notice a large, black wolf standing maybe ten feet in front of me. The creature stares at me from black eyes and its shackles are raised as it growls. Fear begins spiraling within me as my breathing increases and I take a few tentative steps backwards. The wolf moves with me, its growling growing even louder.

“I won’t hurt you,” I say as I look the creature in the eyes and summon my magic. But I feel nothing.

I move back another two steps until I feel my hands coming into contact with something… furry? It feels like I’m in slow motion as I turn around and realize my fingers are resting on the fur of a huge, black bear. The thing easily comes up to my waist and when I turn to look at it, it growls at me, pulling its lips back to reveal two enormous fangs inside its top jaw and two on the bottom. I pull away from the gigantic thing instantly as both animals continue to show their impressive teeth. It’s then that I realize the only way out of this is to run.

I turn and begin running as quickly as I can, ignoring the pain in my feet as I clamber over leaves, branches, rocks and other forest debris. All I can think about is escaping as I travel deeper into the dark forest. I can hear the sounds of the bear and wolf behind me. What’s strange, though, is that I can’t see them. I hear growls on either side of me and I turn my head in each direction, trying to understand why I can’t see anything when I can so distinctly hear their growls and their paws as they pound the forest floor.

My foot catches on something and before I can comprehend what’s happening, I’m falling. I hit the ground hard and roll through the foliage as the palms of my hands, my knees and one side of my hip sting. I sit up immediately, shaking the confusion from my head, and find the huge bear directly in front of me. The wolf appears just to my right and it growls even more loudly than before. Its hackles stand up straight and it drops its head low, as if it’s about to pounce. I push back on my hands and crab-walk backwards, away from them both, until my back hits a tree.

About to right myself, I push my palms against the ground when tree roots begin to bubble up from the dirt, breaking through the earth. As I watch them, they wrap themselves around either of my wrists, pinning me in place, before pulling themselves back into the ground, tethering me where I sit. I try to pull against them but the roots are tight. I don’t understand what’s happening. I flail against the restraints of the tree, kicking my legs out as the tree roots begin to bubble up from all around me, disrupting the earth like zombies pushing up from their graves. One root grips my left ankle and another my right, each of them pulling my legs apart. I struggle against but the roots are firm.

I look up and notice both the wolf and bear continue towards me as I start to whimper. Unlike Cambion, I don’t have the ability to converse with the animal world. I lack Beast Sense or anything similar.

But, I do have magic.

I close my eyes as I summon my magic to protect myself. I don’t want to hurt either animal; I just want them to leave me alone. When I open my eyes again, I hold out the palms of my hands as far as the roots will allow them, which isn’t very far. I feel the energy of my magic begin heating my palms as blue electricity sizzles from both of them.

Roots continue to blossom from the surface of the dirt and as I watch, they begin to extend towards me, growing as if on fast forward. I struggle against the roots holding me in place but it’s no good.

So I start to focus. I’m fairly sure I can zap the roots to free myself but as I try, a strange thing occurs—I summon my magic but nothing comes. I close my eyes and try to beckon my power again but it’s like trying to start a dead engine.

When I open my eyes, I watch as the roots that have pulled themselves out of the ground, continue to move closer, towards the opening of my body. I struggle against them again, not understanding what magic is at work here.

Be calm, a voice sounds in my head. I don’t recognize it.You are a female on offer to the male spirits of the Veil,it continues.Allow them to experience you, receive them. They will not harm you.

It’s then that I realize the voice belongs to one of the Sentinels. The one who spoke to me earlier.

Allow the spirits to dominate you, to fill your body with their seed,the voice continues.Do not be afraid and do not fight them. You are a creature of desire, allow the spirits to feed your desire and to consume it.

I don’t know if it’s the succubus rising inside me, but the fear I’d just experienced suddenly blanches into an overwhelming need, a desire that begins growing within the pit of my belly.

As the tree roots move closer, I watch as the largest one pushes beyond the others and they rescind back into the ground. The roots around my wrists continue to hold me tight, but now I don’t fight against them. Instead, I watch as the main root reaches my sex. It doesn’t enter me but begins to change colors, going from dark brown to a dark orange, then shifting to a vibrant green. The texture changes as well, morphing from the roughness of tree bark to the soft pliability of a tentacle. As I watch the roots shift, I get the feeling another spirit has just replaced the tree’s spirit, if trees even have spirits.

The tentacle root touches the inside of my thigh and it’s cold and wet. I close my eyes as I feel it move past the sensitive nub of my clit. I don’t fully understand what’s happening to me but I can’t think about it for long because I feel the tentacle push into me and I arch up as my channel stretches around it.

At the sound of a loud growl, I open my eyes and realize the bear is now standing directly in front of me. The tentacle root immediately pulls out of me and begins to dive back into the ground as if the bear has commanded it to do so. The black wolf steps out from behind the bear and the two animals stare at me. They’re no longer growling—they simply observe me.

As I watch, they both begin to fade as if they’re in the process of disappearing into the ethers. But as they fade, something else begins to appear—faint outlines of men… I can see the shapes of their shoulders, head and chests and the color of their skin and hair.

“Baron?” I ask, my voice belying my shock. “Pyre?”

They both stand above me, as naked as the day they were born.

“I don’t understand,” I say as Baron drops down to his knees beside me. It’s then that I realize the tree roots have released me. I pull my arms up and rub my sore wrists, noting the redness of my skin where the roots secured me in place.

Afraid the roots might return, I scurry upward, into a sitting position as I look up at Pyre who stands before me, saying nothing. His body is… incredible with its sculpted muscle. And his erection is just as enormous as I remember it.

“Pyre?” I repeat.

“He can’t hear you,” Baron says. “He’s channeling all the spirits in the Veil.”

“Then the tree,” I start.

“Was one such spirit.”

I start to stand up but Baron grips my arm and pulls me back down. “Just wait,” he says.

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