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Time and effort took its toll on the young Suplicyte. I knew little of magic and the power Meeka used, but it clearly sapped her energy as we progressed further up the spire. To make matters worse, the number of traps in each area we encountered them grew the closer we got to the top. Thankfully, Sidik was able to lend a hand with traps that weren't magical in nature.

But while they cleared the path ahead, my concern shifted to the Athra.

Nadalo's face was red while she walked beside me. She had been surprisingly calm after the assault of the Vildekin, but as we walked, I was noticing subtle changes.

"You're shivering, Athra," I said quietly.

Nadalo turned her gaze away from Sidik and Meeka, who were in the process of disarming a warded trap. She crossed her arms beneath the cloak, causing it to slightly open in the front. I could see the muscles on her forearms trembling.

"Something is wrong," she stated calmly, her voice still edged by a gravelly tone. "I feel the cold. But I feel warmth as well."

I put my hand down on the hilt of my blade. "Did the Vildekin do something to you?" I rethought the question, blushing. "Something else, I-I mean."

The Athra lowered her arms and stood still briefly. Her eyes closed, and she drew in a deep breath. After she pushed it out, her hands brushed open the front of the cloak. Immediately, she tugged it shut again. Worry creased her brow. "That was cold," she stated with a little more animation in her tone.

"It is cold, Athra," I confirmed. "Are you only noticing that now?"

"I should not be noticing it at all," she replied. She spread the cloak again only to shiver and pull it closed tightly. "Shields of Aspara are trained to ignore physical pain and discomfort."

"Ignoring isn't the same as not feeling," I commented.

The Athra shot me a glance, then hugged the cloak a little more tightly to her body. "I have noted your curiosity concerning Sidik. Are you as ignorant of the Shields of Aspara as you are of the Knives?" she asked flatly.

"I have not spent much time outside the company of the Swords of Espara," I replied. "Yes, I am ignorant of the other orders.

She glanced at me with an eyebrow raised. "I hope it is not willful ignorance. Even the Swords know to be knowledgeable of friends as well as enemies."

I frowned. "It is not willful ignorance. I want to learn of the other Orders of Espara, but I have spent most of my life in training, hardly a waking moment doing anything but training to fight."

"Only to be so easily overpowered," the Athra commented with an uncharacteristic tone of implication. She immediately frowned and looked away. "Forgive me. That was unkind."

I frowned as well and looked down at the ground. I thought for a moment before I replied. "But it is true."

"Not as much as you might feel it to be," the Athra replied, her calm tone returning. "You have trained to fight alongside other Swords of Espara, have you not? To stand shoulder to shoulder with your brothers and sisters of the Sword." She looked back up to Sidik and Meeka who seemed to be stymied by the warded trap. "I have stood beside many other Sordevs as they left the training grounds to assist other Orders of Espara. Most must swiftly learn that their sisters fight with more discipline than Sekrits or Suplicytes. You must learn to fight in a dynamic battleground when aiding the other orders."

She looked up at me again. "Rely upon what training you have had in singular combat rather than your previous training to work with other Swords."

"But I am not a Sordev," I answered. "I am a Dakra."

Nadalo's expression turned to surprise. She seemed to be studying my face for a long moment. "You are a Dakra?"

I suddenly felt that I had inadvertently done what I had not wanted to do while traveling in the carriage - to give a bad name to the Swords. I set my jaw. "Yes. I am a Dakra."

"But you have never worked with the other Orders of Espara before?" she inquired.

"No," I answered, "I have not." I looked back up to Meeka and Sidik. There was a quiet pop, and Sidik jumped up from her crouch, shaking her hand before she stuck her finger in her mouth. I felt a great desire to change the subject. "This impediment seems to be taking longer than usual to remove."

The Athra wouldn't have it. "How did you achieve the rank of Dakra without leaving the Armored Halls?"

I turned to look back down at Nadalo. "I have left the Armored Halls before."

She considered my answer, giving me a sidelong glance. "But not in the company of the other orders?"

I nodded. "Yes. It has not been often, but I have been sent on my own journeys to protect Mid Espara." I gestured toward the West, behind us. "I faced an Arak witch across the Keschpian River who was stealing the skins of Mid Esparans to disguise herself." I gestured to the northwest. "And I helped to stop the Valdorsian raid on the city of Krokae."

The Athra wrinkled her nose, considering me again with her gaze. The question she then asked made me suspicious.

"Who is your mother, Delvara Javaed?"

"Mahdin Javaed," I answered.

"Then it's true," she replied. "You really are related to the Mahdin." She looked ahead where Meeka and Sidik were finally waving us to continued forward. "Your name made me wonder. But I had not learned the Mahdin had a child."

I started after Nadalo, starting to worry as to whether I should have mentioned my name at all. "Sidik was surprised to learn that as well. I've always known my mother to be secretive, but I did not think she had reason to hide me."

"To hide you is one thing," Nadalo replied. "To conceal your presence entirely, even going so far as to claim your death, twice, is a different matter."

I stopped. "Claim my death?"

The Athra looked back over her shoulder and paused. She motioned for me to continue walking. "We should not let Sidik and Meeka get too far ahead of us." Though I hesitated, I continued walking, and the Athra offered an explanation. "I have heard of both of the feats you mentioned already, Delvara Javaed. The defeat of the Arak witch and the interception of the Valdorsian raid on Krokae were achieved by two separate Swords of Espara." She looked back at me again. "Both of whom were killed in achieving them. Or so it had been announced," she added.

I looked down at the path, but continued walking. A sharp gust of wind made me turn my head and brought me out of my momentary thoughtfulness. I realized that we had reached the edge of the southern side of the spire, and the Autumn wind once more reached us. Involved in the conversation with the Athra, I had forgotten even the noise of the wind around three sides of the spire.

Conversing with the Athra was brought to an end for the time being. Though questions were coming to mind quickly, my focus was turned on Nadalo. The harsher wind and her new found vulnerability to the cold were making it difficult for her to stand in the wind. I scooped her from the ground when it was clear she would not be able to continue by herself.

"Ah," Nadalo gasped, once in my arms. "Wh-what are you doing?!" she asked, sounding startled.

"Trying to help," I answered as I hurried toward the next bend around the spire.

"N-No, not... that," she replied. I could feel her breath on my neck as she started to pant heavily. "I-I... I'm... ahn," she nearly squealed.

Rounding the bend quickly, I put her down. She lay back against my armored thigh and grabbed my arm. The cloak fell open, revealing her bare flesh, and the bright pink of her skin alarmed me.

"Sidik! Meeka!" I called out. "Something is wrong with Nadalo!"

Both of them turned immediately, and Sidik rushed back first, swiftly followed by the young Suplicyte.

"What's wrong, Athra?" Meeka asked, the concern clear in her voice.

Sidik gripped Nadalo's shoulder, her other hand resting on the Athra's belly. "Nadalo, wha--whoa!" Sidik pulled her hand back from Nadalo's stomach, staring down at her pink skin. She quickly put her hand back on Nadalo's belly. The Sekrit quickly glared up at me. "What happened to Nadalo?!" she hissed as though expecting it to be my fault.

"Nothing!" I spat back. "We were walking, and she started feeling the cold and warmth at the same time! She was having trouble walking in the wind in naught but her skin and my cloak, so I picked her up!"

Nadalo grasped at Sidik's leather armor, squeezing it with her fingers. Then, she shoved the Sekrit away from her and rolled out of my lap. My cloak fell back to my lap.

Perched on her hands and knees, Nadalo faced away from us, giving an unhindered view of her smoothly-curved backside and the surprisingly puffy lips between her thin thighs. My eyes went wide when I saw the glistening moisture on her folds.

"What in Mid Espara...?" Sidik murmured.

Meeka had her hands clapped over her mouth while she stared helplessly.

Nadalo clutched the edge of the path on which we walked, her whole body shivering. She lurched forward, making dry heaves for several seconds. Sidik rushed to her, but Nadalo shoved her back and turned her head to face us.

"Stay back!" she ordered in a raspy tone.

I could see her face clearly for a moment. Her irises had turned yellow, and her pupils elongated into thin slits. She jerked her head away, covering her face with her hand. When she lowered it, I could see her fingers trembling and the muscles of her arm flexing. A thin layer of black fur grew from the back of her hand and sprouted down her shuddering arm. Her fingernails twisted into long, sharp claws, and as she sat back, I stared in shock.

She threw her head back and released a loud, snarling hiss as her nose and mouth seemed to stretch out, being reshaped into a black, feline muzzle. The fur on that muzzle swept over her face, meeting her raven hair, then crawling its way down her neck as her muscles seemed to spasm and grow. I saw, for the first time, terror in her eyes.

She turned to face use and held her hands up in front of her. Her back arched, her arms pinning to her sides as if thrown down by their own accord. Her modest breasts swelled for a moment, her whole body seeming to grow slightly larger and more bulky than her previously thinner frame. The black fur spread down from her neck and swept over her heaving breasts as she panted in panic. When she spread her jaws, long fangs grew in her muzzle, and she let out a feline screech.

As she arched up onto her knees, her hips slightly widened, their curve becoming more accentuated and her thighs growing muscle. The sheath of black fur which had started around her hand and face grew out of her highs and thighs, and she fell forward onto her hands. The sharp claws on her hands were joined by new ones which grew from her toes. I could see her ankles twisting into a digitigrade shape before the black fur swept over them, completely covering her body.

Her back arched, and her head fell forward, her face concealed by her black hair. The small, scattered jewels rippled as her hair seemed to become more wild. Those gems which I had likened to stars fell from her dark sky, clattering across the ground. Her back rolled again, her hips thrusting forward and throwing her off balance. She ended up on her chest with her black-furred butt in the air. Even as she arched again, her spine rippled as a black tail sprouted from its base and stuck straight up in the air.

Her body slumped. Her black hair lay spread out over the path. Even as she lay their with her chest to the road, she breathed slowly, heavily.

I rose to my knees and reached for her, speaking quietly. "Nadalo?"

Sparks flew off my forearm guard as she instantly rose and swiped. I was unhurt, but pulled my arm back, my hand going to the hilt of my blade.

The Wildekin panthress seemed to become aware of her own claws and clutched her hands over her face, trembling. She ripped her hands away and loudly screeched, once more falling into a fit of panting.

I turned my head to look at Meeka, but saw Sidik's hands sitting on the hilts of her short swords. I held my hand out. "Don't, Sidik."

Sidik blinked and looked down at her hands as well. She swiftly moved them away from her weapons.

I looked back at Meeka. "Meeka, what has happened to Nadalo?! She looks like a Vildekin!"

Meeka, brought out of her startled state by the question, immediately picked up her spell book. She flipped pages wildly, searching through it until she found what she was looking for. Her attention returned to Nadalo. "Sh-She's been turned into a Vildekin by a powerful curse!" she blurted. "One of the Vildekin who attacked us earlier must have bitten her."

I shook my head. "No. No, she wasn't bitten."

Meeka glanced up at me. "You're sure?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yes. I didn't see either of them bite her, and besides, we all got a very good look at her. She didn't have any marks on her." I heard Nadalo hiss and turned my head, looking back at her. She was on all fours and glaring at me, her fangs and teeth bared. I moved my hand away from my blade. "Is there any other way this could have happened?" I asked as I rose to my feet. Nadalo looked ready to pounce, but I wasn't about to draw my sword on her.

Meeka quickly searched the page with a finger, then turned to the next. But she couldn't read quickly enough.

Nadalo leaped into the air, and I caught her by the shoulders as she clawed at the armor on my chest and shoulders. Though she'd grown larger and was definitely stronger, she didn't seem as strong as the Vildekin who had attacked us earlier. I threw her onto her side on the road. "Faster, Meeka!" I ordered before snatching my faceplate and yanking it down.

Nadalo recovered from the throw quickly and lunged again, but I caught her by the wrists this time. Turning, I shove her back against the spire and pinned her there. Her feet lifted from the ground, and she tore at my stomach with her claws. Thankfully, the Armor of Espara held as sparks flew from the tearing claws. They had to be as hard as stone.

"Got it!" Meeka shouted, pinning the end of her finger on the page and reading aloud. "'Though a bite may inflict the Vildekin Curse, sharing bodily fluids with one can corrupt the subject as well. This will not cause an immediate change, and if left alone, will have no effect. But what fluids were shared may be used as a catalyst for a spell caster with the proper knowledge to curse the subject. In this case, she will not change into a Vildekin of the type with whom she shared fluids." Meeka lifted her head. "Instead, she will change to a Vildekin type of the caster's choosing."

Sidik slapped her hand down on the page. "Enough about how it happened! Tell us how to reverse it!"

As Meeka started searching pages again, Nadalo managed to grab my wrists and shove them down. She lunged, biting at my neck with her sharp fangs. She managed only to scrape them against the scaly armor there, but the attack startled me. I grabbed the back of her neck and yanked her down to the ground on her back. I pinned her arms to her sides and sat down on her stomach, trapping her arms against her sides with my knees. She continued to thrash wildly, but she could not lift my armored weight.

Meeka finally lowered the book. "I-It doesn't say. I don't know how to undo the curse!"

Sidik growled. "Can we at least stop her from trying to rip us apart?!"

Meeka bit her lip and put her hand down on the page. "Th-There could be a w-way."

"What is it?!" I demanded, but the words were muffled by my metal faceplate. I shoved it up. "How do we calm her down?!"

"Sh-She's become feral," Meeka answered shakily. "S-Someone needs to dominate her." She swallowed. "Show her you're in con-control."

"I think I'm doing that already," I spat back, keeping Nadalo pinned. "What more do I need to do?! She's still fighting with me!"

Sidik pushed herself to her feet. "Leave that to me. And keep her pinned down," the Sekrit ordered.

Walking around behind me, Sidik watched Nadalo's thrashing legs. She waited a moment, then caught one of her ankles. Pinning that leg down with her knee, she quickly caught the other and lifted the Vildekin Athra's leg. I watched over my shoulder as Sidik leaned down and blew a breath between Nadalo's legs.

Nadalo hissed, settling for a brief moment before she tried to jerk her arms free.

I grabbed her shoulders and squeezed my legs more tightly against her sides. Once I had a better grip on her arms again, I looked back over my shoulder.

"Take your gauntlets off," Sidik ordered before blowing another breath up between Nadalo's thighs. She leaned in and stroked her tongue between the Athra's folds.

I blushed brightly. "Sidik, what--"

Sidik lifted her head. "Just do it, damnit!" she ordered before pushing her face back down between Nadalo's thighs. She gave one long, slow stroke with her tongue, splitting the Vildekin's sex.

I looked back down at Nadalo. Her muzzle was tilted down, and her hissing was quieter. For a moment, I even thought I heard her purring. Sidik seemed to know at least something of what she was doing, so I started to undo my gauntlets. Once I had them off, I set them aside and looked back at Sidik.

"What now?" I asked.

"Start rubbing her breasts. I've got things down here," she added before her head dipped down between Nadalo's thighs again.

I looked down at Nadalo's chest. Her breasts were starting to rise and fall as her breathing became more steady. I heard quiet purring rumbling from her throat, but she still tried to tug on her arms. I moved my hands toward her breasts, squeezed my hands into fists, then opened them and grasped the pliable flesh. Her fur was soft, and her breasts overfilled my palms. I began to rub, massaging her black teats slowly and steadily.

Nadalo's head turned to the side, and she panted. Her purring became loud, and I could feel it rumbling against my hands.

I felt my face flush. This woman turned animal was an Athra, one in training to become a high priestess of the Shields of Espara. And here I sat, pinning her down to the ground and massaging her breasts as though a lover. It felt wrong to me in some way, but she was responding to it. I decided that if I were going to be doing such a thing, I would at least give her the treatment I would want from a lover.

I spread my fingers and squeezed. Her black fur rubbed the skin between my fingers, and her back arched. She pushed into my hands, her head finally turning to look up at me. She was panting and purring as she swept a flat, coarse tongue along the sides of her muzzle. I hesitated, unable to tell if it was a gesture of enjoyment or if she thought I looked delicious.

Pushing my palms to her nipples, I rubbed them slowly. I felt her hips pushing up against my armored thighs. I decided to use that as my cue as I let my fingers spread so that I could cup her breasts from below. When her hips rocked up, I squeezed my fingers together and pressed them up, pushing her nipples into sharp peaks. Her eyes closed, and she purred more loudly, panting with need.

I heard Sidik's voice come from behind me. "Whatever you're doing, keep it up. She's really liking it."

While I did as Sidik told, I watched Nadalo's nipples stiffen into pointed peaks. I could feel the heat flushing my face, tempted in my own way by their constant rise and fall. I lifted one hand to my lips and slickened my fingers with saliva, then lowered them to her nipple. Smearing it over her pert nipple, I left a thin layer of moisture, then moved my fingers away. Nadalo's body arched as the cool air of the fall swept the exposed flesh. I gave the same treatment to her other nipple as well, leaving them briefly exposed to the air. She shivered visibly.

Moving my hand to one of her arms, I kept it pinned in place and moved from atop her, perching on one side. I finally had a clear view of what Sidik was doing between Nadalo's thighs and learned that I could blush more deeply.

Sidik had wrapped a silk cloth around the hilt of one of her short swords. She held the hilt around its top end and had the butt firmly pushed against Nadalo's vagina, her folds spread and the rounded butt of the short sword, covered in silk, rubbing the exposed, pink flesh. She glanced up at me quickly. "Keep going. It's working."

I swiftly looked away and decided to occupy myself. Leaning down, I sealed my lips around one of her stiffened, chilled nipples. I swept it with my warm, wet tongue, lashing the exposed flesh in long strokes. Nadalo's purring only grew louder, and I could feel her stop struggling with me. Tentatively, I removed my hand from her wrist.

Her reaction was instant, and her hand went to the back of my helm. I thought she meant to claw at me, but she only pressed my face more closely to her breast. I suckled on her nipple briefly before replacing my hand on her breast. I put my palm to the stiff flesh to keep it from being chilled again and let go of Nadalo's other arm. Removing my helm, I set it aside so that the metal wouldn't push on her breast as I trapped the other nipple between my lips.

My eyes turned to Sidik. Nadalo let out a long, demure myewl as Sidik pushed the hilt of her short sword into her sex. The Athra's body arched, and her hips bucked, wiggled, then pushed back against the invader. She rocked, grinding on the silk-sheathed hilt. For long moments, she humped against the trapped weapon hilt, driving it into herself over and over and over.

Sidik lowered her lips and stroked along the apex of Nadalo's folds, tugging at them with each lick. She pressed her lips together and kissed firmly against the Athra's clit. When she lifted her head, she made a sucking kiss that seemed to make Nadalo shiver.

I glanced to Meeka then. She had her book raised and covering the lower half of her face. Her whole face was bright red while we pleasured the writhing Vildekin. Then I felt Nadalo's hand catch the back of my head, sliding into my short, blonde hair. She pulled me down again, and I returned to attending her nipples.

All at once, her claws clutched at my head painfully. She let out a growl, and I froze.

"Get her hands, damnit!" Sidik ordered as she pulled the hilt of her short sword back. Immediately, she plunged it between Nadalo's thighs again.

The Athra's grip on my head loosened, and I grabbed at her wrist. Pinning her arms back down again, I looked to Sidik.

The Sekrit withdrew the hilt of her short sword again, teasing it against Nadalo's folds while she spoke. "You want that, don't you?" she asked Nadalo lewdly.

Nadalo's response was to thrash and buck her hips, then hiss and bare her fangs. Sidik calmed her again by pushing the wet, silk-sheathed hilt against her sex. She then drew it back again.

"You can have it, Nadalo, if you'll calm down for us. Stop trying to claw at us and be a good little cat, won't you?" She accentuated her point by prodding the tip between Nadalo's folds again, but not penetrating her.

Nadalo myewled and panted again, then hissed when Sidik pulled the hilt back. She bit at the air, unable to reach my neck.

Sidik smacked the inside of Nadalo's thigh. "No!" she insisted. "Bad girl. No biting." Nadalo tried to bite again, but Sidik only answered by giving her another smack.

I heard the Athra whimper for a moment, but she put her head back down, no longer trying to catch me with her fangs. Sidik pushed the hilt of the short sword against her sex again, this time dipping half the length of the hilt into her sex. Nadalo arched, starting to grind on it again.

As Nadalo's panting grew louder, her eyes half-opened. Her head lay fully back, and she pinned her ears to her hair. Her hips rocked and humped against the impaler. Sidik then withdrew it again, and Nadalo hissed again, snapping at the air.

"No!" Sidik ordered, sharply smacking the inside of Nadalo's thigh. The smack was loud enough that I winced, almost feeling it myself. When Nadalo whimpered and put her head back down, Sidik smiled. "Good girl," she said before pushing the hilt back into place. She worked more feverishly, placing her fingers on Nadalo's clit. "Good giiirl," she said in a longer tone.

Nadalo's body arched, and her muscles visibly flexed. Her toes curled while Sidik practically assaulted her sex with the improvised phallus. The Athra's breathing caught in her throat, and all the while she climbed toward a rapturous peak, Sidik cooed and loudly, clearly complimented, "Good girl, goooood girl."

With a final, impaling thrust of the short sword's hilt, Nadalo's body sharply arched. Her thighs flexed, and her hips bucked. She spasmed, toes curling tightly enough for her claws to press against the pads on the bottoms of her feet. All at once, her nectar spilled from between her thighs and coated the hilt of Sidik's weapon. She let out a long, flowing feline screech as she hit her peak.

For a long minute, Sidik slowly stroked within Nadalo's sex, whispering loudly enough for her to hear "Good girl, Nadalo, very good girl."

Rising up, I let go of Nadalo's wrists. She didn't fight. Instead, she simply lay there, panting and purring in contentment. My face was hot, and I bit my lip. I had never seen such treatment before, and to experience it so close had even my loins warm and wet. I put my thighs together, resting my hands on top of them.

Sidik slowly pulled back her short sword. Pulling the cloth from the hilt, she sheathed the blade, then put the silk in her mouth. She leaned forward and pulled Nadalo up from the ground, cradling her in her arms and softly stroking her breast while she continued to whisper in her ear, "Good girl."

Once I was able to collect myself again, I swallowed. "Sidik, where did you learn to do that?"

She lifted her head, stroking the back of Nadalo's. She gave her answer with a wink. "I told you before, Delvara, I'm no angel." She looked back down again, nuzzling the side of Nadalo's head. The Athra simply purred. "You learn a few things along the way to becoming less than an angel."

Nadalo's calm manner made the truth of that clear to me. I turned my head away and looked back at Meeka. Her book still covered half of her face. I pushed myself up and held my hand out for her. "Come, Meeka. I think we should let Sidik handle Nadalo for now."

When Meeka took my hand, I pulled her up. She said nothing as she turned her back to Sidik and Nadalo, opened her book, and started walking. I wanted to find out what this would mean for our journey, but until I was certain that Nadalo was calm, I decided it was better to press on. Sidik seemed to have the Athra under control. And I dared not risk upsetting that.