Tania Read online

  With that, I strode out into the early morning street. It was even hotter and drier outside. The sun beat down on me. I earned that amazing tan honestly. I combed my fingers through my long, shiny blonde hair as I headed down the street. Men stopped and stared after me, and a few shouted rude offers. Oddly enough, I got a little thrill out of their offers. I had no doubt each and every one of them would be more than happy to follow through if I were so inclined.

  As I walked, I pulled the small pouch off my belt. My coin purse. Inside, I found a pair of cheap silvery earrings that dangled to my shoulders, and a few necklaces that looked even cheaper. After putting them on, I counted my remaining fortune. One. Two. Just two silver coins that the locals called "quid." Which was weird, since I was pretty sure "quid" was an English term for money, and my surroundings looked very Arabian Nights. As I recalled, Tark usually charged two quid for a room. So they wouldn't get me very far.

  "If I don't finish that job for King Khaffin by the end of the day, I'll have to go back and fuck Tark for a room again," I said, and felt my pussy get achy and slick. My heart raced, and it got harder to breathe. That thought, and the accompanying fear, left me quivery and queasy. "Most fucked up dream ever."

  Yet, my magical dream memory gave me my way out of sucking his cock again. I just had to put my bounty hunting skills to good use and find the King of Shadows. King Khaffin wanted him dead, and was willing to pay a small fortune to get it done. Unfortunately, I've only been in the city two weeks. I never heard of the King of Shadows before Khaffin gave me the task to find and kill him.

  "No way," I said, coming to an abrupt stop. I stared at a familiar woman standing in a doorway. Lady Sonja from the front desk, only now her red hair was dark brown, wavy, and waist length. Her milky complexion was desert dark, and her baby blues were deep brown. But it was the same face, the same sultry stare. Our eyes locked, and I felt that gaze in my bones. "I love my dream."

  Chapter 3

  You know I was thinking hot lesbian sex as I walked towards her. This might be my only chance to participate, instead of watching it on the internet. Her eyes promised so much wickedness, too.

  "Hello," I said to the kohl-eyed beauty.

  She looked me up and down with interest. She was fully clothed, but her red dress was the thinnest silk imaginable, with a plunging neckline and slit up her right leg. My eyes locked on her erect nipples, and then I noticed just how tightly that dress wrapped around her body. Her outfit didn't really hide any more than my loincloth and halter.

  "Come, my friend," she purred, beckoning me with one beautifully manicured finger. She had a ring on every finger, and two rings on a few fingers. I swear, I've never seen anyone wearing so much jewelry: rings, bracelets, chains of gold and silver, and the biggest chandelier earrings ever. "I've been waiting for you. We have much to discuss."

  "Talk. Right," I said, smirking as I followed her into the cool, dark mud brick house. "You are very beautiful, Lady Sonja."

  Her dark eyes narrowed, and I noticed confusion.

  "Who?" she asked. "I am Shikira. I do not know this lady called Sonja."

  Yeah right. I could play the game. Actually, it kind of seemed I didn't have a choice.

  "Really? That's a shame, because you and her could be sisters," I said.

  Shikira grunted dismissively. "I have too many sisters already. I don't need another."

  She backed into a small room with a single table and two chairs. The small round table was draped in black lace, with a crystal ball upon it. She waved me into one chair, and then sat on the other side of the table.

  "What are you? A gypsy fortune teller or something?"

  "Or something," she said. "I'm a seer."

  "You foretell the future with your crystal ball," I said, pressing the point.

  "Yes."

  "I don't have any money," I said. "I can't pay you."

  Her sexy dark kohl eyes held me enthralled a long moment. Then she smiled knowingly.

  "I know," she said. "I just want to help."

  It didn’t look like we'd be hooking up. No lesbian love for me. Have to admit, I was starting to lose interest in the way my dream had turned. It was getting boring real fast. Maybe it was time to wake up.

  "Very interesting," Shikira said. She was stroking her crystal ball lovingly, while gazing into its depths. Misty lights swirled within, and I discovered I couldn't pull my eyes from it. "You are two people. Tania Dragonslayer and Tanner Craig."

  "How did you know that?"

  "Powerful magic has sent you here," Shikira said. "You cannot return to your world until the deed is done."

  "What deed?"

  "The task King Khaffin gave you," she said. "You must kill the King of Shadows and give his head to King Khaffin."

  "And then I'll wake up?"

  "Wake up?" she said, giving me a curious look.

  "I'm dreaming," I said.

  "Ah," Shikira said, nodding and smiling. "Interesting. Dream or not, you cannot return to your real body unless you succeed."

  "What does that mean?"

  "Your Tanner Craig body is without a mind or conscious while you are occupying Tania's body," Shikira said. "If you fail in your task, it will remain so."

  "I won't wake up?"

  "Not as Tanner Craig," she said. "You will remain Tania for the rest of your life."

  That was kind of hard to wrap my mind around. I think she was saying it wasn’t a dream. I was somehow magically split from my body and sent to inhabit Tania's body so I could kill some guy."

  "Why me?" I said. "Tania was the bounty hunter, so she was more qualified than me to do this."

  "Tania is dead," Shikira said. "She died in her sleep, and her soul has fled the flesh, so you were brought here to reanimate her so she could finish. It is the will of the gods."

  "Gods? Plural? You're not Muslim?"

  "Huh? Muslin is a fabric."

  "Yes, but…never mind," I said. "Do you know what a Christian is?"

  "No."

  "Okay. Completely different world," I said. "What a dream."

  It was coming to me. The religious make up of my dream world was more messed up than the real world. According to my Tania memories, every region, kingdom, etc, had their own gods and religions, and that was the reason for most of their wars.

  Okay, maybe my dream world wasn't all that different from the real world.

  "So, where do I find this King of Shadows?"

  "In the darkest shadows," she said.

  "Nice," I said. "Can you be a little more specific?"

  "Not really," she said, returning to gazing into her crystal ball. "I see that you do find him, but there is no guarantee you survive the meeting. He's a vicious killer, which is how he rose to be leader of the city's shadow world."

  My memory translated "shadow world" to the real world's "underworld." The King of Shadows as a murderous mob boss of sorts. My kinky little gender-bending dream just turned dark.

  "So, I have to find this shadow king, kill him, and give his head to Khaffin?" I asked.

  Really, I already knew that. Tania met with the king before I arrived to save the day. I remembered their meeting much better after discussing it with Shikira. King Khaffin was a scary guy, and looked like a standard issue Hollywood movie Sultan. As I recalled, he was surrounded by a dozen gorgeous women in harem girl costumes, and blank eyes.

  "King Khaffin," she corrected me. "I'd be wary of speaking of him in such an insulting manner. He has spies everywhere." She glanced at the crystal ball, bit her lip, and shook her head woefully. "It might not be as simple as that."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Just delivering the head will not send you back to your world," she said. "After completing the task, you will need help vacating Tania's body."

  I didn't like the sound of that. Got a chill, actually.

  "Most likely, the king will be threatened by your competence, and fear for his own life," she said. "In which case he'll have you executed immedia
tely. Probably right there in front of him."

  "Are you serious?"

  "Very," she said. "But that will release your soul to go home."

  "That's a terrible way to end a dream. Dying."

  "There's a good chance it'll be worse," she said. "You are very beautiful, so he might give you to his men. You will probably not survive that more than a few hours."

  I couldn't even speak. Darkest dread gripped my heart with icy claws.

  "And there is a chance he thinks you're beautiful enough for his harem," Shikira said. "In which case, you could become one of his mindless playthings."

  "I don't understand."

  "Did you see his women when you met with King Khaffin?"

  "Yes. They were pretty, but very quiet and distracted looking."

  "Not distracted. Their minds were wiped clean by his evil magic," Shikira said. She grinned. "The king is impotent, so has to use an enchanted cock ring to enjoy his women. One of the enchantments of the ring forces his lovers to have powerful orgasms, and in the midst of that orgasm another spell activates that wipes away her memories and leaves her his absolute slave. His sexual plaything. And that, Tania, is your most likely fate, and yet your best chance of escape."

  "You're not making sense, and you're scaring me," I said. "All I got out of that is King Khaffin is either going to kill me or fuck me mindless. How is being fucked into being a zombie my best chance?"

  "Zombie?" she said, and then shook her head. "Doesn't matter. The cock ring's magic might release your spirit to return to your own world. If you are killed, whether summarily executed or tortured to death by his men, your soul will be released, but there is no guarantee it will return to your world and your real body. But magic brought you here, so a magical release is the most likely to send you back." She shrugged. "There are no guarantees."

  "Damn."

  Chapter 4

  I listened to the scrape and clatter of my heels as I walked. The sword slapping my thigh with every step was annoying, though in Tania's mind it was comforting. I kind of enjoyed the feel of my tits jostling with every step, and the way my hair bounced and caressed my shoulders and back. Well, the hair was pretty hot in that desert heat.

  The street was wide, with boardwalks on either side. Expensive boutiques and shops lined the street. The large, walled homes of the city's elite were also on that street, mingled with the shops, taverns, and government buildings. As far as I knew, it was the only street with boardwalks. The rest of the streets were bare dirt, though hard-packed.

  According to Shikira, this was the best place to find someone from the shadow world, since their favorite prey were the rich. I was concentrating on my coin purse, which I'd stuffed with stones to tempt a cutpurse.

  "Tania!" a man cried to my left.

  Thwack!

  "Aaiiee!" I cried, feeling a stinger on my right butt cheek. I whirled round to find a big warrior grinning at me. He was a good head taller than me, with long blonde hair, beard, and dressed much the same in loincloth, sword, and bracers. "Johan! I'll cut off your hand if you swat my butt again."

  "You say that every time."

  "I mean it this time."

  Movement behind the big barbarian caught my eye. A little hand appeared from behind him, palmed the leather purse hanging from his belt, and then I noticed the glint of steel as he sliced it open. It took all of five seconds. If that.

  "Cutpurse," I said. I just blurted it out without thought. Johan spun around, and backhanded a little man. At first I thought it was a child, but he was just a very short, very skinny adult man. "Get him!"

  I was going to make him tell me where to find the King of Shadows. That was my plan anyway. I didn't account for Johan.

  "Thief!" Johan cried, pulling his sword.

  The cutpurse squeaked, pulled a small knife, and slashed Johan's thigh. He rolled aside, barely avoiding the warrior's sword. Johan swung so hard that his blade sank deeply into the wood. The little cutpurse was on his feet running before Johan could pry his sword loose from the boardwalk. I ran around Johan and followed the shadow man.

  I was running in five inch stilettos. You know the barefoot bastard was faster, but I was just fast enough to keep him in sight through the winding alleys and streets. Finally, he crossed a wider, crowded street and burst through a group of scraggly young men and women. They shouted angrily at him as I passed through, following him into a dark alley.

  "Ha! I caught you," I said, seeing him crouched low and facing me.

  The alley was a dead-end. There was no way for him to get past me. The cutpurse was a small man, though a little bigger than me. Didn't matter. I was confident I could take him, and I had a sword.

  "No, warrior, we caught you," he sneered.

  I barked a laugh. "Right," I said, stepping closer. Then what he said registered. "We?"

  A tidal wave of humanity hit me from behind. Men and women swarmed over me. Someone unbuckled and removed my sword belt, disarming me. Men and women seized and held onto my arms and legs, and quickly forced me to the ground. I kicked and writhed, but couldn't break free.

  "Release me, or else!"

  "Or else what?" the cutpurse said.

  I didn't have an answer for that.

  They lashed my knees together, and then my ankles. I screamed, bucked, and fought them, but my captors wrestled my arms behind my back and lashed my wrists together.

  "Aaah! I'm going to beat you all to bloody snot!"

  "She's not a very friendly warrior woman," a young redheaded woman said.

  They all dressed pretty much the same, male and female, in undyed tunics and loose pants that went down just below their knees. None of them wore shoes. They were all filthy.

  "What should we do with her?" another man said.

  "Almet will buy her," another said. "Two of his girls got killed last week."

  "Who is Almet?" I asked, not really wanting to know.

  "He owns a brothel."

  "Figures."

  "No," the redhead said. "Oleric will decide. He's king."

  "Yes," I said. "Take me to the King of Shadows."

  "You want the King of Shadows to decide your fate?" the redhead said, shaking her head. "You're stupid. You'd be better off sold to Almet."

  "Wait. Why?"

  "You'll see," the cutpurse said. "Take her to Oleric."

  Six shadow men lifted me off the ground. Six pairs of bold hands touching, squeezing, groping me. Some sick bastard forced his finger up my butt, while another played with my pussy. My very hot and tingly pussy.

  "Hey! Show some respect," I said as they carried me back up the alley. The redhead barked a laugh and yanked my halter top off. Two guys started fondling my tits, playing with my now hard and erect nipples. It felt so damned good. "Oooh. You bastards. I'm going to… Aaaggh."

  I swear, those men carried bound and half-naked women all the time. They effortlessly held onto my writhing, bucking, struggling body with just one hand, so they could molest me with the other. It didn't take long before they had me hot and sweaty, moaning and groaning, and at the very brink.

  The shadow men returned to the street, and carried me down it. The other people barely gave me a second look. What kind of neighborhood were we in? My cries for help went unanswered.

  Soon, my bucking and writhing stopped being about escape, and became all about what they were doing to my obviously oversexed body. The nipple play was beyond belief. I swear, I wanted them to pinch, pull, and roll my nipples all day and night. It was that amazing. And the guy playing with my pussy was alternating between vigorously ribbing my clit and finger fucking me. The guy playing with my ass was just finger fucking me, but he was also making it more and more intense by adding more and more fingers to the mix.

  "I think we're making her final moments of life the best she's ever known," the redhead said.

  They all stopped molesting me.

  "Hey!" I cried. "What the fuck?"

  I was almost there. It was a big one, too. They
left me too tired to struggle, so I just relaxed and trembled in their hands. And panted furiously.

  "We're here," one of the men said.

  Since they were carrying me feet first down the street, I didn't see the door they turned into. We immediately started down a cold, wet stone stairwell. There were small, dim oil lamps lighting the way.

  There was a commotion and the murmur of voices the second we reached the bottom of the stairs. The place stank of the sewer, which I suspected was exactly where we were located. The only real light was from narrow slits high up in the ceiling.

  "Oleric, we caught a warrior woman," the cutpurse called. "A really pretty one."

  They stopped before a shadowy man sitting atop a poorly crafted throne. He looked a lot taller, though just as skinny, as the other shadow men. I couldn't get a good look at him, due to the position I was in.

  My tattered top and weapons were tossed on the floor in front of Oleric. Battle trophies? Did that make me a battle trophy? My Tania memory said, Probaby.

  "And you brought her here why?"

  "She attacked me," he said. "Chased me through the streets and into an alley, in fact."

  "Why?" Oleric said. He had a deep, accented voice. I don't know how, but I knew he was from the great Northern Forest. Tania grew up at the edge of that forest, far to the west, and was from a different tribe as the forest dwellers. "Did you steal her purse?"

  My captors finally stopped and set me on my feet. I was turned to face a tall, skeletal man with long gray hair and killer eyes. He dressed the same as the others, but I notice his left foot and right hand were mangled.

  A bitter, crippled warrior, I thought.

  His honor was lost when he failed to die in battle. Or at least that was what the men of the Northern Forest believed. I couldn't tell if his injuries were from battle or torture. If he was captured alive that was even more humiliating and degrading, stripping him of honor and self-esteem. Now he was a bitter, angry man.

  "Hello, Oleric," I said. "I'm Tania Dragonslayer. A fellow warrior. What say you take my purse and let me go? I'll happily be on my way."

  "Tania Dragonslayer?" he said, now glaring murderously at me. "The bounty hunter King Khaffin hired to hunt me down and kill me?"