The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

One Day Later

Aboard Matthew Freeman’s Private Jet – Somewhere over the Indian Ocean

“It’s a shame we couldn’t bring Zhao with us, either.” Angel said.

“We really didn’t have a choice,” Matthew replied. Angel nodded in response. She knew he was right. Valeria had booked a flight to Los Angeles from Shanghai, and from there she would go directly to Matthew’s home in Riverside. As for Zhao, he couldn’t be brought along since he was Madame Li’s Vassal. With Madame Li supposedly dead, Zhao’s presence would automatically mean that she was still alive and well.

“Still, I’ll miss the big lug,” Angel said.

“He’s better off where he is, protecting Madame Li,” Matthew added.

“So what’s the plan now?” Sharon asked.

“We find Gutambo and make him talk,” Matthew answered.

Sharon chuckled. “It’s not as easy as one, two, three, Matthew.”

Delilah nodded. “She’s right. When Crystal and I found Madame Li she had dozens of bodyguards with her. There’s no reason to think that Gutambo won’t be similarly protected.”

“Don’t worry about it. He still thinks we’re heading to Moscow, remember?” Matthew reminded them. “He won’t have his guard up. I still have a couple of tricks up my sleeve. Just like you,” he said, turning to Sharon. “I didn’t know you could use Winters’ ability to generate fire.”

“Only in short bursts,” Sharon said. “I don’t usually use it…because it gives me a headache, but when my emotions run high...it sometimes happens.”

“Impressive,” Matthew said. Sharon blushed. “Well, in any event we should land at OR Tambo International Airport in eight hours or so. Once we land, we can take a couple of cabs to the Westcliff hotel. I’ve already had Eva book us a couple of rooms—”

“Who’ll be sleeping with you?” Kimberly blurted out.

Sharon, Angel, and Delilah leaned in, waiting for his answer. Matthew scratched his head nervously.

“Um—”, Matthew stammered, “let’s work on that once we get there, okay?” The ladies dropped their shoulders in disappointment. “Anyway,” Matthew continued, “it will be the perfect place to operate from. It’s on Jan Smuts avenue, and it’s only five kilometers away from Museum Afrika, which houses the Museum of African Culture where Gutambo works as curator. Plus, it has a wonderful pool…”

“My god,” Sharon said softly.

“What?” Matthew asked defensively.

“Is there any place in the world you haven’t been to?” she asked in jest.

They all laughed.

True enough, just as Matthew had said, the hotel Westcliff had a nice pool. They arrived at the Westcliff close to 8PM, and they had hurried to their rooms to bathe and shower. They still remained undecided as to who would be sleeping with Matthew. An extra bed had been provided in one of the rooms, and Kimberly threatened to shoot anyone that even remotely suggested that she sleep in the other room, leaving one bed left for Angel, Delilah and Sharon to fight over.

Eventually, Matthew himself decided to intervene, and decided that he and Kimberly would sleep in the room with two beds, while the rest of them slept in the room with three, much to the disappointment of everyone else.

Kim couldn’t have cared less.

The three women leered at Kimberly as the redhead and Matthew entered their room, right beside Angel, Delilah and Sharon’s room.

As Matthew took a shower, Kim paced the room, thinking how best to get Matthew in the mood. She had been aching for some attention, despite the fact that he had fucked her soundly while they stayed at Madame Li’s palace in China. She wanted it to be special. She silently ran several scenarios through her mind, but couldn’t think of anything. Damn it, she thought to herself, what does a girl have to do to get fucked around here?

All of a sudden a hand came and grabbed a fistful of red hair, and pushed her face against the wall between her room and the room that the other girls were sharing. Another hand lunged forward and grabbed her arms. She could feel a wet muscular body press against her.

“You want to know what a girl needs to do to get fucked?” Matthew whispered into her ear. Kimberly gasped and smiled as she felt a familiar heat rising in her loins. She nodded. “You beg for it, bitch…” Matthew said, pushing her harder against the wall.

“AH!—” she gasped again, relishing in his rough treatment of her, one she had not gotten since that day he first fucked her. “Please…fuck me…”

He pulled her hair and extended her head back towards him. Licking her ear, he whispered again, “Say that again…properly…”

“Please, fuck Kim, Master!” She yelped, a horny smile across her face.

“Beg for it!” Matthew said, pushing her face back into the wall.

“PLEASE FUCK KIM, MASTER!” She screamed.

“Better,” Matthew said, as he took the towel that was around his waist and used it to tie her arms together at the wrists behind her back.

“Fuck Kim, fuck Kim…” Kimberly repeated.

Matthew smiled. He leaned forward, letting his semi-erect cock push against her ass, as Kimberly stuck out her rear in an attempt to rub against his length. Whispering again into her ear, he asked, “Tell me, have I ever taken your ass, bitch?”

Kim’s eyes opened wide. She shook her head.

SMACK! Matthew’s hand came crashing down on her exposed buttocks. “Answer me properly!” he demanded.

Kimberly gasped, shuddering in mini-orgasm as she felt the pain turn into pleasure as it ran up into her spine. “AH!—No, Master.”

“Would you like me to?” Matthew asked.

“Yes, Master.”

“Then tell me...properly.”

“Please, Master. Would Master please fuck Kim’s ass?”

“Very good. But we’ll need some lubrication, won’t we?” Matthew said.

“If it would please you Master, Kim could suck your cock…” Kim suggested.

“It may, but I have a better idea,” Matthew said, smiling wickedly. He leaned forward and pulled back on Kim’s hair. “I’m going to use your pussy juice instead…KIMBERLY.”

“AAAAAAAH!!!” Kim screamed. It had been so long since Matthew had used her full first name that she had nearly forgotten what it was meant to do. She shook violently as orgasm racked her body as if she had been hit like a freight train. Her knees buckled and gave way from under her. As she shuddered she fell to her knees, her face sliding against the hotel wall as she collapsed.

Matthew held the towel that bound her elbows together, preventing her from falling to the floor. By the time she had stopped shaking, she was whimpering in ecstasy. She took a deep breath, attempting to recover.

“KIMBERLY,” Matthew said again in his deep and charming voice.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH—GOD!!!” Kimberly wailed, shaking and thrashing her head as she came, squirting out a good amount of fluid. With only her toes in contact with the ground and Matthew holding up much of her weight through the towel, and with her face plastered to the wall for support she bucked, gyrating her hips widely in orgasm, spreading most of her juices onto the hotel floor.

She whimpered again, panting in pleasure.

Matthew smiled.

“KIMBERLY,” Matthew repeated.

“OH—” This time Kimberly made no sound at first, as her jaw dropped and her eyes rolled back, shuddering in orgasm for a second time, fierce spasms sending shockwaves straight into the pleasure centers of her brain. Then she screamed loudly and into the hotel room wall, thrashing her head about. When she finally calmed down, she was soaked and dripping from her pussy profusely, her inner thighs coated in thin, clear pussy juice.

She panted and began to cry. “So good…so fucking good…” she muttered.

“We’re just getting started,” Matthew said, pulling her up.

As he did, he found Kimberly unable to support herself with her legs. She simply could not stand. With a slight chuckle he grabbed her waist and hoisted her up with ease. Maneuvering her so that her arms, still bound at the wrists behind her, slipped around his head, he gently lowered her to his cock, letting the tip of his member press against her asshole.

Panting, Kimberly bit her lip, expecting it to come at any moment.

He leaned forward, smiling, with a mischievous look on his face. Clearing his throat, he leaned in once more to whisper into her ear.

“KIMBERLY,” he said.

As Kim felt the orgasm race through her he pulled down on her hips, impaling her onto his cock and invading her ass as the height of her climax washed over her. She let loose a primal scream, shuddering in pleasure as both pain and ecstasy sent her into overdrive. Orgasm devastated her entire body, and she had to use the wall in front of her as her head dropped forward.

Matthew wasn’t done with her.

He proceeded to fuck her ass, slowly at first but building in power and pace.

Kim moaned into the wall, not caring that her cries might be heard by other hotel guests. She was enjoying getting her ass destroyed, and damn it, she was going to be heard whether they liked it or not.

“Yes…god fuck her…fuck her…” Kimberly heard. The voice was familiar, but it had not come from anyone in the room.

“Stick that cock in her…yeah, oh yeah…” she heard again, this time from yet another voice.

“Fuck that puta, chico, fuck her…” came yet another voice.

For a moment, Kimberly chose to ignore the disembodied dirty talk. It must have been her imagination. Matthew was fucking her ass, and she could feel him drilling into her with powerful thrusts that sent mini-aftershocks throughout her body, and she was gushing like a faucet.

“fuckher…fuckher…that’s it…oh shit, I’m coming again…”

“me too…”

“me three…ay, papi!”

Again the voices came. Kimberly knew this time that they weren’t in her imagination. They were coming from the other side…from the hotel room next to theirs.

True enough, through the three inch wooden and concrete wall, three other women had their faces glued to the wall, as Sharon, Delilah and Angel were fucking themselves as they listened in on Kimberly’s cries of pleasure.

“Shit, he’s fucking her good…” Delilah said.

“I wish it was me…” Angel whimpered.

“Shhh!!!” Sharon shushed angrily, as three of her fingers frantically worked at her pussy. “I’m trying to listen…oh god…”

Delilah and Angel said little else, focusing on frigging themselves to climax.

As all three of them refocused their attention to the action on the other side of the room, Kimberly started to lose coherence of everything about her. Soon the only all she could sense was the sound pounding in her ass, the shocks of pleasure that shot through her with each thrust, and the mindless moaning and groaning, and even then, Kim had no idea if the moaning was her own or was coming from the room beyond.

Did it matter?

As Matthew delivered another powerful thrust, burying his cock so deep into Kimberly’s ass that she worried it would come out of her mouth, Kimberly decided that it didn’t.

Matthew gave one final push, his last thrust so strong it literally pinned Kimberly’s head and breasts to the wall. Orgasm hit them both, and the fiery redhead howled in pleasure, shaking in pleasure as she felt her ass get pumped full of Matthew’s jism. As if one cue, three other voices came screaming back in response, as Sharon, Angel and Delilah brought themselves to orgasm just beyond.

Matthew smiled as he withdrew his cock, guiding Kimberly’s descent to prevent her from injuring herself as she fell to the floor, too cum-drunk to move, her body still shaking from the aftermath of her explosive climax. A wide, satisfied smile was painted across her face.

Matthew stepped over her and faced the wall. Concentrating, he began to feel himself become lighter. Looking at his hand, he could see that he had become translucent. Smiling, he took one step through the wall, coming out the other side.

“Hello, ladies,” he said, looking down at the three women on the floor.

“Oh, shit!” Sharon exclaimed.

Hurriedly Sharon and Angel scrambled to their feet in embarrassment. Delilah simply sat up, a wide grin on her face, clearly not bothered that she had been caught with her pajama-pants down to her ankles and pussy juice all over the carpet beneath her naked cunt.

As Sharon and Angel got up however, their knees quickly buckled and they fell back down, prompting Delilah and Matthew to laugh. Matthew shot them a wink, saying, “Just wanted to make sure you enjoyed the show.”

Sharon and Angel just blushed. Delilah looked hungrily at the still-erect monster that stood at attention between Matthew’s legs.

Matthew winked at her as well, as if to say, ‘next time.’ Delilah shot him a flying kiss in response, and he became translucent once more and walked through the wall back into his room.

“Shit,” Sharon said.

The next morning, after everyone had had a hearty breakfast, Matthew called in a car rental agency nearby to rent two Mercedes-Benz sedans, one black and one white. Matthew, Sharon and Angel stayed in the black car while Delilah and Kim took the other, making their way to Museum Afrika separately, leaving early to avoid traffic.

It only made sense. They needed to establish whether or not Gutambo was still there. Delilah could easily detect him, and Kimberly had never been seen by Gutambo. Matthew parked a few blocks away to observe the people coming in and out of the building, while Kimberly and Delilah checked inside.

Kimberly and Delilah had been inside for no less than twenty minutes when they exited. They walked towards Matthew’s parked car. Matthew rolled down his window as Kimberly leaned down.

“He’s not here,” she said.

“He’s left?” Matthew asked.

“No, not yet. But he’s leaving tonight, according to his secretary.”

“Shit, I guess we’re screwed.” Sharon muttered.

“No, not necessarily,” Kim said. “She also said that he called early this morning to tell her that he’d be picking up some items from the office.”

“Good.” Matthew said. “All we need to do now is wait.”

“Delilah and I could wait in the office—” Kimberly started, but Delilah, who had been standing beside her, raised a hand and cut her sentence short.

“What is it?” Kimberly asked.

“I can sense him…” Delilah said. “He’s coming nearer.”

Kim swiveled and looked up and down the sidewalk. She scanned the people’s faces, but could not see him.

“Where is he, Delilah?” Sharon yelled from the passenger side.

“He’s coming closer. He’s coming from behind the car!” They looked, but they could see no one. That is until they saw a blue Honda Accord driving by. In the window, Lu-Makate Gutambo was in a gray business suit and sat at the wheel, a dumbfounded expression on his face as his gaze traveled to the occupants of Matthew’s vehicle.

His eyes grew wide.

“Shit…” Matthew muttered.

His jaw dropped.

“He knows…” Matthew said.

His teeth clenched.

“GET IN!” Matthew screamed to Kimberly and Delilah, who scrambled to the car doors and piled inside. “SHIT!” Matthew shouted as the Honda screeched and burned rubber, taking off down Jan Smuts at maximum speed. Matthew started the car and sped off after him, but he had a good head start.

Matthew silently thanked the heavens that it was Sunday, as there were fewer cars on the road. “We need to end this quickly…” he said, “the last thing we want is the police on our tail.”

The two cars cut corners and ran traffic lights. Gutambo wasn’t making this easy, but he was traveling in a predictable line, something which both Sharon and Kimberly easily picked up on.

“He’s not even heading for the airport or the docks…” Sharon muttered. “Where does he think he’s going? Why isn’t he trying to loose us?” Sharon asked as she brought out her pistol.

Matthew could only make a guess. “Because he’s not trying to get away from us…”

“So what IS he trying to do?” Angel asked.

“He’s trying to get to something,” Matthew reasoned. “Which means we shouldn’t stop him. He’s going for something important, we need to find out what.”

“Well it won’t matter if we’re placed under arrest,” Sharon said, her head shooting back and forth, looking for any sign of the law.

“Agreed. We need to make him think he’s lost us…” Matthew said.

“How?” Kimberly asked.

Matthew smiled. “Ladies, this is going to feel a bit weird.”

Matthew began to concentrate, and as Gutambo’s car turned right on one corner, everyone in the car started to feel lighter. Sharon, Angel, Kim and Delilah looked in awe as they saw each other slowly disappear into thin air, the car included. Soon they appeared as faint lines, slowly fading away until finally they vaporized into thin air.

Matthew had made them invisible.

It had worked.

Gutambo, seeing the black car was no longer hot on his tail slowed down.

Matthew followed from some distance, taking extra care to avoid traffic, hard as it was for regular motorists to avoid an invisible car.

“Where do you think he’s going?” Sharon whispered.

Though they could not see him, Matthew had rolled his eyes. “You don’t need to whisper, you know. We’re still in the car and he’s still in his car. He won’t hear us.” Sharon crossed her arms. Not that Matthew would have seen it.

Fortunately they didn’t have to wait long as Gutambo pulled up to a three-story house in the suburbs, not far from where they had turned invisible to avoid his detection. The house had a high stone wall surrounding it and a metal gate. Gutambo exited his vehicle and Matthew parked a block away. As soon as Gutambo stepped out Matthew killed the engine.

Gutambo nervously looked up and down the road, waiting to see if they had somehow picked up his trail and followed him. Convinced that he was safe, he opened the gate and ran inside.

Matthew let out a sigh of relief. The car slowly materialized back into view, as did the occupants. He wiped the sweat from his brow.

“Are you okay, Master?” Kimberly asked.

“Yeah,” Matthew said, taking some time for a few short breaths. “I’m good. Let’s go,” he said, drawing his Deseart Eagle and cocking the gun.

The five cautiously entered the gate, taking care as to not make any noise. They moved through the front lawn, sticking to the high walls of the lot. The house was three stories and of modern design, with a large front lawn and what appeared to be an access to the back door.

Delilah stuck close to Matthew. “He’s on the top floor…” she said, closing her eyes.

Matthew nodded. “Stay here with Angel. If he tries to make a run for it, drop him,” he whispered to her.

Matthew, Sharon and Kimberly entered the house, guns drawn. They could hear the ruckus upstairs. Gutambo was in a hurry…perhaps recovering something important. Matthew silently and swiftly climbed up, his gun at the ready.

As he, Sharon and Kim cautiously reached the landing, Matthew spotted a shadow moving behind the last door down the main hallway. He cocked his pistol, ready to fire. Stepping towards the door quietly, he motioned for Sharon to be ready on the opposite side and for Kim to back him up.

They nodded, moving themselves into position.

Matthew took a deep breath.

He swiveled quickly, using all his strength as he kicked the door clean off its hinges, sending it flying to one side of a room.

Suddenly he heard voices screaming.

As he trained his gun to the far side of the room, he was greeted by the sight of Lu-Makate Gutambo, his hands up, a spherical green force field surrounding him.

Behind him, a woman and two children peeked out, the terror in their eyes taking Matthew off-guard.

“Please,” the youngest cried, “don’t hurt papa…”

“Shhh,” Lu-Makate said, comforting her, “it’s going to be all right, Challa.” He looked into Matthew’s eyes, and Matthew knew that look.

“Shit…” Matthew muttered under his breath. Sharon and Kimberly were at his side in seconds, guns drawn and trained on the family.

It took only seconds for Matthew to do what he did, but to everyone in the room, especially the woman, who shook as she cradled her two children, it must have taken forever. Matthew lowered his gun, and Sharon and Kimberly did the same.

“Please,” Lu-Makate pleaded, “please, just let my family go…”

Matthew raised his hand and pointed a finger at him. “You,” he said sternly, “downstairs with me. NOW.”

Lu-Makate nodded. His force field dropped, and he stepped forth slowly. His wife lunged forward, grabbing his arm with one hand while the other remained tightly wrapped around their children. “Please,” she begged, “don’t go, Lu, please don’t go…” Lu-Makate smiled and kissed her forehead.

“It will be all right, Amalia. Watch over Shari and Challa,” he said, a tear rolling down his face.

Matthew looked at Kimberly. “Get Angel and Delilah up here to watch them.”

Kimberly nodded and made her way downstairs. Matthew looked at Lu-Makate as he held his wife tightly in his arms. He shook his head. He was right. Lu-Makate WAS trying to get to something important…his family.

Fifteen Minutes Later

“What are you planning to do to them?” Lu-Makate asked worriedly.

“Nothing.” Matthew said blankly. “I just want some answers.”

“You came here to kill me,” Gutambo said.

“If necessary,” Matthew said coldly. “Don’t think that I won’t.”

Gutambo nodded. “I don’t doubt it,” he said solemnly. “I deserve it for what I did.”

“What DID you do?” Sharon said as she entered the living room with Delilah beside her, leaving Angel to watch the family.

Lu-Makate took a deep breath. “There’s a scroll on the table…it will explain everything.” He pointed to a black, thin, plastic cylindrical drum container on the table. Kimberly walked over and picked it up. She opened it and fished out a large brown scroll before approaching Matthew and handing it to him.

Matthew unrolled the scroll. His eyes widened as he browsed through the contents.

“Is this what I think it is?” Matthew gasped.

Lu-Makate nodded.

“What is it?” Sharon asked, peeking over his shoulder.

“It’s a Dark Anointment ritual,” Matthew said, “a version of the Anointment that was done to the Knights…”

“Except this ritual…creates monsters…” Lu-Makate said slowly.

Kimberly scanned his movements. His breathing was slightly labored, he was shaking his head and his kept fidgeting with his fingers. He continued to bounce his leg up and down. But he wasn’t sweating…which meant he wasn’t afraid…he was feeling guilt, he was feeling remorse.

“The Dark Anointment…it was what you did to Balthus’ Vassals, wasn’t it?” Matthew asked.

Lu-Makate nodded. “He wanted to create his own Collectors…he wanted to eliminate half the Order of Kings.”

“Why? To what end? The Pseudo-Collectors he made are flawed.”

“Yes, prone to unstoppable bouts of violence and brutality, losing the capabilities for rational thought and human compassion. Only rage…blindless rage, perfect killing machines. They feel no fear…no remorse…” Lu-Makate trailed off, biting his lip.

“WHY?” Sharon yelled. “Why would you betray the Order?”

Lu-Makate seemed to lose himself as he stared into space. “For them…” he said plainly, as if the answer were obvious. He raised a hand to his face and buried himself into it in shame. He began to sob. Sharon, taken by surprise, backed off. After a sniffle or two, Lu-Makate spoke again, but avoided eye contact with all of them. “He tried to convince me, at first, saying it was necessary…but I said ‘no’, calling him crazy. He kept on insisting that we would need them in the days to come, but I flatly refused. He became obsessed, accusing me of being a coward…like most of the Order. I threatened to approach Winters and Lancaster with it, but then—”

Matthew nodded. He understood. His thoughts suddenly flew to the golden-haired goddess waiting for him in California. “—he found out that you had fallen in love,” Matthew finished.

Teary-eyed, Lu-Makate nodded. “He had his agents watching me…he said that unless I agreed to do things his way, no force field I could ever generate would protect my family forever. He said one day, I would get careless, and when I returned to them, they would be—” he shook his head, unable to finish.

“I’m sorry,” Lu-Makate said, “those things, I created with the Dark Anointing. First, that Zane fellow. He was a good kid…and I made him into a psychopath. Then came Blackwell. He was already twisted when Balthus brought him to me…and I made him worse.”

“Well, they’re gone now. And you’re under my protection,” Matthew said.

Sharon walked over to Matthew and whispered into his ear. “How do you know he’s telling the truth?”

“Because I saw how he held his wife...and when you love someone that much, you don’t use them as an alibi,” Matthew said simply.

“Dammit Matthew! Not everyone is like you!” Sharon raised her voice, her volume so high it could barely count as a whisper.

“They don’t have to be to know how to love, Sharon,” Matthew said.

“Matthew—”

“Trust me.”

“I—” Sharon paused, then took a deep breath to calm herself. “I—I trust you.”

Matthew nodded. He turned to Lu-Makate. “Lu, I need to know what Balthus was trying to accomplish. He would not have been able to absorb the energies of the Ascended that his Pseudo-Collectors killed, am I correct.”

“Yes. Zane and Blackwell could absorb other Empowered Ones’ Powers, but they would never have been able to transfer them to Balthus.”

“Which means the Pseudo-Collectors were simply pawns…trying all the while to perfect them into the ideal killing machines simply to kill the Ascended…he just wanted the people he believed strong enough to stop him, dead.” Matthew concluded.

“Why?” Kim asked.

“Why else?” Matthew shrugged. “Power. Absolute power.”

“But why bring Cunningham and Leone along for the ride? More partners means less power. Why would he be willing to share a piece of the pie?” Sharon added.

“Simple…” Matthew answered. “He NEEDED to.”

“I don’t get it,” Sharon said. “Why would he actually NEED Cunningham and Leone?”

Matthew turned to Lu-Makate. “You know the answer to that, don’t you Mr. Gutambo?”

Lu-Makate nodded. “Final Ascension,” Matthew and Lu-Makate said in unison.

“What’s that?” Sharon asked.

Lu-Makate answered. “When the Order of Kings was first founded, it was meant as a means for the Ascended and other Empowered to protect each other against the forces of Heaven, should they ever return to Earth to wipe us off the planet. If the Order failed, Azrael and Azazel also developed a contingency plan…that was the ritual known as the Final Ascension.”

“Which meant what?” Delilah asked, who had thus far remained silent.

Lu-Makate continued. “In the event that half the Order of Kings died, the remaining Ascended Ones could choose a single member amongst them, and then perform a regular Ascension ritual upon him.”

“But why perform an Ascension on someone who was ALREADY Ascended?” Sharon inquired.

“And why would you need HALF of the Order dead?” Delilah added.

“Well, the basis of the Ascension is to share and feed upon each others’ Powers,” Lu-Makate explained, “which means we fuel each others’ strengths, and therefore we multiply our powers greatly. BUT, if our number should ever decrease, we also weaken exponentially. It was generally believed that a minimum of SIX of us was needed for out Powers to remain magnified. If the number were to ever dwindle to five or less, we’d have Power levels similar to our non-Ascended states.”

“Okay, so that explains why a Final Ascension is done when half the Order is dead, but why would you still need to perform an Ascension ritual on an Ascended?” Sharon asked again.

“Because if an Ascended One is ALREADY sharing the Powers of all other others within the Order of Kings, then doing an Ascension ritual means—” Lu-Makate began.

Matthew finished for him. “It means that whoever they choose for Final Ascension receives virtually ALL of the remaining Power within the Order…a last ditch effort to create a being so powerful that he would become virtually omnipotent in the hopes of saving all Fallenkind.”

Lu-Makate nodded in agreement. “He seeks to destroy the Order and crown himself Lord of all Empowered.”

“There’s just one thing, though,” Sharon said. “I thought he needed FIVE within the Order to perform the Final Ascension.”

“Well, just four, really,” Lu-Makate corrected, “the fifth member would have been Balthus.” Lu-Makate’s eyes grew wide, and the Knights looked at each other with a grim expression on their faces, with the exception of Delilah.

“What’s wrong?” Delilah asked.

Matthew answered. “Well, Balthus is the leader, and we know he’s in league with the White Rook Arnold Cunningham AKA Pandragore, the Black Queen Narisa Leone AKA Pandora, and you, Mr. Gutambo, or I should say Zarastopheles, the Black Bishop.”

“And?” Delilah asked again.

“That’s four Ascended Ones,” Matthew said grimly, “we’re short one traitor.”

Close to an hour had passed since anyone had spoken. Sharon in particular was a bit distraught.

“Do you know of anyone who is also working with Balthus?” Sharon asked Lu-Makate, but he shook his head.

“To tell you the truth, I didn’t even know Narisa and Arnold were in on it. I was on a need-to-know basis. I guess Balthus didn’t think that I needed to know,” Lu-Makate reasoned. “Still, maybe the most obvious reason is the actual reason.”

“And what exactly is the most obvious reason?” Sharon asked.

“Maybe Balthus wants to try the Final Ascension anyway, even if it isn’t complete,” he answered.

“It doesn’t matter…it doesn’t change what we have to do…” Matthew added.

“Agreed,” Sharon said.

“And what of me? What of my family?” Lu-Makate asked. “If Balthus finds out that I betrayed him—”

Matthew raised a hand and stopped him mid-sentence. “He won’t be able to do anything to you, I’ll make sure of that. But I need your help.”

“How do I know that I can trust you?” he asked.

Matthew shrugged. “You don’t,” he said plainly. “But the way I see it, you’ve got two choices. Either you trust the man who threatened to kill your family, or you trust in the man who’s promising to protect them. The choice is yours.”

Lu-Makate nodded slowly, his eyes diverting to the floor as he remained in deep thought. Finally he stood and offered his open hand to Matthew.

“I trust you,” he said, as Matthew shook his hand firmly.

“Good. Here’s the plan...”