The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

A silence embodied the conference room, as the two commandos stood, relating their mission to the occupants of the room. A civilian, Shelley Preston, also sat in the corner. A close personal friend of the target, she was allowed in the debriefing by Colonel Benson, who sat behind his desk, waiting. The fact that she had been the one to alert the Colonel as to their Commander’s distress did not go unnoticed. The two commandos had nodded once to Ms. Preston, in acknowledgment, before starting.

“Sir,” the woman, Sergeant Evans, began. “We made our way through the compound, and reached our objective, but...” she trailed off a bit, uncertainly, glancing at her partner.

“You see, Colonel,” the man picked up, “the target, Mr. Darke, He’d been undergoing some kind of... of torture. He was being held in the lab, where the scientists were apparently experimenting on Him. By the time we got there, it was too late.”

For an instant, Shelley’s heart stopped. “You mean... He’s dead?”

“No,” the man shook his head. “Not dead... I mean... hell, I don’t know what they were doing in that lab before it got blown all to hell, but the man looked like walking death itself. He was alive, but... well, I don’t know how to describe it, sir. He looked malnourished, as if they’d tried to starve him to death. Nothing but skin and bones, and his skin was red and raw, and badly scarred and burnt. I was surprised he could even stand... yet when we entered the room, he’d apparently killed several hostiles and had another in a chokehold, strangling the life out of him.” The sergeant shook his head again, in disbelief. “Damnest thing I’d even seen in my life. He had been pushed over the edge, sir. When he saw us, he...” Sergeant Matthews shook his head again, this time in an attempt to shake off the icy trickle moving down his spine.

“Yes?” the Colonel prompted. “He what? What did he DO, Seargeant?”

Again, the two sergeants glanced at each other, unsure how to proceed. Standing up in his impatience, the Colonel growled. “Alright then. Out with it. There’s something you two are not saying, and I want you to spit it out now! No more beating around the bush, Sergeanst Evans, what happened out there?”

“I can answer that,” a weary female voice called from the doorway. Janice walked inside the room, nursing a bandaged arm treated by the company medic, extending the other to the Colonel. “You must be the infamous ‘Colonel’ He spoke of so often.”

“And you would be Janice Meadows,” he returned, nodding slightly for her to sit. “I’ve heard a bit about you from Him as well.”

Ex-military, served in the Persian Gulf for four years. Trained in combat, and commando tactics, but left to pursue a career in the private sector. A bad career move that ended up playing an integral part in Mr. Darke’s capture, turning him in to her former colleagues at the Organization. This mess is her fault, but she apparently knows it, from the guilt and worry etched on her otherwise lovely face. She feels responsible, and rightly so, but perhaps she can help make it right.

“We can dispense with the pleasantries later,” he continued brusquely. “Tell me, Ms. Meadows. What happened in that basement lab that everyone is so reluctant to discuss?”

Janice took a moment to collect her thoughts. “Well Colonel,” she began, “as they’ve no doubt told you, all of our efforts to rescue Mr. Darke were wasted. He’d already managed to escape and free Himself. Unfortunately, He had to go through hell and back to do it.”

Janice glanced at Shelley, and felt a sympathy for the girl, for having to learn what she had already seen. “He’s not the same anymore. Whatever they did to Him down there affected Him badly. He was... out of control. When we arrived, He had just killed someone with—” glancing at the two soldiers, unsure of just how much they knew, “—with His bare hands. There was a Madness in His eyes, and He started towards us, either not knowing who we were or not caring. I reached out to Him, called out to Him, and finally was able to break through to the real Him in time, but it was a close thing.” Janice sighed deeply, remembering the pained look in His eyes once He had realized what He’d done. “In the end, He simply left. He took off alone, probably to spare us all from whatever was eating Him up inside.”

“But... but where did He go?” Shelley asked plaintively. Throughout the telling of events, she had gone through the entire range of emotions, from relief at knowing He was still alive, to horror, as she found out about the killing, to a deep sense of despair at the news that He had simply walked away and disappeared. Again. “Surely you followed Him and tried to persuade Him to return with you?”

“That’s the damnest part,” Sergeant Evans commented. “He left ahead to ‘clear the way’, whatever that meant. We were right behind, but somehow or another, He’d managed to spirit Himself away somehow. I mean, we were right behind Him, then a second later, He was gone. Vanished. We never saw a sign of Him after that, though we did run into more of His... handiwork, on the way out.”

“One more thing, Colonel,” Sergeant Matthews said after a moment. “He asked us to deliver a message to you, just before He left. He said, ‘Tell him it’s over. The mission is completed. Run Operation 1732 then disconnect.’ He said you’d know what it meant, sir.”

“I see.” The Colonel sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair.

To Shelley, the man who had seemed so indomitable throughout the whole crisis suddenly seemed to age, as if the stress of recent events had pulled the plug on his endless store of energy. She wondered briefly how she herself looked; she knew she must have aged ten years tonight from worry alone.

“Alright, men,” the Colonel said after a moment. “You did an excellent job. I’m proud of you both. You helped free the target, even if indirectly, and you helped rescue Ms. Meadows here. We’re done here, and we move out within the hour. Go see and see the medic, let him check you over, then head up to the Evac site. I’ll debrief you when we get airborne.” The two sergeants rose to their feet, saluted, and walked out.

Once they were alone, the Colonel reached inside his desk drawer, took out a flask of brandy, and downed half of it in one gulp. Shaking his head, he breathed deeply and turned to the two women. “Let me put the cards on the table, ladies. The Commander always knew that one day He might be co-opted by someone, taken by a stronger Ancient and turned, used as a weapon against the Others, or against us. In the time I’ve been working with Him, we’ve worked out a system for every contingency.” The old man sighed, taking another heavy dose of brandy. “Operation 1732: a covert-level, no-mercy strike on Him, personally. He has just ordered me to take Him out. Hard.”

“NO!” Shelley cried out, while Janice yelled, “You can’t!” but Colonel Benson slammed a fist down on the desk, silencing them.

“AT EASE, ladies. Relax. I don’t plan to go through with it. He needs help, something that perhaps the two of you can do. I can’t go after Him, and I WON’T, not unless He’s so far gone that He comes after me or my men. We’ll defend ourselves, but we’ll not hunt Him down like some rabid animal. I owe him too much.” The Colonel sighed, images of his youth swimming before his face.

An assignment in Pakistan. His young wife and son caught in an explosion meant for him. Lying there, barely breathing, covered in blood, so much blood... and then a voice, close to him, inside his head, promising to save them, save them both, asking only for loyalty in return. He’d no doubt say I’ve repaid that debt a hundred times over, but it would take a hundred lifetimes to give back what He gave me.

“Now,” he continued after a moment. “That said, I know you two can find Him. Ms. Meadows, I know of your... abilities. If anyone can find Mr. Darke, you can. You, better than anyone, know what He is going through, what you will be facing.”

“Of course,” she responded. “I plan to start looking for him as soon as I’m finished here.”

Nodding, he turned to face Shelley. “Ms. Preston, I’d advise YOU, however, to stay away. You’re a lawyer, with no training, or skills, to help you in what could very well be a battle to the death. But... I know you heart, and your devotion to Him won’t allow you to stay away, no matter what I say. So, go with Ms. Meadows. Perhaps the two of you together can reach Him.” Glancing at his watch, he reluctantly got to his feet. “I must be going now. I’ve got much to do, and little time to accomplish it. I wish you all the best of luck.”

“And to you, as well, Colonel,” Janice said softly. “What will they do to you over this when you return to the States?”

Shelley stood there in confusion, not understanding, as the Colonel sighed, seeming to sag even deeper under this new weight. The old Colonel turned to Janice, pondering his situation.A court martial, I suppose. Not that I mind too much. I knew when I ordered the strike that I would be finished. No matter how well we have concealed our actions here, eventually England’s MI5 or the CIA, or some other group will discover just who’s responsible.

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what my superiors do to me. Even if they lock me up and throw away the key, I’ll survive. I’m an old warhorse, Ms. Meadows. They won’t break me.”

Finally it clicked in Shelley’s mind. The Colonel was now a marked man in his own country. “Why?” Shelley managed after a moment. “Why did you do this? Why’d you risk everything to save Him?” The Colonel paused at the doorway, and turned back to look at Ms. Preston one last time.

“Wouldn’t you have done the same?” he said with a sad smile as he left the room.

Jonothan Darke gazed out at the moonlit sky, breathing deeply, letting the cool night wind flow over and through him, as if enough exposure could cool the deep throbbing burn within his soul. The darkness welled up within him at the thought, and for a moment, the murderous rage consumed him, tormenting him with images of his enemies, of those who had fought against him, had hurt him, over the countless years. With an effort, he forced it back, cajoling, pummeling, and forcing it back down again. Only when his vision had cleared again, and he could once more see the shining stars twinkling above, did he breath a sigh of relief.

The battle within takes its toll on me. I’d hoped to be able to complete this journey in my own way, in my own style, but things have gotten out of hand. Yet another of Life’s Little Ironies—to have scraped by and endured for centuries, surviving encounters with the Salamander, the Horror, and the Spider, and yet brought low by mere humans and their technology. Even the Serpent, or rather her new pale ‘Shadow’, managed to humiliate me! Images flooded his mind: D’Amber’s taunting smirk as she released him from his bondage, ordering him out... Jackal’s arrogant sneer as he pointed his gun into Darke’s face... the mad doctor’s wicked smile as he turned on his evil machine... The dark rage bubbling just beneath the surface swelled and burst forth again.

With a savage cry, he struck out mindlessly, instinctively, falling to the ground, letting the Darkness within him flow outward. When his eyes cleared once more, he gasped softly, looking at the ruined earth beneath his feet, the dead and dying shrubs and brush in his vicinity. Seeing the damage his loss of control had caused, he closed his eyes again.

Sketi... even worse off than I had thought. My balance is completely gone. If I can’t find it again, and soon, I may go the way of Ragnihr, and become a Dark Soul, feeding on others, draining them of their life like the dreaded vampir of the books and movies. Bloodsuckers, indeed. If those writers truly knew from where those dark ideas originated, of the real Dracul of ages past, they’d have been too afraid to even think of writing it down.

Thoughts of Ragnihr conjured up thoughts of his sister, Kresta, and again his gaze turned dark. Kresta was far too young and too innocent to deserve such a fate. Have I avenged my sister’s murder only to finally become the very embodiment of her killer? He swore softly, promising her dead spirit that he would rather die than become like Ragnihr.

Getting back to his feet, he trudged on, moving forward through the frozen, rocky ground, heading on towards his destination. Things were coming to a head. The River spoke to him, sending him the cries, the pain and agony of its victims, the dark fury swelling and churning within its depths, matching that within himself. The Dragon, Celestial Fu, was up to something, trying to flood the Great River with her evil, rending the life energies of innocents in some mad plot. The desperate last moments of each victim’s life sang to him silently, a montage of pain and suffering, of words and images, that he was struggling to comprehend. Something had to be done to stop this defilement. Someone would have to stand against her, and soon. Darke knew he was no match for her, that compared to her, he was nothing, an insect, to be swatted away, or squished under her heel. And yet, he had changed. Had BEEN changed by the River, altered, perhaps forever.

An insect, yes. But even the tiniest of insects can be a nuisance. Even an insect may be deadly, if it carries venom. By your own hand, you’ve given me enough venom to down a Titan. But first, I must find my balance, lest I succumb to my own poison.

“Are you sure he’s there?” Shelley asked again.

Janice Meadows panted slightly, watching as her breath misted before her eyes, becoming a fog that dissipated moments later. Several lengths behind her, Shelley Preston gasped for breath, striving to keep her teeth from chattering as she took in one frigid breath of air after another. After more than six days trekking across the frozen icecap, she hadn’t yet managed to adapt to the cold. Janice had been sorely tempted to leave her behind after the first day, when the well-bred, civilized city girl had raised much ado about sleeping under the stars. “You’re from Canada, for Christ’s sake!” Janice had exclaimed in exasperation when she complained for the umpteenth time. “I would think living so near the Arctic Circle you’d be used to a little cold!” Unfortunately, the lawyer habitated in a climate-controlled, split level manor house, worked in a temperature regulated office building, and summered in an expensive beach house in the Florida Keys. And in the entirety of her thirty-six years, she had never once been camping.

“Do you really think He’s out here?” Shelley asked, wasting the precious air of her lungs to ask another pointless question. “I mean, it’s so barren out here, just frozen ground, volcanic rock, shrubs and grass, and ice! Who could live out here? Who would WANT to live out here?” Janice merely grunted loudly, not bothering to reply. Darke was definitely there. Her ‘Radar’ had locked onto him tight and steady, and now that he was no longer trying to hide himself, she doubted that she could miss him if she were blindfolded and muffled.

Of course, I could have been there much sooner if I weren’t dragging along little Miss Useless behind me, she thought venomously. Why I ever agreed to bring her along, I’ll never know. True, she did have the money and connections to get us equipped with clothing, gear, and a quick flight out here to the middle of nowhere, all on incredibly short notice. Still, once I’d located His position, I should have thanked her for the help and took off by myself.

Shelley stumbled along, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the jarring pain in her nearly frostbitten feet that accompanied every step, trying to will more warmth into her body, struggling to keep up with the hardened, woods-wary, warrior woman. She knew Janice resented her being here, that her presence was slowing the other woman down, and that if she thought Shelley could possibly survive in the woods alone long enough to make her way back to civilization, she would have left her behind in a heartbeat. She knew all this, and the shame it caused chafed her constantly. Yet, she couldn’t turn away. Shelley was determined to be there when Janice finally caught up with Darke. It was more than just wanting to be there. Something inside her, some gut feeling, told her that she HAD to be there. She couldn’t explain it, not to herself, let alone to Janice, but she was determined to endure every hardship and trial in order to reach her Master again.

The ice began to give way more and more to the hard half-frozen ground, and Shelley began to notice the temperature starting to rise the further they traveled. The land around them now seemed to be alive with geothermic activity, and she recalled reading somewhere that Iceland was a well known center of geysers and volcanos and hot springs. The thought of volcanos and geysers worried her somewhat, but the idea of a nice hot spring definitely appealed to her right now.

They traveled for three more days, through the sparse underbrush and grasslands up into the high range of cliffs overlooking a fjord. Shelley had to admit there was something strangely peaceful and majestic about the land, with its rising peaks and low white landscapes, so reminiscent of her native Canada. Not nearly as densely populated, the silent world around her held an almost mystical feel, as if the wonders of the past slept deep within these hills. She was so caught up in her musings that at first she didn’t notice that they’d stopped hiking.

“We’re here,” Janice said simply, lowering her pack from her shoulders.

Shelley glanced up, seeing the mouth of a large cave ahead of them, no doubt part of the natural network of caverns running through the rugged cliff walls. “Are you sure?” she asked dubiously. “Not that I doubt your abilities... its just... why on earth would he come way out here in the middle of nowhere to hide in a cave?”

“I don’t know. But there is something special about this place. Can’t you feel it? For one thing, it’s so WARM here.” Janice took off her heavy coat, rubbing her arms a bit. “I can’t explain it more than to say it just has a strange feel to it... something that makes my blood rush through my veins.”

“So, you can feel it too?”

Janice and Shelley gasped aloud, both turning to find Darke standing behind them, idly, looking down at them through half-lidded eyes. Shelley noted his dress with interest; he’d traded in his normal attire for what appeared to be a wolfskin loincloth, boots, and a fur cloak around his shoulders. Normally, the sight of her beloved would have overridden her reason; indeed, she had planned to rush to him the moment they’d found him, and clutch him close, never letting go, but the sight of him appearing so abruptly, and thus bedecked, made up like some Hollywood-version Indian, gave her pause.

“I would say I’m surprised to see you,” he reflected, “but the truth is, I feared you’d come. Against all odds, I knew you two would be the ones to find me.” He sighed, shaking his head. “I’d almost hoped the Colonel would have gone through with his last orders and sent his men to take me out. Death would have been easier than what I will be forced to face.”

“Jonothan,” Janice said, speaking through the lump in her throat, taking a step forward. “Are you okay? We were all so worried about you—”

Darke took a step back, eyes blazing. “Stop, Janice! Don’t come any closer. I’m not... I still haven’t gotten a handle on it yet. Just keep your distance for now.”

She moved back towards Shelley, who stood there silently, just basking in the joy of having found her Master again. Remembering her lessons, Janice looked at him with her Other Sight, catching a faint outline of energies crackling around his form. As she watched, it died down slowly, like a fire snuffed out, becoming a smoldering blaze, then a spark, then going completely cold. When Darke glanced at her next, she saw his eyes were once again a deep brown.

“What are you doing here?” she asked after a moment. “What is this place? And why are you dressed like that?”

“So many questions. I see you STILL haven’t learned the one lesson I tried to hard to teach you—that patience is a virtue.” Turning on his heel, he walked towards the cave. “Come. We’ll speak for a while before I send you back home again.”

“Send us back?” Shelley exclaimed. “No! I’m not leaving you again, Master. Not after the last time—”

“You WILL, if I send you, Shelley,” Darke spoke harshly, gazing at her with those deep hazel eyes. “Don’t think for a MOMENT that you can defy me in this. What you want means nothing to me. You’re only here at all because I felt a moment of sympathy towards you, and let you remember me. I can easily take that memory away from you again with but a gesture.”

Shelley gasped, her body flooding with panic, and strangely enough, deep arousal. His voice had been cold, cruel, calculating, very dominant, and though his words hurt her to her heart, they stirred her submissive nature, making her thighs slick and her breath short. As much as she feared being thrust from him again, Shelley felt herself longing for his control, yearning to taste his powerful presence stroking her mind, kneading it like clay, melting her will into nothingness.

Janice suppressed a shudder of pleasure as well, turning her eyes back to her Master as they made their way through the cavern. “We traveled all the way her, across an icy frozen tundra, just to be with you. I don’t know what it is you’re facing—”

“That’s right. You DON’T,” he countered, moving steadily through the dimly lit passages.

“—but,” Janice continued doggedly, “I do know that you need us. This battle you’re trying to fight can’t be won by yourself. Please, let us at least TRY and help. Running all the way out here to hide yourself away, just to save us from what you’re becoming was noble, but—”

“It wasn’t ‘NOBLE’, not your limited concept of the word, anyway,” Darke replied bitterly. They stepped into the central cavern, an immense chamber hidden inside the cliffside walls. Janice and Shelley were left speechless as they took in their surroundings. Strangely sculpted columns jutted out from the floor and walls, some resembling naturally formed tables and chairs, or even beds. Small open pools jutted up from the ground in places, some filled with hot bubbling water, some with red-hot solidified lava. Steam rose up from each to the high ceiling far above. Around the cavern in certain places, sat artifacts of a different time, hand carved tools of bone, and hide, bowls and drinking gourds, and various other tools. Jonothan Darke sighed, sitting down on a molded slab of rock, gesturing to the others to sit as well.

“Welcome to my home,” he said with a touch of his old self, grinning sardonically. “Sorry for the decor. I haven’t been here in ages, and it’s so hard to find a cleaning staff all the way out here.” He waited until both women were seated before continuing.

“This is where I grew up. My Clan was an isolated one. Hermits, content to live alone in peace with the world, we were content to let the other Ancients rage and battle as they willed. The Healing Gift was strong in my family, but it occasionally turned up in the other Clans as well, and they were trained here, as if we were all one Clan. This place, this cavern, is where I lived and trained as a Healer. It was here that my Grandfather and my brothers initiated me; it was here that I first found the balance between the Light and the Darkness. Here, I trained and later initiated others with the Healing Gift as well, particularly one from the Hanged Man Clan. In time, he became corrupted, and lost his balance. He turned on the others, using his Gift in a forbidden way to drain the very life from them. One of his victims was my own... sister.”

Jonothan bit his lip, willingn the moment to pass. Memories threatend to overwhelm him again, and the dark fury inside him bubbled with renewed vigor, anxious to be released once more. With an effort, he suppressed it. After a moment he continued. “Suffice it to say, we were forced to put him down, much as one does to a rabid dog. He fell at our hands, in this very chamber.” He sighed softly, glancing straight ahead, seeing the shadows of yesterday in the dancing firelight of the pits. “Now I’ve become the rabid dog.”

Shelley could feel the bitterness in his words, as well as the sorrow, despite the warm, natural timbre of his voice. He might as well have been talking about the weather for all the emotion he had shown, but Shelley could sense the emotions between the lines. After all this time, his sister’s death still bothers him, and to have become like the one that killed her is almost too much to bear. Her heart ached for him, and more than anything, she wanted to go to him, and take away all the hurt and the pain.

“But why return here?” Janice asked. “Why come back to a place that holds such bad memories for you?”

“It holds both, good memories and bad,” he said, getting to his feet again. “This site was chosen as our home for a particular reason. Here, everything is in perfect balance. Within this chamber, all of the energy and power of the Earth flows freely, in perfect balance. In this spot, the Great River stills, becoming placid, peaceful. Perhaps its the land that makes it so, or the River that so enchants the land, I do not know. What’s important is that only here can I perhaps regain what has been lost.”

“What do you need to do?” Janice asked, curious. Darke stood there for a moment before replying.

“What must be done is a cleansing. The negative energy within me, the Darkness burning inside me, cannot be extinguished fully. It is as much a part of me as the Light. To restore my balance, I must release the Darkness in me as well as absorbing the Light. In the past, several Healers would have performed the cleansing, to keep from being overcome by the shifting energies. Unfortunately, I am all that is left. I have tried to simply expel my energies back into the River itself, but it’s no use. It’s so polluted with the filth of pain and misery that opening up to it only adds to my problem. To do this, to regain my balance again, I must have a vessel... someone to provide the Light and receive the Darkness.”

“And you have her right here,” Janice said, stepping forward. “You’ve trained me how to access the River, and to use its power. I can do this. Just tell me what to do and I’ll do it.”

“I’ll help too,” Shelley said, moving to stand beside Janice. “I may not have her Gifts, but I’m willing to give what I can. You once told me that even we normal human beings can access that kind of power. The Lesser River, you called it. Well, so be it, I’ll send you as much strength as I have within me.”

“You don’t know what you’re offering,” he said quietly, looking away. “The Cleansing takes it toll even on other Ancients, and it would take at least three of them to endure it intact. The two of you won’t survive it.”

“We’ll do what we must, Master,” Janice said resolutely, moving over to Darke’s position. Shelley, agreeing, moving to him as well, her eyes bright with emotion. “You’ve changed our lives, completely, turning everything upside down,” Janice said, unbuttoning her heavy woolen shirt. “You made us what we are, shaped us into what you wanted us to be. Do you think we could go back to our life before all of this? Do you think we would do so even if we COULD?”

“I tried, Master,” Shelley spoke, unlacing her boots, and slipping out of them, following suit with Janice and sliding her pants down. “I’ve tried living without you in my life, going on without even the knowledge of you, never even knowing you existed at all. It didn’t work! The changes you’ve made in me are too great, and run too deep to be simply forgotten, or ignored! Without you, there was an emptiness, so deep, so profound that I knew something was missing from my life! Now I’ve found it again—you, my Master—and even if it costs me my life, I’m not about to abandon you again!”

Darke groaned, feeling Janice’s slender but firm fingers stroking his chest, risking her life in even touching him, the warmth of her flesh causing his body to warm as well. He then felt Shelley’s tender ministrations about his thighs, as she began kissing and sucking on his flesh, draped around his leg like the lowest of concubines, struggling for attention. It had been weeks since he had dared to be this close to anyone, longer since he had tasted of the sublime joy of such lascivious attention, and against his will he felt his body responding, his loincloth parting as his arousal become even more evident.

Janice slid her talented hands down to Jonothan’s cock, caressing his taunt member, cooing with desire as she felt it stiffening even more, making her sex burn and drip in remembrance. A soft voice in her mind reminded her of the danger, and an image of the lab technician having his life burned away flashed before her eyes. But she was too far gone, too deep in the pleasure of serving her beloved Master to pause for even a second.

Darke, himself, was fighting a losing battle. Both women had been expertly trained to know just how to please him best, and his body was responding. Dark thoughts and images flickered at the edge of his vision, and he realized how easy it would be to take them both, rut in them with complete abandon until they burned out in a red hot blaze of pleasure on his cock. His hands trembled, and he resisted the urge to reach out and take their life, to drain it away into his own, to feed on their essence as well as their passion. “You’ll die if you continue,” he moaned deeply, writhing in pleasure and anticipation.

“We’ll die if we don’t,” Shelley managed, breathing deeply, sliding her wet dripping petals against his calves, slowly humping him like the little Bitch he had made her. She meant it. She felt as if her entire life had been building up to this one point, and that she would simply cease to exist if she backed away now. She pressed her face up to his inner thigh and began sucking and licking, nibbling gently on his flesh, and rewarded with another deep moan from him, Shelley spasmed, having her first orgasm of the night.

“So be it,” Darke said quietly, placing his hands gently along each girl’s cheeks. Sliding down on the warmed dais, Darke removed his loincloth, and pulled both girls to him. Placing both hands on Shelley, he guided her heavily to his manhood, piercing her to her core, grunting slightly as she clenched him tight in ecstasy. Janice took her place as well, spreading her thighs, and sliding herself down atop his face, pulling lightly on her nipples as she felt his tongue lap gently at her slickened thighs. Holding them both tightly, Darke reached out and tapped the Great River, feeling it wash over him, stoking the fires burning within him already, beating it swiftly into a roaring blaze.

He felt the calm, pure, untainted flow of the River here, almost a sensual balm after the harsh acidic burn from the polluted waters flowing elsewhere. He gratefully accepted its energies, but his will was tested. The darkness inside him felt the pull of the unflitered Power outside the cavern walls, its promise of greater stronger powers a siren call to his very soul.

If I succumbed, I could become a Power to be feared!

If I succumbed, I would become a pawn to that Power. A slave. Resisting the urge, he focused his attention back to the task at hand, the cleansing.

Sparks of pleasure danced before Shelley’s eyes, feeling her Master’s cock rising and falling inside her, moving through her tight wet chamber like a hot knife through sweet butter, melting everything in its path, and leaving slick wetness behind. She knew his Touch was working at her now, increasing her pleasure, doubling, tripling it, sending her cresting again towards blessed nirvana. ~Open yourself to me, Shelley~ she heard him say into her mind. ~Be my vessel, my container, and accept my Darkness, making it a part of yourself.~ “Ohhh... ohhh yesss... your vessel,” she panted deeply, arching her back, feeling her body nearing its climax. “Your container. Yess... yess... fill me... fill your vessel, your container!” His cock felt like molten steel within, searing her flesh, scalding, burning her, yet filling her with pleasure she could not have imagined.

Janice gasped, writhing, pulling hard on her nipples while Jonothan’s tongue stabbed at her soft pinkness, forcing moan after moan from her tightly clenched mouth. ~And you as well, my Janice,~ the Voice spoke into her mind. ~Open yourself to me, and release that stored within you, your innocence, your peacefulness, your Light. Accept my darkness, and feed me your Light!~ The probing in her sex felt deeper, thicker, harder, and she spread herself wider, opening up more for her Master, letting the sensations carry her away. The Touch of his clever tongue sizzled and crackled inside her moist places, and she could almost imagine steam rising up from her as the white hot poker that was his tongue worked its magic on her.

“UUUHHNNNGGG!! Yes!! Please!!” she cried, as another orgasm rocked her. “Take me, UUUUGGGHHH!! Drain me dry, Master! FUUCKK AAA DDUUCCCKKK!!” she screamed, squeezing her thighs tighter, trying to force him in as far as possible, her hands maniacally pinching and twisting her nipples, as she came and came and came, flooding Darke’s mouth with her juices.

Shelley was screaming now, writhing in pure bliss as her Master slid another long thin finger into her puckering nether hole, fucking her in both orifices at once. She was on fire, a living torch, a thousand-watt incandescent bulb glowing brighter than the sun, as the River wash through her, linking her directly with her Master, joining them in mind and spirit as well as body. Janice, also, joined the union, with Darke’s touch binding her as well. She could feel and hear his thoughts in her mind, as well as those of Shelley. For a moment it felt as they were all the same, one being, a sweet Trinity separate yet whole. And then, Darke released his pleasure, his power, his Darkness, and their pleasure exploded, a hot fiery blast of liquid sensation washing over them, scarring and charring the stone dais beneath them, a titanic expenditure that rocked the entire cavern...

Darke sighed deeply, dressed back in his winter clothes once again, as he stared up the caverns, his haven of long ago. His balance has been restored; he had overcome the dark desires within himself, but it was a bittersweet victory. The Darkness still lived within him, still waiting to be released once more; as he had said, it was as much a part of him as the Light. But now he held the reigns again. He’d regained control of himself, thanks to his two selfless, loving girls.

Unfortunately, one of them had not survived.

I should be happy. It was a miracle that either of them survived at all. I knew what would happen, and they both knew. It was a means to an end, one that had to occur. My path was determined long ago, and no matter what I want or how I feel, it won’t let me stray from it. I should just be grateful. She was only a slave, an insignificant pawn, to be used and discarded. It shouldn’t matter. It shouldn’t.

It did matter to him. Even knowing that events were proceeding without him, that his time of remaining hidden was at an end, still he’d lingered there, staying for another day, in memorial for his girl’s sacrifice. He remembered the stone dais, cracked and burnt from the Cleansing, pocked and charred from the River’s passing. He could still see the look of total rapture and love in her eyes, as they gazed into his own, as her body gave up the ghost. There had been nothing left of the girl, not even ashes; she’d been totally consumed in the blast. Even survivor had been badly burnt, horribly scarred, but his Healing gift had restored her.

Another of Life’s Little Ironies, he thought darkly. The stronger of the two, the more powerful one, was consumed, burned away, and yet the weaker one survived. Maybe its a portent of things to come. Glancing up at the sun through the clouds on the horizon, Darke glanced behind him.

“Come along, Shelley. We’ve got a long trek back to civilization. I’ve been on the sidelines long enough. I think it’s time for me to get into the game.” Nodding silently, Shelley began trudging along behind her Master, following him, ready to face whatever loomed before them.