Chapter Seventeen
I made a new save point before I ducked behind the tapestry that hid the corridor to the treasury tower, and I trotted up the stairs to the door with the key clutched tightly in my hands. It was beyond satisfying to slide the key into the lock, twist, and have the door to the treasury slide open before me.
I took a moment to appreciate the gold and the shelves full of valuable items before I rushed over to the window to give Evangeline the signal to start the distraction. The sun was about half an hour from setting, and it cast a gold color across the stony ground of the courtyard. I smelled a faint trace of smoke in the air, and I heard distant screams, but I couldn’t make out the stable fire because it was on the opposite side of the courtyard.
I spotted the blonde bombshell crouching in the dark shadows under the large wagon, so I whistled low, and Evangeline nodded curtly to inform me she’d received the signal, so I let out a breath of relief before I turned back to the treasure room.
The sheer amount of wealth in front of me still boggled the mind, but I would have plenty of time to count each piece later. It looked like millions of gold, silver, and copper coins, but I would find out soon enough exactly how much was there.
“Where is Mahini?” I asked out loud as I made my way out of the treasure room in search of the obsidian-haired beauty. The desert goddess met me right at the entrance to the secret corridor, so I didn’t have to look very far.
“Your enemies are dead, Great One,” Mahini observed with a half-smile. She was carrying the huge roll of carpet-rug-tapestry she’d sewed over her shoulder, and her face was damp with perspiration from climbing up the various stairs. The whole roll probably weighed over a hundred pounds, but my beautiful warrior woman was incredibly strong in both body and willpower.
“Just in time.” I grinned as I moved to help her with her load.
“What’s next?” she asked with a coolly arched eyebrow.
“Now, we get this slide from the window down to the wagon,” I said as we carried the roll into the treasure room.
“Great One!” Mahini gasped. “There… this… so much wealth! I’ve never seen so much gold before in one place.”
“And it’s all ours,” I snickered as we moved the roll up and over a pile of bagged coins to the window.
“It’s…” The desert goddess let out a low, appreciative breath. “It’s more than I can digest right now if I’m being honest.”
“Take your time,” I chuckled.
“Is this really all for us?” Her ice-blue eyes twinkled, and I saw the reflection of the glowing piles of gold in her pupils.
“Absolutely.” I grinned. “So start thinking about what wild fantasies I can make come true for you.”
“I could not ask for more than you’ve already given me.” Mahini shook her head vehemently.
“You’re adorable.” I grinned. “You’ll have to get used to this eventually with me around. We are going to be rich.”
“I will try my best,” she said in a distracted tone as her ice-blue eyes were scanning over the piles of bagged and loose gold all around us. “It may take the rest of my life, though. I never imagined I would see such wealth, let alone claim it as our own.”
The former mercenary had a hard life before she was bonded to me, and I knew she wasn’t into wealth the way a lot of girls were, so it was extra satisfying to see her slack-jawed reaction to our treasure.
“Here, let me help you,” she said, and she shook her head like she was shaking off the remnants of a dream. Then she moved to my side, and the two of us hauled the tapestry-rug-combination the rest of the way to the window.
We’d attached rings from the curtains which had hung from the windows of our room back at the inn, so all I had to do was slide something pole-like through the holes, and then I could brace the contraption on the edges of the window.
I glanced around until I spotted a tall free-standing iron candle holder nearby, and I snatched it up.
“This should work perfectly.” I took the candle off and tossed it to the side before I slipped the long rod into the rings we’d attached. The candle holder was the perfect length, and it stuck out about a foot on either side of the window and braced the slide so it wouldn’t pull out of the window.
“What’s next?” Mahini asked with one arched eyebrow.
“Hmmm,” I said as I looked out the window. Eva was still crouching below the wagon, but I didn’t see Elissa yet, so I figured she was still looting the wizard’s lair. I needed both of them to be there to hold the slide and ensure that the loot all made it in the wagon smoothly, so I figured we had a few minutes.
“Great one?” Mahini asked when I didn’t answer.
“Next we get to play with all our gold while we wait for Elissa to arrive.” My grin grew even wider as I turned away from the window and set my eyes on the olive-skinned beauty.
The desert goddess laughed, and the melodic sound floated through the air like clouds on a summer day. My heart soared not only with my love for her, but also the victory we’d accomplished. My lips instinctively sought out hers, and a moment later, our tongues were dancing in ecstatic bliss.
My hands roved over her body, and I explored the curves of her slender hips, her muscular lower back, the nape of her perfect neck like I was getting to experience her for the first time all over again. She moaned into my ear as I nibbled along her jawline, and the sound made my cock instantly hard.
“I want you,” I growled as I trailed kisses on her throat.
“I am yours, Great One,” Mahini said, and her eyes were already hooded with lust.
“Right here,” I pressed as I ground my rock-hard cock against her abdomen while I held her closely against me. “Right now. On top of the gold.”
“Whenever you want me,” Mahini murmured as her breathing grew rapid. “I am yours.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” I chuckled, and I attacked the straps of her guard’s uniform with the ravenous need to feel her soft skin.
Mahini was mine, body, mind, and soul, and I wanted to claim her right there, on top of my treasure, amidst the chaos I’d caused.
The desert goddess got the message, and she began to assist me in unhooking the chain mail. Then she slipped out of the padded tunic and pushed the breeches off her hips. A moment later, the obsidian-haired beauty stood fully exposed before me, and I took a second to appreciate her tan lines, toned muscles, and the bountiful curves in all the right places. The most beautiful part of her, though, was her striking blue eyes. They contrasted with her darkly tanned skin and could pin me down with just a look, and right now they were deep wells of blue that reminded me of icebergs beneath the surface of the dark water.
Then Mahini reached for the straps to my clothes, and I realized I’d gotten completely distracted by her intense beauty. I hurriedly assisted the desert goddess in removing my guard’s uniform, and then I stood before her, fully erect and throbbing.
“You look excited,” Mahini murmured, but she licked her lips hungrily as she eyed my stiff member.
“Do you like it?” I asked as I struck a hero’s pose and wiggled my eyebrows.
“Let me show you,” she purred as the corners of her lips twitched into a smile. Then she lowered herself to her knees on top of a small pile of gold and took my cock in her mouth.
“Mmm,” I moaned, and I buried my hands in her obsidian hair. The tendrils brushed across her bare shoulders, and I peered down her back to the curves of her tight ass as she kneeled in front of me.
The view was perfect, and the feelings she caused even more so.
Mahini bobbed up and down, faster and faster, and soon her saliva was dripping off the head of my dick and down her chin. The desert goddess slid her fist down my slick shaft, and I hissed as my hips bucked forward instinctively.
“Get up here,” I growled, and I grabbed her below the shoulders before I hauled her to her feet.
Mahini giggled like a school girl as she hurriedly stood, but she didn’t let go of my cock, and the tip twitched in her grasp. I was turned on to the extreme, and I wanted to be inside her more than anything in the world, but I had a fantasy in my head I wanted to live out in this world.
I lowered her gently to the pile of gold, and she gasped at the cold metal. Goosebumps spread across her skin, but when I spread her legs to reveal her bright pink center of pleasure, I could tell by how wet she was that she enjoyed the biting cold.
“Damn, you look so delicious.” I lowered my head to taste her sweet juices, and Mahini gasped.
Then her legs shuddered, and her chest rose and fell heavily.
Did she just cum after one lick?
Mahini was extra sensitive, and I planned on enjoying every minute of it. I lapped up her juices like an ice cream cone on a summer day before I attacked her clit with my tongue, and a moment later the desert goddess was thrashing her hips in an effort to get closer to me.
“Ooooh, Great… One…” she moaned with unrestrained abandon, and her whole body shuddered as another orgasm rolled over her in a wave.
I let her come back to reality for a moment, and then I rolled her over. Mahini’s juicy backside was always a pleasure, but then I saw the gold coins stuck to her ass cheeks, and I chuckled happily to myself.
Perfect.
“Mahini…” I murmured as I slid deep inside her with one thrust, and then I pushed even deeper into her as I pulled back on her hips.
“Oh, Bash…” Mahini moaned as she squirmed on my cock, and my heartbeat thudded in my chest at the sound of my name coming from her lips.
I caressed her back and shoulders while I slid in and out of her wet entrance, and goosebumps erupted across her silky skin in the wake of my touch.
She matched me thrust for thrust with her own motions, and we created a perfect rhythm that felt amazing along my pussy slick shaft.
Suddenly, Mahini increased the pace, and she started to pant as she pressed her hips backward against me faster and faster.
“Oh, fuck,” I gasped. “Mahini!”
“Fill me up, Great One,” the desert goddess murmured in a husky voice. “Fill me with your seed!”
“Be patient,” I said, and I took a deep steadying breath. “There will be time for that soon enough.”
We didn’t have hours before the other two girls would appear with the wagon, but I could always reset and enjoy the final moments of our lovemaking as many times as I wanted.
The gold coins stuck to Mahini’s ass glittered in the lamp light, and they were like jewels embedded in her skin. It was such an odd sight, I found myself getting even more turned on from it.
I fucked her doggystyle for a little while longer, and then I decided to give her knees a break, so I had her straddle me. The gold coins beneath me were cool and smooth against my skin, and knowing it was all mine had me feeling giddy. Mahini flung back her head, and her lovely breasts jutted out at just the right angle while she ground her hips against me.
I leaned back and enjoyed the view of her riding me for a while, but then I couldn’t help myself, and I grabbed an ass cheek in each hand to urge her rhythm deeper on my cock. Mahini moved faster and faster, and her moans came out in time to each thrust deep inside her tunnel until her pussy started to pulsate.
“Ohhhhh!” Mahini gasped, and she clenched my chest in her hands to steady herself while the orgasm shook her body.
I gripped her hips and continued the rhythm until she was moaning again. I wasn’t about to let her get away from having back-to-back orgasms before I exploded. When I felt the familiar sensation of another of her climaxes, I finally released my self-control, and I sprayed my load deep inside her shivering entrance while she spasmed on top of my chest.
We came for a long, blissful moment while we gasped for air, and then the roller coaster of sensations faded. I returned to reality reluctantly, but then I heard a familiar voice call my name from outside.
“Bash!” Elissa hissed out in an urgent whisper.
“Perfect timing,” I said to Mahini with a shit-eating grin.
The desert goddess shook her head in amusement as she rose to her feet. Her knees shook, and she staggered for a moment before she regained her composure.
“I’m okay,” she assured me once she noticed my worried expression. “Just too many good feelings for my body to contain.”
“I can relate,” I laughed.
Then we hurriedly pulled on the guard uniforms, and I stuck my head out the window to wave to Elissa and Eva. The two girls were sitting on the bench of the wagon now, and in the back of the vehicle, I could just barely make out our packs and the loot from the wizard’s lair, but there was still plenty of room for all the gold we were about to swipe.
I heard more loud shouting in the distance, and then the acrid smell of smoke wafted through the air like a backyard BBQ gone out of control.
Eva’s fire distraction was off to a wonderful start already if the background sounds were any indication. The duke’s daughter had followed my instructions to the letter, and that should give us plenty of time to empty the entire treasury.
“Are we ready to unfurl the chute?” Mahini asked as she swiped the back of her hand across her forehead.
“I think so.” I checked over everything one more time, and then I gave her a nod. “Yep. We’re ready.”
Mahini nodded curtly in response, and then she moved to the other side of the window. It was slightly laborious to trudge over the piles of gold stacked precariously in every direction, but we trudged through the loose coins and stood ankle deep in treasure.
Then Mahini pushed on one side while I took the other, and a moment later the tapestry-rug-curtain combination was fluttering through the air toward the ground. When the chute fully extended, the top of the fabric jolted against the rings, but the candlestick holder held it in place.
Elissa climbed in the back of the wagon, and she caught the tail end of the fabric slide we’d made. Then she secured it to the bottom of the wagon in a similar fashion as we had at the top, and she gave me a thumbs up when she was done.
It was go time.
Eva and Elissa would catch the treasure at the bottom while Mahini and I loaded it at the top, and with all four of us working together, it should be easy to clear out the entire room with plenty of time left to spare.
I checked the tapestry-rug-curtain chute’s stability one more time before I turned to scan over the immense amount of gold and jewels surrounding me. Thankfully, most of the coins and jewels were bagged or boxed in some fashion, but there were a couple piles of loose coins. It was hard to decide where to start, but I supposed first we should make a clear path to the window.
“Start grabbing the stuff by the window,” I instructed as I scooped up an armful of gold coins and heaved them up to the windowsill.
“Yes, Great One,” the desert goddess replied, and she quickly mimicked my actions with her own armful of coins.
I released my load onto the chute, and the coins began to tumble and slide down the sewn together fabrics until they trickled into the back of the wagon far below. I chuckled to myself as I watched every single piece of gold land in our getaway vehicle without fail.
So far, so good.
Mahini followed suit, and we both watched the coins slide down for a moment to make sure none of them were going to get lost off the sides, but when the gold made it safely into the wagon, we each went for more.
We repeated the process over and over again. Grab an armful, dump it out, repeat, but soon, the piles of loose coins were gone, followed by the rest of the bagged coins, so we turned our attention to the rest of the treasure. I grabbed the magical items like the ring of invisibility and the necklace of virility, the weapons, and some of the jewelry. Then, with Mahini’s help, I sent everything down the chute into the wagon.
Elissa and Eva worked hard to keep everything pushed back away from the edge of the chute, but a large pile had already grown in the wagon bed. The gold glittered in the ambient light pouring from the windows of the castle, and all the jewels were like colorful twinkling candies.
Then Mahini and I each sent down one last armful of loot. The treasury was empty, all the shelves were bare, and the floor was devoid of coins.
We’d done it.
Now, all we had to do was get the hell out of Dodge.
“Ready to slide down?” I asked the desert goddess with a teasing wink.
“Yes.” She climbed up to the edge of the windowsill. “It held all of that gold, so I think it can handle me.”
“Good,” I laughed. “I’ll see you at the bottom.”
Then Mahini was out the window, and the desert goddess slid down the chute at a quick pace. She skidded into the piles of treasure inside the wagon, and the sound of clinking coins filled the air.
The desert goddess flashed me a smile before she climbed over the gold to the bench of the wagon to sit beside the other two girls.
It was my turn.
I climbed out the window, pressed on the slide to test it, and then let out my breath as I let go of the edge. I slid down the chute a little slower than Mahini had, but a moment later, I crashed into the stacks of loot piled in the back of the wagon.
Some of the loose gold pieces and gemstones threatened to spill over the edges of cargo bay walls, but I quickly scooped everything back into the massive pile. Then I unhooked the tapestry chute from the back of the wagon, and I tossed it away from the edge of our getaway vehicle. It could stay there and be discovered once the chaos we’d caused calmed down. The treasury would have been long emptied, and we would be miles away.
Ocean’s Eleven style.
I had to climb over all the loot, and it was like trying to get up a sand dune. The coins shifted beneath my weight, and I almost did the splits for a split second, but then I regained my balance, climbed onto the bench, and Mahini helped me cover everything with the canvas she’d stashed in the wagon earlier, and once all the gold pieces were hidden from sight, we were ready to head out.
All we had to do now was get through the town without anyone noticing we were hauling a shit ton of gold away.
Easy.
“We did it,” I laughed as Evangeline gave me the reins. “Now, let’s get the fuck out of here.”
“There should still be another fire…” Eva informed me in a mischievous tone. “I tried to time them far apart to keep the distraction going for as long as possible.”
“Fuck, yeah.” I squeezed my arm around her shoulders.
We rode out of the courtyard, and my gaze flicked from side to side to be certain we remained undetected, but no guards rushed forward to stop us. Then I returned my attention to the path ahead, and I hissed in my breath. The town outside the castle walls was engulfed in chaos, and my jaw fell at the scene before me.
There was no fire in the city, but people ran in all directions, but the main flow of traffic poured toward the city gates away from the castle, which was exactly where we needed to go. Screams pierced the air, and the sound of clanking armor echoed through the distance. Smoke billowed from the roof of the stables, and it rose into the air like a smoke signal alerting all of Sorreyal of what had happened there.
“The duke is dead!” a townsperson screamed before running down the street away from the castle.
“The city is on fire!” another voice yelled.
“Murderers are on the loose!”
“Get out while you still can!”
“Arginold has fallen!”
All around us were a chorus of voices all crying out in alarm, and the bodies began to press in against the sides of the wagon as we made our way down the crowded street. Several guards trotted up the hill toward the castle we’d just left, and I made sure to keep my head low.
“This is going to take a minute,” I whispered to the girls. “Stay calm, and keep a sharp eye on anyone trying to climb into the wagon. Don’t be afraid to murder a fool.”
“No one will lay a finger on our gold,” Mahini assured me as her ice-blue eyes shot daggers at a man who was getting too close for comfort. “You, there, get back!”
The man jumped away, and he shot Mahini a glare before he spat at the ground as the wagon wheels rolled past him.
Then Mahini and Elissa climbed into the back of the wagon to guard the loot while Eva sat beside me with her hand hovering over her throwing stars. I felt safer knowing I had more than one pair of eyes watching out for our treasure, so I let out the breath I’d been holding.
“What’s going to happen, Great One?” the duke’s daughter asked, and she worked her bottom lip between her teeth as she glanced around us at the chaos.
“Nothing,” I assured her. “Everything is going to be fine. Just keep a stiff upper lip til we get out of here.”
I hoped I was right, but the energy in the streets of Arginold was tense, to say the least. I didn’t know how much was known about the deaths of the duke and his wizard, but word of their demise had already spread into the city proper. The ensuing chaos was another sign of how poorly Arginold had run his holdings, and I wondered briefly what would happen to the town now that it was lacking leadership.
“Watch out!” someone shouted as they leapt out of the way of my horses, but I didn’t slow down or stop.
I watched the crowd tensely as I steered the wagon down the crowded street, but it was hard to focus on maintaining a straight line with everyone around me freaking out over the deaths and the fires. Still, it seemed like the townspeople were more concerned about leaving the town’s walls than they were about what was inside my wagon.
They were still in flight mode, so the looting hadn’t started yet, but I had a sneaking suspicion the dead duke’s castle would be picked over by his citizens within the next day.
Fine with me. I got all the important stuff out already.
We drew steadily closer to the city gates, but it was slow going with the mass of bodies pressing against us. A couple other wagons also navigated the sea of people pouring toward the exit a hundred yards away, and their drivers looked just as stressed out as I felt.
It would really suck to spend all that time and effort acquiring all the gold only to lose it to the peasants outside the castle.
I wasn’t going to let that happen, though, and neither would my women. With them by my sides, everything would be just fine.
“Almost there.” Eva’s leg shook with anxiety as she tapped her foot against the bottom of the wagon. She flashed me a quick, forced smile, but I could tell she was ready to be on the other side of the city walls.
“Steady,” I murmured, and I flicked the reins to urge the horses onward a little faster.
A few moments later we were passing beneath the arch of the open city gates, and the crowd quickly spread out which gave our wagon some room to breathe. The road beneath the wheels was bumpy and muddy in some spots, but frozen in other places. While it looked a little treacherous, I trusted the horses to take the easiest route forward.
My eyes flicked from side to side in search of any looming threats or army of guardsmen coming to retrieve the stolen loot, but the only thing I saw were people in ragged clothes and haggard expressions trudging down the road away from town.
“It’s safe to come back,” I called over my shoulder to the girls in the back of the wagon, and I let out a sigh as my stiff shoulders finally relaxed.
We were almost home free.
“That was so much fun!” Elissa squealed, and she came up from behind me to hug me around the neck. “You are so amazing, Bash! The way you got the two bastards to kill each other was sheer genius.”
“She’s not wrong,” Eva added with an adoring twinkle in her gray eyes. “You predicted every move, saw every obstacle before it occurred. I don’t know how you do it…”
“The Great One keeps his mysteries close to his chest,” Mahini pointed out as she climbed over onto the bench. “We mortal women can never fully understand his greatness.”
“That doesn’t mean it could hurt to try.” Eva shrugged. “I want to know everything about you, Great One. Every single thing I learn just makes me love you more and more.”
“I’ll tell you three more someday,” I explained in a soft voice since I didn’t want any people nearby to overhear what we said to each other. “Being a god does come with its burdens.”
“Then I will just have to work hard to ease your burdens in other ways.” The twinkle in Eva’s eyes turned suggestive, and her tongue flicked across her lips.
“Now that I will allow,” I chuckled.
“Can you tell us how you thought up the idea to put Racine and Arginold against each other,” Mahini requested in an eager tone. “It reminds me of a children’s story about killing two birds with one stone.”
“We have a similar saying in my old world.” I winked. “But I don’t know. I guess I just like to be efficient and take out as many enemies as I can at once.”
“That makes sense.” The corner of Mahini’s lips twitched into a sideways smile. “I’ve never heard of anyone fighting like that before. It taught me a lot.”
“Sometimes the hardest battles aren’t fought on a battleground, but in your mind,” I said with a sage nod.
“With you by my side,” Mahini said. “I can fight any battles.”
“Me, too!” Elissa giggled.
“You make all of us feel braver with just your presence, Great One,” Eva said. “We can handle anything life throws our way.”
“Hell, yeah.” I laughed, but then I lowered my voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Now, let’s get our winnings back home.”
“Ooh, just think about everything we can do with this much money,” Elissa gushed. “Your kingdom will continue to grow and prosper with the right investments, husband.”
“Bastianville deserves the best,” I assured her. “While I’m going to make sure our family is taken care of first, I want all my people to prosper as well.”
“Now that includes more towns than just Bastianville,” Eva reminded me.
“I know.” I frowned in thought as I considered the new holdings added to my territory. “We will have to go on a tour of all the new towns to see what they need and how I can help them.”
“Just like you’ve done everywhere you’ve gone in Sorreyal.” Elissa sighed, and her vibrant emerald eyes were full of adoration. “You change everyone’s lives so easily. It’s really amazing. I can’t wait to see what you do next.”
“Stick with me, baby,” I chuckled. “And you’ll get a front row seat.”
“Speaking of babies…” My wife giggled, and she snuggled up against my side. “We may have one of our very own soon. That’s the greatest gift you could ever give me, and it would be worth more than this entire wagon full of gold.”
“She’s right.” Eva grinned. “I can only imagine how amazing it would feel to birth your child. I would feel like the most powerful woman in the world.”
“You three already are,” I pointed out. “You’re badass in every way, and there’s no one else I’d rather spend my time in Sorreyal with.”
“Don’t worry,” Elissa giggled. “We can share you with the rest of your people sometimes.”
“Good.” I grinned. “A god does need to be available to the people who follow him.”
“We would never stand in the way of your responsibilities,” Mahini assured me in a serious tone.
“And I will take you with me wherever I go.” I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and squeezed affectionately.
It was almost over.
I pulled the horses to a stop, and I stole a glance over the back of our getaway vehicle to the town we’d just left. Smoke rose up over the gray stone walls, and distant screams still pierced the air every few moments. Snow began to trickle down into the chilly air around us, but the tiny flakes would do little to combat the fires. The entire town was engulfed in chaos, and there was no one chasing after us.
We’d gotten away with all the treasure just like I knew we would.
I turned away from the walls of Arginold, flicked the reins, and the wagon rolled forward.
All I needed was to slide on a pair of sunglasses, and the scene would be perfect, but I was more than satisfied with the outcome.
The Duke of Arginold and his court wizard were dead, and I got away with all the gold.
And no one knew I’d even been here but my women, and now the three of them were even more in love with me.
What could be better than that?
End of Book 4