War of the Races

Chapter 48- Seline's Solace

Shahad replied that she understood the plan. We exchanged caresses. A chitin knuckle across her cheek from me while she put a hand on my chest, and then we were off returning to the battlefield.

Streaking into the midst of dead or injured warriors as a group of thirty priestesses prayed over them, I abruptly came face to face with Ogrethanne Annolstad. She screamed in fright at the sight of an insectoid monster in front of her then composed herself and began to pray. This time it was a spell of smiting.

As soon as I came to a stop I started transforming into my arboreal-form. To Ogrethanne's credit, it didn't distract her from her spell casting. Her eyes grew large and round though as my body shrunk and my appearance changed back into my natural form once again before I changed again. My skin turned a darker-than-normal chestnut color with the darker striations and woodgrain. Spiky insectoid hair became long golden strands of hair before lifting into long stiff wheat stocks.

Together, Sequoia and Quebracho dressed me in scarlet Barkskin armor highlighted in colors of green, gray, brown, and gold. Then, just as Ogrethanne completed her spell of Holy Smite, Shahad intercepted her hands and pushed them up so that the spell shot harmlessly into the sky while Shahad thrust one chitin sword arm into Ogrethanne's belly and the other cut deep into her left thigh.

Ogrethanne gasped in shock and outrage but no words came from her lips as she crumpled to the ground. Her life's blood was spurting and running down her otherwise flawless thigh while the wound in her belly oozed blood at a seemingly slower pace. I knew, mostly from old movies in my previous life, that unless I healed Ogrethanne soon she would die within seconds.

As I completed my transformation, I propelled a massive cloud of pollen out of my wheatstock-like hair. It shot up and mushroomed an area some thirty yards in diameter and enthralled every priestess within its area of effect. One second there was mass panic, then the next thirty priestesses stopped what they were doing and stared at me with such unadulterated lust in their eyes that I found myself surprised even though I knew what to expect.

"Stop!" I commanded loudly.

The priestesses jumped in startled surprise but I didn't have time for them anymore. Ogrethanne was dying, her wounds were too severe for the healing effect of the pollen raining down constantly all around us to be of any help. Her big fearful eyes rolled in her head and her body went limp as her life started to ebb away. Grimacing at the twinge of guilt I felt for what I must do, I knelt and spread Ogrethanne's legs.

Whether it be common practice or not among the priestesses of Arachne, Orgethanne wore no undergarments. Shahad assisted me by using a sword arm to cut Ogrethanne's diaphanous habits from her body leaving her completely naked.

"Useless garments! Only get in the way of breeding," Shahad transmitted in disgust, "Are you going to make her a wife as well?"

"No," I replied.

"Then, are you going to save every woman I kill for you?" Shahad asked, her transmitting prim now and more than a little annoyed.

"I did not want this battle, so, yes, I will save as many as I can," I declared, then looked up at Shahad and added, "I am not taking her as a concubine. She is a priestess. She is no virgin to the ways of the 'Contribution for Power'. She knows this must be done to heal her. She will understand..."

"Will she?" Shahad asked poignantly, but then nodded and turned away. Somehow I could tell from her posture that her mood was grim, but then, she also seemed to put a bit more sway in her walk as she kept watch for attackers.

Turning my attention back to Ogrethanne, I noticed little things like how her slim alfari body was attractive in a small-breasted, sleekly curvy, seductive way. She wasn't as stunningly beautiful as her sister Rastof, but she was very close. Similar enough anyway that the family resemblance was definitive while not appearing to be twins. And then, like all Alfari, she was completely hairless except for her mane of platinum blonde with a pastel blue cast to her hair and eyebrows. As for the rest of her, her body was covered in short, fine, transparent body hair that stood on end as her flesh goosed.