Mageblade

Three

            Lourdes' sleep was plagued with dreams of the Spectral Chaos for a second night. Mistwitches, scrawny, wisp-like phantoms creeped out of the shadows of alleyways or forests where a woman had been raped and beaten or murdered to pounce, wrapping their lower tendrils around the waist of an attacker before a fanged mouth clamped down and devoured his genitals, swaying to the music of his screams as he prayed for a quick death. All around them scampered the Wispbeasts, phantoms of varying sizes from mouse to bear to feast on any onlookers who witnessed the rape or murder and did nothing or whose only thoughts were that of self-preservation.

Lourdes started awake, gasping and covered in sweat, not so much from her dreams but the realization that someone was in the room with her. Her heart pounded in her ears as a large shadow moved closer to the bed. Had the Spectral Chaos found Iutrara? No, the smell of sweat and leather permeated from this shadow as it crawled on to the bed, stopping when a creak emitted from the frame. Slowly, she reached for the tall candlestick beside the bed and when the intruder climbed on top of her, Lourdes brought it down as hard as she could. There was a satisfying clang followed by a scream as her attacker reared up. She brought up her knee to connect with what she assumed would be genitals and after a second scream, brought her legs up to kick the figure off the bed. Lourdes leapt from the bed and fled into the dimly lit receiving room where she grabbed the door handle and was spun around and slammed against the door. She opened her mouth to scream when a large hand clamped it shut. It belonged to a wincing Rhin whose eyes flashed with anger and nostrils flared as he demanded hoarsely,

"Why hit Rhin?"

Lourdes tore her head from his grasp and glared at him. "I'll hit you again if you don't get the fuck off me!"

Rhin stepped away from her after a moment still looking angry but wary. "Lourdes no like Rhin?"

"What? No, Lourdes no like Rhin when Rhin decides to jump her in the middle of the night! What the hell are you even doing here? Did the Chancellor send you to my room or the Goddess?"

Rhin shook his head hastily. "Rhin want to see Lourdes. Thought Lourdes want Rhin."

"Rhin, I never asked you to come to my room tonight." My God, how primitive was this man anyway? "A man should never go into a woman's room and climb on top of her like that without her permission!"

"Per-mission?"

"Consent, when someone allows you to do something."

Rhin looked so confused, Lourdes almost felt sorry for him. "Man need ...permission to enter?"

"Man most definitely need permission to enter!" She didn't know if he was just talking about the room but she figured this answer would cover all the bases.

Rhin shook his head. "Is not done on Iutrara."

Lourdes put her hands on her hips and gave Rhin the nastiest look she could muster which wasn't difficult given how evil she felt. "Well it is on Earth and since I'm from Earth that is how it will be done with me or next time I'll take a page from the Mistwitch's book and bite your dick off, comprende?"

Rhin flinched and still appeared to be confused but after thinking for a moment he nodded. "Rhin sorry."

"Fine, now get out!"