Chapter Eleven: Daughter The Maternal Bible: Chapter Fifty, Page One-hundred-two: Hymnal: to be sung in A-major.

Chapter Eleven: Daughter The Maternal Bible: Chapter Fifty, Page One-hundred-two: Hymnal: to be sung in A-major. "Forever they will live as one, like two lovers in the sun, shining from creation''s birth, to hold a tether to the earth. The life, the joy, the stone, the fire; all together forever in the heavens higher." Prelude: Atonement
FLORA The cold metal was soothing on my flesh, and the dim light was calming on my eyes. I no longer felt the tortuous need of my sister''s ailment, but only a thrumming desire between my legs. It had been a horrible night, but it had been made bearable by the distraction of conversation. I hadn''t wanted to tell Julia my story, but a few coercing caresses of her fingers had loosened my lips. She''d remained silent as I spilled myself to her, only asking for me to clarify something once or twice. By the time I finished my tale, the morning sun was dimly glowing through the basement window. "Now that you know the truth, what will you do with it?" I asked her. Julia didn''t respond. She sat cross-legged and naked in her corner of the room, studying me. "You think I''m a monster, don''t you?" I whispered. "No, I understand," Julia got up and walked over to me, then sat beside my head. "I''ve also fallen prey to the seduction of power. You think that by commanding others, you can find some control of yourself, but it''s not so. It''s an addiction." "Yes." "But power doesn''t keep you warm at night, or bring you joy in the morning. You sold your daughter for power, and only afterward did you realize you''d sold her cheaply." "Yes," I whispered again. Julia nodded empathetically, and looked out the basement window. "I am going to seek atonement this morning," she said. "Tonight, you will do the same." "How?" Julia leaned until her face hovered over mine, her kindly emerald eyes tinged with the hint of something dark. She touched a single finger against my exposed belly, and I twisted in ardent reaction. "Tera''s poison is still in you, Flora," Julia sighed. "It will take at least half a day to be rid of it. I''ll have to leave you like this for the duration, for your own good." "How, Julia?" I hissed, "How can I atone?" "You have to undo what you''ve done," Julia replied. "You sold Willowbud into slavery, now you must buy her freedom." "At what cost?" Julia smiled ruefully at me. "I''ve been asking the Holy Mother that all my life. The answer is always ''more.''" Part One: Martyr JULIA "You know you don''t have to do this," Lucilla said softly. The tunnel was immense, dark except for the morning light that glared at its end. Normally, the light would be a welcome sight in such cavernous blackness, but now, it only filled me with dread. "Yes, I do," I whispered. My hands were clasped before me, my ankles were clasped beneath me, and I was completely naked save for the crescent symbol necklace that hung between my breasts. "I forgave you," Lucilla hissed. "I need more than just your forgiveness." "There are those that will never forgive you," Lucilla said, molding herself to the crook of me. "I need to forgive me," I said, offering her a sad smile. "You can''t do that, Julia," Lucilla returned the smile with equal sadness. "You never could." She pressed her lips to mine, and I tasted her worry in the kiss. I broke from the embrace with a shallow gasp, and saw fear in her sapphire eyes. It was oddly comforting; at least I wasn''t alone in my terror. I turned from her, took a breath, and stepped forward. The light of the tunnel grew brighter with each successive footfall, and a low rumble became audible to me. The rumble became a growl, and soon, it was a roar. It was like continuous thunder, and the noise beat at my body like the wind, making me cringe against it, but still, I walked. The thunder grew louder, the terror grew hotter, but every time I thought to retreat, I forced an image of Diamond''s black eyes, of Lucilla''s blank eyes, of Passion''s horrified eyes, and of my mother''s dead eyes. I stepped beneath the threshold, the cold stone beneath my feet turned to hot sand, and the blinding sunlight consumed me. The monster roared my entrance, and I walked willingly into its mouth. The Pit seemed much larger from the sands than it had from the outside. The stands rose a hundred feet all around me, the risers stretching back, every space filled with the writhing, screaming blur of sixty-thousand people. Their heinous roar was of hatred, of laughter, of amusement at seeing a god so humbled. This beast of the masses did not even know the word ''mercy.'' It only wanted more, only wanted worse, and I would give it to them. I took a deep breath, held my head high, and walked to the platform at the center of the sand. From across the arena, I could see Brandon and Night Eyes in their booth. I felt the hunger in my lungs, and I gritted my teeth to suppress it. My desire for Corruption had become a dependency sometime in the night, and it was only getting worse. I needed something terrible to distract my mind. BRANDON I hoped Julia couldn''t hear the things they were saying about her. They screamed their insults from the stands above us, threw refuse onto the arena, and jeered Julia as she stepped to the platform. As individuals, people were generally good, but get them in a crowd, and they''re just shit. "It''s because fear is what makes people ''good,''" Willowbud said beside me after I''d vocalized the thought, "and when cattle are in a herd, they no longer fear the wolf." "That''s cynical," I snorted. "How very typical of you." Willowbud grinned beside me on the couch, and Corruption grinned with her. I pulled Willowbud''s head to my chest so that I wouldn''t have to see those white eyes burning into me, and I tried vainly to ignore the strands of black hair that mingled with Willowbud''s stark white. The two of them didn''t move as one anymore. Diamond had noticed it too, and as their meld grew weaker, Corruption became more obvious to me. It wasn''t just the visual change, but the behavioral change as well. When Willowbud came to my bed last night, she didn''t pounce on me in the heat of passion, but simply stared at me from the foot of the bed. I couldn''t see anything of Willowbud but her silhouette, but I could see Corruption''s white irises wide and alight, and her teeth shining from that broad, hungry grin. When Willowbud finally crawled into bed next to me, I didn''t feel much like sleeping anymore. "Why aren''t you with Julia?" I asked. "Isn''t this at least half your fault?" "Sister Julia''s taking one for the team," Willowbud chuckled. "She''s doing this for you too, Brandon." "I didn''t fucking do anything!" I growled. "Do you think they care?" Willowbud gestured to the tented canopy of our box, the translucent lavender revealing the churning masses that stretched above and behind us. "They''re about ready to blow. If Sister Julia can''t release the pressure here, we''ll have to do things my way." "I thought you loved the rabble?" "I''ve made a habit of killing the things I love," Willowbud answered softly. I would''ve vastly preferred her sardonic chuckle. At the center of the sands, Tera was chaining Julia''s cuffs to the crossbars of a squared frame, displaying the god''s beautiful spread nakedness for all to see. The voluptuous succubus looked oddly lonely by herself on stage. "I take it you didn''t want the main event to be spoiled?" I said, glancing at the statue of Astrid looming in the distance. "She''s not suited for this kind of thing anyway; it''s usually her in chains, not the other way around," Willowbud sighed. "I just hope this little display doesn''t take the wind out of the championship''s sails." "Oh, I don''t think Julia could ever do that," I chuckled. "We might have our temples, but this place is Astrid''s cathedral, and there''s only one god of the arena." ASTRID Step right, duck, fly up four meters, slice, drop three meters, slide with the parry, feign high, swing low, spin, extend the elbow, duck again, feign a stab, and... punch the bitch in the twat. Ladies and gentlemen, your new champion of the Pit: Astrid Skyborne! Jade Tao stumbled back, clutching her crotch, dropping her wooden practice sword to the floor of Mistress''s atrium. The Pussy Palace was eerily quiet this morning after most of its occupants had fled, but I didn''t mind. I needed the space to practice without distraction. "That isn''t something they taught on the peaks," Jade gasped. "No, that was something Tera taught me," I chuckled. "And I bet that area''s oh-so tender after being Julia''s High Guard for two days." "You duel without honor!" Jade cried, collapsing to her knees. "The Pit isn''t a place for honor, High Guard Tao," I said, kicking her sword into my hand. "Duels there aren''t fought to submission or to disarm like on the peaks." I stepped over to Jade, and laid her own sword against the back of her neck. She held up two fingers in surrender, and I let her wooden weapon clatter to the floor. "That''s five to zero, High Guard; I''m disappointed." "I am sorry," Jade said, dusting off her robes, and getting to wobbly feet. "I am distracted. Mistr—Her Holiness—is putting herself in grave danger, and I feel absolutely helpless!" "She ordered you to stay away from it," I said, getting in my stance. "She also ordered you to help me, and your constant failure is a betrayal of her wishes." "Why aren''t you with Her Eminence, Tera Autumnsong right now?" Jade grunted, hoisting herself to her feet. "Don''t you live for displays like this?" Jade gestured toward the outline of the Pit in the distance. "Mistress doesn''t want me seen until I walk onto the sands," I replied, twirling my weapon, "and I''m no sadist." "How many people have you killed in that arena?" Jade smiled that polite, yet teasing smile. "One-hundred and eighty-two in fifteen matches, but I never let them suffer," I said, circling for a better angle. "Tera, however, would make sure her foes lingered if they''d given her too much trouble. She is an... expert on the body." "So you''re the merciful one, Avenging Angel?" Jade said, shifting her stance. "I showed mercy once," I frowned, adjusted my stance in turn, and with a battle cry, I charged Jade. TERA "Cold morning, huh, Your Holiness?" I chuckled, trying at levity as I chained the terrified and naked god to the frame. By her scowl, I guessed my dick joke wasn''t appreciated. It occurred to me that the only other time I''d spoken to Julia was when I had my knife to her daughter''s throat, and now I was going to sexually torture her in front of sixty-thousand people. I suspected small-talk wasn''t something we''d be doing. Well, that was probably for the best, considering what I knew. My eyes caught the crescent symbol dangling between Julia''s full pale breasts, and I sighed. Mostly because her tits were fantastic, but also because I felt guilty. I''d been up all night mulling-over Angela''s theory about the Holy Mother, and the more I thought of it, the more it made sense. I''d never seen evidence of God before, not a perfect, omnipotent one, anyway. The only gods I knew were just extremely powerful mortals, and they were also extremely flawed; Julia maybe more than the other two. Still, she did have a great rack, holy shit. And that ass! Oh, I was going to have fun ruining this woman. I''d been waiting to sink my proverbial (or literal) teeth into her since I first saw her, and now she was delivering herself to me in the best way possible. I''d practically skipped to the Pit when I''d gotten her request from Jade. "Her Holiness needs someone experienced in public displays of punishment, someone the people of Drastin are familiar with, someone that can act as their will." Drastin was a stinking, rotten, corrupt, amoral center of the worst kind of humanity, and I''d make sure their will was enacted to the letter. "What''s that?" Julia gasped. "That..." I said, slipping the instrument down her impressive length, "...is a cock-ring. When I get you hard, this is going to be nice and snug." "And that?" Julia hissed. "This is for your anus," I said, showing her the metallic prongs, and slowly separating them to demonstrate their use. Julia''s eyes went wide. "And that?" Julia whispered, her voice barely coming from her. "Nipple chain; doesn''t it look familiar?" "Ah, yes," Julia mumbled, then glanced at the table beside me, where two-dozen more of my personal toys were laid out. "Are you going to use all of them on me?" "That''s up to you, Your Holiness." I said, taking her chin between my thumb and forefinger. "This is your party, after all." Julia gulped, seeming to steel herself. "Do your worst, Tera." "I don''t think you want that," I chuckled. "But I need it," Julia said, dropping her head, looking resigned and hopeless. As beautiful as she was with her arms chained and spread above her, and her legs in a similar situation below her, I did feel for the girl. "With just a touch, I can make everything wonderful," I said softly. "I brought astral gemstones with me; no one will know." "No," Julia said firmly, regaining some of her spirit. "This isn''t for me, or for you, or for them; this is for God. I have strayed from her path, and I need to atone. I have tortured and raped, so I must bear my sins in turn. I must bear them for all to see." "Well, you say it''s not for me," I smiled as I took a feather, and gently teased her left nipple out, "but truth be told, Your Holiness, I couldn''t think of a better way to start my day." Then I pierced that nipple with the needle in my other hand, and Julia screamed. Her body wrenched forward, her arms and legs straining and straightening behind her, the chains growing taut from her shackles. The crowd erupted around us, and I withdrew the needle. The wound was instantly cauterized by her flesh, which made me cognizant of who I was dealing with. If I went too far, Julia might not be able to control her own fire. I waited until her scream ebbed, then I gave her a questioning look. She nodded weakly, and I punctured the right nipple. I would''ve put a gag in her mouth to give her something to bite on, but the people in the back needed to hear what they couldn''t see, so Julia''s shrill scream rose high and true from her red lips. Her body arched, jutting her chest forward, and I took the opportunity to link the loops through her piercings, and dangle the chain between them. Julia''s scream devolved into a whimper before she regained control of herself. "You''re doing great!" I smiled to her. "Just a couple more things, then we can start." "We can start?!" Julia cried, her red hair in strands over her pale face. "Tera, I—" "Shhh," I said, putting a gloved finger to her red lips. "I''m not ''Tera'' anymore, and you''re not ''Your Holiness.'' You''re not even ''Julia.'' From this moment until we''re done, you are ''Dog.'' You will obey without question, you will submit without resistance, and you will wag that sexy little ass and smile when I offer you a treat. Understood?" I could almost feel Julia''s glare of pure hatred. "If you can''t comply, Dog, then I will let you go, and you can find a new master," I whispered onto those red lips as I ran my finger across them, indenting the glistening flesh. "Now, give your master a ''woof-woof.''" Julia''s eyes narrowed, then relaxed. She dropped her head, and under her breath, I heard a soft, "woof-woof." I smiled to myself. Religious girls were always so easy to submit; they''d been doing it their whole lives. My little Justina scorned religion, but personally, I loved it. Religion filled women with shame, and nothing begot kinkier sex than shame. The Maternal Path was a cesspool of sadomasochism and ritualistic orgies, and while Dark-Julia leaned towards the Holy Mother''s judgmental side, I''d seen firsthand normal-Julia''s proclivities were for the sacrificial side. What a wonderful little martyr she was. "Good girl," I chuckled, and placed a headband atop her crimson mane, giving my new pet the dog ears to match her title. I turned her face upward, and dotted her nose with black ink, giving her the semblance of a snout. She crinkled her nose cutely at the touch, and I giggled. I drew little whiskers on her sparkling apple cheeks, and clasped a tight collar around her neck with ''bitch'' written on the tag. I stepped back to let Drastin see what I''d done to the god. Cruel laughter mingled with jeers and whistles, and Julia''s face turned the color of her hair. She cringed, trying to fold herself inward to hide from the humiliation, but she was trapped in her vertical spread-eagle. I couldn''t help but admire my work. From the chin up, she looked like an adorable little ginger girl who just got her face painted at the fair, but from the chin down, she was a twin-gendered slave-whore in chains, sporting augmented breasts and an oversized cock. The duality of her, both physically and spiritually, aroused me in a very unique way. There was just one thing missing. My eyes fell upon a bushy tail, with a cone-headed metallic plug at the end. I picked it up and sucked it as I strutted around Julia, one of my hands anchoring dainty fingers on her shoulder. I stopped behind her, slid my fingers down her back, grabbed a succulent glute, and spread. "You might enjoy this now, but you''re going to hate me for it later," I whispered, and slowly pushed the plug into her ass. The people jeered as Julia moaned, and I watched her pink rim dilate around the tip''s expanding girth, then suck the metal cone into her with ease, tightening greedily before the base. I left a kiss on the nape of her neck, and the memory of my pressing body to tease her exposed back. "You will find that I am a fair master, Dog," I pontificated as I ran my fingers over my tools. "I will reward good behavior, and punish bad behavior." I gave her a little smirk, "And you''ve been a very bad doggy. Before we do anything, I''m going to have to housebreak you." And I grabbed the cattle-prod, put the business end against Julia''s chain, and pulled the trigger. She screamed again, high and shrill, her biceps flexing, her head rearing back, her feet stomping against the ground. The crowd roared, and I upped the voltage, causing Julia''s fists to shake in their white-knuckled balls. I waited until her scream sputtered out, then I released the trigger, and Julia collapsed, dangling from her arms, breathing heavily, her pale skin glistening with exertion. The crowd''s cheering turned to uproarious laughter, and when Julia realized why, her face turned two shades darker. Between Julia''s quivering legs, her cock was standing full and proud, swelling around the too-snug ring that centered it. Nerves were just electrical signalers after all, and with the metallic plug and cock-ring, I''d created a current between her prostate and her dick. "It is useful to have a scientist in the family," I chuckled, running my fingers along the underside of Julia''s cock, and grinning as the ample organ twitched and frothed. "Justina had this idea written in her notebook. She thought it would be best implemented on a grand scale, a factory-farm of human males reduced to cattle. The ethics got in the way of implementation, I imagine, but we don''t have to worry about such petty things here, do we, Dog?" Julia gritted her teeth and whined a pleading tone as my fingers caressed her. The crowd laughed even more, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "Why the embarrassment, Dog?" I whispered as I pet her. "You walk naked for everyone to see, yet you turn like a beet now?" I leaned forward, and Julia turned her face away. That wouldn''t do at all. I grabbed her cock, squeezed, and twisted. Julia howled, trying to back away from the pain, but only managing to fall backward in her chains, her arms straightened out before her. The crowd erupted, and Julia closed her eyes tightly like a child without object permanence. r"