Trials of the Soul
by J. Darksong
“Shelley! Hey! What a surprise!”
I smiled at my oldest and dearest friend. “Hi, Mary. Can I come in for a bit?”
“Sure, of course!” she said, stepping aside, and welcoming me into her home. “I was just about to have breakfast, would you like something?”
“No, thanks. I had something to eat on the flight into town... but I’d love a cup of coffee if you can spare it. I really just got back in town, and knowing you’re an early riser, and that today was your day off, I thought I’d swing by and shoot the breeze a bit.”
“Glad you did,” Mary remarked, pulling her pink cotton robe tighter around herself as she made her way into the kitchen. “It seems like it’s been forever since you decided to take that spur-of-the-moment trip abroad. It must be nice to be able to simply pull up roots and travel anywhere in the world like that on a whim.”
I gave her a smirk as she returned with two hot cups of coffee. “Is that a note of jealousy I hear in your voice?” I teased, sipping the brew. Mary laughed, sitting down on the seat across from me. “Being a high-priced lawyer isn’t all its cracked up to be you know. I’m just lucky enough to have made it high enough up the corporate ladder to have people cover for me if I decided to take a spontaneous trip now and then. But I still have responsibilities, and duties.” I sipped from my drink again, glancing away from Mary, looking nowhere in particular. “Yes, everything has a price, my friend. Sometimes its not so obvious, but its there nonetheless.”
“Well, give me the freedom to leave my job anytime I want to fly to exotic lands, and I’ll pay whatever price you want,” Mary said with a smirk, placing her cup on the table.
Be careful what you wish for, I thought to myself.
“So, what are you planning to do today, Shell?” she asked me. “It’s the weekend, so why don’t we go shopping and hang out like we used to do?”
I smiled. It was forced, and it felt like a grimace, but Mary smiled back. “I’d like that, Mary. It’s been much too long since we’ve spent some time... together.”
My eyes were inevitably drawn back to Mary, down to the tight fitting robe adorning her body. I felt my mouth go dry as I recalled the perfect hourglass shape of her body, the sweet swell of her breasts, and the slender curvature of her breasts. It took a supreme effort not to reach across and shuck off her robe, and bring her beautiful body to light.
Mary nodded, apparently oblivious to my slightly agitated state. “Alright. I’ll go shower and change, then we can decide where we want to go first.”
Suddenly, I was standing there, facing her. I didn’t even recall moving from the couch, yet here I was, standing in front of Mary. A hundred thoughts swarmed through my mind, memories of our friendship, of growing up together, of laughing and crying together. She was the closest thing I had to a sister. I loved her. Then the images shifted, and I remembered other things, images of the both of us, liberated, freed from the constraints of our normal lives, enslaved by the wondrous joy of serving our Master.
Mary still lived under the illusion of freedom, not remembering her life as Jonothan’s eager pussy slave. I had been awakened, had been blessed with the knowledge of his existence once again. Now, it was His will that I awaken her as well.
Moving swiftly, I held my arms open wide, hugging her tightly. Surprised at first, Mary responded, clutching me close, in a friendly platonic hug, one of many we had shared over the years. “Gee, I’m glad to see you too, Shell,” she said with a laugh, “but I’m only leaving to take a shower. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”
Her body was against mine, and my face was to the side of her head. She couldn’t see my expression, else she likely would have pulled away in confusion. Still, I have no doubt she could feel my rock hard nipples against her as our bodies touched. Closing my eyes for a moment, I whispered the words Master had instructed me to speak.
“An ECLIPSE is coming, Mary,” I said softly. “A beautiful dark eclipse. You and I, we shall watch it together.”
I felt Mary’s body stiffen against me, and the shudder that went through her transferred to me as well. The knowledge of what I was doing to her caused the tiny seed of darkness within me now to pulse softly, sending its corruption even deeper into me. I pulled back from Mary a little to see her face, and was rewarded with her stunned, helpless, entranced expression. The trigger had opened her mind wide, and she stood there, sighing softly, eager to receive any instructions I had for her. Sliding a hand under my skirt and between my already slickened thighs, I wasted no time.
“You are open to me, aren’t you Mary?”
Mary nodded softly, continuing to stare straight ahead. Her mouth opened slightly, and her voice, a mere whisper, but audible, spoke in tandem.
“Yes... I am open to you.”
“Your mind is open to me.”
“Yes... my mind... open to you.”
“Your mind is open, like a hot wet cunt.”
“Yes... open... like a hot... wet cunt.”
I had to smother a groan as the combination of her words and my fingers circling my clit brought me dangerously close to climax. Slowing my hands, I turned my attention back to Mary.
“You are open to me.”
“I am open to you.”
“You hot, wet, cunt-mind is open to me.”
“My cunt-mind is open to you.”
“When I fuck your cunt, I fuck your mind.”
“When you fuck my cunt, you fuck my mind.”
“You exist only for the pleasure of having me fuck your cunt-mind.”
“I.. exist... only for the pleasure... you... fucking my cunt-mind...”
“You EXIST only for the PLEASURE of having me FUCK your cunt-mind.”
“I exist... only for the pleasure... of having you... fuck my... cunt-mind.”
“YOU exist ONLY FOR the pleasure of having ME fuck your cunt-mind!”
“I exist only for the pleasure of having you fuck my cunt-mind.”
“You exist only for my pleasure.”
“I exist only for your pleasure.”
My skirt was now shifted high above my waist, as I lay sprawled back on the couch, with my legs spread wide, vigorously fingering myself like a woman possessed. Mary’s flat, dull, emotionless tone was edging me ever closer to sweet blissful release, with every syllable sent from her tongue feeling like a teasing lick across my sensitive nubbin. Breathing heavily, eyes half-lidded in pleasure, I quickly finished the litany.
“You live to serve me.”
“I live to serve you.”
“You live to please me.”
“I live to please you.”
“You live to worship me!”
“I live to worship you.”
“Y-y-ou live to... pleasure m-m-me!”
“I live to pleasure you.”
“You are nothing... mmmmmm...nothing but my mindless puppet... ughhh.. uggh... just a mindless drone... existing only... to serve... me!”
“I am nothing... only a mindless puppet. A mindless drone, existing only to serve you.”
I was there at the breaking point now. Mary’s empty hollow voice, her utter enslavement and corruption at my hands, was stroking me nearing and nearer. “Then kneel between my legs and serve your Mistress, my puppet!” I nearly screamed. Obediently, she moved into place, and when her soft tender lips met my wet nether lips, an explosion of pleasure shattered my mind and sent me into nirvana.
Colonel Benson sat rigidly as his superiors ranted and raged, criticizing his actions, enduring the world-class ‘ass-chewing’ he’d fully expected. Word of his unauthorized assault on an British soil had reached the Brass, and a formal court martial was in the works. When he adamantly refused to submit the names of his agents and subordinates, he endured another half hour of ranting and raving. Finally, having expended their frustrations for the time being, the military and civilian heads of State departed to schedule his court martial.
As he was being led to his cell, a young blonde-haired MP stepped up. Turning to the Colonel’s escort, he nodded. “I’ll escort the prisoner back to his cell, Corporal. You’re wanted by the Chief.” Saluting, the MP took off towards the central office. The Colonel waited until they were alone before speaking.
“Dammit, Hawkins, I told you and the rest of the group to disappear!” he growled. “That does NOT mean dressing yourself up as an MP and paying me a visit in the stockade. What the HELL do you think you’re doing?”
“Sorry, Colonel, but it was the only way to speak to you. And don’t worry, I’m not in disguise this time, I managed to get assigned here as an actual MP. Wasn’t too hard to manipulate the computers into assigning me here.” He grinned a lopsided grin at his superior. Despite himself, and the situation, Benson chuckled.
“Yeah, well you always were the very best at what you did, Hawkins.” Then he sobered again. “Okay, obviously you wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important. What is it?”
“A message, sir. The very last message from Gamma sector before the order to disband was given. I was told it was high priority, and with everyone else... er, decommissioned, so to speak, I thought I’d best deliver it to you myself.” Taking a small piece of paper from his pocket, Hawkins passed the message to Colonel Benson.
The Colonel, reading the message, frowned, then nodded. “You were right to bring this to me. There’s not much I can do to help our Commander at this point. We’re pretty much out of the picture now. Still... there might be a way to get this last message to him.”
They arrived at the Colonel’s cell. Hawkins unlocked the door, and ushered the Colonel inside. “Sorry to have to lock you up like this, Sir, but there’s nothing I can do to help you out of this.”
“Oh, you can help me well enough,” Benson said, handing the message back to him. “I want you to get in contact with one of our ‘friends’ up north. If you can get this message to our man in Canada, he will see that the Commander receives it.”
Hawkins frowned. “Well, of course, sir, I’ll do what I can, but sending anything out of here at the moment is going to be risky. After London, anyone and everyone connected to you is going to be watched carefully. I don’t know if I can get the message through without being shadowed.”
“I have faith that you’ll manage somehow,” the Colonel said. “The Commander needs that information as soon as possible. As for transmitting it without arousing suspicion... I have an idea. This is what you need to do...”
“Hello? Cathy? Hi, this is Mary. Is Mr. Shearer there?”
I felt a small stab of conscience watching as Mary obediently called her workplace of the past ten years and quit. Part of me, a small untainted part of me, raged inside at the unfairness of what I was making her do. The larger part of me, however, remembered that my actions were subject to another will, stronger than my own. I served HIM, as Mary would now serve me. It had to be this way.
Still, I felt a small sense of sadness for the change I was creating in my best friend.
“Okay, thank you,” Mary was saying. “It’s been a pleasure, Mr. Shearer. Perhaps we’ll meet again sometime. Bye.” She hung up the phone and returned to her position between my legs. “All done, Mistress Shelly. As of now, I’m once again a free agent.”
“A very misleading choice of words, Mary my dear,” I said with a grin. “Neither of us are truly ‘FREE’.”
“True, true,” Mary replied, nuzzling herself on my smooth inner thighs. “But even in the deepest of bondage there are certain... freedoms. Like the freedom to serve and please you.” Her lips caressed my open slit, causing a burning heat to erupt inside of me. Seeing the effect, she began teasing and caressing my tender places with that talented tongue of hers, sending amazing pleasures throughout my body.
In the midst of this pleasure, I felt it again, that inner war that raged inside me. My thoughts, my consciousness, consumed in the pleasure my little submissive was forcing upon me, left the rest of my mind open to reflection. The seed of darkness inside me was growing, slowly but surely, corrupting my thoughts and actions. I had taken it willing from Darke during the Cleansing, not even expecting to survive it, but now that it was inside me, I was forced to fight a never-ending battle against its corruption. My will, bent, tempered, and reshaped to my Master’s will, was all that kept me from succumbing. I sensed down deep how easy it would be to use what I had been taught and given by Master Darke and spread this darkness to others, to enslave them and corrupt them as well.
Since that day in the caverns of His homeland, I’ve been able to touch a Power, a Force I’d never even imagined before. I was not Ancient, or even Kinspawn; I was something else, something altogether different. I was still myself, still Shelley Preston, but the inner battle against that darkness was changing me. I had faced a trial by fire in those caverns and survived. Now I faced a trial of the soul, a trial to endure and remain true to myself.
Am I strong enough to endure what my Master couldn’t endure without help?
The ringing of the phone caught my attention, bringing me back to reality. I waved Mary away from my spasming cunt long enough to answer the phone.
“Hello? Yes, yes, she’s here.” Mary turned to me and held the phone to my ear. Somewhat surprised, I spoke into the receiver.
“Shelley here.”
“It’s time to go.”
Master. Of course. “Um, time to go? Alright, I’ll be back home in—”
“No. Time to leave. Here. Canada. I’ve made reservations. Bring your little friend along too, I have the feeling she might be useful. Be at the airport in fifteen minutes. I’ll meet you there.”
I sat there looking at the beeping phone several moments after He had hung up, as if it could somehow answer all the nagging questions in my head. Leaving? So soon? But why? We’d returned home to rest a bit, to plan and strategize our next move, and to awaken all of the ‘sleepers’ Master had planted here. Thus far, I’d only awoken Mary. Now... we were leaving again?
“Mary,” I said glancing down at the naked figure kneeling before me, “pack a bag. We’re going on a trip.”
Several minutes later, Mary and I were making our way through the crowds of people, walking to the ticket counter. I spotted Jonothan Darke sitting on one of the benches, talking on a cell phone, and glancing up, He waved us over. Nearing Him, I caught the trailing end of his conversation.
“...yes, I know. Well, just do your best, Raoul. I’ll take everything you can round up by 5 P.M. I’ll have the cash with me, you just make sure the merchandise is ready.” He nodded silently, scratching off something on the notepad in His hand. “Oh yes, one more thing. In addition to everything else, I need a little ‘fertilizer’, and a couple of those novelty items you’re so proud of... yes, the ‘blue plate specials’. Have them ready when we arrive. Thanks. Bye.”
He handed me two tickets, and started towards the escalators. “Here you go. Our flight leaves in ten minutes, so we’d better hurry.”
“I take it by this sudden decision to leave that You have a game plan?” I asked, quickly following Him. “You didn’t give me much notice. I only had time to awaken Mary here, so if we need more help, we’ll have to find it along the way.”
“I know, but it couldn’t be helped. The timetable has been sped up considerably more than I had anticipated. The Others are on the move already. Worst of all, I received one last message from my network. The one person that I can possibly count on for reliable information has been hit, and hit hard.”
He handed me a newspaper, opened to the classified section. One particular ad was circled in red ink.
Shadowdarke Inc.
Medical assistant needed for public healthcare outreach program. Relocating a must, as services extend throughout Canada as well as parts of the U.S. including New York. Must show good decision making skills and Judgment qualities, and able to work well with others. Preferred experience with model X-GP dialysis machines, or discontinued model Scorpio machines. Preferred experience with X-ray technology and radiology, and other HOT energy treatments. OCN and Hospice training is also preferred. $50K+ year plus transportation expenses. Positions filling quickly. Apply in person.
We made our way across the concourse and onto the airplane, where we took our seats. Once we were settled, I looked across to Jonothan. “So, what does this want-add have to do with us leaving now? Why is it so important?”
He shook his head, in exasperation, as if I’d asked something stupid. “Didn’t you read the note? It’s a coded message addressed to me, specifically. The whole line about needing a medical assistant is just to disguise the real message. That want-add tells me three things quite clearly.” He held up three fingers. “ONE. Something significant has taken place in New York, and Tapestry, Scorpion, and most likely Salamander are involved.” He counted off one finger. “TWO. Whoever started this encounter, at least one of them is now dead. Lady Death herself, the Scorpion, has been... how was it put? ‘Discontinued’.” He counted off another finger. “And finally, THREE. Someone, likely Tapestry, is badly hurt, and in need of my help, and that I need to go to New York in person, as soon as possible.”
Mary and I glanced at each other. “You were able to tell all that from this note?”
Again, He sighed deeply, shaking His head. “Yes, of course,” He all but snapped. “I came up with the idea just for cases like this, when it was impossible to communicate directly.” Sighing, He settled back into His seat. “Never mind. Just sit there and be quiet, I have a lot of planning to do.”
I sighed as well, glancing over at Mary, who was reading a magazine. I hated times like this, when Master preferred to be left alone. As long as I was serving Him in some way, doing some task He’d assigned me to, I was fine. All my focus and attention would be devoted to that task, the way I was focused and devoted entirely to Him. But whenever I was left idle, given no specific task to perform, my mind would drift, run in circles, and I’d think about the past, about the changes in me, about the things I was doing. It was so easy and blissful when Master commanded me, His will overriding my own, erasing all doubt and indecision. Now, as then, my altered mind, given no focus, chose to center on that night deep within the caverns in Iceland, where Janice gave her life.
She died for Him, sacrificing herself, her very existence, to help Him Heal. Just the same as me; I was perfectly willing to die for Him too. I still am. My life would be meaningless without him anyway. (SIGH) Too much has changed for me... I have changed. I could never go back to my life before Him. It’s too late for me.
But what about Mary? My best friend, for Christ’s sakes!! I’ve known her since grade school, and yet twice now I’ve corrupted her, enslaved her—once in the beginning, when I brought her to Jonothan’s notice, and again, this morning, when I made her my obedient fucktoy. What’s the matter with me? How could I do that to someone I love so deeply?
And yet... it was so delicious! So utterly devilishly DELICIOUS! It was pure bliss whenever Jonothan superceded my will and dominated me! I craved the feeling of being his lowly slave more than a cocaine addict craves his next fix. Still, being able to do the same to Mary, to control and dominate her the same way... it TOUCHED something inside me. That tiny, growing seed of darkness in my soul, that little bit of evil taken from my Master’s heart... would it continue to grow? It was slowly consuming me, altering me even deeper than Jonothan’s Touch had changed me. As much as I hated and deplored what I had done to Mary, a part of me relished it.
And that part of me was growing.