Kate vs. The Cult of the Searing Sky

by Avedora sour.panda@gmail.com

~ 1 ~

Kate lay sprawled on the cold marble floor, unconscious. Her arms were curled limply above her head, her legs straight and slightly parted. She wore a little chocolate-brown camisole, snug blue jeans, and sneakers. Her breathing was soft and regular.

A young woman emerged from the shadows and slowly approached Kate's sleeping form, anxiously glancing all about her. She bent close to Kate's face, grasped her by the shoulders, and began to shake.

“Hey, hey! Wake up!” Kate's head lolled from side to side but she did not stir. “Hey! Please, wake up! Please!” The girl shook harder, again glancing about the room, her voice tinged with panic. “Please!”

Kate finally gave some sign of waking instead of flopping about like a lump. She furrowed her brow and let out a faint moan, then brought her hand to her forehead and slowly opened her dark, shining eyes. “Wha… what? …Where?”

“I don't know where,” said the girl, panting. “Or why, or how, or any of it! I found you lying here. I was unconscious, too, I think. I remember walking my dog and then… and then I was here.”

Kate sat up groggily, moaning softly. Her vision was still a little hazy, but she could make out the girl crouched beside her well enough. She was slim and pretty, with honey coloured hair, big green eyes, and a patch of freckles over the bridge of her nose. She wore a pair of yellow capri pants and a white long-sleeved t-shirt. She looked a mess, her hair and clothes disheveled, her features exaggerated in their anxiousness.

“Okay, calm down, calm down,” Kate said firmly but not unkindly. “We've obviously been abducted.” She looked around the room. It was large but unfurnished, with one door and one window along the far wall. There were no lights, save for that of the moon looming high and pale in the night sky. “Seems like it's past midnight ,” she muttered to herself. “Last I remember it was early afternoon.”

“What are we going to do?” shouted the girl suddenly, on the verge of tears. Kate put a hand on her arm to steady her, speaking slowly and calmly.

“First, we're going to stop screaming. Second, you're going to tell me your name.”

There was a long pause as the girl tried to control her breathing. “Meg. I'm Meg,” she whispered finally.

“K, Meg, I'm Kate. Now, please, help me up.” With Meg to steady her Kate managed to get to her feet. She felt a wave a dizziness wash over her but was soon able to stand on her own. As she straightened she stretched her long, agile body, working the kinks out of her joints. Kate stood a little taller than most women, with an athletic, graceful figure. Her hair was almost black, quite straight, parted at the side, and cut just above her shoulders. She had classically beautiful features, something like a young Audrey Hepburn only with a mischievous twinkle ever sparkling in her sharp, intelligent eyes.

Glancing out the window she could make out very little of where they were. The area seemed remote, surrounded by patches of trees and sprawling hills, and mostly shrouded in darkness. The ground was far below, six or seven stories at least.

“No jumping out that way. I'm guessing this glass is shatterproof, too,” she said, tapping the window with her finger. Kate walked over to the door and pressed her ear against it, listening. “Hum…” She tried the knob, and was surprised to find it turn easily in her hand. “Not even locked. Seems it's time to go,” she said casually, turning back to Meg who had been watching her with some bewilderment. Kate exuded confidence. She seemed unnaturally calm and much too easy about everything.

“Just… just who are you?” Meg asked tentatively.

Kate raised an eyebrow, almost smiling. “You want to get out of here or not?”

~

Wherever it was they were being kept, the place was enormous. It seemed like an old mansion, dismal and labyrinthine, with an endless and confusing muddle of rooms opening into corridors opening into closets and secret passageways, and then more rooms and more corridors, and more, and more. Some doors were locked, others hanging open. When there was any light at all it came from torches or candles, flickering eerily, setting the shadows dancing along the walls. Kate plodded along dauntlessly, not knowing where she was going but determined to keep moving. Meg clung close to her, breathing heavily, fearfully.

“We'll try to make our way down,” said Kate reassuringly. “Once we're at ground level we may be able to find a way out.”

“But… who would abduct us just to let us wander around in this old place?” Meg protested. “They must have had a reason! Won't they try to stop us?”

“Maybe. Probably.” Kate stopped for a moment in front of a window and turned to look at the smaller girl. “I don't know what their game is, Meg, but it's pretty clear they wanted us wandering around in here. It would have been very easy to keep us in that first room.”

“So we're doing what they want?”

“We're doing what we can. Look, whether they try to stop us or not, we'll never escape if we just sit around waiting.” Kate's eyes glinted dangerously in the moonlight. “Don't worry, hun, I'm a lot more than they can handle. They just don't know it yet.”

Meg nodded slowly, as puzzled by the other woman as she was by her predicament.

~

They continued on in silence for a time, for hours it seemed, never finding a stairway or any other means of descent. They heard various noises echoing through the old walls—feet pounding, muffled voices shouting, doors slamming shut. Even when the sounds were close they weren't able to find who or what had made them. They knew, though, that they weren't alone.

Eventually they came to an especially wide corridor, the walls of which were decorated ornately with strange, unintelligible carvings. At the end of the corridor sat a pair of large, heavy doors, decorated in the same fashion. Without hesitating, Kate walked the length of the hall and shoved the doors open, Meg close behind her trembling, sensing something dire.

Walking through the doors, they found themselves in an expansive chamber. Like all the other rooms it was sparsely furnished, with a table and some solid wooden chairs but nothing else to speak of. What was different about this room, however, was the giant hearth ablaze in the corner, and the sleek grim figure standing before it, gazing into the flames.

With a crash the doors slammed shut behind them, and a resounding clank suggested they'd been locked fast. The figure spoke then, a woman's harsh voice faintly accented.

“A belated welcome to you both. My name is Naomi, Fist of the Searing Sky , liaison to Lord Tim himself. You should be honoured that I meet you here, at your first chance of

passage .” The woman continued staring into the fire, unmoving. Kate and Meg exchanged bewildered glances. “You've done well to come so far in so short a time. One of you will be descending shortly. It is sooner than most.”

Kate stepped forward, frowning angrily and shaking her head. “Is any of that really supposed to make sense? Tell us why you've brought us here. Now.”

Meg had a thousand related questions she wanted to ask, but fear kept her silent. The woman took her time in answering Kate.

“You shouldn't worry about any of that. You want to regain your freedom, mm?”

“Of course we do!” shouted Meg impatiently, her frustration overwhelming her fear for an instant. She shrank back into silence when she realized what she'd done.

“Yes, of course you do,” said the woman flatly. “The stairs are the key. Find the stairs on each level—as you've done here—and you'll eventually reach the bottom, where you'll be released. Mark me, though, there will be many perils along the way. You do not simply use the stairs when you find them. There are tasks, trials.”

“Like some cheesy video game,” muttered Kate, sardonically.

“Liken it to what you will, it's the only way you're getting out. Now, my time with you is limited. Lord Tim has commanded that only one may pass here. That is, the stair will not open until one of you has incapacitated the other.” Meg gasped and shared another glance with Kate whose expression was unreadable. “The loser will have to find another stair in order to make another attempt—there are multiple stairs on each level, so with some persistence it will only be a matter of time.”

“This is crazy! It's crazy!” cried Meg, hoping Kate was thinking the same thing.

“You may begin at any time,” was the woman's cool reply.

There was a long moment where nothing happened. Meg's heart was racing. She was watching Kate, wondering and anticipating, wanting to run. She'd only known her for a few hours, after all. What would stop Kate from turning on her now, so that she could use the stairs herself and be one floor closer to freedom?

“No,” Kate said, calmly, finally . “I think we'd rather stay together, thank you.” Meg sighed with relief.

The woman turned to face them then, slowly, dreadfully. Her long, elegant body was clad in tight red leather, which creaked softly as she moved. She was extremely beautiful, with bright green eyes, long blonde hair that fell past her shoulders, and a small, pouty mouth. Her breasts were perfect white mounds, partly exposed by a plunging collar. She glared at Kate levelly, anger flashing behind her eyes.

“You aren't being given a choice. If you refuse this neither of you will pass. Do you intend to stay here forever?”

“Oh no, not at all.” Kate met Naomi's glare casually, confidently. “I'm betting there's a shortcut through all of this, though, and maybe if I knock you around enough you'll be willing to tell me about it, mm?”

Naomi's eyes narrowed. “Don't be foolish. We know all about you, Katherine Tully. A skilled thief, a capable fighter. You, however, know—”

“You're a thief?” Meg blurted out suddenly, interrupting the imposing blonde. Kate's lips curled in a sly grin. Naomi continued, her anger intensifying, her voice dropping to a sinister whisper.

“ You , however, know nothing about us. What you propose is impossible.”

Kate appeared unimpressed. “We'll see, hon. Meg, stay here.” The brunette took two graceful steps forward and raised her arms in a defensive stance. Naomi stood glaring at her for a few moments more, then slowly clenched her hands into fists, her face contorted with rage.

“Very well, I see there's no alternative. But I'll make you regret wasting my time!” Then she shouted something in another language that sounded like a curse and lunged forward with a snarl. The fight was on.

Kate was happy to concede the first move to the larger woman, who swiped at her head with a quick hook. She was immediately able to get a sense of Naomi's balance and dexterity, which failed to match her own, though the blonde was undoubtedly the stronger. Kate danced around the woman's strikes, darting in and jabbing when she caught an opening, being careful of Naomi's advantage in reach.

As this went on, and Naomi became more and more frustrated, her attacks grew increasingly reckless. Missing a wild punch, she tried whirling around to catch Kate with a backhand, but Kate saw it coming and dipped low, rotating her hips to bring her back foot around in a dazzling arc. Her heel cracked Naomi on the jaw and the blonde staggered.

Kate lunged forward at the opening, battering Naomi now with punches to the stomach, breasts, and face. The blonde grunted but showed incredible resilience as she absorbed most of the blows and countered suddenly with a clothesline that nearly snatched Kate's head from her shoulders. Meg screamed as Kate fell hard to the floor and lay still, as if dazed. But as Naomi lifted her foot to stomp on the fallen woman, Kate sprang back to life, rapidly spinning on her back and sweeping Naomi's supporting leg out from under her.

With amazing agility Kate continued spinning, and somehow managed to snag Naomi's neck between her legs as the blonde tumbled to the floor. Kate squeezed with all her strength, and Naomi's leather-clad body writhed in furious protest as she struggled to breathe, her face beginning to turn a subtle shade of purple. The advantage seemed wholly in Kate's favour, however the larger woman had presence of mind enough to see that Kate's crotch was vulnerably exposed, and seizing the opportunity she began to hammer away at that most tender of regions with her free hand. The brunette grunted, and after the third blow begrudgingly gave up her hold, rolling away from Naomi while clutching her wounded sex.

Both women were sweating now, and panting. Naomi was first to her feet, so that as Kate used the wall to help herself up the blonde was crashing into her with all of her weight, clamping her fingers around Kate's pretty neck and lifting her clear off the ground. This all looked quite disastrous. Kate was kicking and punching at Naomi but the woman could not be persuaded to release her stranglehold. It was Kate's face that now began to turn slightly purple, and her struggles seemed to be growing feebler and feebler with every moment that passed.

Watching this, Meg found herself reacting without thinking. She ran across the room to pick up one of the wooden chairs, then turned and bashed it over the back of Naomi's head. Kate dropped to the floor gasping as the blonde stumbled but didn't go down. She rounded on Meg who screamed and tried to run but was quickly yanked back by the hair and driven forcefully, face first, into the wall. Naomi let Meg fall in an awkward heap. Just like that the girl was out cold, no longer a nuisance of any concern.

Kate was back on her feet. Though breathing quite heavily, she managed to sound her usual confident self. “I told you to stay put,” she muttered, reprimanding the unconscious Meg who was slumped only a few feet away. Naomi was rushing in again, not wanting to give the brunette any time to recover.

Kate gracefully twirled away from the larger woman's attempt to tackle her and brought her elbow sharply down at the base of Naomi's neck. Carried by her momentum and stumbling from the blow, the blonde continued forward and collided brutally with the solid oaken table. Kate was upon her in an instant, snatching up a clump of her hair and smashing her face against the unforgiving surface of the wood, again and again. Blood began to trickle from the blonde's nose, and in desperation she lashed out with an elbow that caught Kate low in the abdomen. The smaller woman took a few steps back, but this was the perfect distance from which to deliver a powerful spinning kick that caught Naomi squarely on the temple just as she was straightening up.

The blonde flew backwards, and came to rest spread out over the width of the table with her legs dangling over the edge. Her head lolled from side to side as she lay there semiconscious, her hair splayed out around her like a golden halo. Her breasts were heaving against the tight leather that partially constricted them, and her mouth was open as her breath came in gasps.

Kate paused a moment to catch her own breath, then stepped forward and slipped her fingers down the front of Naomi's top, yanking the dazed woman up into a sitting position where she teetered and swayed. Kate smiled sadistically and in a playful tone said, “We'll get to the questions in a bit, dear.” She looked the woman up and down. The blood continued to trickle from her nose, her eyelids drooped, her body sat there defenceless, unprotected. “In the meantime maybe a nap would do you some good, mm? Here, let me tuck you in.” Kate cocked her arm back and savagely punched the blonde in the jaw. The force of the blow knocked her sideways so she slammed into the tabletop with her shoulder, then rolled limply onto her back, her long legs still dangling over the edge, her eyes sliding up into her head and closing. Her breathing was still frantic but apart from this Naomi's body was utterly still.

“Sweet dreams, hun.” Kate patted Naomi's tummy with mock affection, then—satisfied the blonde was well and truly knocked out—left her to check on Meg.

Meg was at that moment unsteadily getting to her feet. She didn't appear to have suffered any serious harm, and the look she gave Kate was one of extreme relief.

“That was very brave, Meg. Very stupid, but very brave.” Kate smiled warmly at her and Meg returned the gesture.

“What… what are we going to do with her?” Meg asked as she glanced at Naomi's motionless form.

“I'm not sure, really. We need something to restrain her.” Kate's smile faded as she looked around the room. “Hum… maybe we could—“

Meg gasped in disbelief as she watched the woman lying on the table suddenly sit upright and begin calmly smoothing her hair. Kate turned quickly to share in her astonishment. When Naomi spoke her voice was even colder than before, almost a hiss.

“This really is unacceptable.” She stood, not at all shakily, and turned to face them. Even Kate gasped then. The woman's eyes were glowing bright red, a shimmering haze of heat surrounding her like a blazing aura. It was no trick of the light. This was something strange and supernatural.

“Humiliate me, will you?” She sneered horribly. “I hope you're ready to scream!”

“Get back, Meg,” shouted Kate who tried to ready herself but was not prepared for the speed at which this “new” Naomi moved. She was a blur of motion as she made up the distance between them in a blink and cracked Kate across the face with an elbow. Not only was she faster, but stronger too. The blow sent Kate reeling, her vision exploding into white flecks of light.

Ugn….” There was no time to even steady herself. Naomi was there again, red eyes burning, sending a barrage of blows into Kate's tummy, brutally taking the breath from her lungs. As she fell gasping and clutching at her stomach she caught sight of Meg slumped in the corner, eyes closed, her body quiet and still.

“When did she have the time to get to Meg?” was a thought of some coherence amidst the muddle in her brain. It didn't matter, though. She was on her back, the blonde straddling her and glaring down malevolently. Kate tried to jam her palm into the woman's chin but Naomi grabbed her wrists and pinned her arms over her head. She brought her face in close to Kate's, grinning and snarling. Kate felt like she was being held under a furnace. The woman's eyes were smoldering embers, and the heat they gave off was intense. Kate could feel the sweat breaking out on her face, her hair going damp. “What is she?” she thought, desperately.

Naomi's own hair was also damp, and with her face hanging over Kate's her blonde tresses hung down, tangling messily with Kate's dark. All Kate could see were those horrible eyes. She struggled violently, but felt as helpless as a kitten.

“Not making much noise are you?” The blonde reached down with her free hand and began to viciously claw Kate's left breast through the thin fabric of her top. Her touch, like her gaze, was hot, not enough to burn but enough to add to Kate's already considerable discomfort. She gave a shriek as the woman tightened her grip, kneading the tender flesh with a bear's strength.

“Ahhh, much better. You may be a lot tougher than our other guests, but there's a point at which screaming becomes involuntary.” She squeezed again, and Kate responded with another agonized cry. Her howling was abruptly cut off as Naomi grabbed Kate's head, lifted it, and slammed it back down against the floor. The white flecks returned as Kate drifted on the very edge of consciousness, moaning softly now. Her struggles had all but subsided. Sweat was pouring off her.

“That's it, sweetie, just where I want you.” Naomi was grinning again. “You can taste the numbing release of oblivion now, can't you? Hmm? Yes, but you can't have it, not yet.”

The blonde climbed off of Kate and stood, then reached down and unbuttoned the brunette's jeans, tugging at the zipper slowly. “Normally our guests steal each other's clothes, but you're not likely to fall to any of them.” She laughed. “Consider this a compliment.”

She began to peel the pants down, exposing Kate's black panties and her silky thighs. Kate, for her part, was murmuring her defiance as her body flopped about weakly, but she was delirious and incoherent. “What's that, dear? Do speak up.” Naomi left the jeans for a moment to pry off Kate's sneakers, picking up her legs and dropping them again like garbage. She returned to the pants and yanked them all the way off, tossing them into the still-flickering flames of the hearth. The blonde stooped and began to rub Kate gently just above her sex. She flicked the elastic of her panties, and said with a laugh, “You can keep these for now. No need to rush things.”

To Naomi's surprise Kate shoved her arm away and rolled over onto her front, trying to push herself up onto her hands and knees. The woman watched her, amused.

“Such determination. It's tragic, really.” She grabbed Kate by the hair and jerked her upright, then wrapped her impossibly strong arms around Kate's slender waist, lifting her off the ground in a devastating bear hug. She squeezed in pulses, enjoying Kate's involuntary spasms and the way her legs dangled uselessly in the air. She shook the smaller woman, watching her limbs flail and then fall limp again. Kate's grunts grew softer and softer, and as her head began to droop forward Naomi released her and let her slump to the floor where she lay with eyes closed and chest heaving.

The blonde circled her prey, inspecting her work. Kate was utterly beaten, prone, and beyond weak. She looked a wretch, covered in sweat, her scanty top and underwear clinging to her wetly, the grime of the floor smeared all over her smooth skin. Her legs were bent under her uncomfortably, her arms spread to either side. Naomi laughed and nudged Kate roughly with her foot.

“Are you still there? Can you hear me, bitch?” Kate moaned and moved only slightly. The blonde wiped the little trickle of blood off of her chin with the back of her hand. She lifted her foot and planted it between Kate's breasts, shifting her weight to the same leg and leaning over it to look at her defeated opponent.

“Now, I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have,” she said mockingly. “Where would you like to begin?” Kate was silent, her eyes fluttering. “Sorry? What was that?” continued Naomi, cruelly playing with her senseless victim. “I can't answer your questions if you don't ask any.” She reached down and slapped Kate's face. No response. Naomi laughed delightedly.

Suddenly a man's voice called out from seemingly everywhere at once, filling the room—deep, commanding, ethereal. “No more playing, Naomi. You're needed elsewhere.”

The blonde raised her eyes, startled, speaking as though the man were directly in front of her. “Milord! I'm sorry for the delay, but this woman challenged me. Me ! It was infuriating! I've had to teach her a lesson.”

“Yes, Naomi, we've been watching. We are most impressed with her.”

“With her ?” Naomi asked incredulously. She reached down and lifted Kate's head off the ground by the hair, then let it flop back to the floor to emphasize the woman's limpness. “She is broken, milord.”

“Clearly. But we saw everything, Naomi. Without the right of invocation , you would be lying there in her place.”

Naomi visibly shook with anger. “Milord! If you are displeased with me—”

“Don't worry yourself over it, my child. You've done well to entertain us. But finish this lesson quickly and be on your way.”

“Yes, milord. I'll tear her into a thousand pieces and lay them on a platter at your feet.”

“No. You aren't to do any permanent damage to that one. We enjoy her too much. Show some restraint, Naomi. And hurry.”

The leather-clad villainess stood in silence for a few moments, fuming, her eyes flaring brighter than ever. She looked down at Kate and was surprised to find the brunette conscious again, looking right back at her.

“You'd better listen to the man…” Kate managed weakly, with a hint of a mocking smile. “Be sure that you're gentle.”

Again Naomi shook, every muscle tense with anger, but she recovered herself and returned Kate's smile venomously. “He said not to cause any permanent damage. There's nothing in that about being gentle.”

Kate struggled as Naomi jerked her roughly to her feet and easily snatched her up in another bear hug. This time, however, instead of squeezing Kate, she spun them both around and slammed the already battered woman harshly onto the table. Kate tried scrambling away but Naomi clasped her hands together and began to smash them—piston-like—into Kate's exposed midriff, again and again and again. The blows fell relentlessly as Kate's poor body twisted and convulsed, and the table creaked audibly under the tremendous strain. When Naomi finally stopped Kate's tummy was a bright pink, and she was wheezing pitifully. Naomi brought her face close to whisper in her ear.

“The minute I'm able to I'm going to find you again, and we'll continue this. Right now, though, I have other matters to attend to, so it's sleepy time, bitch.”

She walked around to the end of the table—Kate lying lengthwise along its surface. Squatting at Kate's head, Naomi reached out, stretching her arm along the length of the smaller woman's torso, and grabbed her between her legs. With a deliberately hard squeeze she pulled Kate towards her, until the brunette's head dangled over the edge of the table. Then, with a grin, Naomi leaned close, pressing her sizeable breasts over Kate's nose and mouth, smothering her. The poor woman began to writhe and flail, unable to breathe, and with her head hanging upside-down the blood began accumulating in her brain, adding to the dizziness that was so quickly overwhelming her.

“I can't imagine this is very pleasant for you. It won't be long, though, sweetie, so be patient.” Naomi seemed delighted by her own ingenuity. She leaned forward even more, squeezing her breasts together, bending Kate's neck back painfully. “Remember, bitch, I'll be seeing you again soon” Kate's struggles were lessening, her strength dissolving. “That's a good girl. Off you go.” With her hand still between Kate's legs Naomi began to rub the woman's sex through her panties, adding to her humiliation. “How's that feel, hmm?” She laughed again and continued rubbing as Kate's arms fell feebly away, hanging over the sides of the table, her slender fingers curled limply. Her legs stopped their kicking, sagging slowly to lie outstretched and still.

Naomi made certain to hold the position for a few moments more until she had felt all of the rigidity drain out of the other woman. When she finally released Kate, once again allowing her to breathe, the brunette's body was a dead weight, limp and unresisting. Naomi stood and continued massaging Kate's crotch, looking down at her humiliated foe. Kate's pretty face was quite red, her neck stretched in an arch and her head dangling loosely, her mouth wide and gaping, her eyes closed. Her hair hung down to the floor in matted clumps, dripping sweat. With a sneer Naomi ceased her caresses and clamped down hard on Kate's tender sex. Kate, deeply unconscious, did not so much as twitch.

“Good,” said the blonde, at last content.

She snatched up Kate's flaccid body roughly and flung her over her shoulder, then walked to the doors and dumped the senseless brunette into the adjoining hallway. “I think I'll take your little friend down to the next floor,” she said to the oblivious woman. “By all rights you should both stay up here, but she'll be a lot worse off without you to help her. And you'll miss the company, I'm sure.” She paused, considering. “One more thing….”

Naomi pulled Kate into a slumped sitting position and slipped her fingers under the hem of the woman's little top, jerking the garment up over her head. Kate's arms went up with the top and then flopped back down into her lap. Naomi nudged her and Kate sank onto her side, naked now except for her panties, her full, firm breasts stirring slightly as she breathed. Naomi smiled again, giving Kate one final kick in the stomach. “And to think—this is only your first night.”

She stalked back into the room, twirling Kate's sweaty camisole on her finger. The doors slammed shut behind her, muting the sounds of her scornful, pealing laughter.

~ end of part one ~