Chapter 4



Malcolm Chandler, riding Derek's horse and leading his old horse, approached the moat with caution. About ten yards from the bank, he halted his horse trying to figure out how Derek managed to cross it. There was movement in the water. He rode forward another couple of yards to look into the filthy moat. Black shapes wriggled in the murky water. It took him a minute to recognize what was moving in the water. The man had stocked it with giant leeches. If one or two of those latched onto a man, they'd drain his blood in minutes.

Across the moat, five dogs paced along the shore with nervous excitement while barking at him. The dogs were a problem that he had to take care of before figuring out how to cross the moat. He reached into his saddlebag and removed the cloth bag containing the opium-laced ham. He threw the chunks of meat across the moat and watched as the dogs fought over them. It only took a few minutes before all five dogs were stretched out on the ground. He hoped that he hadn't used too much opium.

Dismounting, Malcolm searched the ground for a clue as to how Derek crossed the moat. A little path, difficult to spot, led off the main path. Since it was the only clue he had on a way to cross the moat, he followed it through the trees. He went carefully expecting traps and, consistent with his expectations, found a piece of twine connected to a crossbow. After removing the bolt from the crossbow, he cut the twine.

About twenty yards further along the path, he found a structure that held a number of levers. He checked out the structure with care before entering it. Rather than try them at random, he studied the mechanisms they controlled. One of them was booby-trapped. Another appeared to control a floodgate that would cause water to spill into the moat. A third controlled a gate that would drain the moat.

Tying a rope around the lever that appeared to drain the moat, he stepped outside the shack and pulled the rope. From a distance away, he could hear water being released. After a few minutes, the sound slowly died.

He walked back to his horse. The water level had lowered to a point where a small bridge connecting the two sides of the moat had been exposed. Mounting his horse, he rode across the bridge. In the first sign of spirit, the dun actually appeared nervous going over the bridge. The more spirited horse that he was riding took the crossing in stride. That fact let Malcolm know that the horse had done this before.

Riding over to where the dogs were stretched out on the grass, Malcolm was displeased to discover that one of them had died. Shaking his head, he rode up to the house. It was far larger than one would expect to find in the country. It was more like a country manor than a country house.

Alice's warning that the place was filled with traps was foremost in his mind. Rather than walk up to the house, he tested each step using a branch. When he reached the front door, the doorstep spun out from under his probing stick. A man stepping on it would have fallen through. It wouldn't have been much of a fall, but the poisonous snake inside the pit would have made short work of the man. It took Malcolm a minute of searching to locate a mechanism that held the board in place. Shaking his head, he said, "That was one sick man."

Deciding that exploring the house would require even more care than he had thought, he studied the door for several long minutes before selecting a key. The key wasn't a metal key like used in modern houses, but a wooden one that fit into a slot. The proper locations of cuts into the wood allowed specific mechanisms to move while preventing others from moving. The problem was that there were two slots and only one key. He examined the slots and inserted the key into the one that appeared to be the least used deciding that the one that was all marked up had far more damage than a wooden key could inflict.

Using the pole, he lifted the door handle and, after a second, the door swung open. He returned to the horse and removed the rope with the lead weight attached. Returning to the door, he threw the weight into the house and retrieved it by pulling it back with the rope. When the weight was about halfway to the door, a bolt from a crossbow flew across the opening. Staring at the bolt, he said, "That was a real sick man."

A little closer to the door, another bolt from a crossbow flew across the room. Shaking his head, he decided that it there had to be some sort of mechanism to turn off all the traps. Without entering the house, he searched the panels next to the door. A hidden panel sprung open when he tapped it with his stick. He pulled the lever inside and repeated his experiment with the weight. No bolts flew across the room.

It took Malcolm almost three hours to make his way to the second floor. By that time, he was almost a nervous wreck. About the time he would start to assume there were no more traps, he'd find one. He had almost fallen into a pit when a trapdoor opened at his feet at the top of the stairs. The only thing that had saved him was that he had decided to test it with the lead weight before leaving the stairs.

He stopped in from of a room in which he assumed the Damsel in Distress was held. It was a reasonable guess since it was the only room along the hallway that was barred on the outside. He knocked on the door and called out, "Lilly? It's Malcolm Chandler. I'm here to rescue you."

"Don't come in yet. He does something at the door before he removes the bar."

Malcolm studied the door. It took him a minute, but he finally found the hidden panel and opened it. As always, he was careful in how he did it. He was fortunate because a blade slipped down and would have taken off his fingers if he'd been less cautious. In what had become a mantra, he said, "That was one sick man."

"You can say that again," said Lilly through the closed door.

After flipping the mechanism, Malcolm removed the bar and opened the door using his stick. Lilly stood in the center of room looking expectantly towards the door. She was a tall woman with long black hair that cascaded down below her ass. She had lush full lips and deep brown eyes. She was shapely with full breasts that strained the top of her gown.

Awed by the sight, Malcolm said, "You're gorgeous."

Lilly smiled at the amazing specimen of a man standing before her and said, "You're definitely an Earth man."

"Why do you say that?"

"A man from Chaos would have grabbed me by now and a man from Cassandra wouldn't have noticed," she said. She could hardly wait to get to Crossroads and claim her Damsel in Distress rights from her Hero.

"Oh. I guess I better get you out of here."

She walked over to him and said, "Let's go."

"Follow behind me and be careful. He's got traps placed all over the house," Malcolm said.

It took them an hour to make their way through the house and out the front door. They had discovered two traps he had missed on the way to her room. Helping her onto his old horse, he said, "The sooner we are out of here, the better."

"You're so right."

When he reached his horse, Malcolm looked back at the house and shook his head. Leaving it open like that was an invitation to a disaster. Someone, probably a kid out exploring, would enter the house and get killed. Returning to Lilly, he said, "I changed my mind. We can't leave the house standing. Too many people could get hurt. Let me help you down from the horse."

He helped her down before going off to collect some wood to start a fire. Lilly watched him struggle with the flint and, amused at his difficulties, said, "Get out of the way. Let me do that."

Malcolm stepped back and handed her the flint and steel rod. In three minutes she had the fire started. Taking a brand from the fire, he went to the house and lit it on fire. Stepping back, he watched the flames slowly spread. Satisfied that it would burn to the ground, he said, "I'd like to wait until it burns down. Maybe he has some money hidden inside."

"Maybe you should have looked before you started the fire."

"As many traps as there were in that house, we were lucky to get out. There's no way I'd go through there looking for something that might not exist. After all, I already got the most valuable treasure in the house."

Lilly looked over at her hero thinking to herself that he was something else. Not only did he rescue her, he also complemented her every chance he had. Malcolm noticed her looking at him and said, "I'm sorry. I bet you're hungry."

"A little," she answered thinking that the word horny better described her condition.

Malcolm retrieved his saddlebag and prepared a meal for the two of them. He handed her a ham sandwich and pointed to the ground. The pair sat down, watched the house burn from a safe distance, while eating their sandwiches. The flames had spread rapidly through the house. Thick black smoke billowed out as windows broke. Once he had finished his sandwich, Malcolm held an arm around Lilly.

They'd been watching the fire for more than an hour when Malcolm noticed the dogs were coming to their feet. Rather than attack, they headed unsteadily towards the bridge. One of the dogs staggered before it managed to cross the bridge. It fell into the water and disappeared with a yelp as giant leeches grabbed hold of it. The last three dogs ran off into the woods. Aloud, Malcolm said, "He was one sick man."

"You're talking about Derek?" asked Lilly.

"Yes. His guard dogs just took off into the woods. I imagine that folks around here will eventually have to kill them. There's nothing worse than a pack of feral dogs. I probably should have killed them outright, but I just can't do that."

Lilly said, "That's okay."

"It's going to be dark soon. I probably ought to take you to the inn for the night," Malcolm said. He added, "We can always stop by here in the morning and go through the ashes."

"I think we should set up camp and spend the night here. We've already got a huge campfire."

They discussed the matter for thirty minutes before deciding to stay where they were. He had enough food to last until late the next day and the weather seemed clear enough. Having arrived at the decision to stay, Malcolm took care of the horses. Once they were settled, he set up camp using the tarp from his bedroll as a tent for Lilly.

They watched the fire burn until late into the evening. Most of the time was spent talking about life on Earth and on Cassandra. Lilly was excited about returning home, but was even more excited about getting to Crossroads. About half of the things she said were sexual innuendoes. It reminded him of all the other conversations that he had with Damsels in Distress that he had rescued. By the time they'd reach Crossroads, he'd be horny enough to sleep with one of those giant leeches in the moat.

In the morning, Malcolm went over to the remains of the house. A few timbers were still hot, but most of it had burned down to ashes. He spotted a pile of fused glass with gold flakes and picked it up. There was no way for him to tell how much money it had been. He'd take it to a bank and see if they could figure it out. A few warped pinches, quids, and shells remained on the ground. He gathered them together and put them into his coin purse.

Carrying the pile of molten glass, he went over to his saddlebags. He slipped it into one of them and looked around. It was getting late and he decided it was time to wake Lilly. They'd have a good ride ahead of them to make it to the next town with an inn. When he reached the side of the tent, he could hear Lilly moaning. There was a sexual element to the sounds she was making.

He turned around rather than look inside. There were no doubts in his mind that she was already wide-awake. Rather than interrupt her, he started to prepare breakfast. What he really wanted to do was climb in that tent and make her fantasies come true, but that was against the rules. He jumped when he heard her scream out.

"Malcolm!"

The noise did not come from the tent. He turned and saw her standing in the ruins pointing excitedly to the ground. Curious, he headed towards her while asking, "What is it?"

"Jewels," she answered.

He stopped next to her and knelt down. A wooden box had survived more or less intact, with only one corner having been burned. Using his knife, he pried off the lid. Inside the box was a king's ransom in gold and jewels. Emeralds, rubies, and pearls were set in intricate gold settings. Lilly reached down and pulled out a simple gold chain with a plain stone on it. She said, "This was mine. Harold son of Fredrick gave it to me."

"He was the one who was willing to pay your ransom," Malcolm said recalling the details of his briefing from Alice. The young man was willing to spend all of his money for the return of Lilly.

"He was?"

"Yes, he was."

"So I wasn't really in distress?" asked Lilly worried that she wouldn't be going back to Crossroads despite her rescue by an Earth Hero.

"Derek would have killed you no matter what," Malcolm answered.

She had known that, but had never allowed herself to dwell on it. Captivity would have been impossible to tolerate if she had accepted that she was going to die no matter what happened. Holding the chain in her hand, she said, "Still. It was nice that he was willing to pay the ransom."

Nodding his head in agreement, Malcolm said, "Yes, it was."

"I need to do something for him."

Pointing to the box of jewels, Malcolm said, "That might be a good start."

"How will we get it to him?"

"We'll leave from where he lives," Malcolm answered. It would delay them from leaving by almost a month, but he'd done similar side trips after a rescue. Although it was often true that no good deed goes unpunished, it was also true that some good deeds were rewarded.

Looking over at her, he added, "Of course, you're going to have to tone down on looking and acting so sexy. I'm having enough trouble keeping from taking you right here."

His words shot through her like a thunderbolt. The idea that a man would have to resist an urge to take a woman was almost incomprehensible to her. She'd been doing her best to increase his interest in her so that he would be able to perform when they reached Crossroads. "Are you serious? You want me, already?"

"I'm very serious," Malcolm said. His eyes drifted over her perfect body. The long hair curled around all of the best parts. He wanted to run his hands through it, knowing that he'd feel the body underneath.

She could see the naked desire for her body in his eyes. It wasn't just lust; lust was too selfish. His was a real desire to explore her body and give her pleasure as well. No one had ever looked at her like that and it sent tingles straight to her crotch. Consciously having to prevent her hands from running over her body, she said, "I'll try."

Malcolm went to the campsite and brought back his saddlebags. He transferred the jewelry to the saddlebag. It was significantly heavier with the addition of the treasure. Smiling, he said, "Let's eat and then head out. We have a long trip."

"Thank you for letting take this stuff to Harold. He really was a sweet young man," she said. Everyone focused on the dangers of being a Damsel in Chaos. No one talked about the pleasures and acts of kindness that they experienced.

"Funny, isn't it?" Malcolm asked while they headed back to the campsite.

"What?"

"You come here expecting to be placed in danger and yet you find that most of your time is not filled with danger," Malcolm answered. They reached the campsite and he knelt down to finish making the ham sandwiches. The crust on the bread was already getting hard.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"I like it here. I like most of the people I meet. Only about one out of a thousand is really a bad person. It's amazing when you think about it. There's no overriding law enforcement agency - might makes right and all of that. Still, the vast majority of people behave in reasonable manners with each other," Malcolm commented. He handed her a sandwich and added, "Sorry that we don't have anything to drink. I'm not going near that moat for water."

"That's okay," said Lilly. She thought about what Malcolm had said about the people. She asked, "Do you enjoy the adventure?"

Although he had killed a man two nights earlier, the fact was that Malcolm enjoyed the adventure. Trained to fight, he lived in a world where that training went unused and untested. Instead, society did everything it could to sanitize the world. People who craved adventure had to create artificial means to achieve it. Jumping off a cliff wearing a parachute represented an extreme behavior undertaken just to feel a thrill.

Too many people on Earth relied upon others to take charge of their lives. For a self-reliant person, living within a society that demanded he not rely upon himself was torture. Here in Chaos, it was just Malcolm Chandler against all of the hidden, and not so hidden, dangers of the world. Each time he faced danger and came out victorious, he felt alive.

"Men on Earth have very high sex drives. Believe it or not, our sex drives are stronger than the sex drives of the women from Cassandra," Malcolm said. He could see the shocked expression on Lilly's face. He said, "Let me just say that I'd be doing this even without being able to claim my reward from the Damsel in Distress."

"Claim your reward from the Damsel in Distress?" asked Lilly with an amused expression. Smiling, she said, "We Damsels view it as claiming our rights from the Hero."

Malcolm laughed at the comment and said, "I've heard that more than once."

"Oh," Lilly said. It dawned on her that he was telling her the truth about the sex drives of the men from Earth. They really thought about it as much or more than the women of Cassandra did. Curious, she asked, "Is it really true that you can perform more than once a day?"

Looking over her body, Malcolm said, "For you, at least three times a day, maybe four or five."

"Wow!" She reconsidered the decision to deliver the jewels to Harold son of Fredrick. If she stayed in Crossroads for two weeks, that would mean they would make love forty-two times. That was almost a lifetime of sex for a woman of Cassandra.

She took a bite of her sandwich as she thought about it. There were lots of stories about the sexual prowess of men from Earth. They could last for an hour. She'd heard that Earthmen made love to woman's entire body. The rumor was that they were aggressive in bed and took command of the action in bed. A shudder went through her body at that thought.

It was only when she finished her sandwich that she realized what Malcolm had said. With a puzzled expression, she asked, "You said you'd do this even without giving the Damsel our rights. Does that mean that adventuring is better than sex?"

"Not exactly. That is like asking if eating is better than drinking. You need both to live a full life. To me, adventuring is just as rewarding as sex. Pulling off a rescue like this makes me feel like a real man in the same way that bedding an attractive woman does," Malcolm answered.

"Wow."

Once they were finished breaking their fast, Malcolm broke camp while Lilly braided her long hair so that it would be out of the way. It wasn't long before they were mounted and headed away from the ruins. He was riding the more spirited horse while she was on his sedate dun. As they crossed the bridge over the moat, he looked down. The water level had continued to drop and giant leeches were dying as they dried out. He hoped that the moat dried out completely and killed off all the leeches. It would be a shame if the giant leeches were to escape into the environment.

Although they paused occasionally to walk the horses, the pair traveled at a mile eating pace. It was approaching dark when they arrived at a little town with an inn. Malcolm led them into the inn after leaving the horses at the stable. He paused after taking a few paces into the inn to examine the occupants. The men looked coarse and rough, but not dangerous or threatening.

All eyes settled on Lilly. Malcolm lifted his sword four inches from the sheath and let it slide back in. The sound drew all eyes from Lilly to Malcolm like a magnet. The men gathered in the public room took in his sword, battle-ax, and knife. It was an expensive set of arms. They, more than anything he could have said, announced to all that he was not a man to be trifled with. His manner and bearing let the men know that if he wasn't bothered, then he wouldn't bother them. His protective hand on Lilly's arm let them know exactly what would bother him. Once everyone knew where they stood with respect to each other, conversations resumed around the room.

Malcolm went to the bar and went through the process of negotiating for a room with two beds. Now that he had rescued the Damsel, he wasn't going to let her out of his sight. Nothing would be more embarrassing then losing her after rescuing her. For the next month, they would be inseparable.

Sharing a room with Lilly would make waiting to reach Crossroads even more difficult. Glancing at her as he led her to the room, he decided that it would make waiting impossible. His mind went back to the rulebook and the requirement that they not engage in sex until they returned to Crossroads. He couldn't help wonder just how restrictive that rule might be.

Lilly looked at the simple room and nodded her appreciation for simple comforts. The beds looked maintained, the floor was clean, and the furnishings adequate. She smiled at Malcolm and said, "This is a good inn."

"We'll see how good it is when we eat."

"If the beds are good, the food will be good," Lilly said.

Smiling, Malcolm nodded his agreement. She looked at the table and noted the wash basin and pitcher resting on it. They could wash in the privacy of their room. Raising one eyebrow, she said, "They have an oil lamp rather than candles."

"So they do."

Nervous as newlyweds, they stood in the room without saying a word. Malcolm looked at the beds, at the table, and then back at the beds. He didn't know what to say. Finally, he blurted out, "How do you want to handle this?"

"Why don't you go out and order food while I freshen up in here?"

Malcolm went out and ordered food with a pitcher of watered wine. He carried it to the table and waited for Lilly to emerge from the room. Shaking his head, he stared at the plate filled with sliced meats, vegetables, and bread. He filled the two pewter tankards with watered wine and took a sip. The wine was surprisingly good.

Lilly came out looking fresh and alert. She had let down the braid so that her hair hung down to below her ass. Flipping her hair out of the way, she sat down across from Malcolm and looked over the food. Muttering under his breath, he said, "It's going to be a long trip."

Smiling, she said, "You didn't need to wait for me."

The pair ate in silence. Malcolm kept glancing at Lilly amazed at how attractive she was. Lilly gazed at Malcolm wondering what he'd be like in bed. The sexual tension between the two of them increased. Malcolm finished his meal and said, "I'll be back."

"I'll wait for you," said Lilly. She watched him walk to their room checking out his tight ass. A shudder of sexual excitement ran through her body. In a voice too soft for any to hear, she said, "I must be crazy to postpone my return to Crossroads."

Malcolm didn't sleep well that night. In the dark, he could just make out the outline of her body under her blanket. He listened to the soft moans as she masturbated thinking he was asleep. It almost drove him crazy.

Lazlo Zalzac

Chapter 5