Chapter 26
Just like that, she was gone. Cinder stared at the open window, its curtains gently dancing in the summer breeze. Rage warred with sadness amid a battleground of profound helplessness.
All the while, the lusty moos of Mother Lorn grew louder. It wasn’t fair. Illiana had become this gorgeous, powerful creature, a predator. One totally unconcerned with collateral damage as long as she got what she wanted. That left Cinder to clean up the mess. That wasn’t totally different from usual, but now that mess would include an entire city. One Cinder wasn’t even entirely sure she wanted to save.
She had to try though, no one else would. The real Illiana would draw the line at twisting and warping that many people. She just had to bring her back to the surface, the surface of that beautiful, muscular creature, with all that plush fur to bury one’s face in and-
“MOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” The sound nearly shook the walls.
“Fuck!” Cinder shouted at the ceiling. “I’m trying to have a character growth moment here!”
“Yes! More! I love you, my bull! Plow meeee! Plow mooooo!” Mother Lorn shouted at the top of her lungs.
Cinder rolled her eyes. Was Barnaby doing that to her? If he was, then he wasn’t going to be much help. She looked down at the glowing sphere held between her paws. All of her clothing had been pulled off. If she was going to do anything other than hold on to the eye, then she needed to put it down somewhere. Leaving a powerful magical artifact on the table where it might roll away seemed like a bad idea. There was only one place for it. Bracing herself, she bent down and gently took the Archmagus’s eye between her teeth.
She’d been expecting some sort of flash of power or dark whispers threading through her mind or at least a command word to activate that freezing power that the shade had tried to use on Illiana.
Nothing happened, but surprisingly the Eye of the Archmagus tasted sweet. As if it were made of pure crystalized sugar with a hint of mint. Instinctively, she let it roll onto her tongue and pushed it around the inside of her mouth. For a candy, it was huge, like an entire tangerine made of sugar. Way too big to swallow, fortunately, otherwise Cinder might haven’t been able to resist the temptation. Was it dissolving? If it was, it was doing it slowly.
Paws free, she managed to get the dress back over her head and on her body. That done, she listened as she savored the sweetness of the eye. From the church, more heavy grunting and panting. Yet another lighter sound came from the kitchen, a quiet, “Eee, eee, eee.”
Creeping as gently as her hooves allowed, which wasn’t much, Cinder went to peer into the kitchen. Her ears turned to the source of the noise, Mother Lorn’s novice squatted in the corner, masturbating furiously. Her ears had grown big and round while a pink, hairless tail squirmed against the floor. A delicious little mouse in want of a male. Cinder bet that the girl would present at the first sight of the cock that sat between her legs. Sliding into a tight pussy? What would that feel like? And once Cinder came, would the girl shrink around her?
Cinder turned away with a shiver of want and tingling in her balls. Down! She thought at her stirring manhood as it poked out of its sheath. Pushing off the wall, Cinder pushed her thoughts toward logistics. Had some of her cum gotten on her? She remembered her face of disgust as she leaned over Barnaby. Had his scent done that? If so, then she had to get him out of here too. It took a fair bit of fumbling to open the door, at least it was a liftable latch and not a smooth knob.
The church reeked of sex and dairy, it hit Cinder like a wave of humidity. Over the pews, in the back of the church, she saw two pairs of horns moving in a unmistakable rhythm, accompanied by gasping moos.
It occurred to Cinder that this might take some cajoling, which would be hard to do with a mouth full of Archmagus eyeball and she certainly didn’t want to let the thing between her legs do the talking. Fortunately, the dress had pockets, so she hooked one open with a paw, used her other one to hold her breasts out of the way, and dropped the eye into the depths. Then went to see what had happened to the amorous religious fanatics.
To her surprise it wasn’t Barnaby on top of Mother Lorn, she couldn’t be sure who the massive bull man had been, his head showed nearly zero humanity, if not for the tail, he’d pass as one of the minotaur tribe from the southern steppes. Mother Lorn tho, she’d become more cow than human, although she was very much all woman. She matched her mate for muscle, added the girth of her breasts and udder, all under shaggy golden hair. Yet there was something recognizable in her face. Not that she acknowledged Cinder in any way, mooing or bellowing out orders to the minotaur on top of her.
The other evidence that the minotaur wasn’t Barnaby was the fact that skunk woman, at least judging from the sex displayed between her splayed open legs, lounged with her back against a wall, lightly stroking herself as she watched the cows have at it. She also wore Barnaby’s breastplate, although it was comically large on her. She had one arm through the left shoulder while the other arm stuck out the bottom of the armor. Her fingers stopped moving as her head lifted to meet Cinder’s gaze with a serene smile on Barnaby’s softened face.
“I love to see justice delivered so skillfully, don’t you?” She asked.
“Huuuuh.” Cinder said as her brain stalled out. Surely Barnaby couldn’t actually be okay with this? The man got the heebeejees when he accidentally saw an uncovered tit. “What justice?”
The huge skunk tail swished softly as she stood and gestured at the bovine couple. “She asked to be filled with Justice and low, he has answered the call when I was no longer able to.” Her gaze shifted down to Cinder’s hips. “I too wish to be filled, but there is work to be done first. We are following the swirling constellations to Hearthold yes?”
“You mean Illiana?” Cinder asked, her voice squeaking with alarm.
“She who lights the way for justice, both you and your mate.” Barnaby gave a small bow.
Cinder stared at Barnaby while she looked expectantly at her. The silence punctuated by Mother Lorn and the bull’s grunts and moos. Cinder gave up trying to understand.
“Let's go get the horses. I’m going to need your help saddling up.” Cinder displayed her paws.
“Of course. I’m honored to assist the dispensing of justice in any way I can. To the stables! Once I retrieve my hammer.” She trundled off back toward the banquet room. Cinder stepped outside and into the moonlight, at last putting something between herself and Mother Lorn once again.
Yet outside wasn’t much better. From somewhere in a wheat field came a yowling mixed with human speech. Cinder wondered if the entire village was affected. It didn’t sound like Illiana, far too high-pitched. Her thoughts bounced around her skull, trying to make sense of it all. Barnaby didn’t seem to be aware of what had happened, well he was kinda but why wasn’t he or she freaked out? Was everyone the same? What would they do if Cinder pointed it out?
“Ready to receive justice!” Barnaby spoke from behind Cinder, who startled with a mew. Since when was Barnaby sneaky!? She thought as she spun around.
Barnaby wore her pack, which, like the breastplate, was ridiculously oversized, and while her hammer hung from its usual place on her belt, if it bounce the wrong way, it might seriously injure her knee. She jumped down the stairs, apparently not bothered by the weight at all, and set off for the inn.
Cinder followed.
“Hey Barnaby?” Cinder asked.
“Yes Cinder?”
“Are you aware that you’re a skunk?”
She stopped and looked down at herself, her tail curved around her legs, she grabbed it, examined the black fur and the two bold stripes.
“Huh. I suppose I am.” She blinked, and a smile appeared on her face. “Oh! It makes sense now! My hammer is so heavy I doubt I can bash for justice very well anymore. Now I stink for justice instead.” She began to skip and giggle, singing, “I stink for Justice! I stink for Justice. I’m a total stinker for JUUUUUSTICE!”
Cinder slapped a paw to her face.