Fostering Faust 3 Read online

  “If I’m your toy, I’m not going to act regally around you anymore, Alex,” Quinn complained. “Anyways. A lot of men and women on horses. If I had to guess… seventy thousand? Eighty thousand?”

  Blinking, Alex opened his mouth and then closed it again.

  “That’s… a lot of soldiers. That’s double my number,” Alex said.

  “I know,” Quinn said. “The worst part is it could be higher than that. If they managed to talk over a few clan heads while I’ve been gone, it might be something like a hundred and fifty thousand.”

  Alex sighed, contemplating the situation.

  “I hear they’ve been stockpiling water, food, and grain in advance. Our previous tactics won’t work,” Quinn said.

  “Damn. Anything else? Cause that’s pretty bad, Queen Toy,” Alex said.

  “Calm yourself,” Riley whispered in his ear, then kissed it. “You’re stressed. Do you need me to help get it under control?”

  Alex frowned, not knowing how to respond to Riley. Instead, he just pushed her head back down on his shoulder and ignored her.

  “I think they hired a few mercenary companies from the lands far to the south of my people’s plains,” Quinn said. “I’ve never met them, but it’s said they’re very similar to the empire’s soldiers. Heavy foot soldiers.”

  Alright. Lots of cavalry and heavy foot.

  Skirmish tactics, maneuvers, and tactical deployment.

  “They’ve already taken all the trade cities that border the Xer clan. The only river that runs through my lands has been dammed. Their forces are out on constant patrols to prevent anyone from using the roads,” Quinn said. “It is only through your enforcement of fair trade to the Xer that we are able to be unaffected by these things.”

  Alex ground his teeth, not sure what to say. It seemed like he had a mountain of work ahead of him. A mountain of work, and no way to get through it quick enough.

  “Okay. First things first then. We hit their own trade cities and ability to receive goods.” Alex thought hard. “Are they getting everything from the south?”

  “Yes,” Quinn said. “Except for the clans near my own lands. They still trade with the empire. Too far and expensive to get it from the south.”

  As he nodded his head, Alex smashed at his brain to keep up and work harder.

  “I’m going to need a map with everything as it exists right now,” he said.

  “I know, I already have it prepared for your arrival,” Quinn said. “I assumed you would need something like that.”

  “Alright. Our goals are simple then for the time being,” Alex said. “Be there first, attack where they are not, and never give them the terrain advantage.”

  “Please forgive me, but I need to tend to my true love’s needs,” Riley said. Her hand slid down into Alex’s lap, and she began to fondle him through his pants. Then she quickly unlaced them as she continued, “He’s getting stressed, and he works best when he isn’t. It’s something Seven and I have been talking about.”

  Without waiting for a response, Riley had fished Alex out of his trousers and bent her head down over his lap.

  With a noisy inhalation, she took his entire shaft into her mouth.

  Groaning, Alex leaned his head back against the wall of the coach.

  He was embarrassed, but he wasn’t about to stop her either. Riley never failed to amaze with her mouth.

  Quinn and Eleanor were staring at Riley’s red head of hair as she began to slowly bob it up and down.

  “I had a wall built. As well as several garrisons, fortifications, and a new fort for me personally,” Quinn said, her tone clearly distracted. Her eyes were locked on Riley.

  “That’s… great, Quinn,” Alex said, trying to focus on what she was saying. At the same time, Riley had gotten him instantly hard. She was quickly and smoothly sliding her mouth up and down his length. “Did you get your standing armies?”

  “Yes. I have twenty-five thousand cavalry. They’re outfitted as Imperial light-cavalry would be. It was expen—” Riley slurped loudly and moaned around his length, and the abrupt noise made Quinn pause.

  Reaching in with her right hand, Riley began to fondle and caress Alex’s hilt and jewels with her fingertips.

  “Expensive,” Quinn finished.

  Unable to help himself, Alex laid his hand to the back of Riley’s head and slipped his fingers into her hair.

  “Mmmhmmm,” Riley moaned around his girth, encouraging him.

  Taking a hold, he began to force Riley up and down, from hilt to head. He also slowed her down, making her practically swallow him when she reached the hilt each time.

  Responding to his urging, Riley audibly gulped at him when his tip was wedged in her throat.

  “I… I uh… I…” Quinn mumbled. “Can you save me, Alex?”

  “Damn right I can,” Alex said. “Can’t let anyone have you but me.”

  Looking over, Alex found Eleanor watching with an intensity he didn’t recognize.

  Maybe she really does want to split me with another woman. I wonder who to use…

  Sylvia and Valeria will be paired. Nannie won’t touch anyone, nor will Carla. Rebekah is open, though.

  Letting out a sharp, short breath, Alex pushed Riley down and held her there.

  The bubbly redhead moved her head around, spinning her mouth around his shaft. Moaning the entire time.

  I need to put a seed in Quinn, don’t I?

  “Quinn, pull your pants off and bend over,” Alex said. “Time to put seed in you. No more Mother’s Bane.”

  “What?” Quinn asked. “Alex, I’m alright with it, but isn’t it a little cramped in here?”

  At the same time, Riley made a grunting, groan-like noise. Clearly she didn’t want that either.

  “Pull your pants off, bend over,” Alex repeated.

  Quinn sighed, then easily shoved her pants down to her ankles. Crouching, she got up in front of Alex and bent over. Her hands on one side of the coach, her rear end pitched toward him.

  Pulling Riley’s head back and off his member, Alex reached out with his other hand to fondle Quinn’s hip.

  “Alex, this is my job,” Riley said, coming off his tip. “Just let me take care of you.”

  “You did wonderfully, One. But I need to get Quinn knocked up anyways,” Alex said. “You can get under me and keep working at me with your tongue.”

  Reaching out with both hands, Alex got up into a crouch. He was suddenly thankful that Quinn was so much smaller than him.

  Pulling her into his lap, he pushed her head down into the bench she’d been sitting in.

  Slowly, he got her down to her knees in the space between the benches. With a single saliva-coated thrust, he entered Quinn from behind.

  “Aaaaah,” Quinn groaned, then pressed her face into the seat cushion.

  Holding onto her hips, Alex began to pump back and forth, filling her tight, narrow channel with his member.

  Quinn let out short groans and pushed herself back against him when he went forward. Each and every thrust got another noise from the queen.

  Alex felt a tongue on his jewels, and then his hilt. Riley had crawled under Quinn and was now working at Alex as he’d suggested.

  Looking over as he continued to mount Quinn, he found Eleanor watching him. Her cheeks were a deep, rosy red, and she looked like she wanted to join in.

  But she didn’t have permission.

  She’s been incredibly good. She’s curbed her dependency to the point that she makes most of her decisions without affirmation, or direction.

  It isn’t gone though, is it? It’s a part of her now.

  Lifting his right hand, he crooked a finger toward her, even as he plowed Quinn into the bench.

  Time to reward her.

  Grimacing, Eleanor licked her lips and then came over.

  Alex grabbed her behind the head and then kissed her savagely, his tongue pushed into her mouth.

  Eleanor froze, then moved into him and kissed him
back.

  After ravaging her mouth for several seconds, Alex was delighted when Eleanor tried to return the favor to him. Alex pulled back and pressed his mouth to her ear.

  “You’ve been such a good knight. I’m going to reward you. I want you to tell me, who do you want me to pair you with? Because I’m going to split you with someone. Carla and Nannie won’t do it. Pick any other of my Numbered, Anna’s Numbered, or the Numberless,” Alex said, then bit her neck.

  As he pushed down harder on Quinn, the small woman couldn’t get her hips back into position anymore. She was being shoved into the bench completely. Grunting and moaning, the queen of Xer was being ground into the bench, and she seemed to like it.

  “Thank you for noticing, Master. I’m sorry. I lied to you. I love you. I love you so much. It makes my heart hurt when you don’t tell me what to do.”

  “Then who should I share you with?” Alex said after releasing her neck for a second, then biting back down into it.

  “One, Three, Four, Seven. Or maybe two of them, me, and you at the same time,” Eleanor said with a whimper, followed by a soft moan. “Or just Katherine.”

  Nodding his head at that, and surprised that she wanted a four way, he let go of her neck.

  “What do you want from them? Tell me,” Alex got out as he pumped harder and faster into Quinn.

  “I want you to tell me what to do. Command me. Give me directions in every way,” Eleanor whispered. It was like a dark secret bubbling up from her heart. “I’m sorry. I know you want me to decide for myself, but I’m deciding to listen to you. Tell me what to do. Tell me how to dress, tell me what to eat, tell me when to go to the bathroom. Everything, Master. Everything. Tell me, Master, and use me up. Use me up till I’m empty. I love you so much. Use me till I break. Tell me to break, then tell me to fix myself.”

  Dependency. We can encourage it correctly, hopefully. She can’t seem to shake it. She’s much like Valeria.

  Then again, Leah did warn me Eleanor might be the most broken.

  “Don’t move,” Alex growled in her ear, then leaned forward into Quinn. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he came. Came hard and fast. Pumping into Quinn over and over, he dumped his seed deep into her.

  Moaning all the while, Quinn seemed to be in her own climax.

  Alex groaned, feeling spent. He pushed into Quinn one more time, then finally pulled out of her and slumped back into his chair.

  “Clean me, Six,” Alex said. Telling her exactly what to do. “Use your tongue, lips, and mouth. Clean me till I say to stop.”

  Eleanor looked like she was considering arguing for the sake of her job. Then she stopped. There was a strange joy in her eyes.

  Getting down on her knees so fast that the boards creaked suddenly, Eleanor scooted toward him. She managed to not pin Riley to the floorboards in her haste.

  Eleanor leaned her head down, and in one move she took his spent, dirty length into her mouth from the hilt up. Her lips encompassing all of him.

  Slowly, she began to work herself up and down. Her eyes gazed up at him with that strange dependency he knew lurked in her heart.

  Laying a hand behind the knight’s head, Alex settled into his seat and simply enjoyed her mouth.

  “That was great, Quinn,” Alex said, looking over to the queen.

  She was just now getting back into her seat and pulling her pants up.

  “Next time, I need a bed,” Quinn grumbled. “But yeah… that was good.”

  Letting out a slow breath, Alex closed his eyes and held on to Eleanor as she moved her head incrementally up and down.

  He was going to make her clean him for a while.

  ***

  Looking down at the map, Alex wasn’t sure what to think at first. He’d gone ahead while everyone else went to settle into their rooms after the journey.

  The last time he’d been here, the vast amount of Xer lands were open. Open and free of military fortifications.

  What he was looking at now was very different than that.

  He’d been counseling Quinn since the first day she’d pledged herself to him. From then on, he’d been pouring everything he could into her. From running an organization to finances, to people, to military, to economics. There was nothing they hadn’t covered either in person or by letter after he’d finished the campaign.

  Through it all, Quinn had seemed an apt student, and she hadn’t taken long to start implementing what they’d discussed.

  Seeing it in person, though, he was impressed.

  “I listened.”

  Looking over his shoulder, he found Quinn walking toward him.

  “I asked everyone to wait for a time,” Quinn said. “I wanted to talk to you alone.”

  “Oh? I mean, I’m up for another go if you are,” Alex said with a grin.

  Quinn looked at him, her brows drawn down tight over her eyes. Then she laughed and walked up next to him at the map table.

  “Tonight, yes. In a bed,” Quinn said. Then she gestured to the map. “Have I impressed you, my liege? Alex? Count Inferno?”

  Sighing, Alex looked at the map.

  The Xer lands were laid out in considerable detail, which had probably cost quite a bit. The map also included a great deal of the lands beyond. It took up an entire six-by-ten-foot space and covered the table.

  A good thing to have in any war was a good map. Especially a detailed one.

  “I have smaller versions of this. Perhaps five by three feet. The scouts have a version around half that size,” Quinn said with a nod. “I listened to you, Alex. I didn’t like you at first, and I thought you an evil man to make me… make me prostitute myself, but I listened. I now formally concede to your wisdom and advice. My lands are doing better. Far better than they should.”

  Alex clicked his tongue.

  He was looking at the large number of forts that had been installed all along the borders. As well as trade posts, checkpoints, and garrisons.

  Xer looked like a duchy of the empire rather than the “Wilds,” as they’d once been called. Even down to the fact that the road they’d come in on had been paved. The packed dirt and rutted roads were gone.

  “In that concession, I give everything I am willingly to you. You who are clearly a champion of your goddess,” Quinn said. “I give all of me to you and hope you will protect and shelter me.”

  “Do you want to be a wife or Number?” Alex said idly. Looking to the extent of the Xer lands, he could see a vast array of red-painted wooden figurines. They looked like horses with riders on them. They were everywhere.

  “Wife,” Quinn said. “I submitted myself to your head wife while I visited and told her of my wish. She is… very interesting. I did not expect to be kissed so many times.”

  “Fine,” Alex said. “I’ll be visiting you tonight then, tomorrow morning, and a few times a day going forward. We need you to catch a child as fast as possible.”

  “I understand.” Quinn wrapped an arm around Alex’s waist. “I may be a barbarian, and uncivilized, but I will not dishonor you.”

  “Good. Okay, so… we’re going to need to go over most of this with the generals,” Alex said. “Right now, it looks like we’re going to be spending a good deal of time maneuvering and moving.

  “Because I’m not going to sit here and wait for them to attack. No. Much like last time, we must determine what it is they lack or wish, and strike that.”

  “And what is it?” Quinn asked.

  “Time. They wish to build up and make it all the harder for you to join me later,” Alex said. “So we’ll attack first. We’ll hit their supply camps, their supply line, their cities. Anything that could support them.

  “I’m also going to raze this city.”

  Alex pointed to a city off to one side. It wouldn’t give him any military advantage to hold it, and it wasn’t on a trade route.

  If he could knock it to the ground, it would serve as a message to every city.

  “The enemy has a lot of ground to hold and
protect, with nothing to defend it other than their soldiers,” Alex said. “We’ll start forcing them to dance to our tune. If we know which way they’re going, we can strike them as they do. Then hit them where they are not.

  “And in this way, we’ll achieve victory.”

  “Shouldn’t… shouldn’t we dig in? Defend?” Quinn asked.

  “Yes, but not when that’s what they want,” Alex said.

  “I’ll go summon the generals,” Quinn said. She lingered for a second more, her hand on Alex’s back. Then she let him go and walked away.

  Before the door shut, Katherine came wandering in with her hands behind her back.

  “Ah, good timing,” Alex said. “I’m afraid your punishment is going to be postponed.”

  “Oh? Hm,” Katherine murmured, sidling up to him. “That makes it harder to pretend everything is normal, you realize.”

  “Errr, sorry. I’ll try to make time soon,” Alex said. She wasn’t wrong. It would be hard to follow his orders if he kept things like this over her head.

  “It’s alright,” Katherine said. “Just forgive me if I do something silly before then. I am mildly disappointed. I was looking forward to having my first time with my husband.”

  “Husband?” Alex asked, peering at the woman.

  “I mean, that’s where we’ll end up. You’ll drag your feet, call me concubine or Numberless for a time. I’ll win you over, continue to be pleasant and kind to your wife, and then you’ll have to do it,” Katherine said. “In fact… I spent the night with your wives after you ducked out. Anna was very… kissy… and likes to fondle me. It was confusing at first, but not unpleasant in the end.”

  Alex grunted at that.

  Is that why you told me to be nice?

  Yes. Anna already finalized her plans for Quinn and Alanna.

  Ugh. Alright. Thank you for saving me, Leah. Love you lots.

  Don’t worry about it. By the way, Rike is unexpectedly visiting in a month or so. Make sure you have time set aside for it.

  I really don’t need any more women, do I?

  Sure you do. Most of your wives and women will remain here on this world.

  You’ll need new ones eventually.

  Alex shook his head at that.