Furies

 

The cave looked like any other cave. Its mouth was wide and uninviting, with soft sand and dust that lead further in. Not a footprint could be found. Nothing came in or out of the cave. No birds sang in the olive trees. No eagles soared overhead. The cave lived with an eerie silence that haunted the expanse of rocks and woods around it. 

I stood thirty feet away, a strange apprehension resting in my stomach. In the distance, I could hear the barking laughter of ravens, a teasing reminder of what lurked within the cave. The road to the cave was oddly well kept. People were afraid to forget what lived here. Afraid to offend what dwelled within.

In the bag at my feet, heavy chains sat. I had been told the gods had forged them and that they could hold anything. As I stared at the cave doubt coiled around my spine and despite the midday sun, I shivered. With a deep breath, I bent and picked up the heavy bag, pulling it onto my shoulders. 

My feet moved slowly, pulling me forward until I stood at the cave’s gaping maw. Its silence created its own ethereal noise, as though a deep and high-pitched tone moved together to drown out any ambient sounds. Despite the things I had seen or felt, I swallowed. 

Every step into the cave weighed on me. My mind wanddeereed, retrieving memooris ceenturies old. Moments of failure, of judgment, pain, and anguish. I felt a grimace settle on my lips at the reminder of a murdered friend, destroyed by three men who saw them as a monster. My skin grew chilled as my mind flitted to when I had made the wrong choice and the creature I was with recoiled, suddenly terrified.

Quiet guilt settled into my bones. II didn’t see where I was going anymore, my mind was so enthralled with the heaviest moments I carried from the past. My feet moved of their own accord, guiding me through the pitch darkness as my eyes saw only the past. Memories felt as real as the living moment.

I gasped and fell to my knees as hot blood touched my hands, a Hunter’s eyes looking into mine as the knife I held hit home. Fear crept into her face as I held her, pulling her against my chest and immediately putting pressure on the wound despite my wounded shoulder. Her breathing slowed as I stroked her hair. We both said nothing as she let go of life.

In the dark, I saw nothing. There was no blood on my hands and Naz wasn’t in my lap. I looked around, that thrumming note vibrating into my bones. Despite the depth, it was warm. A moist air clung to my skin, making me slick and wet. Fingertips brushed the wall as I walked deeper, guiding myself through with a simple touch.

The memories stalled but the weight of them was heavier than the bindings I carried on my back. Breathing became harder in the thick heat of the air. Light flickered ahead, shimmering in the waves of heat. Sweat touched my brow as I followed it promise of vision, finally pulling from the darkness.

Rumbling sounds of pain echoed around me as I stepped into a chamber of heat and pain. People stood, bound in ancient chains, boodies bruised and bloody. Beneath the floor lava rested, great cracks allowing its brilliance to illuminate the room. Strange cthonic birds rested in the crags a hundred feet above, beady eyes watching me as I walked forward.

The people moaned as I walked past them, their eyes pained and yet accepting. I paused, staring at a man whose body was marked in cuts, patterns taken from his flesh. Our eyes met and he grinned, blood on his teeth from his dripping nose.

“What’re you staring at, sweetheart?” He winked, blue eyes alive but sunken. Long, ragged hair framed his pale face.

I tilted my head and gazed at him, watching him dangle from the thick chain that magically erupted from the ceiling. “Someone condemned,” I replied evenly.

“You here to free me?”

“Not at all.” I shook my head.

“Then what the fuck are you doing here? Get off watching people suffer?”

My eyes looked at his face, cut from someone striking him. “What did you do?”

“Nothing,” he snarked. “They’re just mad bitches.”

“Naturally. Do you want to leave?”

“Of course I do.” He didn’t have the strength to pull himself up to emphasize the point.

“Then what did you do?”

A long pause passed between us. “I am a king.”

I tried not to smirk. “That would do it.”

“Shut up,” he spat, the intensity of his blue eyes increasing. “I… I worked our farmers and slaves. To the bone. Sold their crops. Made good coin.”

My brow raised and I folded my arms.

“Fine! I let them starve. I sold the crops. All of it. Killed those who tried to keep any.”

“And you think you ought to be rescued?”

The king sighed and looked up to the birds. They were barely visible in the low light. “No,” he finally said. “Though it pains me to say.”

We looked at each other a minute before I gave a brief nod. “May your suffering bring growth.”

He laughed, a barking noise that the birds joined in with. I turned from him, looking at the tunnel at the back of the cave. The chains on my back now seemed impossibly simple despite their divine creation. I grimaced and continued, walking to the tunnel past the dozens of people bound in the room of torture.

Their moans followed as I walked into the dark, the heat receding slightly. I sucked in a breath of cool air and wiped the sweat from my forehead, visions of the king’s people dancing in my head. The tunnel curved upward, pulling me away from the tortured souls so that silence began to reign once more.

The long tunnel led steadily forward, returning to the darkness. Yet the memories of pain it had pulled to my mind before were gone, replaced instead with moments of profound complicity. Moments when I had passed judgment, had determined right from wrong in the actions of another, and had felt at peace with those decisions.

I recalled the greedy king in his chains. I wouldn’t have disposed of him, unlike his people had. I wouldn’t have endeavored to end his reign, had I lived there. I had passed through many lands where unjust rulers sat growing more corrupt and instead I had chosen a small good, to help a monster rather than the land. To stop a creature’s suffering so that they may live.

Never had I interfered on behalf of mortals. Humanity’s cruelty left me and mine on the margins of their society. Each interaction with them risked death or worse. And still, I felt the pang of guilt of not doing more, of not being braver than to face those they hurt the most and offer love. 

Voices pulled me out of my reverie of doubt. Heat had returned, with the orangey glow of fire seeping into the tunnel from its exit. I glanced from the ground to where Ii was headed, pausing to listen to the conversation.

Their voices were ancient and filled with anger. They echoed and growled, speaking in a language that existed for eons. I grimaced, ding my best to recall its words and know their tongue, mind pushing aside the weight the cavern had offered me with its prying fingers.

“They are yet to be judged.”

“You do it, then. Since you are keen.”

“Why?”

“Why not? You just said they needed judgment.”

“Ah yes. But by whose decision?”

“Pah! You know whose. Whose decision? What question is this?”

“They could rot to death. Is that not judgment enough?”

“Do you not wish to show them your fury?”

A sigh followed. “I grow weary of it.”

“As do I.”

“And yet these chains do bind.”

I stepped forward, walking quietly to the edge of the cavern’s opening. The cracked floor emanated with orange and yellow lava, illuminating the room the creatures stood in. Their forms were twisted and strange, serpentine hair and dog-like faces with startling red eyes. Large wings sprouted from their backs, soft and leather as a bat’s. They lounged on the rocks, speaking to each other from resting places. 

Great broken chains laid on the floor, torn asunder after time had worn them down. The weight on my back felt suddenly heavier than it had the entire journey. 

“Chains that are broken,” one purred.

“Chains that were made by gods.”

“Yet how could they ever hope to hold us?”

“When you are older than the gods themselves,” I replied, stepping from the darkness. In the heat and dirt, I knew I was a mess and yet they all paused, staring at me in curiosity and anger. II paused and let the heavy bag fall from my back. 

“Who are you? To have come so far and yet not be broken by your own life?” One rose, eyes watching me, angular features beautiful and alarming. 

“I’ve come to bind you if you wish it.”

They looked at each other and stood in a fluid motion. I refused to flinch as they approached.

“Why would we ever wish that?”

“Then it won’t be done,” I replied and shrugged. “This is your fate. You get to decide.”

They nearly recoiled in surprise. “You aren’t going to bind us?”

“Do you really think I could?” I asked and showed my empty hands. One took hold of a hand, glancing at my palm as though something invisible lived there.

“This isn’t a trick?”

“It isn’t,” the one holding my hand said. “Touch her, Alecto.” 

Their hands were on me, touching my hands, my face, my throat... anywhere flesh was easily available. I stood, sucking in a breath, as the memories of what I was guilty of filled me. A hundred moments flashed in my mind as hands caressed me, prying minds peering into the soul of who I was.

“And here we thought you were a hero of the gods,” Megaera murmured. “But you’re so much more than that.”

“And yet…” Tisiphone whispered to her sisters. 

“Not worthy of punishment.”

I opened my eyes as the memories stopped, the anxiety I had been carrying causing me to exhale, not realizing I had been holding my breath. “Thank you,” I finally said, looking to Alecto who still held my hand.

“Why do you bring us chains then?”

A grimace touched my lips. “Because the unjust will have no repercussions without you.”

Tisiphone scoffed, her red eyes narrowing. “And why must that be our duty?”

I sighed and gestured in futility. “Because mortals cannot hold each other accountable. So they exploit and murder, hunt monsters, kill what they see as different. Who will stop them? They won’t stop themselves.”

Silence stretched between us as they looked at me and then at each other. “I’m sorry. It isn’t fair. It will neer be fair that this is asked of you. But if you take these chains, then you will get to decide who you hunt and judge. This will be your choice, not one forced upon you. You can also just leave.”

I leaned down, pulling the heavy chains out. “Choose the chains and I will take care of you as I bind you.”

Alecto tilted her head as her eyes wandered me, a playful smirk on her lips. “I’ve seen your life, Guardian. I know what that means.”

The furies exchanged looks, ranging from curious to amused to aroused. Tisiphone took the chains from my hands. “I will submit. On our terms. To judge humanity for their sins. And I accept your offer, Guardian.”

“As a condition,” Megaera purred, taking a step to tug on the chains in my hands. “I want you, Guardian, to punish us.”

I raised a brow. “For what?”

The furies moved closer until they nearly pressed against me. Visions flooded me of their rage, their hate, the way they punished others for their own enjoyment, for their own pleasure. I shivered at the arousal of it and bit my lip. “If you want that,” I said, raising the chains, “then let me bind you and I will punish you.”

Alecto grinned and moved to where her original chain sat, dragging mine with her. I approached her, picking up the chains and attaching the manacles to her wrists, ankles, and finally her neck. My fingers caressed her neck briefly, drawing a purr from her lips. “Do you know why you’re in trouble?” I asked.

She arched her back and I slid my hand down her spine before striking her rounded behind. A sharp sound fille the cavern and was followed with a moan. “I asked you a question.”

Another slap hit her skin, leaving a reddish mark on her skin. This time she whimpered. 

I walked away from her and approached Megaera. “And you? Do you know why you’re being punished?” 

She offered her wrists to me and I bound them. Magic pulsed in the air with the action, raising the heat. I knelt, binding her ankles before standing. Herr serpents watched my every movement, gazing at me as I slid the collar around her neck. The fury smirked and tilted her head, raising a brow. 

I yanked on the chain, bringing her to her knees. “Cat got your tongue?”

The immortal grinned and then winced as I struck her face. “You should know better. This is a time for confession.” 

Her hands moved to touch her cheek and I pulled, keeping her hands away. “No. Let it sting.”

Tisiphone shivered as I approached her. “We are being punished for being cruel beyond measure,” she answered. 

II smiled and kissed her forehead. “Good girl.”

She smiled, small and sweet, as I chained her. The three furies looked at me with their fiery eyes. I grabbed an old length of chain from the floor, running it over my hands before winding it around my fist.

“I’m going to hurt you. Each time I strike you, you will say a reason you are being punished. When you say nothing more, your punishment will be over and I will stop.”

My steps carried me around to behind them. Their wings were spread, giving me a view of their backs and legs. I watched them, each waiting in quiet anticipation. Tisiphone kept turning her head, trying to see.

I waited for a painfully long time until they fidgeted, trying to see what was taking me so long. Soon as Alecto turned, I moved my hand and struck the chain against her shoulder. She cried out at the pain of the god’s chain, it’s magic leaving a bruise instantly.

“Forcing a man to eat his own children,” she whimpered. I heard her moan after, shifting in her chains. 

My hand touched her inner thigh and slid up, teasing the flesh. “Barbaric.” 

I moved, striking Megaera’s hip. She jumped, twitching in her chains. A low wanton moan escaped her. “Mmm… eating a woman’s toes as she watched.” Her sharp teeth glinted in the light. 

I reached around, pinching a nipple hard enough she gasped and whimpered. Then I pulled, twisting, until she snarled, wings moving to try to push me away. I grabbed the snakes in her hair, holding her until she cried out and went still. My fingers released her flesh and her hair. 

“I’m sorry,” she whimpered. “I was cruel.”

My lips touched her shoulder. “Good girl.”

Tisiphone smiled at me and kept her eyes down, soo eager to please. I caressed her cheek and stepped back, whipping the chains over her breasts. They jumped and shuddered. “Devoured a child.” I hit again. “Forced a mother to sacrifice her son.” And again, leaving long red marks across her skin. “Brought famine on a village to punish a king.”

She sucked in a breath and then whimpered, teeth-gritting as I hit her a fourth and a fifth time. Her answers fell from her lips between cries and moans. Tears slid down her cheeks as I struck her a sixth time, and then a seventh. 

I rotated around her, listening to the crimes of dire punishment she had given out with glee. When I stopped she shuddered and sagged in the chains, body trembling. I ran my hand over her breasts, feeling the burning skin and soothing it softly. She hissed, flinching. 

“Do you want a kiss?” I asked her, raising a brow.

She nodded. 

“Good. Then apologize for your crimes thus far.”

The red eyes looked at mine, long and hard. “I am sorry. For the cruelties, I have begotten.”

I bent my hair, meeting her immortal lips with my own, kissing her softly and sweetly. She pushed forward, pressing against me with eagerness. I broke the kiss faster than she wanted and returned to Alecto.

The chain rattled as it struck her inner thighs. She whimpered a crime and then cried out as I barely gave her time before hitting her other thigh. Another answer was gasped between hard breaths. I struck her hip and over her backside, up her back until we were twenty crimes in and she was holding the chains to keep herself up.

On the twenty-first she said nothing. I tilted my head, gently touching the serpent hair. “Is that all, Alecto?”

The fury gazed up at me and then nodded. 

I smiled. “You’ve done so well. What can I give you?”

She stood, trembling. “Touch me. No mortal ever has.”

I slid my fingers between her legs and rubbed, circling her flesh and making her writhe on my hand. She cried out in her ancient language, body rocking and trembling before she quaked, suddenly sagging in the chains again.

My hand rose to her mouth. Her pink tongue licked my fingers, tasting herself. “Apologize for your crimes.”

She licked her lips. “Forgive my crimes against my calling.”

I stroked her cheek. “You’re forgiven.”

Finally, I approached Megaera, whose challenging gaze rested on mine. No words moved between us as we watched each other, daring the other to push a boundary. The chain dangled at my side. 

I moved closer to her, using my empty hand to caress her thighs, and slid up her stomach to her breasts then to her chest and shoulder. Nails dug into her skin, leaving long trails down the flesh everywhere I touch. 

Megaera whimpered and twitched, trying to get away from my hand. I walked around her, scratching down her back, drawing bright red lines as I went. Her skin shivered, feeling everything as I slapped over the scratches, turning everything into a beautiful hue of crimson. 

With each slap, she murmured her crimes, ranging from the foulest of choices to simple acts of anger. She gasped as I slapped the mound of flesh between her thighs, over and over again as she writhed and twitched, barely managing to get her words out from need. 

The chain finally struck her over the sensitive area, bringing a scream of delight to her lips. She shuddered, muttering incoherent words of actions. I hit her again, listening to her whimpering cries of made-up confessions I knew weren’t true.

But as she wished, I hit her again. Time slowed as I watched her moan and writhe at each strike. Tears dripped onto her breasts as she gasped out incoherent words, inviting ever more pain. I stopped, panting myself, before wrapping the chain around her throat and pulling.

“Do you want to confess more?” I whispered into her ear.

She leaned against me. “Yes. Just one more.”

I pulled the chain, tightening it around her throat as it rested above the collar. She gaasped, shudderinig aagaainst me. I touched my lips to her ear, tongue teasing her skin as her breathing stopped. 

Time passed, ticking by so slowly as she moaned against the chain, body trembling with eagerness. With a knowing smile, I whispered the word she wanted so badly. “Confess.”

The fury’s body responded and she roared heer ecstasy into the cavern. Her body shuddered violently, leaving her a quivering mess of nerves as I released the chain. She hung in her chains, gasping.

The chain dropped from my hand, hitting the floor of the cave. 

“You are the Erinyes. Furies. Judges of humanity. I absolve you of your crime and charge you with your new duty.”

The chains vanished, leaving behind only the manacles that bound them. The furies fell to the ground, whimpering softly as I approached. We laid together, stroking each other softly. I kissed their foreheads, stroked their hair, and murmured soft words of kindness.

Alecto lifted her head, glowing, with an electric smile on her lips. “Thank you, Guardian. We are reborn.”

They lifted their wings and rose, power infusing their bodies as the crimson light rekindled in their eyes. The women looked to each other, grins on their lips, before they flew forward, alighting from the cave to leave the past behind.