Morning had come. Arthur O'Toole waited impatiently in the main hall of the palace. The bodies of the fallen intruders had since been cleared away although drying blood was still on the floor here and there. Nearby, a squad of twelve of the royal guards stood, armed and ready. They'd been instructed by Arthur, whom they normally obeyed, to follow the commands of Prince Ganesh, until he said otherwise. The halfbreed hated it. Not that he wasn't controlling these particular guards, but that Ganesh wasn't allowing him to come along.
He turned, and beheld Ganesh walking down the main staircase, bedecked in ceremonial battle uniform with gold embroidery, a sword with a jewel-encrusted scabbard at his side. The large pachyderm had a steely-eyed expression that Arthur had never seen on his beloved Prince before this night.
As Ganesh passed him, Arthur said, "I still wish you'd let me come with you."
"I know," said the Prince without stopping. "And my answer is still the same as before. You must remain here and out of danger while I go to the Governor's mansion. It's my duty, not yours."
Arthur nodded solemnly, although mention of Uncle Gonville made him suddenly fearful, and he called after the elephant. "Indra!" Ganesh paused. "If you find my uncle...I mean, if he's under this lunatic's spell...." He trailed off.
"I'll do everything in my power to spare him," Ganesh replied. And meant it.
Then, he signaled for the twelve guards and they marched after him. The front doors of the palace closed with a boom that resounded throughout the cavernous main hall. Arthur remained there, alone, and sighed. He hoped that Ganesh and his men could pull this off. The villagers were one thing, but the idea of them going up against trained British riflemen made the English teacher more than a bit uneasy.
Thinking of the riflemen, he remembered the one they had captured the other day. Turning, he walked through the palace and made his way downstairs to the dungeons, which had not been used at all since Ganesh had taken the throne. But for the moment it was home to the British soldier from the previous day's battle in the main hall, one of the only three survivors of the skirmish. The young private was in the last cell, with two royal guards standing rigidly at the door.
Arthur snapped his fingers, getting the hypnotized guards' attention. They stood a little straighter. "Open the door," he commanded.
Despite knowing better, Arthur half-expected them to protest. Instead the one with the keys simply turned wordlessly and unlocked the door, then pulled it open.
Covering all his bases, Arthur told them, "Be ready to come in and subdue him if I call on you. Understand?"
They nodded, and Arthur entered the cell. The British soldier, a young canid of indeterminate breed, was sitting in the corner, staring blankly at the floor, wrists manacled. At the sound of Arthur's approach, however, his head snapped up and those emerald green eyes bored into the teacher. Arthur was unafraid however. Even though the influence behind those eyes was one of the most powerful wills he had ever encountered, he was confident that with time and patience, he could bring this young lad around.
"Now then," he said. "Why did you attack us? Who did this to you?" He very quickly stooped down on one knee so he was face to face with the soldier. The private didn't flinch. "Look deep into my eyes, Private," Arthur whispered softly, soothingly, as he'd done with the Prince's harem boys earlier. "Look deep, and know only my voice--"
He was cut off as with a snarl the soldier jumped to his feet. Arthur stumbled back and fell on his butt, and the raccoon-badger yelped as the canine leaped onto him and pinned him to the floor. Even as Arthur yelled for the guards, he was certain he was doomed. The way the young private bared his teeth, he felt like he was about to have his throat bitten out. Instead, the soldier spoke.
"I want you!" he hissed, his voice husky.
He bent down and licked Arthur's cheek and then forcibly kissed him. Under any other circumstances Arthur wouldn't have minded this in the least but in this case he was grateful when he felt the soldier being seized by the arms and pulled off of him. Hurriedly he scooted away on his backside and got to his feet.
"Subdue him!" he yelled, pointing, wondering why he hadn't had them do this in the first place. He blamed his ego. "And hold him tightly!"
The guards fought with the fiercely struggling soldier, and finally forced him to his knees. He growled, but then licked his lips as he eyed the teacher. God, thought Arthur, this was going to be one long session...
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The Governor's mansion. Indra Rajesh Ganesh had visited it as often as Gonville Henderson visited his own palace, which was not very often.
It was a large compound surrounded by a high wall, it would've seem intimidating enough on its own. But the abnormally hot, high winds whipping about, and the unnatural dark stormclouds massing above made it even more forboding than normal.
There were guards. A lot of them. And it looked like they were preparing for battle. There were some troop carriers, being loaded with crates and supplies, the British running around like worker ants.
Still, Ganesh was unafraid. For he knew precisely what lurked within, and this was to his advantage. But what if the Thuggee master, whoever he may be, knew that he knew? His thoughts shifted as he spotted a familiar figure; Gonville Henderson. The Governor was supervising the soldiers' work from his parked staff car.
So, Ganesh thought, his beloved Arthur's uncle was one of them now, after all. He lowered the spyglasses a bit sadly, hoping he wouldn't have to kill the squirrel. He didn't want to have Arthur's only relative in the region's death on his hands. Besides, he was a decent enough fellow, and didn't deserve this fate. None of them did. And that was why he intended to kill the Thuggee leader, prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice if need be, to free them from the Thuggee's evil influence, and prevent the rest of the country from falling under the same dark clouds that hovered over the mansion.
Turning, he signalled silently to eight of the twelve royal guards he'd brought with him, and the nine of them crept down the hillside. getting inside wasn't going to be easy. But he had a plan. They hadn't come on foot. They'd come in Ganesh's own royal staff car and a troop carrier of their own. The staff car, a Rolls-Royce, was parked a ways behind the hill. The truck at that very moment was barrelling down the dirt road towards the closed gates of the compound.
The guards on the walls saw it and sounded an alarm, the hostile intent of the vehicle's driver clear to them. All eyes were on the gate, allowing Ganesh and his chosen eight to reach the south wall unseen. They huddled against the wall, watching around the corner as the truck zoomed towards the compound.
Up on the wall, a guard raised his rifle and fired off a couple of rounds. The first hit the hood and punctured the radiator; smoke and steam belched from the hole. The second bullet hit the driver's side windshield. The truck pitched wildly. The driver had been hit. However the passenger grabbed the wheel and was able to get the truck back on course and steer it enough to slam into the gates.
The gates were by no means impenetrable. After all, despite the presence of so many soldiers, it wasn't a military base, just the Royal Governor's home. Thus the huge doors burst apart as the troop truck crashed through them, rattling the walls. The guards within scattered as the truck swung 'round and rear-ended one of the parked British troop carriers.
As all of the British began converging on the stopped truck, Ganesh swung a grappling line around and flung it up to the top of the wall, and snagged it on the first try. Each of the eight royal guards with him had grappling lines of their own and flung them. Hurriedly they began to ascend, the bulky Ganesh climbing surprisingly easily despite his size.
At the top they were greeted by a single British guard, an older grey-haired hound. He was startled and tried to shout an alarm but was silenced as Ganesh drew his sword and rammed it through his gut, covering his mouth to stifle his scream. This, he knew, would be the first of many who would die undeserved deaths before the evil that lurked within the house was stopped. He quietly lowered the corpse to the ground and then he and his eight guards scurried across the wall as a brief battle raged below.
Well, it was more like a minute-long brawl, really. The injured truck driver got out and drew his sword and was instantly bayoneted with a cry. The passenger slid into the driver's seat tried to take the wheel. The soldier who had just bayoneted his comrade skewered him as well, and with a cry he fell out alongside the other dead royal guardsman. The British were momentarily caught by surprise as two more of the Prince's guards jumped out of the back and fired into their midst, killing two, but these two brave souls were quickly mobbed and beaten to the ground.
Ganesh winced, but he would mourn the deaths of his men later. Once he and the remaining eight reached a spot around the side of the house they all leapt down as one and quickly charged towards the side of the house and around it, intending to gain entrance through the back door. However as they rounded the corner Ganesh and his men were greeted by a dozen British guards with rifles raised. They skidded to a halt.
Standing at the head of the British was a very young lieutenant. He was holding a revolver. "Surrender, or die," he said.
A trap, thought Ganesh. The Thuggee had known he might come, and so had his slaves be on the lookout. Thoughts of charging valiantly towards their enemies and dying heroic deaths were averted as Ganesh lingered on the lieutenant's order. So, the Thuggee wanted him alive for some reason. This, he thought, he could use to his advantage. So, he threw his sword down and held his hands up.
"We surrender," he said.
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Back at the palace, Arthur was not making progress with the captive soldier. Held as he was by the two strong guards, he couldn't escape, and Arthur had spent the past several hours holding the young canine's face and staring into those green eyes of his, repeating, over and over, his hypnotist's mantra, in the hopes of penetrating the awful will behind him.
But this accomplished nothing. He sighed and stood, weary and feeling defeated. Then a thought occurred to him. All throughout their session the soldier had repeatedly expressed his desire to have sex with the raccoon-badger. Arthur grabbed the front of the soldier's pants, and his green eyes went wide in surprise. He was erect, all right. Arthur started massaging the young male's genitals through the trousers, and watched as his face went from angry and lustful to peaceful and filled with pleasure.
The moment he stopped, however, the soldier's hateful attitude returned. So, lustful, angry sex was the way of the Thuggee, but gentle and loving sex was not. He smiled. A combination of his hypnotism and some stimulation should do the trick....
He stroked the soldier's face with one hand as he unzipped his pants with the other and fished out the private's privates. Gazing deep into the soldier's green eyes he said, "Look deep into my eyes, Private. Look deep, and know only my voice. I want you to fight it. Fight the hold that your so-called master has over you. Think only of me, and what I'm doing right now."
He wrapped his fist around the soldier's cock and started to administer a slow handjob. The soldier groaned softly and bucked his hips.
His voice now a whisper, Arthur leaned close to the enraptured private's face and continued, "Know only my voice. Know only what I am doing to you right now. You like this, don't you?"
"Yes," moaned the soldier.
"This is much better than what the Thuggee does to you, isn't it?"
"Unh! Yes!"
"Then when I am finished, when you cum, you will come out from under his command, and under mine."
The handjob continued and began to quicken in pace. The soldier's face was now a mask of pure bliss and the green was beginning to fade from his eyes. The two guards holding him stared implaccably forwards the entire time, knowing only their original orders to hold the prisoner. Finally with a gasp the young soldier came, his cock shuddering and squirting a generous helping of seed onto Arthur's pants.
The teacher stood back, watching. "Release him," he commanded.
The guards let go and the soldier sank into a sitting position, panting. For a while he didn't moved except for his breathing. Then, slowly, he looked up. His eyes were normal now, except for his pupils which were tiny. Arthur smiled. Now the soldier was under his control and not the Thuggee's. First things first.
"What is your name?" Arthur asked.
"P-Private Wellington," the lad answered distantly.
"Pleased to meet you, Private Wellington," Arthur said. "Now then, when I snap my fingers, you will come out of your hypnotic state and be yourself again. Because as much as I'd like to continue controlling you I think it would be a little unfair to keep you under after what you've been through. But you will do me the favor of explaining to me what happened, correct?"
"Yes," replied Wellington.
"Good," said Arthur, and then he snapped his fingers.
Wellington sat there for a moment, holding his head, looking more than a wee bit woozy. Then, slowly, he looked up. "Uhh," he moaned, "where am I?"
"In the dungeons of Prince Ganesh's palace," Arthur said.
A realization seemed to come over Wellington and he gasped. "Now I remember!" he cried. "I-I was told by the Lieutenant to come into the Governor's office. We-We all were!"
Arthur was pleased by this outburst. It meant he wouldn't have to prompt the soldier to remember anything. He asked, "What happened?"
Wellington swallowed. He then seemed to realize for the first time that his cock, now limp, was hanging out of his trousers, and, blushing a bit, tucked it away and zipped up. Then he sighed, turning serious once more. "There was this krait," he said. "A bloody big one, too! A-And the other guards, they were all already under his spell. I was grabbed...they made me....oh, God...the Captain's head..." He trailed off and began to cry.
Arthur needless to say felt an immense compassion for the poor private. He'd been through a horror unlike anything the teacher could even begin to imagine. But his desire to know his uncle's fate, and learn more about his mysterious and powerful foe, made him press Wellington a little more. "And the Governor? What of him?"
Wellington looked up, and sniffled. "He, uh, he was the next-to-last to be....to be taken," he said. "After him they got his driver and then the entire househould belonged to...h-him." He shuddered at the mention of "him," obviously the krait. Arthur was beginning to suspect this krait and their mysterious Thuggee mastermind were one and the same. Wellington went on, "I remember everything that I said and did while I was wunder, you know? Everything that happened....but as far as I know, Governor Henderson is still alive."
The teacher nodded. So, Uncle Gonville had been converted. But at least he was alive, so far as Private Wellington claimed to know, anyway. And at least now he had a means of breaking the Thuggee's hold on him. Surprisingly, the thought of bringing his own uncle to orgasm didn't faze Arthur in the slightest, even though he'd thought it would.
"I know you've been through a lot, but....tell me more about this krait."
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Gonville and the young lieutenant led the way through the mansion as Ganesh was taken to see his heretofore unseen nemesis, two guards marching behind him with bayonets at his back. The lieutenant was carrying his sword. His captured men had been taken elsewhere. The room into which Ganesh was led was once a plush sitting room, now transformed into what appeared to be the center of worship for the Thuggee and his converted slaves.
"Wait here," Gonville said firmly, and then walked out, leaving the elephant under the watchful eyes of the lieutenant and the two guards.
The centerpiece of the ghoulish room was a statue of Kali herself, hung with necklaces of bones and severed fingers, and dripping with fresh blood. Ganesh felt sick to his stomach just looking at it.
The statue stood on a table in the middle of the room, and around were ten worshippers, some British guards, others the local Indian villagers, and all completely nude, swaying and chanting. Nearby, on the couch, a naked female ferret was writhing. A pair of guards stood to either side of the couch, rigid and unmoving. It was a surreal and disturbing sight to behold, all of it, and it got even worse when Nagesh Sadruddin entered.
The giant serpent slithered into the room, Gonville behind him, and immediately the chanting ceased. Instantly, Ganesh knew this was the Thuggee priest. Although he disliked generalizing, and had in fact known a few decent snakes in his life, kraits tended to be bad seeds; besides, Ganesh knew from the stories that the original Thuggee leader in the region, whom his grandfather had killed, had been a krait. It only stood to reason that the maniac attempting to revive the cult would be a krait as well.
This enormous brute of a reptile slithered right up to the elephant and rose up to match Ganesh's height. He sneered down at the Prince with contempt. With mock friendliness, he said, "Welcome, Prince Indra Rajesh Ganesh. I've been expecting you."
"And you would be?" the elephant demanded to know.
The snake gave a small nod of his head. "My name is Nagesh Sadruddin. I've waited many years for this, Your Highness. And for this moment in particular. The moment where the last living descendent of my grandfather's killer is completely at my mercy!"
So, the Thuggee priest his grandfather had slaim had been this fellow's grandfather. Ganesh had to admit he was surprised. Not that Sadruddin was related to the previous priest; more that the krait seemed to be more interested in his personal vendetta against Ganesh's family than he was in reviving his religion.
Ganesh cut to the chase. "Your...'men' gave me the option of surrendering. I took it because I was curious. If you are so hungry for vengeance, Mr. Sadruddin, why not have your slaves gun me down on sight? So, I am wondering, why you need me alive."
The snake smirked and tilted his head a bit, tongue flicking out. "A quick death is too good for you, Your Highness," he said. "I have...particular plans for you. But first, you will live long enough to witness my new army overrun this entire region, bringing the Thuggee back into political power."
"Then that is your mistake," Ganesh said simply.
"Oh?" Sadruddin blinked.
"Yes." The Prince dared to take a few steps forwards. The guards behind him bristled, and the lieutenant's hand was on his holstered sidearm in a flash. But Ganesh merely stood before the snake. "Because I am the one who is going to kill you. Just as my grandfather killed your grandfather."
Sadruddin glowered and signalled to the lieutenant, who drew his revolver, and pistol-whipped Ganesh across the back of the head with it. The elephant grunted and staggered, but didn't fall. Turning he violently backhanded the officer, knocking him into one of the guards standing alongside the couch, sending both crashing to the floor. Ganesh's sword, which the lieutenant was holding, clanged noiseily to the floor and slid underneath a table over by the wall. Ganesh suddenly felt bayonet tips at his back once again, dissuading him from any further actions.
"You will pay dearly for your insolence!" Sadruddin hissed. Then, he calmed, taking on a smoother tone of voice, as he added, "But first, it is time for the ceremony that will make this altar of worship holy." He turned towards the others. "It has already been blessed with the blood of a non-believer, and now it must be blessed with the sacrifice of one of the faithful."
Ganesh felt his stomach churn again. The poor mind-controlled villagers stood and started whooping excitedly as one, as did Gonville, who, to Ganesh's simultaneous shock and unexpected interested, quickly began stripping naked. The British guards did not, busy as they were watching their "guest."
As the cheering died down into silence, the only sound was the crackling from the fireplace. Sadruddin eyed the small crowd, then turned to the woman on the couch.
"Jenny," he said. "It is Jenny, isn't it?"
She sat up. "Yes, my master."
Sadruddin smiled sweetly and turned, slithering between two of the nude villagers and up onto the low table, which creaked audibly under the giant serpent's weight. He then slowly entwined himself around the Kali statue, and beckoned towards the woman, Jenny, with his tailtip. "Come," he said softly.
She rose and walked over, the other worshippers parting for her, then kneeling. Once again, this included Gonville, although he went and got down closer to the altar. Ganesh felt his anger rising, but apparently the other soldiers sensed his desire to interfere; he felt a gunbarrle pointed at his head, and, glancing, found the lieutenant and the other two guards glowering at him. Now surrounded by five men, there was nothing he could to save Jenny without getting himself killed pointlessly. But he silently swored that Sadruddin would pay the ultimate price for what he was about to do.
All eyes were ony Jenny as she stepped up onto the table and stood before the altar, with Sadruddin wrapped around it. Then, slowly, the great reptile slithered down, his head going around Jenny's side and up her back, and under her right armpit, the rest of his body following. He entwined himself around Jenny until he was around both her and the statue, holding her against the idol of Kali.
Then, slowly, he began to constrict. Jenny gasped as the powerful, muscular body of the snake started to crush her, forcing the air from her lungs. Ganesh watched in morbid fascination, then squeezed his eyes shut and looked away. The guards didn't notice, too transfixed by the sight playing out before them. Jenny moaned loudly, more in pleasure than anything else, and Sadruddin was licking his lips lewdly with his forked tongue as he used his coils to draw the woman up further against the statue.
He tightened his body, closing his eyes and leaning his head back, jaw slack, as though in orgasm, and then, the soft sound of Jenny's spine snapping filled the room. She jerked, and made an odd "glurp" sound, and started spasming in her master's coils. There were more cracking sounds as her ribs and hips were crushed. Gonville looked on wide-eyed as he watched his secretary being killed; the other followers chanting wildly.
Then, it was over. Jenny went limp. Sadruddin let out a satisfied sigh. This was Ganesh's cue that it was safe to look once more, and he cursed himself for his squeamishness.
"Tomorrow, we march against our enemies," Sadruddin said, addressing his followers. "And this sacrifice will ensure that Kali will smile upon us."
He then slithered down off the statue and back to the floor. Jenny remained where she was. Through all of the squeezing her body had been arranged so she now hung draped in Kali's arms. As he beheld the dead girl Ganesh was unable to control himself, and wept silently.
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Private Wellington led the way along the road towards the Royal Governor's mansion just as dawn was breaking. Behind him trotted Arthur O'Toole anxiously. Even though the Prince had ordered him to remain back at the palace, with both him and his uncle in danger from that madman Sadruddin, Arthur was not going to stay put and let them die.
Up ahead lay the walled-in home of his uncle. The gates were smashed open and and some soldiers stood guard at them. It was still dark enough that they could not be seen by the soldiers at the gate, and they crept along quietly through the dry brush. Arthur was anxious and impatient, and struggling to calm himself. He knew victory wouldn't come from any rash decisions but his worry for Uncle Gonville and his beloved Prince was threatening to overwhelm his senses. Wise, then, to let Private Wellington make the decisions for now.
"This way," Wellington whispered, and, brandishing his rifle, ran bent-over to the far end of the wall just opposite the gate. Arthur slammed against the wall beside him, panting. They watched the soldiers at the gate. The weren't moving. They stood there, stiffly. "Automatons," Wellington whispered fearfully. "They don't even look alive."
"This Sadruddin fellow is the worst kind of brainwasher," Arthur whispered back. "Now, get me to the side entrance."
Nodding, Wellington turned and crept along the wall and around the corner, the raccoon-badger behind him. A few yards along the soldier stopped and found what looked like a loose stone in the wall, and pushed it with a click.
With a rumbling noise that Arthur was certain would bring the guards running, but didn't, a section of the wall slid inwards, revealing a dark passageway leading down. Wellington charged in, followed by Arthur. The false wall boomed back into place behind them. It was dark, but there was enough light provided by lit torches for Arthur to see that they were running along a dank stone corridor.
"An old emergency escape tunnel your uncle's predecessor installed, back when the mansion was first built," Wellington was explaining. "To be used in case of an uprising or an attack. But Henderson never had use for it."
At the end of the tunnel, was another false wall. This one was concealed behind a hinged bookshelf and opened into the mansion's first-floor library. Nobody was in sight. Stepping through after the Private, Arthur slowly shut the bookshelf with a soft clicking sound, and then he and Wellington crept across the library. The door was open just a crack and they looked through and into the main hall. The hall itself was deserted. But through the front windows and open front door they could see the activity going on in the courtyard, the green-eyed soldiers loading up trucks.
"They must be preparing for battle," Wellington whispered. After a moment, when Arthur didn't reply, he said, "Well, now what? I got you inside like I promised. But from here on in, Professor, might I recommend you make the decisions?"
Arthur nodded. "You go and find my uncle," he said. "Don't hurt him. Subdue him and bring him to me. Kill anyone you have you."
Wellington swallowed and hefted the rifle. "What about you? You haven't got a weapon!"
"I'll get one," Arthur said offhandedly. "Now go. And, uh, act brainwashed."
Wellington blinked, but then stood bolt upright, went bug-eyed and marched stiffly out into the main corridor. He passed a couple of mind-controlled soldiers who didn't spare him a passing glance. As Arthur had hoped, the lack of green eyes was not noticeable to the essentially mindless slaves of the krait. Wellington continued on down the hall to where Arthur knew his uncle's sleeping quarters were.
As for Arthur himself, he waited for the two soldiers to pass by, then slipped out and ran along the hall, hoping he was going in the right direction. From what Wellington had been able to remember, the "temple" the Thuggee had set up was in the sitting room, which was on this side of the house, just off Gonville's office. Halfway there he heard approaching footsteps. Boots. More soldiers. Cursing silently to himself, Arthur spun and ran into the first door he saw, which turned out to be a small office.
He quietly shut the door halfway, and peered through the crack at the approaching soldiers. Governor Gonville Henderson was with them, and Arthur's heart ached. He hoped that Private Wellington could get his uncle away from those poor brainwashed souls. Thankfully neither Gonville nor the soldiers with him had noticed Arthur, and they went on their way, headed, presumably, to the Governor's quarters.
As he relaxed, Arthur turned and gasped as he saw what this room actually contained. The writing desk was soaked in dried blood. The source of the bloodletting was a body lying on the floor. It wore a British captain's uniform, but Arthur was unable to tell who it was, because its head was gone. Also, he noticed, the fingers had been cut off. Arthur shuddered.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw two more corpses. A soldier even younger than Wellington was sitting in the corner, throat cut; a young woman in a maid's outfit, bayoneted, lay across his lap. Gonville concluded that they had walked in on the officer's decapitation and paid with their lives. He sighed. But luck was with him. The Thuggee, in their haste and zeal, had not disarmed either the officer or the soldier. The captain's sidearm was still holstered, and the soldier's rifle was propped against the wall next to him and the maid.
Arthur relived both corpses of their weapons and checked them. Good. Loaded. He stuffed the revolver in the waistline of his trousers and slung the rifle over one shoulder. Certain now of the coast being clear, he stepped back out into the hallway and jogged along the column-lined corridor which led to the sitting room.
Then he stopped. He didn't know where the Prince was. But he knew where his uncle was. Three soldiers might be more than Private Wellington could handle. After a moment's hesitation, Arthur spun and ran off in the direction Gonville and his escort went.
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Meanwhile, on the other side of the house, Private Wellington found the Governor's ground level bedroom empty. But he heard footsteps approaching, so he ducked behind the open door. In walked two of his fellow soldiers, followed by Governor Henderson. He hesitated. He didn't want to hurt his comrades, much less kill them, but at the moment surprise was his only advantage. The second they noticed him, they'd kill him. So he lunged forwards.
But his hesitation allowed the furthest soldier to turn and see him. This soldier shouted an alarm, which made both Gonville and the second soldier begin to turn. The soldier never completed his turn. He cried out as Wellington's bayonet pierced his back, and as Wellington extracted the weapon, the other soldier fell forwards, dead. He whirled to face the other two. The first soldier was going for a holstered revolver. Bringing his rifle up, Wellington fired. The soldier fell.
Then suddenly a third soldier jumped in and grabbed the rifle. He and Wellington struggled for it. Gonville simply stood there, watching blankly. The two uniformed figures fought violently over the gun, falling to the floor. The brainwashed soldier was older and stronger, though, and ultimately managed to wrench the gun away from Wellington. However as he stood and brought the rifle to bear, Arthur O'Toole appeared in the doorway, revolver up, and fired.
The third soldier, hit in the spine, squealed and fell facedown on the floor. Wellington blinked.
"Told you I'd get a weapon," Arthur said with a smirk.
Gonville Henderson shrieked like a wild animal. Arthur turned to see the blonde-haired squirrel leaping at him. He tackled his nephew to the floor and wrestled with him. The revolver went spinning away. Wellington retrieved his rifle and aimed it at the Governor.
"No!" shouted Arthur. "No, don't!" Wellington lowered the gun reluctantly.
Arthur fought with his uncle. Being several years his junior, he was far stronger than the squirrel and folled over, pinning Gonville to the floor. He struggled fiercely, spitting and snarling. But Arthur held him fast. Now that he had his uncle subdued, releasing him from the Thuggee's hold was going to be uncomplicated, but tricky. And he'd need Wellington's help.
"Private, do you remember how I brought you around?" he asked.
"Well..." Wellington said, looking suddenly sheepish.
"Come here and help me stand him up and get him up on the bed," Arthur said.
Wellington came over and together they lifted the squirrel up and, stepping over the bodies of the soldiers, carried him to the bed. Telling Wellington to hold Gonville firmly under his arms, Arthur grabbed the front of his uncle's pants. Immediately, Gonville's green-colored eyes went wide and he ceased struggling.
"Yes, Uncle," Arthur said softly. "It's me, Arthur! Your nephew, remember?"
"I..." Gonville muttered, trailing off.
Leaning in, Arthur put his lips to Gonville's. The fact this was his uncle by marriage did not bother him in the slightest. He kissed him as deep and pure as any lover. To his immense relief, Gonville responded by kissing back lustily. Private Wellington looked mildly disgusted, but, having experienced Arthur's "remedy" himself, knew this was necessary.
Slowly the kiss broke. Arthur stroked his uncle's face and undid his trousers, pulling them down to reveal that Gonville wasn't wearing any underwear. Apparently he'd recently been naked and had thrown pants and boots on without underwear. His erection stood stiff and purple. Arthur licked his lips. Uncle Gonville was actually quite prodigous for an older man. Then, turning serious, he looked up and focused his piercing hypnotist's gaze into the squirrel's green eyes.
"Look deep into my eyes, Uncle," he said, repeating what he'd said to Wellington before. "Look deep, and know only my voice. I want you to fight it. Fight the hold that the krait has over you. Think only of me, and what I'm doing right now."
He slid down Gonville's body and sank to his knees. The Governor's cock bobbed softly before his face. Slowly he opened wide and took his uncle into his mouth. Gonville moaned and writhed in Private Wellington's grip. Wellington sighed and looked up at the ceiling, averting his eyes. Arthur chuckled softly, and then the raccoon-badger began administering a gentle blowjob to his uncle.
It went smoothly. Gonville bucked his hips into his nephew's mouth and moaned deeply with pleasure. Finally he came, shooting ropes of thick cum into Arthur's mouth. The raccoon-badger pulled off the spent but still-erect penis and sealed his lips, feeling the cum swish in his mouth. Then he stood, his face to Gonville's. Slowly, their lips met again, and Gonville's own semen flooded his maw. Using his tongue Arthur shared his uncle's load with him, then slowly pulled back, rivulets of cum dribbling from both their mouths.
Arthur wiped his mouth clean with his back of his hand and said, "Know only my voice. Know only what I did to you. You liked this, don't you?"
"Yes," moaned Gonville, hanging limply in Wellington's grip.
"This is much better than what the Thuggee did to you, isn't it?" Arthur asked.
Slowly Wellington released the Governor and Gonville sank to his knees before his nephew. "Y--Yes," he said.
"Then when I am finished, when I snap my fingers, you will come out from under his command, and under mine."
Slowly he raised his hand, and snapped his fingers once. For a moment nothing happened. Then he slowly raised his head. Even as Arthur watched, the green color vanished from the squirrel's eyes.
"Now then, when I snap my fingers a second time, you will come out of your hypnotic state and be yourself again."
He snapped. Gonville suddenly shook his head groggily and looked up, blinking. Even as Arthur watched, the green color vanished from the squirrel's eyes. Gonville stared up at his nephew in confusion.
"A--Arthur...?"
"Uncle! You're all right!" Arthur said, grinning. He and Wellington helped Gonville stand and Arthur embraced his uncle tightly.
"Wh--What happened...?" Gonville said. He blinked and looked down at the dead soldiers on the floor and then also took note of the fact his pants were down and he was sporting a softening arousal. "Good God in heaven, what happened?! Why are my guards dead, and why are my pants down, and...what is this bizarre taste in my mouth..?"
Arthur couldn't help himself and began laughing.
"All right, so, now what?" Wellington said.
"That's a good question," Arthur admitted. "We know how to break Sadruddin's spell. You and my uncle are proof of that--"
"But we can't possibly do that to every single person under Sadruddin's control!" Wellington whined. "There's too many of them!"
Arthur nodded. His uncle was right. Breaking the krait's hypnotic hold took precision and care. Things they couldn't afford with just three of them versus an entire army under the serpent's control. There was only one way to do it, then.
"We'll have to kill him," Arthur said at last.
"Kill who?" asked Wellington, busy checking his rifle.
"Sadruddin, of course."
"Are you insane?!" blurted Wellington.
The young soldier looked positively horrified at the thought of even being in Sadruddin's presence again. Arthur couldn't blame him. The raccoon-badger had never even seen the Thuggee hypnotist, and he was still terrified of him. He had felt his power when he looked into the eyes of his victims. Still...
"He's mortal," Arthur said resolutely. Stooping down, he relieved one of the corpses of his rifle and threw back the bolt, checking it. "He can be killed just like anyone else."
"I'm not contesting that," Wellington said. "It's just that--"
"Just that what? I'd say having these guns gives us an edge, if it's his army of slaves you're concerned about."
Arthur was suddenly surprised at himself. Only the other day, he had felt guilty for ordering the shooting of a horde of villagers under Sadruddin's control. Now he was willing to mow down British troops. What had changed? He didn't know. All he did know was that he would do anything to get to Sadruddin, and kill him, so he could rescue his Prince. And he told his companions as much.
To his uncle, he said, "You know how to handle a gun, don't you?"
Gonville hesitated a moment, looking at the belt and holster hung over on the wall, an army-issue revolver slid inside it. Captain Tolley had insisted he wear it whenever he went out, and, indeed, it had become a part of his "uniform." He'd never had to actually use it, but, nonetheless, Tolley had taught him how. He nodded slowly.
"Good," his nephew said, handing him a rifle. "Then let's go."
Gonville held the weapon a little uncertainly, then rose. Slinging the weapon over his shoulder he went and retrieved his revolver, removing it from its holster and simply sticking it into the waistband of his trousers. Then he, Arthur and Private Wellington exited the bedroom, Gonville in the lead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His Royal Highness Prince Indra Rajesh Ganesh was feeling thoroughly humiliated, tied nude to the statue of Kali in the mansion's sitting room-turned Thuggee temple. The fiend, Sadruddin, was gloating nonstop. So much so that Ganesh had ceased even paying attention to him. Most would find the snake hypnotic. Ganesh just found him boring.
The elephant hung his head. He had failed. His guards were already dead. He had heard their screams of agony as they were slowly tortured to death in the next room, by the very people they'd been sworn to protect, turned into mindless automatons by the krait. Even now, he feared, armed British troops were on their way back to his palace to finish what the first party had failed to do. To kill Professor Arthur O'Toole - his Arthur - and anyone else living there. All of his servants, harem boys, and what few guards remained.
At thought of so much needless death, Ganesh felt his rage growing. He pulled at the ropes that bound him to the obscene statue. Hearing, or perhaps sensing, this, Sadruddin turned and looked at him, amusement written on the reptile's features.
"Trying to escape again, are we?" he mused sweetly. "You won't be any more successful than the last three times! Give it up, Your Highness! You are beaten! And tonight, you will be sacrificed--"
He stopped short as they both heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. Very close by, in fact. Sadruddin's head whipped around, his emerald eyes wide, as none other than Arthur O'Toole charged in, brandishing an army rifle. With him were Governor Henderson and a soldier Ganesh did not recognize. Neither had green eyes, which meant they were freed from the krait's control.
"Henderson!" cried Sadruddin. Amusingly, Ganesh realized, the krait had not idea who Arthur was. So he was focusing on the Governor.
None of the three replied. Instead they immediately. Brought their guns up and fired. Or at least Arthur and the soldier did. Their shots hit and killed two villagers and a British guard, all three going down in a hail of bullets. The Governor hesitated, however, as his butler rushed at him, a knife in hand. He fired, and missed, and finally Arthur had to swing 'round and jab the elderly servant in the side with his rifle's bayonet. The butler screamed and died, collapsing at Gonville's feet.
"Guards!" cried Sadruddin. Then with a hiss he lunged at the three interlopers.
They were in the midst of aiming at him with their weapons when he slammed into them. His great reptilian body hit them like a speeding train. Arthur fell onto his back, with the great weight of the snake pressing against him, his rifle flying from his hands. Beside him, Private Wellington scrabbled on his knees and stabbed his bayonet into Sadruddin's side. The krait shrieked in agony, then swung his great head down. He seized the young soldier in his jaws, sinking his fangs into his shoulder. Wellington screamed as the snake lifted him up and swung him around, sending him flying across the room.
Wellington crashed into the bound Ganesh, causing the Kali statue the elephant was tied to to tip over backwards and land on the floor with a loud thud. Ganesh grunted, the barely conscious soldier lying atop him. Gritting his teeth, Ganesh strained, trying to break free of his bonds.
Meanwhile Gonville swung his rifle up to aim at his former master, but the thick serpentine tail whipped around and slammed into him. The Governor was hammered to the floor in an instant. Arthur struggled, attempting to shove the great serpent off of himself. Sensing the feeble struggles of the raccoon-badger, Sadruddin turned and looked down at him. Their eyes locked. In an instant, Sadruddin realized who, and what, he was looking at.
"My, my," he said. "A hypnotist? Yes, I can see it in your eyes. Who else would find a means of freeing the Governor from my hold? Very interesting. I think I shall keep you, whoever you are. Yes, weakling, look into your eyes. Gaze into them, and feel the will of your new master."
Arthur struggled mentally, trying to resist. Those green eyes were so beautiful and enticing, though. He felt as if he wanted to sink into them and disappear into their depths forever. Regardless, his status as a hypnotist meant that Sadruddin was nonetheless having some trouble with him. He narrowed his eyes, glaring, determined to make this raccoon-badger his. He would take the place of the Governor, who, Sadruddin decided, he would devour as soon as he'd finished with the hybrid.
Gonville for his part slowly struggled to his feet, head swimming. The krait ignored him. The squirrel's jaw dropped at the sight of his nephew being brainwashed, and, growling, he grabbed his rifle. Before he could attack however, he heard a commotion to his right. A throng of slaves, summoned by Sadruddin's alarm earlier, burst into the anteroom just outside of the sitting room. A mixture of Indian villagers and British guards. Gonville even saw his own driver, Wilfred, among them. They were all armed.
Gritting his teeth, Gonville swung his rifle around and fired at them. He hit the closest British soldier who staggered back and fell. The others backed up and took refuge around the corners and behind furniture. Those with guns fired, but their aim was even worse than Gonville's.
No one noticed when Ganesh finally freed himself. He clenched his fists and pulled with all his might, finally ripping the ropes free. He sat up, Private Wellington in his lap. As gently as he could, he shoved the injured soldier off of himself, and untied his legs. Then, he picked up Wellington's rifle, and checked it. Empty. Damn. Well, at least he'd have the element of surprise. Standing, he narrowed his eyes at the back of the great serpent currently attempting to enslaved his beloved English teacher.
Soundlessly, and with surprising grace given his bulky frame, the elephant charged forwards and bounded over the couch, and flung himself against Sadruddin's back. The snake cried out in surprise, his concentration broken. Arthur immediately snapped out of his trance, and found himself gazing up at the Prince wrapping his powerful arms around the serpent's slender neck. Sadruddin bucked, trying to throw Ganesh off, allowing Arthur to wiggle free.
"I've got him!" Ganesh said. "Go help your uncle!"
Nodding, Arthur grabbed his rifle. Pausing to look back once at the struggling elephant and snake, he turned and ran to where Gonville was kneeling, and slid to his knees alongside his uncle, joining him in keeping Sadruddin's would-be rescuers at bay. However their supply of bullets was limited. Gonville ran out first. Dropping the rifle he took out his revolver and resumed firing, tagging a villager in the shoulder.
The struggle between Ganesh and Sadruddin continued. Try as he might, the great serpent could not dislodge the elephant. He was just too heavy. His grip too strong. But he refused to surrender. Not that it mattered. Ganesh wasn't going to let the fiend live, even if he did surrender. Sadruddin was weakening. Ganesh's tight hold around his throat was cutting off oxygen to his brain, and, despite himself, the snake was slowly yielding.
Strangely enough, sitting astride the smoothly-scaled back of the krait, naked, was an enjoyable experiencing. His genitals rubbing over the scales produced an arousing sensation, and no one was more surprised than Sadruddin when he felt the thick elephantine erection growing across his back. Feeling uncharacteristically cruel, Ganesh decided to add humiliation to his foe's defeat. Adjusting himself he lifted Sadruddin's tail, and, finding the snake's vent with his fingers, guided his dripping erection towards it.
"No!" the krait suddenly yelped.
Ganesh plunged himself deep into Sadruddin and groaned as he mounted his enemy. Sadruddin groaned, too. The elephant's thickness was not entirely unpleasant. But the moment Ganesh realized his enemy was enjoying it he knew it was time to end the dance. In his hand he still held Private Wellington's empty rifle. This he jammed sideways into Sadruddin's mouth. Grabbing barrel and butt, he pulled it towards himself until the gunstock was pressing against the corners of the snake's mouth, forcing his mouth open somewhat.
"I told you, I was going to kill you," Ganesh said, between grunts. "Now, die."
With that, he yanked back on the rifle as hard as he could, forcing Sadruddin's head backwards. Renewed energy filled the krait as he struggled to avoid his fate, but it was no use. Sweat poured off of the elephant as he squeezes his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, a sharp cracking sound filling the room even as he came, exploding into the depths of the dying snake. The gun threatened to crack in half even as it splintered the bone of Sadruddin's upper palate. Sadruddin's green eyes rolled back and bulged out as blood poured from the split corners of his mouth, dripping down onto the carpet.
Slowly, the attacks from the brainwashed individuals tapered off. One by one they stopped. Arthur saw what was happening. They were coming out of their trances. Worried about his overzealous uncle killing the now-harmless people he put a calming hand on Gonville's shoulder, but Gonville's revolver as already empty. Panting, the squirrel swallowed and looked questioningly at his nephew, who smiled.
Ganesh jerked back on the rifle a few times to ensure that the snake was dead. Then he released it. The gun fell from Sadruddin's destroyed mouth, and then the great body of the krait fell to the floor with a resounding thump. He twitched, slowly, as blood pooled out around his head. Sighing, the elephant extracted himself from the dead serpent's anus and, not even caring that he was naked, approached Arthur. The English professor rose and embraced his Prince happily.
Gonville frowned, uncertain of how to feel about his nephew's now blatant homosexuality. But there were other, more important matters at hand. He walked over to the dazed-looking villagers and soldiers, checking them each in turn to ensure that they were all right. Then, accompanied by a groggy Wilfred, he went to check on Private Wellington.
Arthur kissed his Prince long and deep, and Ganesh scooped the raccoon badger into his arms and nuzzled him with his trunk. "Let us go home," he said softly. "I'll let you lick my feet, and then we will make love all night long."
The End
He turned, and beheld Ganesh walking down the main staircase, bedecked in ceremonial battle uniform with gold embroidery, a sword with a jewel-encrusted scabbard at his side. The large pachyderm had a steely-eyed expression that Arthur had never seen on his beloved Prince before this night.
As Ganesh passed him, Arthur said, "I still wish you'd let me come with you."
"I know," said the Prince without stopping. "And my answer is still the same as before. You must remain here and out of danger while I go to the Governor's mansion. It's my duty, not yours."
Arthur nodded solemnly, although mention of Uncle Gonville made him suddenly fearful, and he called after the elephant. "Indra!" Ganesh paused. "If you find my uncle...I mean, if he's under this lunatic's spell...." He trailed off.
"I'll do everything in my power to spare him," Ganesh replied. And meant it.
Then, he signaled for the twelve guards and they marched after him. The front doors of the palace closed with a boom that resounded throughout the cavernous main hall. Arthur remained there, alone, and sighed. He hoped that Ganesh and his men could pull this off. The villagers were one thing, but the idea of them going up against trained British riflemen made the English teacher more than a bit uneasy.
Thinking of the riflemen, he remembered the one they had captured the other day. Turning, he walked through the palace and made his way downstairs to the dungeons, which had not been used at all since Ganesh had taken the throne. But for the moment it was home to the British soldier from the previous day's battle in the main hall, one of the only three survivors of the skirmish. The young private was in the last cell, with two royal guards standing rigidly at the door.
Arthur snapped his fingers, getting the hypnotized guards' attention. They stood a little straighter. "Open the door," he commanded.
Despite knowing better, Arthur half-expected them to protest. Instead the one with the keys simply turned wordlessly and unlocked the door, then pulled it open.
Covering all his bases, Arthur told them, "Be ready to come in and subdue him if I call on you. Understand?"
They nodded, and Arthur entered the cell. The British soldier, a young canid of indeterminate breed, was sitting in the corner, staring blankly at the floor, wrists manacled. At the sound of Arthur's approach, however, his head snapped up and those emerald green eyes bored into the teacher. Arthur was unafraid however. Even though the influence behind those eyes was one of the most powerful wills he had ever encountered, he was confident that with time and patience, he could bring this young lad around.
"Now then," he said. "Why did you attack us? Who did this to you?" He very quickly stooped down on one knee so he was face to face with the soldier. The private didn't flinch. "Look deep into my eyes, Private," Arthur whispered softly, soothingly, as he'd done with the Prince's harem boys earlier. "Look deep, and know only my voice--"
He was cut off as with a snarl the soldier jumped to his feet. Arthur stumbled back and fell on his butt, and the raccoon-badger yelped as the canine leaped onto him and pinned him to the floor. Even as Arthur yelled for the guards, he was certain he was doomed. The way the young private bared his teeth, he felt like he was about to have his throat bitten out. Instead, the soldier spoke.
"I want you!" he hissed, his voice husky.
He bent down and licked Arthur's cheek and then forcibly kissed him. Under any other circumstances Arthur wouldn't have minded this in the least but in this case he was grateful when he felt the soldier being seized by the arms and pulled off of him. Hurriedly he scooted away on his backside and got to his feet.
"Subdue him!" he yelled, pointing, wondering why he hadn't had them do this in the first place. He blamed his ego. "And hold him tightly!"
The guards fought with the fiercely struggling soldier, and finally forced him to his knees. He growled, but then licked his lips as he eyed the teacher. God, thought Arthur, this was going to be one long session...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Governor's mansion. Indra Rajesh Ganesh had visited it as often as Gonville Henderson visited his own palace, which was not very often.
It was a large compound surrounded by a high wall, it would've seem intimidating enough on its own. But the abnormally hot, high winds whipping about, and the unnatural dark stormclouds massing above made it even more forboding than normal.
There were guards. A lot of them. And it looked like they were preparing for battle. There were some troop carriers, being loaded with crates and supplies, the British running around like worker ants.
Still, Ganesh was unafraid. For he knew precisely what lurked within, and this was to his advantage. But what if the Thuggee master, whoever he may be, knew that he knew? His thoughts shifted as he spotted a familiar figure; Gonville Henderson. The Governor was supervising the soldiers' work from his parked staff car.
So, Ganesh thought, his beloved Arthur's uncle was one of them now, after all. He lowered the spyglasses a bit sadly, hoping he wouldn't have to kill the squirrel. He didn't want to have Arthur's only relative in the region's death on his hands. Besides, he was a decent enough fellow, and didn't deserve this fate. None of them did. And that was why he intended to kill the Thuggee leader, prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice if need be, to free them from the Thuggee's evil influence, and prevent the rest of the country from falling under the same dark clouds that hovered over the mansion.
Turning, he signalled silently to eight of the twelve royal guards he'd brought with him, and the nine of them crept down the hillside. getting inside wasn't going to be easy. But he had a plan. They hadn't come on foot. They'd come in Ganesh's own royal staff car and a troop carrier of their own. The staff car, a Rolls-Royce, was parked a ways behind the hill. The truck at that very moment was barrelling down the dirt road towards the closed gates of the compound.
The guards on the walls saw it and sounded an alarm, the hostile intent of the vehicle's driver clear to them. All eyes were on the gate, allowing Ganesh and his chosen eight to reach the south wall unseen. They huddled against the wall, watching around the corner as the truck zoomed towards the compound.
Up on the wall, a guard raised his rifle and fired off a couple of rounds. The first hit the hood and punctured the radiator; smoke and steam belched from the hole. The second bullet hit the driver's side windshield. The truck pitched wildly. The driver had been hit. However the passenger grabbed the wheel and was able to get the truck back on course and steer it enough to slam into the gates.
The gates were by no means impenetrable. After all, despite the presence of so many soldiers, it wasn't a military base, just the Royal Governor's home. Thus the huge doors burst apart as the troop truck crashed through them, rattling the walls. The guards within scattered as the truck swung 'round and rear-ended one of the parked British troop carriers.
As all of the British began converging on the stopped truck, Ganesh swung a grappling line around and flung it up to the top of the wall, and snagged it on the first try. Each of the eight royal guards with him had grappling lines of their own and flung them. Hurriedly they began to ascend, the bulky Ganesh climbing surprisingly easily despite his size.
At the top they were greeted by a single British guard, an older grey-haired hound. He was startled and tried to shout an alarm but was silenced as Ganesh drew his sword and rammed it through his gut, covering his mouth to stifle his scream. This, he knew, would be the first of many who would die undeserved deaths before the evil that lurked within the house was stopped. He quietly lowered the corpse to the ground and then he and his eight guards scurried across the wall as a brief battle raged below.
Well, it was more like a minute-long brawl, really. The injured truck driver got out and drew his sword and was instantly bayoneted with a cry. The passenger slid into the driver's seat tried to take the wheel. The soldier who had just bayoneted his comrade skewered him as well, and with a cry he fell out alongside the other dead royal guardsman. The British were momentarily caught by surprise as two more of the Prince's guards jumped out of the back and fired into their midst, killing two, but these two brave souls were quickly mobbed and beaten to the ground.
Ganesh winced, but he would mourn the deaths of his men later. Once he and the remaining eight reached a spot around the side of the house they all leapt down as one and quickly charged towards the side of the house and around it, intending to gain entrance through the back door. However as they rounded the corner Ganesh and his men were greeted by a dozen British guards with rifles raised. They skidded to a halt.
Standing at the head of the British was a very young lieutenant. He was holding a revolver. "Surrender, or die," he said.
A trap, thought Ganesh. The Thuggee had known he might come, and so had his slaves be on the lookout. Thoughts of charging valiantly towards their enemies and dying heroic deaths were averted as Ganesh lingered on the lieutenant's order. So, the Thuggee wanted him alive for some reason. This, he thought, he could use to his advantage. So, he threw his sword down and held his hands up.
"We surrender," he said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back at the palace, Arthur was not making progress with the captive soldier. Held as he was by the two strong guards, he couldn't escape, and Arthur had spent the past several hours holding the young canine's face and staring into those green eyes of his, repeating, over and over, his hypnotist's mantra, in the hopes of penetrating the awful will behind him.
But this accomplished nothing. He sighed and stood, weary and feeling defeated. Then a thought occurred to him. All throughout their session the soldier had repeatedly expressed his desire to have sex with the raccoon-badger. Arthur grabbed the front of the soldier's pants, and his green eyes went wide in surprise. He was erect, all right. Arthur started massaging the young male's genitals through the trousers, and watched as his face went from angry and lustful to peaceful and filled with pleasure.
The moment he stopped, however, the soldier's hateful attitude returned. So, lustful, angry sex was the way of the Thuggee, but gentle and loving sex was not. He smiled. A combination of his hypnotism and some stimulation should do the trick....
He stroked the soldier's face with one hand as he unzipped his pants with the other and fished out the private's privates. Gazing deep into the soldier's green eyes he said, "Look deep into my eyes, Private. Look deep, and know only my voice. I want you to fight it. Fight the hold that your so-called master has over you. Think only of me, and what I'm doing right now."
He wrapped his fist around the soldier's cock and started to administer a slow handjob. The soldier groaned softly and bucked his hips.
His voice now a whisper, Arthur leaned close to the enraptured private's face and continued, "Know only my voice. Know only what I am doing to you right now. You like this, don't you?"
"Yes," moaned the soldier.
"This is much better than what the Thuggee does to you, isn't it?"
"Unh! Yes!"
"Then when I am finished, when you cum, you will come out from under his command, and under mine."
The handjob continued and began to quicken in pace. The soldier's face was now a mask of pure bliss and the green was beginning to fade from his eyes. The two guards holding him stared implaccably forwards the entire time, knowing only their original orders to hold the prisoner. Finally with a gasp the young soldier came, his cock shuddering and squirting a generous helping of seed onto Arthur's pants.
The teacher stood back, watching. "Release him," he commanded.
The guards let go and the soldier sank into a sitting position, panting. For a while he didn't moved except for his breathing. Then, slowly, he looked up. His eyes were normal now, except for his pupils which were tiny. Arthur smiled. Now the soldier was under his control and not the Thuggee's. First things first.
"What is your name?" Arthur asked.
"P-Private Wellington," the lad answered distantly.
"Pleased to meet you, Private Wellington," Arthur said. "Now then, when I snap my fingers, you will come out of your hypnotic state and be yourself again. Because as much as I'd like to continue controlling you I think it would be a little unfair to keep you under after what you've been through. But you will do me the favor of explaining to me what happened, correct?"
"Yes," replied Wellington.
"Good," said Arthur, and then he snapped his fingers.
Wellington sat there for a moment, holding his head, looking more than a wee bit woozy. Then, slowly, he looked up. "Uhh," he moaned, "where am I?"
"In the dungeons of Prince Ganesh's palace," Arthur said.
A realization seemed to come over Wellington and he gasped. "Now I remember!" he cried. "I-I was told by the Lieutenant to come into the Governor's office. We-We all were!"
Arthur was pleased by this outburst. It meant he wouldn't have to prompt the soldier to remember anything. He asked, "What happened?"
Wellington swallowed. He then seemed to realize for the first time that his cock, now limp, was hanging out of his trousers, and, blushing a bit, tucked it away and zipped up. Then he sighed, turning serious once more. "There was this krait," he said. "A bloody big one, too! A-And the other guards, they were all already under his spell. I was grabbed...they made me....oh, God...the Captain's head..." He trailed off and began to cry.
Arthur needless to say felt an immense compassion for the poor private. He'd been through a horror unlike anything the teacher could even begin to imagine. But his desire to know his uncle's fate, and learn more about his mysterious and powerful foe, made him press Wellington a little more. "And the Governor? What of him?"
Wellington looked up, and sniffled. "He, uh, he was the next-to-last to be....to be taken," he said. "After him they got his driver and then the entire househould belonged to...h-him." He shuddered at the mention of "him," obviously the krait. Arthur was beginning to suspect this krait and their mysterious Thuggee mastermind were one and the same. Wellington went on, "I remember everything that I said and did while I was wunder, you know? Everything that happened....but as far as I know, Governor Henderson is still alive."
The teacher nodded. So, Uncle Gonville had been converted. But at least he was alive, so far as Private Wellington claimed to know, anyway. And at least now he had a means of breaking the Thuggee's hold on him. Surprisingly, the thought of bringing his own uncle to orgasm didn't faze Arthur in the slightest, even though he'd thought it would.
"I know you've been through a lot, but....tell me more about this krait."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gonville and the young lieutenant led the way through the mansion as Ganesh was taken to see his heretofore unseen nemesis, two guards marching behind him with bayonets at his back. The lieutenant was carrying his sword. His captured men had been taken elsewhere. The room into which Ganesh was led was once a plush sitting room, now transformed into what appeared to be the center of worship for the Thuggee and his converted slaves.
"Wait here," Gonville said firmly, and then walked out, leaving the elephant under the watchful eyes of the lieutenant and the two guards.
The centerpiece of the ghoulish room was a statue of Kali herself, hung with necklaces of bones and severed fingers, and dripping with fresh blood. Ganesh felt sick to his stomach just looking at it.
The statue stood on a table in the middle of the room, and around were ten worshippers, some British guards, others the local Indian villagers, and all completely nude, swaying and chanting. Nearby, on the couch, a naked female ferret was writhing. A pair of guards stood to either side of the couch, rigid and unmoving. It was a surreal and disturbing sight to behold, all of it, and it got even worse when Nagesh Sadruddin entered.
The giant serpent slithered into the room, Gonville behind him, and immediately the chanting ceased. Instantly, Ganesh knew this was the Thuggee priest. Although he disliked generalizing, and had in fact known a few decent snakes in his life, kraits tended to be bad seeds; besides, Ganesh knew from the stories that the original Thuggee leader in the region, whom his grandfather had killed, had been a krait. It only stood to reason that the maniac attempting to revive the cult would be a krait as well.
This enormous brute of a reptile slithered right up to the elephant and rose up to match Ganesh's height. He sneered down at the Prince with contempt. With mock friendliness, he said, "Welcome, Prince Indra Rajesh Ganesh. I've been expecting you."
"And you would be?" the elephant demanded to know.
The snake gave a small nod of his head. "My name is Nagesh Sadruddin. I've waited many years for this, Your Highness. And for this moment in particular. The moment where the last living descendent of my grandfather's killer is completely at my mercy!"
So, the Thuggee priest his grandfather had slaim had been this fellow's grandfather. Ganesh had to admit he was surprised. Not that Sadruddin was related to the previous priest; more that the krait seemed to be more interested in his personal vendetta against Ganesh's family than he was in reviving his religion.
Ganesh cut to the chase. "Your...'men' gave me the option of surrendering. I took it because I was curious. If you are so hungry for vengeance, Mr. Sadruddin, why not have your slaves gun me down on sight? So, I am wondering, why you need me alive."
The snake smirked and tilted his head a bit, tongue flicking out. "A quick death is too good for you, Your Highness," he said. "I have...particular plans for you. But first, you will live long enough to witness my new army overrun this entire region, bringing the Thuggee back into political power."
"Then that is your mistake," Ganesh said simply.
"Oh?" Sadruddin blinked.
"Yes." The Prince dared to take a few steps forwards. The guards behind him bristled, and the lieutenant's hand was on his holstered sidearm in a flash. But Ganesh merely stood before the snake. "Because I am the one who is going to kill you. Just as my grandfather killed your grandfather."
Sadruddin glowered and signalled to the lieutenant, who drew his revolver, and pistol-whipped Ganesh across the back of the head with it. The elephant grunted and staggered, but didn't fall. Turning he violently backhanded the officer, knocking him into one of the guards standing alongside the couch, sending both crashing to the floor. Ganesh's sword, which the lieutenant was holding, clanged noiseily to the floor and slid underneath a table over by the wall. Ganesh suddenly felt bayonet tips at his back once again, dissuading him from any further actions.
"You will pay dearly for your insolence!" Sadruddin hissed. Then, he calmed, taking on a smoother tone of voice, as he added, "But first, it is time for the ceremony that will make this altar of worship holy." He turned towards the others. "It has already been blessed with the blood of a non-believer, and now it must be blessed with the sacrifice of one of the faithful."
Ganesh felt his stomach churn again. The poor mind-controlled villagers stood and started whooping excitedly as one, as did Gonville, who, to Ganesh's simultaneous shock and unexpected interested, quickly began stripping naked. The British guards did not, busy as they were watching their "guest."
As the cheering died down into silence, the only sound was the crackling from the fireplace. Sadruddin eyed the small crowd, then turned to the woman on the couch.
"Jenny," he said. "It is Jenny, isn't it?"
She sat up. "Yes, my master."
Sadruddin smiled sweetly and turned, slithering between two of the nude villagers and up onto the low table, which creaked audibly under the giant serpent's weight. He then slowly entwined himself around the Kali statue, and beckoned towards the woman, Jenny, with his tailtip. "Come," he said softly.
She rose and walked over, the other worshippers parting for her, then kneeling. Once again, this included Gonville, although he went and got down closer to the altar. Ganesh felt his anger rising, but apparently the other soldiers sensed his desire to interfere; he felt a gunbarrle pointed at his head, and, glancing, found the lieutenant and the other two guards glowering at him. Now surrounded by five men, there was nothing he could to save Jenny without getting himself killed pointlessly. But he silently swored that Sadruddin would pay the ultimate price for what he was about to do.
All eyes were ony Jenny as she stepped up onto the table and stood before the altar, with Sadruddin wrapped around it. Then, slowly, the great reptile slithered down, his head going around Jenny's side and up her back, and under her right armpit, the rest of his body following. He entwined himself around Jenny until he was around both her and the statue, holding her against the idol of Kali.
Then, slowly, he began to constrict. Jenny gasped as the powerful, muscular body of the snake started to crush her, forcing the air from her lungs. Ganesh watched in morbid fascination, then squeezed his eyes shut and looked away. The guards didn't notice, too transfixed by the sight playing out before them. Jenny moaned loudly, more in pleasure than anything else, and Sadruddin was licking his lips lewdly with his forked tongue as he used his coils to draw the woman up further against the statue.
He tightened his body, closing his eyes and leaning his head back, jaw slack, as though in orgasm, and then, the soft sound of Jenny's spine snapping filled the room. She jerked, and made an odd "glurp" sound, and started spasming in her master's coils. There were more cracking sounds as her ribs and hips were crushed. Gonville looked on wide-eyed as he watched his secretary being killed; the other followers chanting wildly.
Then, it was over. Jenny went limp. Sadruddin let out a satisfied sigh. This was Ganesh's cue that it was safe to look once more, and he cursed himself for his squeamishness.
"Tomorrow, we march against our enemies," Sadruddin said, addressing his followers. "And this sacrifice will ensure that Kali will smile upon us."
He then slithered down off the statue and back to the floor. Jenny remained where she was. Through all of the squeezing her body had been arranged so she now hung draped in Kali's arms. As he beheld the dead girl Ganesh was unable to control himself, and wept silently.
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Private Wellington led the way along the road towards the Royal Governor's mansion just as dawn was breaking. Behind him trotted Arthur O'Toole anxiously. Even though the Prince had ordered him to remain back at the palace, with both him and his uncle in danger from that madman Sadruddin, Arthur was not going to stay put and let them die.
Up ahead lay the walled-in home of his uncle. The gates were smashed open and and some soldiers stood guard at them. It was still dark enough that they could not be seen by the soldiers at the gate, and they crept along quietly through the dry brush. Arthur was anxious and impatient, and struggling to calm himself. He knew victory wouldn't come from any rash decisions but his worry for Uncle Gonville and his beloved Prince was threatening to overwhelm his senses. Wise, then, to let Private Wellington make the decisions for now.
"This way," Wellington whispered, and, brandishing his rifle, ran bent-over to the far end of the wall just opposite the gate. Arthur slammed against the wall beside him, panting. They watched the soldiers at the gate. The weren't moving. They stood there, stiffly. "Automatons," Wellington whispered fearfully. "They don't even look alive."
"This Sadruddin fellow is the worst kind of brainwasher," Arthur whispered back. "Now, get me to the side entrance."
Nodding, Wellington turned and crept along the wall and around the corner, the raccoon-badger behind him. A few yards along the soldier stopped and found what looked like a loose stone in the wall, and pushed it with a click.
With a rumbling noise that Arthur was certain would bring the guards running, but didn't, a section of the wall slid inwards, revealing a dark passageway leading down. Wellington charged in, followed by Arthur. The false wall boomed back into place behind them. It was dark, but there was enough light provided by lit torches for Arthur to see that they were running along a dank stone corridor.
"An old emergency escape tunnel your uncle's predecessor installed, back when the mansion was first built," Wellington was explaining. "To be used in case of an uprising or an attack. But Henderson never had use for it."
At the end of the tunnel, was another false wall. This one was concealed behind a hinged bookshelf and opened into the mansion's first-floor library. Nobody was in sight. Stepping through after the Private, Arthur slowly shut the bookshelf with a soft clicking sound, and then he and Wellington crept across the library. The door was open just a crack and they looked through and into the main hall. The hall itself was deserted. But through the front windows and open front door they could see the activity going on in the courtyard, the green-eyed soldiers loading up trucks.
"They must be preparing for battle," Wellington whispered. After a moment, when Arthur didn't reply, he said, "Well, now what? I got you inside like I promised. But from here on in, Professor, might I recommend you make the decisions?"
Arthur nodded. "You go and find my uncle," he said. "Don't hurt him. Subdue him and bring him to me. Kill anyone you have you."
Wellington swallowed and hefted the rifle. "What about you? You haven't got a weapon!"
"I'll get one," Arthur said offhandedly. "Now go. And, uh, act brainwashed."
Wellington blinked, but then stood bolt upright, went bug-eyed and marched stiffly out into the main corridor. He passed a couple of mind-controlled soldiers who didn't spare him a passing glance. As Arthur had hoped, the lack of green eyes was not noticeable to the essentially mindless slaves of the krait. Wellington continued on down the hall to where Arthur knew his uncle's sleeping quarters were.
As for Arthur himself, he waited for the two soldiers to pass by, then slipped out and ran along the hall, hoping he was going in the right direction. From what Wellington had been able to remember, the "temple" the Thuggee had set up was in the sitting room, which was on this side of the house, just off Gonville's office. Halfway there he heard approaching footsteps. Boots. More soldiers. Cursing silently to himself, Arthur spun and ran into the first door he saw, which turned out to be a small office.
He quietly shut the door halfway, and peered through the crack at the approaching soldiers. Governor Gonville Henderson was with them, and Arthur's heart ached. He hoped that Private Wellington could get his uncle away from those poor brainwashed souls. Thankfully neither Gonville nor the soldiers with him had noticed Arthur, and they went on their way, headed, presumably, to the Governor's quarters.
As he relaxed, Arthur turned and gasped as he saw what this room actually contained. The writing desk was soaked in dried blood. The source of the bloodletting was a body lying on the floor. It wore a British captain's uniform, but Arthur was unable to tell who it was, because its head was gone. Also, he noticed, the fingers had been cut off. Arthur shuddered.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw two more corpses. A soldier even younger than Wellington was sitting in the corner, throat cut; a young woman in a maid's outfit, bayoneted, lay across his lap. Gonville concluded that they had walked in on the officer's decapitation and paid with their lives. He sighed. But luck was with him. The Thuggee, in their haste and zeal, had not disarmed either the officer or the soldier. The captain's sidearm was still holstered, and the soldier's rifle was propped against the wall next to him and the maid.
Arthur relived both corpses of their weapons and checked them. Good. Loaded. He stuffed the revolver in the waistline of his trousers and slung the rifle over one shoulder. Certain now of the coast being clear, he stepped back out into the hallway and jogged along the column-lined corridor which led to the sitting room.
Then he stopped. He didn't know where the Prince was. But he knew where his uncle was. Three soldiers might be more than Private Wellington could handle. After a moment's hesitation, Arthur spun and ran off in the direction Gonville and his escort went.
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Meanwhile, on the other side of the house, Private Wellington found the Governor's ground level bedroom empty. But he heard footsteps approaching, so he ducked behind the open door. In walked two of his fellow soldiers, followed by Governor Henderson. He hesitated. He didn't want to hurt his comrades, much less kill them, but at the moment surprise was his only advantage. The second they noticed him, they'd kill him. So he lunged forwards.
But his hesitation allowed the furthest soldier to turn and see him. This soldier shouted an alarm, which made both Gonville and the second soldier begin to turn. The soldier never completed his turn. He cried out as Wellington's bayonet pierced his back, and as Wellington extracted the weapon, the other soldier fell forwards, dead. He whirled to face the other two. The first soldier was going for a holstered revolver. Bringing his rifle up, Wellington fired. The soldier fell.
Then suddenly a third soldier jumped in and grabbed the rifle. He and Wellington struggled for it. Gonville simply stood there, watching blankly. The two uniformed figures fought violently over the gun, falling to the floor. The brainwashed soldier was older and stronger, though, and ultimately managed to wrench the gun away from Wellington. However as he stood and brought the rifle to bear, Arthur O'Toole appeared in the doorway, revolver up, and fired.
The third soldier, hit in the spine, squealed and fell facedown on the floor. Wellington blinked.
"Told you I'd get a weapon," Arthur said with a smirk.
Gonville Henderson shrieked like a wild animal. Arthur turned to see the blonde-haired squirrel leaping at him. He tackled his nephew to the floor and wrestled with him. The revolver went spinning away. Wellington retrieved his rifle and aimed it at the Governor.
"No!" shouted Arthur. "No, don't!" Wellington lowered the gun reluctantly.
Arthur fought with his uncle. Being several years his junior, he was far stronger than the squirrel and folled over, pinning Gonville to the floor. He struggled fiercely, spitting and snarling. But Arthur held him fast. Now that he had his uncle subdued, releasing him from the Thuggee's hold was going to be uncomplicated, but tricky. And he'd need Wellington's help.
"Private, do you remember how I brought you around?" he asked.
"Well..." Wellington said, looking suddenly sheepish.
"Come here and help me stand him up and get him up on the bed," Arthur said.
Wellington came over and together they lifted the squirrel up and, stepping over the bodies of the soldiers, carried him to the bed. Telling Wellington to hold Gonville firmly under his arms, Arthur grabbed the front of his uncle's pants. Immediately, Gonville's green-colored eyes went wide and he ceased struggling.
"Yes, Uncle," Arthur said softly. "It's me, Arthur! Your nephew, remember?"
"I..." Gonville muttered, trailing off.
Leaning in, Arthur put his lips to Gonville's. The fact this was his uncle by marriage did not bother him in the slightest. He kissed him as deep and pure as any lover. To his immense relief, Gonville responded by kissing back lustily. Private Wellington looked mildly disgusted, but, having experienced Arthur's "remedy" himself, knew this was necessary.
Slowly the kiss broke. Arthur stroked his uncle's face and undid his trousers, pulling them down to reveal that Gonville wasn't wearing any underwear. Apparently he'd recently been naked and had thrown pants and boots on without underwear. His erection stood stiff and purple. Arthur licked his lips. Uncle Gonville was actually quite prodigous for an older man. Then, turning serious, he looked up and focused his piercing hypnotist's gaze into the squirrel's green eyes.
"Look deep into my eyes, Uncle," he said, repeating what he'd said to Wellington before. "Look deep, and know only my voice. I want you to fight it. Fight the hold that the krait has over you. Think only of me, and what I'm doing right now."
He slid down Gonville's body and sank to his knees. The Governor's cock bobbed softly before his face. Slowly he opened wide and took his uncle into his mouth. Gonville moaned and writhed in Private Wellington's grip. Wellington sighed and looked up at the ceiling, averting his eyes. Arthur chuckled softly, and then the raccoon-badger began administering a gentle blowjob to his uncle.
It went smoothly. Gonville bucked his hips into his nephew's mouth and moaned deeply with pleasure. Finally he came, shooting ropes of thick cum into Arthur's mouth. The raccoon-badger pulled off the spent but still-erect penis and sealed his lips, feeling the cum swish in his mouth. Then he stood, his face to Gonville's. Slowly, their lips met again, and Gonville's own semen flooded his maw. Using his tongue Arthur shared his uncle's load with him, then slowly pulled back, rivulets of cum dribbling from both their mouths.
Arthur wiped his mouth clean with his back of his hand and said, "Know only my voice. Know only what I did to you. You liked this, don't you?"
"Yes," moaned Gonville, hanging limply in Wellington's grip.
"This is much better than what the Thuggee did to you, isn't it?" Arthur asked.
Slowly Wellington released the Governor and Gonville sank to his knees before his nephew. "Y--Yes," he said.
"Then when I am finished, when I snap my fingers, you will come out from under his command, and under mine."
Slowly he raised his hand, and snapped his fingers once. For a moment nothing happened. Then he slowly raised his head. Even as Arthur watched, the green color vanished from the squirrel's eyes.
"Now then, when I snap my fingers a second time, you will come out of your hypnotic state and be yourself again."
He snapped. Gonville suddenly shook his head groggily and looked up, blinking. Even as Arthur watched, the green color vanished from the squirrel's eyes. Gonville stared up at his nephew in confusion.
"A--Arthur...?"
"Uncle! You're all right!" Arthur said, grinning. He and Wellington helped Gonville stand and Arthur embraced his uncle tightly.
"Wh--What happened...?" Gonville said. He blinked and looked down at the dead soldiers on the floor and then also took note of the fact his pants were down and he was sporting a softening arousal. "Good God in heaven, what happened?! Why are my guards dead, and why are my pants down, and...what is this bizarre taste in my mouth..?"
Arthur couldn't help himself and began laughing.
"All right, so, now what?" Wellington said.
"That's a good question," Arthur admitted. "We know how to break Sadruddin's spell. You and my uncle are proof of that--"
"But we can't possibly do that to every single person under Sadruddin's control!" Wellington whined. "There's too many of them!"
Arthur nodded. His uncle was right. Breaking the krait's hypnotic hold took precision and care. Things they couldn't afford with just three of them versus an entire army under the serpent's control. There was only one way to do it, then.
"We'll have to kill him," Arthur said at last.
"Kill who?" asked Wellington, busy checking his rifle.
"Sadruddin, of course."
"Are you insane?!" blurted Wellington.
The young soldier looked positively horrified at the thought of even being in Sadruddin's presence again. Arthur couldn't blame him. The raccoon-badger had never even seen the Thuggee hypnotist, and he was still terrified of him. He had felt his power when he looked into the eyes of his victims. Still...
"He's mortal," Arthur said resolutely. Stooping down, he relieved one of the corpses of his rifle and threw back the bolt, checking it. "He can be killed just like anyone else."
"I'm not contesting that," Wellington said. "It's just that--"
"Just that what? I'd say having these guns gives us an edge, if it's his army of slaves you're concerned about."
Arthur was suddenly surprised at himself. Only the other day, he had felt guilty for ordering the shooting of a horde of villagers under Sadruddin's control. Now he was willing to mow down British troops. What had changed? He didn't know. All he did know was that he would do anything to get to Sadruddin, and kill him, so he could rescue his Prince. And he told his companions as much.
To his uncle, he said, "You know how to handle a gun, don't you?"
Gonville hesitated a moment, looking at the belt and holster hung over on the wall, an army-issue revolver slid inside it. Captain Tolley had insisted he wear it whenever he went out, and, indeed, it had become a part of his "uniform." He'd never had to actually use it, but, nonetheless, Tolley had taught him how. He nodded slowly.
"Good," his nephew said, handing him a rifle. "Then let's go."
Gonville held the weapon a little uncertainly, then rose. Slinging the weapon over his shoulder he went and retrieved his revolver, removing it from its holster and simply sticking it into the waistband of his trousers. Then he, Arthur and Private Wellington exited the bedroom, Gonville in the lead.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His Royal Highness Prince Indra Rajesh Ganesh was feeling thoroughly humiliated, tied nude to the statue of Kali in the mansion's sitting room-turned Thuggee temple. The fiend, Sadruddin, was gloating nonstop. So much so that Ganesh had ceased even paying attention to him. Most would find the snake hypnotic. Ganesh just found him boring.
The elephant hung his head. He had failed. His guards were already dead. He had heard their screams of agony as they were slowly tortured to death in the next room, by the very people they'd been sworn to protect, turned into mindless automatons by the krait. Even now, he feared, armed British troops were on their way back to his palace to finish what the first party had failed to do. To kill Professor Arthur O'Toole - his Arthur - and anyone else living there. All of his servants, harem boys, and what few guards remained.
At thought of so much needless death, Ganesh felt his rage growing. He pulled at the ropes that bound him to the obscene statue. Hearing, or perhaps sensing, this, Sadruddin turned and looked at him, amusement written on the reptile's features.
"Trying to escape again, are we?" he mused sweetly. "You won't be any more successful than the last three times! Give it up, Your Highness! You are beaten! And tonight, you will be sacrificed--"
He stopped short as they both heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot. Very close by, in fact. Sadruddin's head whipped around, his emerald eyes wide, as none other than Arthur O'Toole charged in, brandishing an army rifle. With him were Governor Henderson and a soldier Ganesh did not recognize. Neither had green eyes, which meant they were freed from the krait's control.
"Henderson!" cried Sadruddin. Amusingly, Ganesh realized, the krait had not idea who Arthur was. So he was focusing on the Governor.
None of the three replied. Instead they immediately. Brought their guns up and fired. Or at least Arthur and the soldier did. Their shots hit and killed two villagers and a British guard, all three going down in a hail of bullets. The Governor hesitated, however, as his butler rushed at him, a knife in hand. He fired, and missed, and finally Arthur had to swing 'round and jab the elderly servant in the side with his rifle's bayonet. The butler screamed and died, collapsing at Gonville's feet.
"Guards!" cried Sadruddin. Then with a hiss he lunged at the three interlopers.
They were in the midst of aiming at him with their weapons when he slammed into them. His great reptilian body hit them like a speeding train. Arthur fell onto his back, with the great weight of the snake pressing against him, his rifle flying from his hands. Beside him, Private Wellington scrabbled on his knees and stabbed his bayonet into Sadruddin's side. The krait shrieked in agony, then swung his great head down. He seized the young soldier in his jaws, sinking his fangs into his shoulder. Wellington screamed as the snake lifted him up and swung him around, sending him flying across the room.
Wellington crashed into the bound Ganesh, causing the Kali statue the elephant was tied to to tip over backwards and land on the floor with a loud thud. Ganesh grunted, the barely conscious soldier lying atop him. Gritting his teeth, Ganesh strained, trying to break free of his bonds.
Meanwhile Gonville swung his rifle up to aim at his former master, but the thick serpentine tail whipped around and slammed into him. The Governor was hammered to the floor in an instant. Arthur struggled, attempting to shove the great serpent off of himself. Sensing the feeble struggles of the raccoon-badger, Sadruddin turned and looked down at him. Their eyes locked. In an instant, Sadruddin realized who, and what, he was looking at.
"My, my," he said. "A hypnotist? Yes, I can see it in your eyes. Who else would find a means of freeing the Governor from my hold? Very interesting. I think I shall keep you, whoever you are. Yes, weakling, look into your eyes. Gaze into them, and feel the will of your new master."
Arthur struggled mentally, trying to resist. Those green eyes were so beautiful and enticing, though. He felt as if he wanted to sink into them and disappear into their depths forever. Regardless, his status as a hypnotist meant that Sadruddin was nonetheless having some trouble with him. He narrowed his eyes, glaring, determined to make this raccoon-badger his. He would take the place of the Governor, who, Sadruddin decided, he would devour as soon as he'd finished with the hybrid.
Gonville for his part slowly struggled to his feet, head swimming. The krait ignored him. The squirrel's jaw dropped at the sight of his nephew being brainwashed, and, growling, he grabbed his rifle. Before he could attack however, he heard a commotion to his right. A throng of slaves, summoned by Sadruddin's alarm earlier, burst into the anteroom just outside of the sitting room. A mixture of Indian villagers and British guards. Gonville even saw his own driver, Wilfred, among them. They were all armed.
Gritting his teeth, Gonville swung his rifle around and fired at them. He hit the closest British soldier who staggered back and fell. The others backed up and took refuge around the corners and behind furniture. Those with guns fired, but their aim was even worse than Gonville's.
No one noticed when Ganesh finally freed himself. He clenched his fists and pulled with all his might, finally ripping the ropes free. He sat up, Private Wellington in his lap. As gently as he could, he shoved the injured soldier off of himself, and untied his legs. Then, he picked up Wellington's rifle, and checked it. Empty. Damn. Well, at least he'd have the element of surprise. Standing, he narrowed his eyes at the back of the great serpent currently attempting to enslaved his beloved English teacher.
Soundlessly, and with surprising grace given his bulky frame, the elephant charged forwards and bounded over the couch, and flung himself against Sadruddin's back. The snake cried out in surprise, his concentration broken. Arthur immediately snapped out of his trance, and found himself gazing up at the Prince wrapping his powerful arms around the serpent's slender neck. Sadruddin bucked, trying to throw Ganesh off, allowing Arthur to wiggle free.
"I've got him!" Ganesh said. "Go help your uncle!"
Nodding, Arthur grabbed his rifle. Pausing to look back once at the struggling elephant and snake, he turned and ran to where Gonville was kneeling, and slid to his knees alongside his uncle, joining him in keeping Sadruddin's would-be rescuers at bay. However their supply of bullets was limited. Gonville ran out first. Dropping the rifle he took out his revolver and resumed firing, tagging a villager in the shoulder.
The struggle between Ganesh and Sadruddin continued. Try as he might, the great serpent could not dislodge the elephant. He was just too heavy. His grip too strong. But he refused to surrender. Not that it mattered. Ganesh wasn't going to let the fiend live, even if he did surrender. Sadruddin was weakening. Ganesh's tight hold around his throat was cutting off oxygen to his brain, and, despite himself, the snake was slowly yielding.
Strangely enough, sitting astride the smoothly-scaled back of the krait, naked, was an enjoyable experiencing. His genitals rubbing over the scales produced an arousing sensation, and no one was more surprised than Sadruddin when he felt the thick elephantine erection growing across his back. Feeling uncharacteristically cruel, Ganesh decided to add humiliation to his foe's defeat. Adjusting himself he lifted Sadruddin's tail, and, finding the snake's vent with his fingers, guided his dripping erection towards it.
"No!" the krait suddenly yelped.
Ganesh plunged himself deep into Sadruddin and groaned as he mounted his enemy. Sadruddin groaned, too. The elephant's thickness was not entirely unpleasant. But the moment Ganesh realized his enemy was enjoying it he knew it was time to end the dance. In his hand he still held Private Wellington's empty rifle. This he jammed sideways into Sadruddin's mouth. Grabbing barrel and butt, he pulled it towards himself until the gunstock was pressing against the corners of the snake's mouth, forcing his mouth open somewhat.
"I told you, I was going to kill you," Ganesh said, between grunts. "Now, die."
With that, he yanked back on the rifle as hard as he could, forcing Sadruddin's head backwards. Renewed energy filled the krait as he struggled to avoid his fate, but it was no use. Sweat poured off of the elephant as he squeezes his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, a sharp cracking sound filling the room even as he came, exploding into the depths of the dying snake. The gun threatened to crack in half even as it splintered the bone of Sadruddin's upper palate. Sadruddin's green eyes rolled back and bulged out as blood poured from the split corners of his mouth, dripping down onto the carpet.
Slowly, the attacks from the brainwashed individuals tapered off. One by one they stopped. Arthur saw what was happening. They were coming out of their trances. Worried about his overzealous uncle killing the now-harmless people he put a calming hand on Gonville's shoulder, but Gonville's revolver as already empty. Panting, the squirrel swallowed and looked questioningly at his nephew, who smiled.
Ganesh jerked back on the rifle a few times to ensure that the snake was dead. Then he released it. The gun fell from Sadruddin's destroyed mouth, and then the great body of the krait fell to the floor with a resounding thump. He twitched, slowly, as blood pooled out around his head. Sighing, the elephant extracted himself from the dead serpent's anus and, not even caring that he was naked, approached Arthur. The English professor rose and embraced his Prince happily.
Gonville frowned, uncertain of how to feel about his nephew's now blatant homosexuality. But there were other, more important matters at hand. He walked over to the dazed-looking villagers and soldiers, checking them each in turn to ensure that they were all right. Then, accompanied by a groggy Wilfred, he went to check on Private Wellington.
Arthur kissed his Prince long and deep, and Ganesh scooped the raccoon badger into his arms and nuzzled him with his trunk. "Let us go home," he said softly. "I'll let you lick my feet, and then we will make love all night long."
The End
All's Well That Ends Well
By Kooshmeister -- Report
The conclusion to The Coming of the Darkness.
English Teacher (Professor Arthur O'Toole) & Prince (Prince Indra Rajesh Ganesh) are © Chrysops.
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