FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

In which Felicia gets revenge on the one who betrayed her (This story is a sequel to my previous story 'Treasure Hunter', and is better read after reading that one). (7400 words)

The vault was a large, octagonal room. A large pedestal occupied most of it and held up a glass case. Within this was the variety of gold and jewels that Felicia had long since become accustomed to seeing. Walls around the edges of the room held artifacts that were not quite as valuable as those sealed beneath the glass. Enough wealth was on display in the single vault chamber Felicia occupied to buy a small kingdom.

The really valuable stuff was kept in a hidden vault accessible through a hidden door in the wall. There was also a low tunnel, the bottom of which was filled with murky water, that allowed her and the other occupant of the pair of vaults free movement between the two.

She had come to steal the fabled Gem of Infusus the merchant prince Valtorn kept sealed in the hidden vault. That she was still there was a testament to her failure.

There were no windows in either vault and the only door leading out was a massive affair. Although locked on the outside with a massive bar, it held a simple push-bar on the inside. She had wondered at times what it said about Valtorn that he made getting out of secure areas so simple.

The only way she had to keep track of the time was by listening for the change of the guards outside the vault door. These were changed after she'd gotten in, especially since the guards had never figured out where she had disappeared to. Thus, even this was only an approximate measure.

How long had it been since her illusion had 'snapped' becoming reality and leaving her in the body of a setrak? Food was provided with every guard change and was plentiful. Her belly had grown thick and heavy during her time as an animal; there was little chance for exercise for creatures that spent their entire lives in two rooms. She had to wonder, though; the male setrak she was with had not developed such girth and it'd been there longer than she had.

The illusion had been intended to protect her from being mauled by Valtorn's guardian, a male setrak. Returning to human form should have been simple enough; once she was away from the male setrak she could disguise herself as, well, herself and wait for the illusion to snap once more. Unfortunately Valtorn had fitted her with a suppression collar that would prevent her from using her talent. Even aside from that, returning to human form with the male setrak present would be nothing more than an elaborate form of suicide; setrak were notorious for their intolerance of anything else.

The animal had taken her for a mate even before the illusion of a female setrak she'd disguised herself with had snapped. Since then they had engaged in sex on a regular basis, although it recently seemed to have lost interest in her. It surprised her to realize how much it bothered her that the animal no longer seemed to find her attractive. She found herself wishing she could ask it why.

The biggest challenge so far had been one she had not envisioned beforehand: boredom. Large passages of time had gone by without her noticing and she was spending a lot of the time asleep. The gradually cooling air signalled winter, or at least autumn; this had surprised her as she had not thought that much time had gone by.

Felicia was laying on her back with her swollen belly exposed to the empty room and daydreaming about her revenge on Madame Erli. The Madame, a 'Lady' of the nobility, was the one ultimately responsible for Felicia's circumstances as she had betrayed her to Valtorn after hiring her to steal the Gem of Infusus.

Her daydream was shattered when she heard strange voices outside the door and not those of the vulpine beastmen serving Valtorn as guards. Unfortunately, the door muffled the sounds of their voices enough that even with the improvement in her hearing that came with her transformation she could not understand them.

The door crashed open, sparks and burning splinters scattering into the room. A guard stepped into the vault on the heels of the blast already holding a blowgun to his lips. Even as Felicia registered his presence a dart pierced her skin.

Her veins burned: poison! She leapt at the guard with the intention of making her death as expensive as possible, but the poison worked too quickly. Her body was numb even as it left the ground, the world spinning around her and her vision wavering. The guard had stepped back automatically and as she passed him she could feel her muscles go limp.

She hit the floor with a solid thumb, paralyzed. With no control over her body beyond blinking she could only watch.

"Damn!" the guard shouted. "The other one is in the other room!" He advanced towards the hidden door; as he did his body shimmered and the beastman guard was replaced by a youthful looking human in well-cared for armour. A short-sword was strapped to his waist.

A second man entered the room and glanced around. "I don't see it. Where is it?" He wore simple clothes that hung from a skinny, severely underfed looking frame. A bandolier of pouches was slung around his chest and his fingers twitched near their clasps. Felicia decided he was probably a mage and thus responsible for the spectacular entrance.

"The gem and scrolls are in the other room." The guard reached up, his fingers brushing the false brick near the ceiling. A segment of the wall swung open revealing the short passage to the hidden vault.

As he was distracted by opening the secret door the male setrak, the real setrak Felicia sometimes called it, stepped out of the small tunnel and with a guttural snarl launched itself at the warrior much as Felicia had. Unlike her, it had had a lifetime of experience in its body which only aided the element of surprise.

The guard was still turning towards the animal when it crashed into his chest, its claws tearing through his leather armour with ease. His flesh and bone posed even less resistance to the beast's attentions and within a second he had been spread over a couple meters of the floor as the setrak used his still falling body to launch itself towards the other stranger in the vault, the mage.

The mage had reacted no faster than the warrior, but had been alerted by the setrak's slaying of the warrior. He was backing away, his lips forming the words of a spell when the setrak overtook him. His fate was no different than the warrior's.

Felicia wanted desperately to be sick, but managed only a weak whimper. She was no stranger to death and had even killed herself when necessary, but the suddenness and violence of the setrak's assault still turned her stomach. She had never witnessed such pure violence and hoped she never would again.

The setrak walked over to her, ignoring the pools of blood that it walked through and the bloody footprints it left afterwards. It sniffed her with a bloodstained muzzle, then licked her, mewling and whimpering. Felicia found herself torn between wanting to comfort that animal and wanting to put as much distance between it and herself as possible; she had never appreciated just how deadly its claws or teeth could be.

Time crept past and Felicia learned whole new extents of boredom she had not experienced before; she couldn't even pace now, but only listen to her bestial companion.

Where, she wondered, where the guards? Surely someone would have heard the blast that destroyed the doors. Only a nerve-wracking stillness filled the air. How long would they take to respond to the break-in?

At long last feeling returned to her limbs and she was able to rise unsteadily to all four feet. Her body hurt and her muscles were cramping, but at least she was able to move. The male setrak calmed down as well and left her to investigate one of the fallen bodies.

She started working her way towards the low tunnel to the hidden vault; this was likely the only chance she would get to make an escape attempt and she definitely was not going to miss it. For once she was glad of having four feet; if she'd been human she would almost certainly have fallen over. As it was she managed with nothing more serious than yelps and whimpers.

The hidden vault was, like the front vault, dominated by a large display case. It contained, among other things, the tiny Gem of Infusus that had brought her here; there was no way she was going to leave it behind after everything she had gone through.

It took a couple of minutes to build up sufficient force of will and physical reserves to make another leap, but she forced her limbs to obey. They responded only reluctantly, but she found herself smashing through the glass moments later. The fragments did little damage to her thick grey hide individually, but there were enough of them that they still left her bleeding.

She stood on the pedestal amongst the remains of the glass case, quickly spotting the gem. It was little larger than the glass shards around it and she realized she had no way to carry it. Only a moment was lost in consideration as she knew she had to hurry to escape before the guards woke from whatever stupor they were trapped in. She poked the gem with the end of her tongue and it stuck, along with a few pieces of glass. She scraped the gem off on a tooth, then did her best to rid herself of the glass as she dropped back down to the floor. She convulsively swallowed as she landed, the gem making a solid lump as it slid down her throat. A cold shiver ran through her body as it passed into her stomach.

Well, at least it would keep her from loosing the thing. She'd have to watch for it passing, however, or it'd get lost on the side of the road somewhere.

She almost lost the contents of her stomach again when she returned to the outer room; the male setrak, apparently having decided the excitement was over, was making a meal of the dead mage's body, its teeth shattering bone and tearing flesh without difficulty. Felicia pointed herself at the doors and closed her eyes as she walked, not opening them again until she was in the hallway. This did nothing for the sound, but at least she could be away and not need to deal with the animal anymore.

As she walked down the empty corridor she could hear her claws clicking against the floor and could see the bloody footprints she was leaving behind. After a moment a second set of clicks joined hers. With a glance behind her she saw that the male had decided to follow her.

She whimpered. Nothing on this job had gone right. At least the guards still hadn't responded, though she wished she knew why; it made her nervous for them to be so absent.

When she reached the entrance of the vault complex she received a shock and it wasn't the dusting of snow that covered the ground. The guards lay dead, their bodies scattered about. Whatever had torn into them had done a major job of it; bodies and clothes had been burned and limbs were severed. The work of the warrior and mage now dead in the vault she suspected. It seemed they were more powerful than they had seemed in the vault.

She stepped gingerly through the snow and was surprised at how little of the cold penetrated through her hide; even her feet didn't get more than cool despite the snow clinging to them.

As she worked her way through the mess of bodies and limbs she wondered that Valtorn hadn't had some way to protect his guards from magic; it was generally agreed that he was no mage himself, but surely he could have had something done. He certainly had the suppression collar that prevented her from using her abilities handy!

The town was dark, the inhabitants staying by the warmth of their hearths during the cold, snowy twilight. The light of lanterns and fires burning merrily in hearths could be seen shining out the windows of homes, but the streets were empty. Few bothered to look out at the snow slowly drifting down from the sky.

As she made her way across the town she encountered only a few people and when she did she discovered another advantage that she hadn't realized she would have. In the dark, people looking at her or the male setrak that had continued to follow her saw only another animal wandering the wintery streets of the town. They did not see a rare and dangerous setrak. The one person who had approached was chased off by a simple growl from the male.

The town gates possessed a greater challenge, but not by much. The great stone arch the heavy gate sat within was well light by a pair of lanterns suspended from the upper reaches. The gate was not fastened however, suggesting that whoever's job it was to secure them had not wanted to walk through the cold snow.

It was a fortunate occurrence. She walked boldly into the light, not worried about being seen now. Even where someone to see her she was only moments from being able to disappear into the wild and away from the town that had become so traumatic.

A solid shove with her shoulder shifted the door enough that she was able to slip out through the crack. The male still followed her and forced the door open further when it walked through. Whoever was responsible for sealing the gates would be hearing about it in the morning for sure.

The road outside the gate lead more-or-less towards Madame Erli's estate. Felicia had arrived in the town on that selfsame road, but she did not travel on the actual road as she left. Instead, she moved parallel to it, far enough away that any travellers would not see her.

She hadn't gotten far from the town when she realized she would need to sleep and so thinking she looked around for the place to settle. Then she realized that this would hardly matter; there was nothing in the forest that would be willing to tangle with a single grown setrak, sleeping or not, let alone a pair of them. She stretched out on the ground, the ground-cover poking her hide uncomfortably. The male setrak curled up near her, its back against her side, and fell asleep almost immediately. It did not take long for her to follow it into sleep.

It was gone when she woke in the morning and for a moment she thought she was rid of the creature. Although she would not be returning to her own body until she had found some clothes, the animal's continued presence would make it impossible.

It shattered her hopes moments later when it returned dragging what looked like a whole boar in its jaws. She couldn't help but marvel in the strength of its jaws as it carried something grown men sometimes struggled to move. She ate eagerly, not bothered even by her breakfast being raw. Her time trapped as an animal had changed her and she could only hope it was for the better.

Once she was finished eating, she started on her way once more, deliberately not waiting for the male to finish its share. Perhaps she would be able to lose it. She had no such luck; it caught up with her before noon, easily pacing her despite a belly rounded with meat.

It was nearing twilight when she saw the metal fence surrounding madame Erli's estate in the distance and she decided she would not rest when she was so close. She continued to walk, the fence becoming closer and larger. The manor house, a massive construct in the middle of the estate, became visible as well as she approached. It looked much as it did when she had arrived on her way to take the commission that had started the whole affair.

Madame Erli's estate was massive, covered by a manicured lawn and even a miniature 'forest' that covered part of the estate. The manor house with its menacing towers stood in the middle. Around the estate was a fence, both high and topped with nasty looking iron spikes. There was no way she could have jumped over the fence, but this was no problem at all. She slipped easily between the bars, something she had been able to do even as a human. The male setrak slipped in behind her, seemingly unwilling to let her get more than a few feet from him regardless of where she might lead.

They padded silently across the grass field, the tall grass blades rubbing unpleasantly against her belly and her oversensitive nipples; this repeatedly caused her to squirm. The male didn't seem to have this problem, though it did snap at the occasional blades of grass, its teeth closing with a piercing snap.

There was a small decorative pond not far from the edge of the forest. Though not far from her in absolute terms, it was far enough that the feel of the grass blades running across her belly nearly drove her crazy by the time she reached it.

She looked down into the water and the reflection of her bestial face looked back up at her. It was the first time she'd seen herself since she'd become a setrak and, despite having created the appearance herself, seeing that reflection staring back at her was a shock.

That was her.

There was nothing to distinguish her from an animal. She sat at the water's edge, unable to stop staring at her reflection. Only now did everything that had happened since she had taken the commission to steal the Gem of Infusus really come down on her. She had been acting like an animal and she was beginning to fear that she was close to truly becoming the part.

Her gaze traveled down her reflection; four nipples stood out on her chest, swollen as though she was pregnant. Beneath them her belly bulged outwards. If she hadn't known it was impossible, she would have said she was pregnant, but animals and humans couldn't interbreed.

Then her eyes went wide as the realization sunk in; she hadn't just been acting the part of an animal. Since her illusion had snapped back in the vault she had actually been one. Two animals were certainly capable of breeding.

She shook her head, trying to clear the dark cloud of fear that had suddenly descended upon her. She was nearly at the manor and soon she'd be able to return to her true form. She'd deal with the situation then. Until then, she would try to put it out of her mind.

That proved more difficult to do than expected; as she walked towards the manor-house, ever step caused blades of grass to run along her oversensitive nipples. When she reached the narrow, paved path that lead to the servant's entrance she took it even though it meant being more visible to anyone watching.

Felicia was surprised to find that the servant's entrance was ajar; considering the time and that she had seen no one on the estate she had expected the place to be closed up. Did some servant still remain on the estate?

She pushed the door open with her snout and passed into what turned out to be a cold, empty kitchen. There was no sign of anyone remaining here, making the open door even stranger.

The male setrak followed her into the kitchen, but then paused as it took interest in a barrel tucked into the corner. From the way it smelt the barrel contained food waste.

Even as she continued deeper into the building the open door continued to trouble her and as she entered the next room, a dining room dominated by a massive wooden table and numerous identical chairs, a creaking sound above her made her pause, looking up. That turned out to be a mistake.

With a loud rattling a cage dropped from where it had been suspended from the ceiling, landing on the floor with a resounding, echoing crash. It was about a meter to a side, ample for the setrak that she was now, though it would have rather uncomfortable for a human. Though it's construction was crude the wooden bars were lashed together well enough that they were still secure even after falling to the floor. With time she could probably chew through them. The male, she knew, would have no difficulty doing so.

With Felicia was securely caged Madame Erli stepped into the room, loosely holding the end of a rope in her hand. "Ah, Felicia. I've got you now and you're going back where you belong, rutting with a beast in its den. Valtorn warned me you had escaped and he'll reward me well for recapturing you."

Felicia could only growl at the other women; Madame Erli was the one who had commissioned her to steal the Gem of Infusus. That had been a trap; Valtorn had asked her to hire Felicia so he could trap her. Felicia wasn't sure if her becoming a setrak had been a part of the plan, but she didn't especially care either.

Madame Erli blinked as she staring at the cage and its single occupant. "Where is the other one? Valtorn said the male escaped with you."

Hearing claws tapping against the floor, Felicia turned her head and saw the male setrak walk into view. Having delayed in the kitchen, it had avoided the trap Felicia was caught in.

"Gah!" Panic spread quickly from the Madame's face though her body. "That one's the real setrak, isn't it?" She ran to the cage, a touch of her hand operating a hidden release on one corner so she could dive inside. She pulled the cage shut behind her with a click.

"You won't eat me, will you?" It seemed a bit late to be asking that, but Felicia shook her head. The change in Erli's attitude would have seemed more shocking if it hadn't seemed so pathetic.

With Madame Erli in the cage with her it had become rather crowded. Still, the situation proved her with an opportunity that she wouldn't have had otherwise.

After a soft bark to get Madame Erli's attention, Felicia slipped her head under the woman's hand, dragging it along her neck in the hopes that it would catch on the suppression collar that still remained around her neck. Erli got the wrong idea though and, before her hand even reached the collar, she curled her fingers and scratched behind Felicia's hears.

The feeling of the scratching felt good and Felicia pushed her head against the woman's hand, increasing the sensation. She uttered a soft growl as she did this, the feeling making her giddy. Then she came to her senses and pulled away, shaking her head. Once more she tried the motion, this time catching the collar on the Madame's hands.

"Oh, the collar?" the woman asked. "You want the collar off?"

Felicia nodded and Madame Erli slipped the collar off of her neck. It felt strange not having it there after having become accustomed to its presence and, in an odd way, its lack made her feel more naked.

She didn't let this slow her, however. She walked up to the side of the cage that Madame Erli had opened to get in and bumped the corner the Madame had touched to open it. The human woman opened it just enough for Felicia to escape before sealing the cage again.

At this point Felicia started to wander around the manor, looking for something that she could use to restrain the male. It followed her as she moved around, sometimes pausing to investigate something, but never leaving her alone for more than a few minutes at a time.

Nothing suitable presented itself until she found her way into a wide entry hall. The manor's main door partially open at the end and a small drift of snow had formed just inside; it seemed Madame Erli had left more than one door open for her. Hanging near the ceiling in this room was another cage like the one that Madame Erli was, so far as Felicia knew, still cowering in. A long rope ran from it to a hook near floor level, holding it up but still allowing it to be dropped quickly.

Now, to get the male into position so that she could catch him with it...

The male setrak had followed her into the room, but sat near her rather than walking under the cage. She walked towards it, hoping to lead the animal to the cage, but it simply watched her as she walked.

Get in there! she wanted to shout, but even had she been able to speak, the male would not have understood her words.

She looked at the setrak, then at the floor where she wanted it to stand. It looked at the floor as well, but even with several repetitions, she failed to get the idea across.

Then she had an idea; the setrak had shown little sexual interest in her lately, but it was worth a try. She lowered her forequarters to the ground, raising her tail and displaying her hindquarters to the animal, wiggling her hips for him. She wasn't in the mood for sex, but she would welcome anything that would get the male under the cage overhead.

For a moment it seemed like it wasn't going to work, but then the male stood and walked over to her, sniffing her hindquarters. She could feel its breath against her, blowing softly against her vulva. She shivered as it ran its tongue over her with a long, slow motion.

Despite this, the animal didn't mount her and instead nuzzled her before flopping onto the ground next to her. She stared at it for a moment; its sexual disinterest in her seemed to be a sign that she really was carrying its offspring. Why else would it have lost interest in her? Despite not being in the mood she felt vaguely disappointed with the male's disinterest. Still, she had accomplished what she set out to do.

She walked over to the rope, trying to stay casual and not rush or do anything that would cause the male to move. Taking the rope in her teeth, it was a simple manoeuvre to pull it off its hook. The cage was heavy enough that the rope drug her upwards or a moment before she was able to let go. This caught the male setrak's attention and it stood, but the cage crashed to the ground around it before it could move away.

Finally she could return to being human once more!

Concentrating, she pictured her human form in her mind, focusing on it. She could see the outlines of her body take shape over the bestial lines of the setrak body she currently wore.

The itch that suddenly came over her body surprised her; it was a sign from her illusion talent that she had been disguised long enough that the illusion would soon 'snap', changing her into whatever she was disguised as. Normally this took hours, but now it was happening in seconds.

Could it be the Gem of Infusus? She'd accidentally swallowed it when taking it from its pedestal and it was said to amplify magic power.

Regardless of the reason, though, she was not displeased by the change. Felicia had expected to have to wait several hours before she actually changed; now she was doing so almost at once.

The itch faded as a short-lived twisting sensation came over her, then she felt nothing unusual at all. She was human once more.

Her legs were shaky when she first stood and she steadied herself against the wall. Despite the way it felt awkward to her after spending so long on all fours, she was glad to be back on two legs again and even more glad to have hands once more.

Looking down at herself she felt a moment of panic; her breasts were swollen and her belly stretched outwards. That was not how she had pictured herself. One more proof, perhaps, that the animal had indeed gotten her pregnant?

She shook her head; this wasn't the time for such concerns. She returned to where Madame Erli was. Her stride felt awkward as she walked, thrown off by the weight of her belly as well as the now unfamiliar motions of walking upright.

The woman was still in the cage, now sitting cross-legged in its centre. Her eyes watched the doorway leading into the entry-hall.

"You- you're naked! What do you think you're doing?"

Felicia felt a flush formed on her cheeks as she realized she had entirely forgotten about clothing; she'd spent long enough as an animal that she lost the habit of wearing clothes.

"You tricked me!" Felicia did her best to ignore her nudity. She could built an illusion of clothing later that would do until she had a chance to find some real clothing. At the moment she had other concerns. "Your 'commission' was just a trap so Valtorn could dispose of me."

"And the bastard failed. He told me he had you contained and humiliated. Then just this morning a runner arrived with a message that you'd escaped. Did you at least restrain the male beast?"

Felicia dropped into one of the surprisingly plush dining chairs, chin in her hands. "You know I can't have people betraying me. If word got around..."

Madame Erli looked upwards at the thief as she spoke and her trembling was plainly visible. "People will know if I disappear. You'll be able to sell nothing from here and if you try you'll just lead the police to yourself."

"But will they care? I have no interest in stealing from you, but I am inclined to make an example and that requires people know about it."

Madame Erli visibly shrank away from Felicia, her eyes turning to the floor. "You're going to feed me to the setrak, aren't you? I'm to be eaten alive." As she spoke her voice became flat.

"Perhaps." Despite the word, she shook her head. That hadn't occurred to her both because she hadn't expected the male to accompany her and because she just wasn't that vicious. "I've had plenty of time to think about my revenge." She made a vague gesture with one hand before standing and walking over to the cage. "Come Madame, let us see what is in store." She opened the cage.

The Madame slowly crawled out of the cage and stood. Felicia took a firm grip on her wrists before the woman could complain.

"You have some dire planned, do you?" The voice, coming from behind Felicia, was familiar. It was high-pitched, hesitant sounding, and filled with inarticulate sounds; a voice she had heard only once, but that she would never forget. She turned sharply unintentionally giving the Madame's wrists a sharp pull as she did, forcing the Madame to take a few steps.

Sitting in one of the dining room chairs was Valtorn. He was leaning back, a smoking pipe held in his hand with the smoke forming lazy circles above his head. Stretched out at his feet was the male setrak. The animal seemed oblivious to everything else in the room. Valtorn was covered in the same vibrant fabric he'd been wearing the last time that Felicia had seen him and they did nothing more to disguise his girth now then before.

"How'd you get-" The thief was cut off as Madame Erli tore away from her grip, waving an arm at the merchant prince as he shouted at him.

"You bastard! After all you've done you think you can just waltz in here like you own the place? Bad enough that you never come announced, but must you have that pipe? It's not like you actually smoke the thing!"

"Now, now, my good woman. You take everything so hard even after I gave you that warning this morning and everything."

"Oh sure, a warning. You couldn't have provided any help, could you? No, you just sent me a note and were done with it!"

Valtorn shook his head. "You've repeatedly told me you can take care of yourself."

Madame Erli shook her head. "No more of your nonsense. For as long as I've known you something has been off about you, but no longer!" She spoke a sharp word and a cloud of thick purple dust fell from the ceiling to shroud everything in the room. It strung Felicia's eyes and clogged up her nose. She could only hope that she'd be able to get the noxious taste and smell out of her system.

"No longer, Mr. ..." Madame Erli continued speaking, but trailed off as the dust settled coating everything in a layer of purple.

Felicia's grip on Madame Erli's wrist slackened and for a moment she could only stare. Where Valtorn had been now sat a vulpine beastman dressed in only a thick leather jacket. The pipe was still in his hand, smoke trailing upwards.

"What happened to Valtorn?" she demanded. "Who are you?"

The beastman smiled, an expression far too cold and passionless for comfort. "I am he." His voice was deep and rough. "The Madame is observant; there are very few who have discovered my, shall we call it, secret?"

"You, you're-" Felicia was having trouble reconciling the sight of the athletic beastman with the obese merchant she had known him as, that the world knew him as.

"Well disguised, eh? Just how many do you think would do honest business with a bestial savage, no matter how rich? Indeed, they try to cheat the rich savage even more for all they think we've no brains."

"But, but you're not a mage! Everyone knows you can't do any magic."

"What better disguise? Enough about me." He waved the subject away. "Perhaps we should consider the fate of the Madame? You have plans I know, but if I might suggest something perhaps she should share your own recent fate."

Felicia could feel Madame Erli begin to tremble within her grip and, turning, saw that she had gone pale.

"I can't. I can't effect someone else."

Valtorn leaned forward, his grin becoming a leer. "Really? Even with the Gem of Infusus inside you?"

She blinked; she had observed that the gem seemed to have increased the potency of her ability, but could it really have changed how it worked? What did Valtorn know of her talent, anyway?

Felicia took a step towards the merchant prince. "What makes you think I could do that even with the gem?"

"What makes you think you can't?" He waved the pipe towards Madame Erli, the smoke curling around her like vapourous bonds.

"I wouldn't even know how to begin."

He stood and took a couple of steps towards her, reaching towards her with his free hand. She stepped backwards, dancing out of his reach. "Just look at her, trembling with fear at the thought; concentrate on her. Feel her with your mind, feel the fear, the panic that consumes her." Valtorn glanced at Madame Erli for a brief moment; she had wilted once more.

Although she was continuing to have to dodge Valtorn's touch, she put his suggestion to work, building up a mental image of the Madame, then changing the form to that of the setrak.

When she looked up, Felicia couldn't help but gasp; Madame Erli's body was covered by the familiar translucent form that she had seen cover her own body so often. Had she had this ability all these years without realizing it or was this really because of the Gem of Infusus?

"What did you do?" The Madame demanded as she brushed at her body. She turned to Felicia, still brushing at her body. Valtorn stepped behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"I warned you not to try and compete with me," he said. "Now, if you would, kindly enter the cage once more."

"No!" She shouted, shoving him away. "Nothing you can do will make me cave in to your demands!"

"Very well," he said, starting to turn away from her. Felicia, expecting some magical response from the self-proclaimed mage, was surprised when he spun sharply, hitting her solidly on the head with his fist. She collapsed, falling straight down into a heap. From there it was easy enough for him to drag her into the cage.

"Come!" He addressed the setrak, his voice clearly expecting obedience and nothing less. The animal did not disappoint him, immediately standing from where it had been laying peacefully during the entire conversation and walking over to him.

"If you can control that thing so well, why bother with that protective effect in the vault?"

"And give up my secret? Besides, that would not help the guards should they need to enter."

She watched him as he coaxed the animal in the cage. "What are you going to do with me?"

"That will depend entirely on you." He gave her a wry smile. "The first thing I'll require is that you give up your larceny."

"And you expect me to survive how? There aren't exactly a lot of jobs for women of my status."

"I can arrange it so you will inherit from Madame Erli once it is realized that she has disappeared. Her children will, of course, object, but they have their own fortunes already and hardly need the Madame's. Besides, they can hardly afford to oppose me."

The setrak had walked over to Madame Erli's unconscious form, sniffing her body. After a moment it licked and nuzzled the back of her neck.

"And the second?"

"An oath that you will never reveal my secrets. If you should break that oath, well, I can always use another setrak."

Felicia glanced towards Madame Erli who still lay unconscious in the cage, the male setrak standing over her and nuzzling her, its tail limp and a soft whimper coming from its throat.

"You can't just turn people into animals when you don't get along with them!"

Valtorn looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Why not? Where do you think I got that one?"

There was a groan from the cage as Madame Erli lifted herself to her hands and needs, then her eyes went wide as she saw where she was and what shared her accommodations. She let out a small scream, the illusion cloaking her transforming it into a yelp. Felicia heard both even as she could still see Madame Erli's real body outlined under the form of the setrak. Why was the illusion taking longer to snap for Madame Erli when it had snapped almost instantly for her? She suspected Valtorn knew, but there was no way she would ask him.

"I am also going to want my guardian back, though I can certainly wait until the Madame has her fun." There was a strangled snort from the cage. "Perhaps I can even loan him back for more sometimes. Maybe you'd like a second go at him yourself later?" He leered at her; she found the image of him getting off on her making out with the beast rather disturbing and tried to put it out of her mind.

Madame Erli tried to sit up in the cage. "I wouldn't do that," Felicia warned her. "The setrak might see through the illusion if you act out of character." The Madame froze in place for a moment, before dropping back to all fours. She looked nervously at the animal that was still examining her body, its tongue rasping across the clothing she still wore beneath the illusion though the animal didn't realize it.

Felicia looked at Valtorn. "I had been under the impression you two got along better."

"She is a fool," Valtorn said, his voice holding resignation rather than anger. "She has insisted on trying to compete in the same fields as myself as well as trying to reveal some of my secrets. I had warned her, but she did not listen.

"It was not difficult to get her to 'commission' you to steal the gem. I had expected you to escape earlier; a couple more weeks and you'd have given birth and I doubt you'd ever have escaped after that. I had already resigned myself to increasing my stock of guard animals when you did break out."

"Why use me? Clearly you could have just dealt with her yourself."

"If I destroyed her it would lend credence to everything she'd said. If some thief had a personal vendetta, which you certainly have, no one need know I was ever involved.

"Ah, look," he gestured towards Madame Erli, "your illusion is coming to an end. Marvellous thing that talent of yours. I wonder if your offspring will possess it? Setrak with disguises. Hmm." He rubbed his chin.

At his gesture Felicia had glanced at Madame Erli in time to see the woman's form shimmer and over the course of a few seconds shift. Her body became that of the illusion Felicia had cloaked her with, the same one Felicia had used for herself. Her clothing dissolved, disappearing entirely as her muscles shifted beneath her skin, her bones extending and shrinking. A tail didn't so much burst from her buttocks but fade into view, taking life from the illusion almost seamlessly.

"So you're just going to set me up with a rich inheritance and no consequences for my past?"

"Indeed my dear thief. Those who follow the careers of the great thieves will be disturbed, but they will never understand." He smiled at her and it was not a pleasant expression; it was one that exposed fangs and a cold-blooded mind. "Besides, sometimes it can be useful to have a good thief on call."

Felicia sighed as she watched the male setrak walk around the now transformed Madame Erli. No doubt the woman would never be human again; despite her desire for vengeance she could sympathize. It wasn't all that much earlier she had faced the same fate. With no illusion to spoil Madame Erli was now doing her best to avoid the setrak's touch and its not-quite-gentle caresses.

"Much as I would like to tell you to go to hell, I will take you up on your offer." She didn't look at the merchant prince as she spoke.

"And the gem?"

"You can have it as soon as it, ah, passes. I have no use for it."

"Excellent!" He rubbed his hands together. "I'll return in a couple of weeks then for the gem and beast. Oh, and a parting present for being such a helpful thief." From behind him Valtorn pulled out a pair of collars. "As long as these are worn, their bearers will be able to take no act of aggression towards you. Remember, two weeks!"

He walked out of the dining hall towards the kitchen and, after another glance at the pair of setrak, she followed him. He was not in the kitchen when she entered. The door was open, a bit of snow blowing in from outside, but no footprints lead away from the house.

She shook her head. Gone or not, at least she didn't need to deal with him for the moment.

Now, to figure out what to do with the rest of her life. She put a hand on her swollen belly and sighed.

Life had seemed so much simpler once.