Diaz Plan Chapter 14

Marco crouched miserably in the rotted hollow of a dead tree, drawing his father's multicolored cloak around him to protect from the soaking rain. It was unbelievably muggy in the swamps of Mewni.

It had taken Janna an entire day to prepare the spell ritual that would bring them here. Marco had prepared by packing a backpack full of food, supplies, and a couple of tents. He would have packed three, but two was all he had. Janna, of course, insisted on sleeping in his. He had also, on an impulse, bought along his father's cloak that had been in the study. It was light and cool, more than seemed possible, leaving Marco wondering if it was magic. He tried not to think about the great bloody mess that the spell had left in his parent's living room.

At first, he had been delighted that it had worked. The moment that Janna had finished her incantations, a smoky, blood-red portal had opened up in front of them. Marco had eagerly dived through.

But it wasn't long, though, before they figured out that the spell hadn't necessarily dumped them near anyone they were looking for. They were in the middle of a muggy, humid swamp. Most disturbingly, in the sky hung a huge, burning eye. When Marco climbed a tree, he could tell it was coming from some ruins that were unsettlingly close to them. He could also see what looked like a castle and a city in the distance. He had quickly decided to move as far away from the burning demon eye as possible, and move in the general direction of the castle.

But it had been slow going in the swamps. Ferguson, surprisingly, was actually light on his feet when it came to marching. It was actually Marco who had the most trouble. The pack on his back wore him down, and it seemed like every step his feet sunk into sucking mud. It hadn't been long before night fell, and they had to find some solid ground to make camp on. Janna had given him a sly wink as she crawled into their shared tent, so Marco had insisted on taking the first watch. He had wanted to be alone for a while to formulate a plan. All he could think was that it was probably best to head towards the castle. Star would most likely be there, and she might have information on what happened to his parents.

"Marco."

Marco yelped at the sound of his name, jumping out of his hiding spot. He flicked his flashlight on, and the light illuminated the chubby face of Ferguson, hanging mere inches from his. He looked like a ghoul in this light, so Marco yelled again.

Ferguson laughed, clapping Marco on the shoulder. "You're too easy to sneak up on."

Marco shuddered at Ferguson's touch. He still wasn't sure what to think of him. And he had no idea how, exactly, the fat kid managed to sneak so silently through the swamps. "Yeah....what's up?"

Ferguson shrugged. "My turn for watch. Go get some sleep."

As Marco stumbled and slipped his way back to his tent, he noticed that a flashlight was illuminating it from within. When he entered through the flaps, Janna was within, lying on her stomach, reading through his father's spellbook, and the copy of Star's spellbook, that they had bought with them. She was also completely naked, her tan skin covered in a slight sheen of sweat.

Marco found he was more exasperated and amused by this than shocked or nervous anymore. He was too worn out, had seen too much, to be shocked at this breach of propriety. "Janna, why are you naked?"

Janna glanced up at him, smiling. "I told you, Diaz. I always sleep naked. Besides, it's so hot." She winked at him. "You should take your clothes off too."

"You don't look like you're sleeping to me." It was unbearably hot. Marco took off his father's cloak.

"Maybe you could help me sleep," Janna said slyly. Then her eyes widened as Marco continued to strip, taking off his shirt and jeans as well. "W-woo!" she finally stammered, again trying to hid her nerves. "Take it off!"

Marco ignored her as he got down on the mat on his side of the tent. "Turn the flashlight off, please," he said. "You should get some sleep, too."

The darkness hadn't lasted two minutes before, as he suspected would happen, Janna's hands snaked around him from behind. "I told you I couldn't sleep," she whispered in his ear, pressing her body against his back. And that was it. The feel of her skin on his was more than he could bear. He quickly rolled over, catching Janna in his arms, so she was pinned beneath him. "Marco?" Janna gasped, eyes wide and gleaming in the darkness.

"Do you enjoy tormenting me, Janna?" Marco could feel her body trembling against his.

"Maybe if you weren't so easy to torment-" Janna gasped as Marco slid his right hand up her thigh. He could feel the heat coming from between her legs. "What are you-"

"Because I can torment you too," Marco said, sliding his fingers into her. Janna gasped, then clapped both her hands to her mouth. Marco curled his fingers inside her, and she let out a muffled moan. He could feel her body straining against his, her hips lifting, gyrating against his hand. He continued to rub her from the inside, responding to her moans and gasps, until finally it felt like her whole body was trying to lift up, trembling, shaking with tension, her back an arch, her hips grinding down frantically against his fingers. Her hands desperately scrambled for a blanket that she shoved into her mouth as she came, muffling a long, satisfied moan. Marco withdrew his fingers, and she grabbed his hand.

"More," she whispered. Marco couldn't help but laugh. It was odd to see her like this, all her teasing abandoned for the moment. "I want more."

"Go to sleep, Janna." Marco rolled off her and back onto his side. She wrapped her arms around him and spooned him from behind again. He could feel that she was still shaking, her legs sliding back and forth against each other, her hips still moving. She was taking in shaking breaths as she rubbed against him. Marco fell asleep wondering if she was getting off to this.

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"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, SHE'S GONE?!"

Captain TickTock winced as the Queen screamed at him from her throne. He stood in the vast emptiness of the court, the King and Queen staring down at him from their seats of power, as hushed nobles watched on. "Ah, your highness," he replied, "I'm afraid that, with all the patrols gone missing, I'm short on men. The boys down there, they'd been awake for a day straight. They nodded off-"

"Execute them," snapped the Queen.

"I'm sure that's not necessary," said the King quickly. "I'm sure the Captain here will discipline them properly."

The Captain nodded. "They are being sent on the next patrol scheduled to assault the Necromancer's tower." The robot shrugged, as if to say, 'It might as well be an execution.'

"Fine," the Queen hissed. "Do you know HOW she got free?"

"I rather suspect it was your daughter who set her free, your highness," replied Captain TickTock. The nobles filling the room tittered and gasped.

"SILENCE," roared the Queen. Then she glared down at her Captain. "TickTock, this is the second miserable failure of the castle guard to fulfill their duty. First my daughter, then my prisoner goes missing. If it were not for your many years of competent service, and the fact that we are currently in a crisis, I would get rid of you."

Captain TickTock kept his silence. These were idle threats. The Queen hardly took enough of an interest in the particulars of military matters to choose a new Captain of the Guard.

The Queen paused for a moment, shifting in her seat. Her grip tightened on her wand. "Perhaps it is time for me to go root this warlock out personally."

"A wise decision," Captain TickTock said, eagerly. "I can round up the remaining guards to march with you-"

"Dear," said the King, interrupting, "If Star is out there with Mrs. Diaz, there's a good chance she's trying to return the lady to her husband. With an army marching behind you, you'd never catch up to them in time. By the time you reached the Necromancer's tower, she might already be in his clutches again, as you say. Would that really be the best time to be launching an attack on him?"

The Queen leaned back, frustrated. "Ah, you're right. You were always better at strategy than me." Her scowl was a mix of appreciation and annoyance at her husband for his advice. "What should we do?"

"Send out patrols," the King advised. "Light patrols may stand some chance of catching up to her before she reaches the tower. Then, once she's back in our hands, if you like, we can go take on the warlock without worrying about our daughter being held hostage." Then the King shrugged. "If she DOES get to him first, we will really have no choice but to negotiate with him for her release."

"Very well," sniffed the Queen. Then, pointing an blue-gloved finger at the robot, "BUT, Captain TickTock, you are going to PERSONALLY lead these patrols. This is a chance to correct the mistakes of your guard. Find my daughter. Find my prisoner. BRING THEM BACK."

Captain TickTock bowed and scraped his way out of the throne room. Upon exiting, grabbed the arm of one of his Sergeant-at-Arms, one of his most loyal men. "Ah, Cap'n, how'd the bitch treat you?" the man gave an ugly, toothy grin.

"Sergeant," said the Captain coolly, "Get together ten of my most discrete and loyal men."