by J A Essen
It’s not a request, but an order with an implied or else… so I oblige.
She turns around, again on all fours, and I place myself in between her waiting legs. Smacking her ass hard, I slide into her wet folds, and she grabs ahold of me; her core clenching and strangling my cock as I slide all the way in and feel her ass press against my groin. As I thrust in and out of her, she does something that catches me completely off guard. We are close enough to the wall that she places her hands on it, allowing me to grab around her midsection and pull her back to my chest; then suddenly presses back with all of her might and sends me tumbling onto my back nearly knocking the wind out of me in the process.
Edana is now on top of me and in complete control. Her hips buck wildly on my cock, rising and falling, grinding back and forth. There are no spoken words, only primitive low growls, and grunts emanating from both of us. Out of nowhere, she stills on me, and I’m about to speak when I see her skin begin to luminesce and a long yessssss! pours forth. Not wanting to miss out, I grab her hips, thrusting and pivoting myself into her and find my own release seconds behind hers.
With her skin still emitting a low glow, she collapses back onto me, and I surround her with my arms, the both of us completely spent. “Thank you,” I whisper into her ear.
“For what?”
“For saving me.”
With this, I can feel her body change, and she rolls off of me and starts to cry.
“Edana, what is it?”
She wipes away tears, “Nothing. Just silly, girly emotions. I’m fine.”
She says it with as much conviction as she can, but I know it isn’t the truth. I have enough sense not to press the matter currently, though.
Edana stands and begins to gather her things. “I told the guards I was their relief, but I don’t know how much longer it will take before they realize it was a ruse. I need to leave now. I will see you at dinner.” With that, she shifts back into an elite guard and leaves the room.
Wow. Hot one minute and cold the next.
*****
Dinner is much as I suspected: inquiries of my kind and my deeds as a huntsman. The king, Brennus, and his second wife sit at the head of the large, rectangular stone slab, braced by two large tree stumps centered near each end. Edana sits to her father’s left side along the edge opposite of me, with her young half-sister beside her. There are a few others of nobility in attendance, but I pay them no heed.
While I know I’m here to entertain, I’m concerned with Edana’s composure and lack of involvement, almost as if she’s trying to distance herself from me on purpose. What is it she wouldn’t tell me earlier?
When the meal has concluded, she quickly excuses herself and bolts from the room.
Thanking the king and queen for their hospitality, Brennus asks as I turn to leave, “So adventurer, would you be up for a challenge tomorrow morning then? There is a rumor of an elder elk, three heads high, living in the Dubh mountains. None of my men have ever been able to track it. Fancy a try?”
“Certainly, sir. Will you be accompanying?”
“I wouldn’t miss it. If this trophy is to be brought down, I want to be there to witness it.”
“Very well then; I will see you at first light. Good evening, your highnesses.”
Chapter 15
Edana
Breacca helped me pack some bare essentials and a few mementos from my mother before giving me a long hug and wishing me well.
“I love you, sister,” she whispered into my ear as she let go, turning quickly to leave before she started to cry; again.
That was nearly three hours ago, and I have barely moved an inch. My stomach is in knots. What if we are caught? Do the secret passages still exist? Can. This. Work?
The castle is quiet as I slowly open the door and look both directions into the hallway. In my bare feet, I slowly make my way down the stairs one level and then backtrack down the hallway to where Faudron is sleeping. There is only one guard as I peer around the corner. Good. That makes things a little easier.
“In a deep sleep, ye shall be, remembering not what I hide from thee. Magic work let this be, Let this spell work for me.”
The guard slumps to his side and is out cold. Taking the keys from his side, I unlock the door and easily spot Faudron resting in the beams of the bright moonlight. I sneak to his side and begin to shake him and whisper.
“Faudron. Faudron, wake up.”
Groggily, he begins to stir, and his eyes slit open. Once he recognizes It’s me, they open more widely, and he grabs my ass as he yawningly says, “Nice to know you can’t stay away.”
I slap his hand away, “Faudron, get up. We have to leave tonight, under cover of darkness.”
“What are you talking about?” He’s inquiring, but already putting his original leather armor back on.
“Breacca, my handmaiden, overheard a plot by my father when she was setting the Great Hall for dinner yesterday. I will tell you more some other time, but we have to leave. NOW.”
“I knew that bastard seemed all too eager to hunt with me.” Faudron mumbles. “I suppose you have a plan?”
“Yes.” I try to sound assured and positive. “Follow me.”
We leave the room, and I’m not the least bit worried about that guard. He will be out for hours. Sneaking back down to the stairs, we make it to the grand foyer without incident and are able to cross it without attracting any attention. I lead us in the same direction as the armory and pass the doors leading into the courtyard where Mother taught me my first spell what seems like a lifetime ago. As I round the corner, I stop dead in my tracks.
What the hell is Taranis doing up and here at this hour?
He must have seen me take a step back, “Princess Edana?” He says it in a near whisper and with caution.
I sense something in his voice that calms me. “Yes.” I move forward again.
“Quickly, here.” He motions us forward and to a storage room next to the armory. “Breacca came to me late last night in a broken emotional state, needing consoling.”
I tilt my head and cut my eyes at him.
Knowing exactly what I’m saying without saying it, he responds, “Yes, Princess. We have been seeing each other in private, but that is not why you are here or why she came to me earlier is it?”
I shake my head.
“Are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this?”
This time, I nod.
“Alright then. Human these are for you.” Taranis hands him first a Bayern, a light-weight, elven crafted sword and then a tightly-strung long bow with a full quiver or arrows. “The bow is tensioned for a male elf, so I’m not sure…” his sentence is cut short when Faudron draws the bow back to full extension; “Never mind.”
“Princess these daggers are for you, as is this staff. You’ve been trained to the fullest of my abilities, so I feel secure in the knowledge that you can handle yourself with either. Your way to the tunnels has been cleared already.” He gathers me in his arms one last time, and I squeeze him in return.
“Thank you for everything you have done for me, Taranis.”
“You’re welcome. Now go.”
Quickly and quietly we move through the shadows and find the doorway I’m searching for. Unless you were specifically looking for it, you would never know it existed. My hand feels along the slight delineation in the stone, and I find the bump I’m desperately looking for; pressing it, the wall moves just enough to get my fingers in and I pull it back, giving us access to the descending, spiral staircase. Once inside, Faudron grabs a torch rod from the rack and casts his spell, Solas. I press the doorway back into position, and we begin our journey down.
The stairs are slick, and I soon see or rather hear, why; sounds of water splashing, and then the sight of the stream with moisture floating up through the air give an answer to that question.
“This. This is our way out. This small stream joins with the Abnoba River that flows through the Coille. It’s
deep enough where it hits the mountain barrier, that the magic doesn’t extend all the way to the bottom and we can swim with the current through to the other side. It’s a terrifying swim in pitch darkness, but as soon as you clear through, the moonlight will burst through the surface.”
We walk along the edge until it makes its way to the perimeter of the castle, opening up into the tree-lined trail heading towards the forest. In my bag, I pull out two black cloaks, and we put them on, helping to conceal our movement. Cautiously, I edge out of the shadows of the underside of the castle to check the surroundings. There should be no patrols near this portion, but I’m not willing to take any chances; too much is riding on this. Motioning for Faudron to emerge, I keep my eyes peeled and we begin our trek to the barrier.
Faudron and I move swiftly along, keeping to the shadows as much and as often as possible. The moon is full so when the trees open up to flat farmland, my senses pique, and something doesn’t feel quite right. We push on, but I’m leery. Nearing the boundary of the Coille, I stop, and the hair on the back of my neck stands straight up. We are being followed.
Glancing back, I scan the horizon furiously. Not coming up with anything, I center myself and shift my eyes, giving me the ability to see heat signatures, and sure enough, there in the tall grasses of the river, just as it opens to farm land, a shifted elf. He or she doesn’t move because I never stop my scanning pattern, not giving away the fact that I have seen them. Gradually, I step back into the woods where Faudron is and hand him my belongings.
“Throw this bag over your shoulder and as soon as I turn and shift, get on. We are being followed.”
He nods his head in understanding as I begin to disrobe. He smirks and I just shake my head as he gathers my clothing.
“Athraigh,” I whisper and shift to elk form. Faudron is on my back as soon as the shift takes and we are off at full speed toward the Balla protected mountains. I know these woods well, especially near the river, and I never slow, not even in the darkest parts. Faudron has his body pressed tightly against mine to protect himself from closely passing tree branches.
When the trees begin to thin and then stop abruptly altogether, I halt my run and let him dismount, shifting back to normal, redress and take my belongings back to lessen his load.
“Let’s go. Quickly!” I point to the location where the river is foaming at the mountainside. Hastily, we scurry across the bare ground and enter the water. Even just a few feet in, I can already feel the tug of the current. “Remember; let the flow of the current do the work. Keep your hands out in front of you to brace for any fallen rock. Take a breath and dive to the bottom. Let’s go!”
We plunge ourselves into the inky black waters and press hard for the bottom which arrives quickly. Switching back to heat sensing, I can keep tabs on Faudron. We are moving swiftly along until all of a sudden he stops dead, and I run into him. A boulder. Damn.
It’s nearly as wide as the entire passage, but we are able just to squeeze through on the left side. My breath is running out, and I’m sure Faudron’s is as well. The current is pushing us even more quickly now, pulling from the far side like it desperately wants us out of its domain. At last, I see a trickling of light seeping through, and I push Faudron upwards, following in his wake.
We break through the surface and gasp for air, our lungs burning as we take in copious amounts of fresh oxygen. The waterfall is coming down just to the left of us, and a flood of enjoyable memories wash over me at this moment. This is where I Joined, and it’s where my new life will begin, yet again.
Faudron makes it out of the water before I do, and drains the water from his quiver and then from my bag as much as possible. Eyeing me, he asks, “Okay, now what?”
“Well I don’t figure the cave where you took me will be safe, and I know nothing of this land, so our path from this point is up to you.”
“The safest bet is to head west. The edge of this kingdom ends in just a few hours ride from here. We can probably be there by daybreak.”
I shift to a beautiful, chestnut mare, and Faudron mounts me. We set off to the west in search of safety from both my kind and King Nathair’s watchful gaze; neither of us sure what the new day will bring.
Chapter 16
Faudon
As the sun rises over the horizon, we are well beyond the borders of King Nathair’s lands. The mountains have faded out, and rolling grasslands are now in front of us. Finding safety is going to be more difficult here, but I will come up with something. I pat Edana’s side. She slows, and then stops, allowing me to get back on my feet and her to shift back.
“We are safely beyond King Nathair’s reach now. Finding safe cover isn’t going to be easy, but we will figure something out. First thing’s first though is we need to find food.”
Reaching into her bag, Edana removes a wax sealed box and sets it in front of us. “It isn’t much, but it will sustain us for today.”
There’s dry meat, bread, and some kind of a mossy plant. Not exactly fine dining in a castle hall somewhere, but we dig in. The plant is actually quite appealing. We don’t exactly shovel the food into our mouths, but we don’t waste time either. The sooner we can locate shelter, the better off I will feel about our chances of seeing the sun rise again tomorrow. Gathering our gear up I point southwest, where there seems to be a tree line on the horizon. Edana shifts, and we are off again.
It’s past midday when we reach the cover of the trees, and it turns out, it was just the northern tip of a massive forest that I could see from our earlier vantage point. Pushing in past the outskirts, we find several dead trees that have fallen onto an earthen mound, creating a small, but adequate cave type area with only one way in, making it easy to defend. This will work while we take the time to figure out what we’re going to do. King Nathair knows that I lied to him about killing ‘the beast’ even though it will no longer be bothering his lands. King Brennus no doubt knows by now that Edana and I have escaped under the cover of darkness last night. Our choices aren’t the greatest currently.
The real question right now though is who was following us.
“Edana, do you have any idea who would have been following us or how they would have known we were leaving?”
“I’ve been going over it in my head all day already. I have my fair share of elves that I have pissed off over the years, but enough to follow us… I don’t know. Even worse, I’m not sure how anyone would’ve known we were leaving. It was all planned so quickly. Breacca and Taranis should be the only ones in-the-know unless there was someone else around when Breacca went to Taranis last night. I have no idea where they met, so I suppose an eavesdropper could have overheard them.”
She looks lost in thought, so I leave her be and start filling in the gaps of the walls and roof with smaller branches, leaves and mud over the top of it. As it dries, it will harden into a fairly solid frame, giving us better protection from both the elements and outside threats. There’s a small stream nearby, so I grab my bow and quiver and head that way to land us some dinner. It’s teaming with fish; not the biggest, but large enough to not just be all bones either. I don’t even need the bow. I just stab into the clear water and come up with an extra fish on the bolt each time. Six should suffice, so I head back to the enclosure.
Edana is industrious as ever and has already set up a ring of rocks and prepared kindling and larger logs inside of it.
Solas I cast as I near it, and flames leap up from the bottom, giving us warmth and cooking heat. Spearing each fish on its own branch, I split the catch down the middle, and we both cook our own. Eating in silence is not something I enjoy so I prod again.
“You seemed to be deep in thought when I left. Did something else come to mind?”
“Perhaps. A boy, well, young man, now, that I scorned at my Awakening party. I don’t think he has ever gotten over that. He was the boy that my father had chosen for my betrothal, and I shunned him that night, and at every turn since. I always thought that I should get to
pick who I love, and refused to listen to his “reasoning” as he always put it. Anyway, if he’s still hell-bent on having me, it may be him that was following us.”
“And is this a bigger problem than it seems?”
“I don’t know. There are just so many variables right now, and I can’t figure them all out. I’m exhausted. Is it alright if I close my eyes already? I know the sun is just now barely going down, but…”
“That’s fine, Edana. It has been a taxing day. I will stay up a bit longer with the fire just to make sure it doesn’t draw any undesired attention.”
She retreats to the back of the enclosure and lies down on top of one of the capes. Twice. Twice now she has saved me. Such a beautiful, strong, selfless individual. How did I get so lucky?
Walking around beyond the reach of the heat of the fire, I listen carefully to the sounds of the forest. No breaks in the constant chatter of insects is a good sign that all is normal in these woods. We are safe for now, but this is not how I want to live out our lives together, constantly on the run and looking behind our backs. We are going to have to come up with some sort of a real plan. We are going to have to find a way to make peace with one of our kind or the other. Word will spread of my disloyalty from kingdom to kingdom, and likely a bounty will be placed on my head.
And still there’s this feeling, eating at my core that there’s something else that Edana is not telling me. Not for fear of retribution from me or anyone else, but from some other kind of fear. I just can’t figure it out, and I don’t want to just come right out and ask her either. If it’s truly important, I suppose she will tell me in her own time. Until then I just need to calm myself and take care of us.
Satisfied with our arrangements for tonight, I walk back to our temporary dwelling and carefully move the logs around, leaving plenty of hot embers, but eliminating the bright flames. I can fall asleep more easily knowing that I’ve done my best to both conceal us, and keep both of us warm enough for the entire night. Body heat will do the rest.
