by Simon Archer
“Will we be staying in castles the next few nights like the ones we stayed in on the way here?” I asked.
“Yes, at first, but smaller ones,” Marinka said, reaching out to prevent one of the piles of scrolls from toppling over. Anil wasn’t the most graceful elf. “And as we spoke of at dinner, we will be staying in some smaller villages on the outskirts of the kingdom as a means of gathering information about Viktor and his whereabouts.”
“Is the forest right outside the kingdom?” I asked, taking some scrolls from the pile closest to me and starting to make a new one.
“Not right outside,” Marinka said. “There are some planes and small inns and farms outside, mostly populated by kingdom elves, as the forest elves rarely venture out of the trees. But those only stretch a few miles. Then we will reach the forest.”
“They’re still considered kingdom elves even though they don’t live inside the city?” I asked.
“Indeed,” Nadeine said. She and Bernsten were sitting across from Marinka and me and next to Anil, avoiding the scrolls and eyeing the growing piles warily. “While the different races of elves are labeled based on geographic location and origin, we are truly differentiated by our physical characteristics.”
“Physical characteristics?” I asked, setting down a scroll, steadying the pile it sat atop, and turning to her. “So, you all have dark hair and green eyes, near as I can tell. What do the other elves look like?”
“Not pleasant, Leo Hayden, not pleasant,” Bernsten said, shuddering slightly. “I have never seen a forest elf and, of course, will never see a mountain elf, but if the tales are true, I do not wish for such an experience.”
“Why?” I asked, puzzled. “What’s wrong with them?”
“The mountain elves were horrible creatures, Leo,” Marinka said, setting down a scroll and brushing her arm against mine. “The old tales speak of red-eyed demons with pale skin and white-blonde hair. There are even some reports of pointed teeth, but those are believed by our historians to be inaccurate.” As she described the mountain elves, Nadeine and Bernsten looked uncomfortable, and Anil even let out a little yelp, jumping and causing one of the piles of scrolls to topple.
“Sounds like vampires,” I said, scrambling to help Anil pick up the scrolls. I made sure to create three separate piles of advanced combat spells this time in order to avoid another tumble.
“Vampires?” Marinka asked, confusion in her tone.
“Yeah,” I said. “They’re monsters that we learn about as kids on Earth. They have pale faces, red eyes, and they drink people’s blood.” Bernsten’s eyes grew wide on that last part, and he looked kind of nauseous.
“You have such horrible creatures in your world, Leo Hayden,” he murmured. “I am glad we have found you and brought you here where you are safe from them.”
“Oh no,” I said hastily, laughing and waving my hands. “Vampires aren’t real, Bernsten. They’re just monsters made up to scare kids and make cool movies.” The new friends looked even more confused at this.
“I… do not understand, Leo,” Nadeine said warily. “Why would your people ‘make up’ monsters? They are not real?”
“No, no, not real,” I said, waving my hands again. “I mean, we don’t have any real monsters or elves or magic or anything in my world, so I guess we have to make them up. They’re fun stories.”
“‘Fun stories,’” Nadeine repeated, still wary. “I do not understand what is fun about such creatures.”
“I mean, isn’t it kind of fun to be scared sometimes?” I asked. “Like, it’s a nice adrenaline rush, right?” My friends just stared back at me blankly.
“I am afraid I spend much of my time trying not to be frightened, Leo Hayden,” Anil squeaked, his eyes still as wide as lightbulbs since I brought up vampires.
“Yeah, I guess you would in your world,” I said, laughing. “Like I said, we don’t have a whole lot of real threats like that, at least not in daily life in my country. So since we don’t get scared a lot on our own, I guess we like to feel that way sometimes. I don’t know. Maybe it is kind of weird now that I think about it.”
“Indeed, it is quite odd,” Nadeine said. “There were old tales of mountain elves drinking the blood of kingdom elves, were there not, Marinka?”
“Yes,” Marinka said, nodding. Her eyes were also wide, though not as comically as Anil’s, and her pupils were dilated. “But, as I said, the historians believe such tales to be fictional. Much like Leo’s vampires.”
“It is no matter,” Bernsten said, laughing nervously. He still looked a bit queasy. “The mountain elves no longer exist. They are no danger to us, whether they resemble these ‘vampires’ or not.”
“Indeed,” Anil squeaked. “Long gone. They are long gone.” His hands still shaking nervously, the old elf scurried back to sorting the scrolls.
“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to freak you guys out.”
“It is not your fault, Leo,” Marinka said kindly. “We in the kingdom perhaps irrationally continue to fear the mountain elves greatly. They were a serious threat to us long ago.”
“What about the forest elves?” I asked, changing the subject. “What are they like?”
“They are horrible creatures,” Nadeine said, scowling. “Dirty and uncivilized. You will see for yourself soon, I imagine.”
“Okay then,” I said, deciding not to press the subject, and Marinka and I returned to helping Anil sort the scrolls.
After we finished sorting the scrolls, Nadeine and Bernsten took them to the stables to place them in our packs and return the spells I had already learned to the training center’s libraries. Marinka and I bid goodnight to Siara and Anil. Then we walked together back towards my quarters.
“Well,” I said when we reached my door, awkwardly running a hand through my dark hair. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
“Indeed,” Marinka said, meeting my blue eyes with her bright green ones. “I am anxious to proceed on our journey, though our stay here has been pleasant.”
“Yeah, it’s been fun,” I said, shifting on my feet.
“Thank you again for letting me witness your magic, Leo,” she said, reaching out and taking my hand. She continued to look straight into my eyes. “It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen.”
“Um, sure,” I said. “No problem. I mean, thank you, too. I’m glad you were there.” And it was true. Something about Marinka made my stomach flutter, and her touch brought some of that magical tingling feeling back to my hands.
Our faces moved closer together, and before I knew it, we were kissing. Her lips were soft and supple, and the kiss was, too. I placed one hand on her small waist and reached behind me with my other arm and pushed open the door to my room. We backed through the door, not breaking the kiss, and kind of tumbled into my bed. I slipped on the edge and accidentally bit my lip.
“Ouch, sorry,” I said, and my face grew hot.
“Do not apologize, Leo,” Marinka said, giggling, and leaned in to continue the kiss.
I struggled to pull my mage robes up over my head, and Marinka reached up to help me. I finally got my head out, and the robes tumbled to the floor in a mass of fluttering blue fabric, revealing my bare chest and legs. I reached out and helped Marinka pull off her heavy armor. It was cool to the touch, but coarse, and felt rough against my skin.
I managed to unclasp the armor from the back, and it tumbled to the ground on top of my mage robes with a clash, revealing Marinka’s soft skin and undergarments. We continued to kiss, and she ran her hands through my hair and down my neck.
My hands fumbled around her breasts, and I pulled off her undergarments. She smiled into the kiss, and I ran my hands all over her body. As we fell back on my bed, I managed to pull off my own underwear. She reached down to run her finger down my shaft, and I shivered with pleasure.
“You enjoy this, Leo?” Marinka asked, her tone sultry. I nodded weakly, and she continued to stroke, applying greater pressure now.
I smiled at her touch. Her hands were cool, but not cold, which somehow made what she was doing feel even better.
I felt my cock respond to her touch, growing hard and erect. Marinka smiled at the sight of it and closed her whole hand around it. Then she began moving her hand back and forth, slowly at first, but then faster and faster. I let out a groan, feeling myself growing even harder. Just when I was about to burst, Marinka slowed down and pulled back a bit, though she didn’t stop completely, keeping me stimulated but preventing me from blowing my load so soon. I groaned again, slower and deeper this time, as she returned to stroking my shaft with her fingers.
Marinka leaned in to kiss me one more time. I returned the kiss, loving the feeling of her soft lips pressed against mine. Marinka bit my lip softly and then moved down to my chest, pressing her lips against my sternum briefly, and then knelt on the floor while I stayed propped on the side of my bed. She pressed her lips against the tip of my cock and then opened her mouth to suck on it gently.
I groaned and ran my hands through her dark hair, my cock hardening and growing erect once again in her mouth. She moved deeper and deeper until most of me was inside her. She let out a small purring sound as she worked, running her tongue across my shaft. I moaned again and grasped her head harder, pressing her closer to me. She knew just what to do to keep me excited, but every time I got close to cumming, she would pull back a bit, buying us some more time. Just when I thought I couldn’t hold it in any longer, she pulled back, running her hands through her hair and licking her lips. I was gasping for breath at this point, panting and sweating.
When she had collected herself, Marinka pushed me back against the pillows at the top of the bed and straddled me, pressing herself against me. Taking the lead, I grasped her waist in my hands and flipped her over so that I was on top. I pulled down the comforter and the single thin sheet beneath us, and then pulled her along with me underneath the sheet, while I left the comforter wadded up at the foot of the bed.
Marinka giggled beneath me, and I leaned in to kiss her again. As we kissed, I shifted my hands back to her waist and ran my fingers up and down her slit to loosen her up. She gave a cute little gasp at the sensation, and then, without much foreplay, I entered her, my cock still erect from her blow job. I moved my hands up and cupped her breasts, running my hands over every inch of her small body. She was tight, really tight, and my cock throbbed inside of her before finally cumming. We continued to kiss and tumble around beneath the sheets until we fell asleep together, dreaming of magic and spells and vampires running through the forest.
12
I awoke the next morning with my face buried in the crook of Marinka’s neck. I silently expressed thanks that there were no servant elves in the training facilities that brought breakfast to us in bed. That would be kind of embarrassing. I pulled my face up and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes.
“Leo,” Marinka groaned, rolling over.
“Good morning,” I whispered, not knowing what else to say.
“Good morning, Leo,” she whispered back, looking away from me bashfully. There was a knock at the door. I moaned and buried my face in the mattress.
“Okay, okay, I’m coming,” I yelled out into the mattress. Marinka giggled and pulled up the sheets to cover herself.
I pulled myself out of bed, grabbed a fresh pair of undergarments out of the pack from the royal castle I had brought with me into the training facility, pulled them on along with my mage’s robes, and lumbered over to the door and opened it just a crack. Bernsten’s green eyes peeped in from the other side.
“Oh,” Bernsten cried out when he noticed Marinka despite my best efforts. “Oh my, Leo Hayden, I apologize. I will return shortly.” And then he rushed off, looking embarrassed.
“Oh God,” I groaned. Then, turning to my guest, “Maybe you should head back to your quarters and get your stuff, Marinka. I think we’re going to be heading off soon.”
“Of course, Leo, you are correct,” Marinka said, gathering up her things, pulling her clothes back on, and walking over to me. She kissed me on the cheek, and then again on the lips. “Thank you for a wonderful evening,” she murmured.
“Um, yeah, me too. I mean, thank you, too,” I stammered, feeling my face and neck flush at her touch.
“I will see you soon in the dining hall, then?” she asked.
“Definitely,” I said, running a hand through my hair nervously as she left.
I quickly washed in the small bathroom off to the side of my room and packed up my bag before making my way to the dining hall. As I walked, I couldn’t help but keep grinning. The closest I’d had to the previous night in the past year was some random drunk girl flirting with me at one in the morning on a Monday while I was working at the bar. Turns out, everything was better for me in Eviorah. I never wanted to go back to Queens.
In the dining hall, I grabbed some cheesy scrambled eggs, buttered toast, and orange juice, and made my way over to a table where Bernsten was sitting waiting for the rest of us.
“Uh, hey man,” I said, sitting down next to him. “Sorry about earlier.”
“There is no need to apologize, Leo Hayden, my friend,” Bernsten said, his voice booming like his usual self. I was relieved to find that he was grinning at me. He slapped me between the shoulder blades, saying, “Well done, my friend, well done. You have earned such celebrations, it is certain.” I grinned back at him and laughed.
“I guess so,” I said, and dug into my breakfast. I’d certainly worked my appetite back up, and I could have sworn I’d never had better eggs in my life.
Marinka joined us shortly, smiling over at me and meeting my eyes. I smiled back at her and winked.
“Where’s Nadeine?” I asked, noticing her absence.
“I believe my sister has gone to the forges to pick up her new sword,” Bernsten said, shooting us a lopsided grin. “I can only hope that it is up to her high standards. Otherwise, we are in for quite the long journey, my friends.”
“I am sure that it will be alright,” Marinka said, but she looked concerned. Nadeine entered the dining hall a few moments later, sporting her new sword at her waist.
“How were the forges?” I asked her through a mouthful of toast.
“Acceptable,” Nadeine said, taking her seat and beginning to dig into her own breakfast. “I believe this is the greatest sword I have ever owned.”
“Thank the magi,” Bernsten said, sighing with relief. “I have never heard such pleasing news, Sister.”
“Of course I live to please you, Brother,” Nadeine said, rolling her eyes.
After breakfast, we went back out to the stables where we had left our miniature horses to be tended to by one of the military elves who lived on the training grounds. Bill was happy to see me, neighing and hopping up to nuzzle my neck.
“Hey, Bill,” I said, laughing at the tickle of his fur on my skin. “Good to see you too, Buddy. Are you ready to go to the forest?” Bill huffed and lumbered his head up and down in response. “Cool.” I pulled myself up on Bill’s back. Our packs were already loaded on the horses, and we were all ready to go.
I noticed that the terrain was decidedly different now than when we had first left the royal castle. The buildings were far smaller and more dispersed, and there were fewer trees and more farmland.
As we traveled to our next destination, I studied some spells that Siara and Anil had given me for surviving in the forest. I memorized a spell for making fire and another for setting up a shelter that I resolved to practice that evening. When I’d finished, I turned to Marinka, whose miniature horse was trotting beside mine.
“You said last night that we would discuss Viktor today, and Nadeine said that there was a message from your father,” I said.
“Indeed,” she said, nodding. Nadeine, having heard her name, trotted up behind us while Bernsten held back and waited for us to catch up to him so we could talk.
“Dalibor wishes for us to meet with some kingdom elves he knows on the out
skirts of the kingdom before we reach the forest,” Nadeine said. “He believes they have information concerning how Viktor took our magic from us.”
“So, you don’t actually know how he did it?” I asked, surprised. I’d figured that the kingdom elves had more information than that, given how they spoke about Viktor.
“No,” Marinka said, shaking her head. “We are as certain as we can be that he is responsible, though. He was a… very troubled elf.” Her voice trailed off on the last part, and she looked into the distance as if thinking hard about something.
“How so?” I asked. “What was he like?”
“Viktor had a… tenuous connection to our kingdom’s magic,” Marinka explained, choosing her words carefully. “He always struggled to master even the most basic spells. He lacked… how should I say this… the finesse necessary to become an accomplished mage. This would not have been a problem for him had he not cared so strongly. Many elves did not possess a natural inclination for magic and were only able to perform rudimentary spells. As Siara told you, Leo, it was rare for an elf to even reach mastery of basic spells. Viktor could have easily led a comfortable life without performing complex magic.”
“But,” Marinka sighed, continuing. “He had aspirations to be a great mage. And, to be honest, he was particularly ill-suited for magic. My father told me that Viktor’s teachers said that he struggled more than any other student they had ever known. But he kept pressing on, attempting to become a proficient mage. As Viktor grew older, he grew angrier. He tried many times to be selected for an apprenticeship at the training grounds, but they would never take him. One by one, all of the kingdom’s magi turned him away, refusing to try to teach him any further. He traveled all throughout the city until he exhausted all of his options. Then, he returned home to the area surrounding the royal castle to work as a servant for my family.”
