Rebirth

by Darkbringer

  Stomping off the road and into the forest, I walked for a good fifteen minutes muttering to myself before I finally stopped and simply flopped down on my ass. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I reached out and pulled the energy of the nearby earth towards me. The wizards in the city might notice the flows of mana altering if I used too much of them, but I wasn’t worried about Dino noticing anything. I doubt he could hardly even feel the flows, much less have a strong enough grasp on them to tell when they were moving or being pulled upon.

  Feeling the energy flowing through the earth, I extended my awareness through it and used it to feel my surroundings. Several small forest animals were within close walking distance, so I altered the earth to suddenly grow spikes and impale a few that were nearby. I wasn’t certain exactly what I’d killed as the magic simply allowed me to notice basically “small four-legged creature about the size of a rabbit”, so that’s what I killed. If it somehow ended up being a group of farmer’s dogs that were out hunting, I’d simply walk away and pretend that nothing had happened. Even a skilled hunter doesn’t always return with game, so the others shouldn’t think anything odd about me coming back empty handed.

  Getting back up and walking towards my kills, I took the time to expand my mind further along the flows of earth. There were a few groups of what appeared to be humans making camp not too far from us, a little way further up the road. I could feel the warmth of where they were making campfires and noticed their footsteps back and forth as they went about their evening business. A little further focus and exploration with magic allowed me to feel several bands of compressed earth that I recognized easily enough – it was the weight of a full merchant’s wagon pressing down upon the wheels and into the ground. Apparently we’d camped not too far from where a merchant had set up his own camp, a little further up the road.

  There wasn’t anything that I’d really say felt dangerous, or unusual, within my range of magic – definitely not anything that screamed “DANGER: Bandits, demons, or worse!” to me – and there wasn’t any sign of a lost graveyard in the nearby forest. Getting to the site where I’d targeted the small game, I found several dead possums stuck to the ground with earthen spikes driven through their bodies. Not a creature that I’d normally find myself willing to eat, and nothing worth trying to harvest or skin.

  Shrugging to myself, I didn’t even bother to cover or bury the corpses. Nature has a way of taking care of things like that on its own. The scavengers and vultures can simply call their feast a gift from me to them this time.

  Getting back to the camp, one tent was already up and standing, and Crystal was helping Jess to set up the second. The tents were nice full-sized, four-person tents, and stood tall enough that a person could stand inside them without much difficulty. The design was basic, with two poles at the front and back that slanted and made an inverted “V” where they met, and then a solid rod laid on top of one to span the distance to the top of the other. A large piece of canvas draped across that center bar and was then stretched out on either side and pinned to the ground. There wasn’t any actual flap to the front or rear of the tent, but the canvas was long enough that it drooped down to the ground on either end.

  Dino was off to the side, piling up rocked around a small campfire, and there was a small stack of branches piled not far away. “Catch anything for supper?” He asked when he saw me coming from the forest.

  “Not this time,” I told him. “There’s a merchant who’s camping not too far up the north road from us, but I didn’t bother him or his men. They were busy setting up their own camp, so I didn’t figure they needed any distractions from me. I did find a few possums close to here, but they’re not worth killing. I don’t think anyone wants to eat them, and the skin isn’t really useful for anything.”

  “And just how the heck was you going to kill something out there anyway?” Dino asked. “You don’t even have a bow or anything. Do you think you can just ugly them to death or something?”

  “Nope.” Maybe it was a good thing I hadn’t brought anything back! How the heck would I explain them being all full of holes! I hadn’t thought of that, at all. “I was just going to sneak up on something and bash it on the head with my staff. That works sometimes for me, and if I have more time, I can always set a snare and try and catch something. I just didn’t think it was necessary this time since we brought enough food to last us, anyway.”

  Dino just grunted and snorted. I guess he’s still upset with me for stomping off and leaving him to set up the camp. “And I’m curious; why aren’t you the one over there setting up the tent with Crystal? Seems to me that you’d let Jess be the one to build the fire and do the cooking.”

  “Oh, I’m going to let her do the cooking,” Dino said simply. “But neither of the girls have any way to make a fire, so I took it upon myself to gather the wood and light one for us. It’s not hard to make even the dampest wood burn, with just a little spark of magic.”

  “Yeah,” Jess nodded, “that’s why he’s called Mageflame. He’s good at making fires and such with his magic. Besides, Crystal was the one who knew how to set up the tents – Magey and me didn’t have a clue what to do with them. I helped Crystal set up yours first, and now we’re finishing up with the other. I’ll get over there and start with supper soon.”

  “Is there any reason to keep watch tonight?” Crystal asked. “Or did you manage to scout enough to determine if the area is safe enough around here that we don’t need to bother tonight?”

  “I think we’ll be fine tonight. Except for the merchant, there’s no sign of any bandits or anything that resembles trouble. We’re still on the main road, and not that far from the city. The town watch probably patrols out this far, so I doubt there’s anything to worry over tonight.”

  “Well good,” Crystal replied. “You and I will share one tent, Michael; Dino and Jess will share the other one.”

  “I figured you girls would be staying in a tent together, and us guys in the other,” I told her confused.

  “Nope.” Crystal shook her head from side to side. “Jess and Dino both have magic, and they’ll probably stay up longer than us idiots meditating or reading their books, or whatever they do. There’s no need for them to wake us when they finally turn in later.”

  “I don’t really mind,” Jess spoke up suddenly. “We’ve been friends for a while now, and I trust Mageflame. I don’t mind sharing a tent with him if you two childhood friends want to share one of your own and catch up with old times.”

  Crystal just nodded slightly and winked towards me. Instantly, I realized that this was something that the two girls had decided on earlier sometime; probably when Dino was out gathering the firewood. Dino was a man with magic and that made him quite desirable in some circles. Jess wasn’t a girl with a whole lot of wealth or status going for her, so she was using this as a chance to try and get closer to him. Poor boy’s being hunted, and probably doesn’t have a single clue about it!

  “It’s fine with me,” I said with a smirk and a wink to Jess. “Crystal and I can use the time to catch up some, and since you don’t mind, I certainly don’t mind. That is unless Dino would prefer to share the tent with another guy, instead of a drop dead beauty such as Jess, that is. Do you prefer guys, Dino?”

  “No, I don’t!” Dino exclaimed in vehement denial. “I’d much prefer to stay in a tent with a girl over you, any day of the week. It’ll be my honor to share the tent with the Lady Jess.”

  “Well fine! It’s a done deal then,” I said while giving Jess a hidden thumbs-up. Much to my amusement, she blushed, glanced to make certain Dino couldn’t see her, and then returned it. Laughing lightly, I went over and picked up one of the sticks near the campfire and then sat down and relaxed against a tree. Pulling out my knife, I started whittling on it with no real purpose in mind as to what to make. Sometimes, I simply let the wood flow and carve and turn into whatever it seems to want to become without forcing it.

  Jess started cooking once the t
ent was up, and Dino sat down near her and chatted and flirted lightly. In its own way, it was kind of amusing – he thought he was flirting and winning her over, and Jess was the one leading him on. He was going to chase her until she caught him if he wasn’t careful!

  Crystal came over and sat down beside me, eventually laying down and resting her head gently on my lap. From time to time, I’d stop my carving and gently stroke her hair a few times while I inspected my work, but overall we were quiet. By the time I’d finished my carving, the moon was high up in the sky and Jess and Dino were nowhere to be found.

  “That’s… That’s breathtaking,” Crystal whispered breathlessly while staring large-eyed at the stick I’d been carving on. I hadn’t started it with any intention of trying to make it into anything except an exercise for passing the time, but once I’d gotten started I just couldn’t stop.

  For whatever reason, this stick had seemed to want to become a snake to me; and not a snake like any others. Its scales weren’t the normal pattern one would see on a natural snake. This carving had scales of various flower petals – rose petals, violet petals, tulip petals lined it from top to bottom. The eyes were dandelion puffs and the fangs were small greenbrier thorns. Looking at it, I wouldn’t say it was my best work – it couldn’t compare to Le’Nara’s staff or De’Nara’s sword – but it did turn out rather nicely in the end.

  “Do you like it?” I asked her.

  “I do.” Crystal couldn’t seem to take her eyes off it, and with amusement I waved it back and forth just to watch her follow it as if she was mesmerized by it.

  “Then do you want it?” I asked her casually.

  “I wouldn’t dare, My Lord!” She sat up straight and shook her head vehemently from side to side. “I’m not worthy! That’s much too precious for someone like me!”

  “Oh. That’s a shame.” Faking a deep sigh, I slumped my shoulders. “Then I guess it’ll just go in the fire. It’s not like I was going to keep it.”

  Drawing back my hand, I pretended to get ready to toss it on the fire, but Crystal pounced across the short distance between us and grabbed it tightly in both hands while knocking me for a loop. “Don’t you dare! It’s too precious to just burn!”

  Trying not to laugh, I got up and brushed myself off while she clutched it tightly to her chest, guarding it against me. “Then if you’re going to save it from the fire, I guess it’s yours,” I told her simply.

  “Hold it up for a moment,” I ordered her.

  “You’re not going to take it and burn it, are you?” She asked me suspiciously.

  “Nope. It’s yours now. You saved it. I just want to make a final finishing touch or two to it.” Glancing around, Dino and Jess wasn’t anywhere in sight, so I figured they’d both went to bed already.

  Warily, Crystal slowly held up the carving so I could see it once again. As carefully as she was holding it, I didn’t dare to actually try and take it back once more, so I gently pushed some earth magic into it to strengthen it so it wouldn’t break so easily. It wasn’t anywhere as strong as the weapons I’d made, but it would probably be as hard as a good quality steel.

  Satisfied that it was now sturdy enough to be something suitable for Crystal to keep, I then pulled in some of the raw magic of Chaos and channeled it throughout the carving to color it. The rose petals I colored red, white, or yellow. The violets were violet, of course, and the tulip petals I made a set of lovely shades of oranges, pinks, purples, or yellows. The eyes I colored a pure white, to highlight the dandelion puffs, and the fangs I colored a deep green. Finally nodding to myself at the finished work, I had to admit that it was something that turned out rather lovely.

  “Since you saved it, you name it,” I told Crystal as she simply stared at it wordlessly.

  Not wanting to intrude on the moment any further – and not wanting to give her another chance to turn down the gift – I eased around past her and into the tent. I’d missed supper, but that won’t kill me. For tonight, I’ll just feast on the memory of Crystal’s expression. Hard to believe that someone would be so moved by something as simple as a carving made from a stick found lying around in the forest.

  Morning Regrets

  The next morning, I awoke to find Crystal snuggled up tightly to my side, while drooling slightly on my arm. Her fair was draped in a lovely manner across her face, and it just seemed to invite a casual caress to brush it out of the way so I could enjoy the view of her peacefully sleeping face. Glancing down, she was wearing what looked like a pale blue, silken bathrobe of some sort, and it was obvious from the way it was opened in the front that it was the only thing she was wearing.

  I had to take a few moments to simply enjoy the view as the morning light slowly danced and dappled itself across her pale bare flesh, from the small cracks where the front and rear of the canvas wrinkled and draped carelessly. Le’Nara truly had picked out a beauty for me, but now wasn’t the time to get too involved and indulge myself -- we’re in the middle of a rescue mission!

  Taking a few deep breaths to get myself under control, I finally gave in to temptation and gave Crystal a gentle push to roll her on over to her back. Sleepily, she began to stretch slightly, and I used to opportunity to lean forward and taste the lovely red cherries that were sitting on top of her luscious mounds of womanly perfection. Half expecting an early morning slap for my action, I was instead surprised as she lightly laughed and gently stroked my hair with her hand. Slowly, and without reservation, her knees opened and it was obvious that she was inviting me to indulge in even more of her womanly charms.

  “Good morning, My Lord.” Her voice was soft, gentle, and relaxed as she yawned and tried to fully awaken.

  “Morning Crystal,” I finally replied, as I sucked and slightly bit on her womanly peaks once more before finally pushing myself up so I could lean and look down at her fully.

  Seeing my gaze travel hungrily up and down her body, Crystal smiled up at me and then deliberately opened her robe fully. “Like what you see, My Lord?”

  “I do,” I told her honestly, and with admiration. She wasn’t as perfectly soft as Le’Nara, nor as perfectly sculpted as De’Nara, but she had her own beauty which seemed to remind me of both of them at the same time. Soft in the right places, but firm and sculpted in others. She really was an exquisite beauty – and she was letting me stare and view every curve of her, shamelessly.

  Reaching down, I gently cupped a breast in each hand and squeezed them gently to indulge in the soft and gentle warmth of her cushiony goodness, before forcing myself to get up and walk outside. I like to think of myself as someone with a strong will, but if I were to remain in there much longer with her willing acceptance, I’d end up falling to temptation. People’s lives might be at risk. My personal manly needs will simply have to wait for now.

  But when we get back to town, and I have a chance to sneak away and visit her privately in the house she bought with my coin…

  “Morning Michael!” Jess’s light and cheerful voice interrupted my daydreams before they could spiral out of control.

  “Morning, Jess.” Glancing around, I didn’t see any sign of Dino. “Is Dino still asleep?” I asked curiously.

  “He’s up.” Jess giggled all at once and turned her back and started playing with whatever she was cooking on the campfire. “He’s just down at the creek taking a cold bath this morning. I told him it might help him settle down and not be so up.. tight.”

  “OH!” I couldn’t help but laugh myself. “I guess he was feeling a little stiff this morning?”

  “He was!” Jess confirmed. “You could say he was almost wooden this morning!”

  “So he was feeling pretty cocky, once again?”

  “He was! But don’t hold it against him. He’s just a little stiff and upright sometimes,” Jess agreed and laughed even harder.

  “Yeah. I just hope he gets a hold of that part of himself and gets it under control.”

  It was finally too much for Jess. She was laughing so ha
rd, her knees gave out and she simply sat on her rump in front of the campfire. “Uh huh! Get a good hold of himself!” Tears were leaking out of the corner of her eyes and she was holding her sides. She squeezed suddenly and tried to get up and wobbled towards the nearest bushes. “I got to go pee!”

  “You could always help Dino with his shower,” I cried out helpfully, and it was too much for Jess. Her knees buckled once again and she clutched her sides as laughter burst from her lungs and a sudden wetness stained down her leathers and spread onto the ground.

  “MEN!” A hard smack resounded upside the back of my head, causing me to blink several times in confusion. “I don’t know what’s going on out here, but you shouldn’t push her past her limits like that! Idiot man!” Crystal stomped past me, dressed now in her leather pants and tunic, but still barefoot; and walked over and wrapped her arms around Jess.

  “You should be ashamed of yourself.” She glared back at me while gently stroking Jess’s hair. “It’s OK, hun. Get it all out, and then we’ll go get you cleaned up. And if those clueless men things out there don’t leave and give you some privacy, they may find themselves never having to worry about being stiff and uptight ever again. My sword and I will give them a massage that they’ll never forget!”

  “I’m going! I’m going!” Holding up my hands in defeat, I turned and started walking off. Might as well take a moment to go check and make certain Dino hadn’t slipped and drowned himself in the creek or something equally stupid this morning.