by Logan Jacobs
“This is amazing,” I complimented her as I took in the scene.
“Thank you,” she said as a blush spread up her cheeks. “I thought it might be helpful if we could see everything together. So, what did you want to show me?”
I found the page in the book and handed it over to her. I moved around the table while she read, looking for anything that might explain where the fourth Shodra was hidden.
“What an odd thing to say,” Emeline mused. “Evarun’s belt.”
“Well,” I replied, “On my world, one of the ways sailors used to navigate was by looking for a constellation called Orion. Three of the stars formed what was called Orion’s belt.”
“Huh,” Emeline grunted. She was lost in thought, and I wasn’t sure she had heard me.
“Who are the Oracles?” I asked a moment later.
“They were like official seers,” Emeline replied. “They tried to warn the Mages about the manipulators, but no one believed them.”
“Like Cassandra,” I noted.
“Um, sure,” Emeline agreed, though I knew she had no idea who Cassandra was. “When the war was over, most of the Oracles were dead, and the survivors predicted that their kind would die out with that last group.”
“So, a handy group to have hide the Shodra if you wanted to be sure that no one would find them,” I commented.
“Yes,” Emeline replied. She was staring at the maps, her lips pursed in concentration. “What were you saying, about how sailors navigated using a belt?”
“It’s a group of stars in the nighttime sky,” I explained. “It’s called Orion. Sailors used to navigate by looking for the three stars that make up Orion’s belt.”
Emeline traced a finger along the path between the Shodra we’d found so far. Then she pulled the maps that showed Ovrista and some of the other areas off the table, leaving just the maps of the Shodra and the spaces in between.
“In ancient times, when the elves dominated the world, there was a path that the faithful were supposed to follow at least once in their life,” Emeline said quietly, “It connected the four primary centers of worship for Evarun. The path formed a loop, with the faithful returning to the spot where they had begun.”
I watched as Emeline placed a blank sheet of paper on the table and then shifted the maps accordingly. The pattern looked like a circle.
“What did you do?”
“The center of Evarun worship was the ancient city of Balas,” she said with a grin. “The loop circled the city.”
“That’s Balas,” I guessed as I pointed towards the blank sheet of paper.
“We’ve been looking at it as if Ovrista was at the center,” she explained. “We should have been looking at it with Balas in the center.”
“This is it,” I said excitedly. “So where does that leave the next Shodra?”
Emeline’s brow crinkled as she tried to picture the remade map in her head. After a moment, she nodded, then picked through a stack of rolled maps. She pulled one out and unfurled it. She placed it in position on the table, and I leaned in for a closer look.
“The Canterrose Mountains,” I breathed.
“The other side, I think,” she replied. “In Caaldir. I need to go back to the library, to get more information about where the last stop was, but I think we’re close.”
We grinned at each other in excitement, and I couldn’t resist pulling the panthera woman in close and kissing her. She was practically bouncing in my arms, and when I stepped back, she giggled.
“I’ll be back soon!” she called out as she rushed from the room. She nearly tripped over her own feet as she slipped into the hallway, but she gathered herself before she hit the floor.
I shook my head and returned my attention to the maps on the table. It was time to call the team together and make plans for our next trip. I left the map room and went in search of anyone who was in the guild hall. I found Lavinia and Dehn trading blows in the practice area, and Yvaine curled up in her room, reading the latest romance novel. Maruk was cleaning up the kitchen, and Lena was in her lab, scowling at the green smoke that was billowing up from a test tube.
“Meeting in two hours in the dining hall,” I called out as I located each member. That just left Aerin and Emeline, but Emeline already knew what the meeting was about, and wouldn’t miss much. Aerin was following another hot tip, but Maruk seemed certain that she would be back in time.
I returned to the map room and spent the next two hours trying to calculate how long it would take us to reach the next site. It wasn’t promising. Even if we traveled to just the other side of the mountains, the trek would be slow going. As we’d already discovered on a previous bounty, the trip through the desert that bordered this side of the Canterrose was long and fraught with danger, and we still had to cross the range itself.
I gave up and hoped my companions might have a few suggestions. When I walked into the dining hall, everyone but Emeline had already taken a seat at the table. Aerin looked deflated, and I guessed her hot tip hadn’t paid off. The rest of the group looked interested, if not exactly hopeful.
“Emeline and I have figured out where we need to go next,” I announced.
There was a moment of shocked silence, as the Shadow Foxes absorbed what I’d just said, and then they all began speaking at once. I held up a hand, and they fell quiet, but I could see the excitement in their eyes.
“Emeline can explain it better than I can, but basically, the answer was in the maps,” I said. “We found the pattern, and it points towards the east, to Caaldir.”
Some of the excitement dimmed, and the Shadow Foxes exchanged knowing looks.
“That’s a long trip,” Lavinia said. She sat back in her chair with her arms folded across her chest. “Are you absolutely sure that’s where we need to go?”
“It is,” I replied. “I know it’s a long trip. I’ve been working with the maps since we figured it out, trying to find a shorter way to get there.”
“There is no short way,” Maruk sighed. “I suppose this means another trip through the desert. My skin will be parched for weeks.”
“We could take a boat,” Aerin suggested. “It doesn’t really save any time, but we wouldn’t have to cross the desert. And if we offered to help during the trip, we could probably get a discount.”
“Maybe we’d run into Maruk’s family,” Lavinia said as she nudged the orc with an elbow.
“They wouldn’t spare the ship just because I was on board,” the orc replied. “Though they might at least put us ashore somewhere.”
“I get seasick,” Dehn protested.
“I definitely don’t want to see that.” Aerin looked at the halfling. “It’s probably worse than when the puca gets sick.”
Dehn scowled at her, but he didn’t protest her description.
“I may have an easier way to get there,” Yvaine spoke up.
“Some king’s personal yacht,” Lavinia suggested.
“Well, we could try that,” Yvaine agreed, as she chose to ignore the sarcasm in Lavinia’s voice, “but I was going to propose that we fly there.”
“Fly there?” Aerin asked. “What, you mean like have Merlin turn into a dragon and carry us there?”
“We’ve seen how well that works,” Lavinia added.
“I think she has something else in mind,” Lena interrupted.
“I do,” Yvaine said with a tip of her head to Lena. “I was going to suggest a hot air balloon.”
“Wait, you mean one of those things we saw?” Dehn demanded as his eyes grew wide.
“I know someone who happens to own one or two,” Yvaine explained as she turned her most bewitching smile on me. “I’m sure I could convince him to let us borrow them for a time.”
“I’m sure you could,” Aerin added.
“None of us knows how to fly those things,” Maruk pointed out. “We’ll need someone who knows what they’re doing.”
“Pilots,” I agreed. “We need pilots.”
�
��I shall ask my friend,” Yvaine replied. “If we do this, we could be there and back in a matter of days, and we won’t have the expense or worry of caring for the horses during the trip.”
“Just the pilots,” Aerin muttered.
“Let’s do it,” I declared. “How soon could we leave?”
“I’ll leave right now,” Yvaine said as she stood up. “I should be able to arrange everything for tomorrow morning.”
With that, we dispersed to tend to our preparations for the trip. I returned to my room and began pulling out items I wanted to take. There was clean clothing, and a bear fur cape that I’d picked up on our first trip to the mountains. I also added my invisibility cloak, Professor Hayle’s book, and a book of spells I’d collected not long after my arrival in this world.
I glanced at the box where I kept the Shodra we’d collected so far locked away and decided that I still didn’t want to leave them here unprotected. I wrapped the knife and the chalice carefully and placed them at the very bottom of the bag. I then pulled the necklace over my head and felt the slight heat as the gem settled against my skin.
Merlin watched all this as he idly batted a small ball of shiny silver thread around the room. I realized that he must have stolen it from the sewing kit Maruk kept so he could make emergency repairs to his clothing. I picked up the thread and scowled at Merlin. I swear the puca shrugged as he sauntered into the corner to find something else to play with.
“We’re leaving tomorrow,” I told the puca.
Two gold eyes peered at me briefly, and then he buried his head in one of the sacks of shiny objects he kept in my room.
“We’ll be riding in a hot air balloon,” I added.
I had Merlin’s full attention now, as he sat back on his rump and stared at me. He chirped, apparently undecided about the whole hot air balloon concept.
“It’ll be fun,” I assured him. “And much quicker than last time. Not to mention safer.”
The puca wrinkled his nose at the word safer and then scratched an ear with his back foot. I sighed and tossed the ball of thread into the air. Merlin’s eyes lit up, and he watched it bounce off the top of my desk and roll under the bed. He disappeared after it with a happy chirrup, and I had to smile in response.
By nightfall, we had finished our packing, and Yvaine returned flush with success. She swept into the guild hall, her eyes glittering and her cheeks pink with excitement.
“We have the balloons and the pilots,” she cried out as we gathered around her. “We leave first thing in the morning.”
Cheers went up from the assembled Shadow Foxes, and I swept Yvaine into my arms, and then into a dip. She laughed in exhilaration, and I kissed her on her very full lips.
“I have to pack,” she declared breathlessly as I set her back on her feet.
“I can help,” I offered.
“Ahem,” Murak said delicately as he leaned over Yvaine’s shoulder. “If I could just talk to you first, I’d like to discuss the instructions we should leave for the maids as well as a few ideas I had for the contractor’s next assignment.”
“Of course,” Yvaine agreed gracefully, though her eyes remained locked on mine. She raised one delicate eyebrow, and added, “Later?”
“Later,” I replied.
We dispersed back to our own rooms to make whatever last-minute preparations we would need. I flopped onto my bed, waiting for the sound of Maruk’s heavy footsteps in the hallway. I don’t know how long I waited, but I drifted off to sleep before he and Yvaine finished their tête-à-tête. I woke up while it was still dark to the brush of something soft moving slowly across my chest.
“Hello,” I whispered to Yvaine.
“Hello yourself,” she whispered back as she trailed one finger lazily along my stomach. “I thought you’d decided to sleep elsewhere tonight, but then I realized that everyone else was snug in their beds.”
“Did you and Maruk finish your business?”
“I think so,” she murmured as she ran her lips across one nipple. She planted a kiss and then glanced up at my face with a smile tugging at her lips. Her hand slipped lower, and I felt my erection spring to life.
“My,” she remarked. “You certainly can be ready quickly.”
I threw an arm over my mouth and tried to bury the laugh that bubbled up. Yvaine shifted her weight on top of me, and I watched as she began slowly stroking my penis. My hips began to move in rhythm with her pace, and I could feel the tension spreading through my body. Her eyes narrowed, and I heard a low growl pass her lips.
I was rock hard, and she gave me a knowing smile before guiding me inside. I took control, driving into her as she tightened around me, and I felt my spine arch upwards, pushing deeper. Her head was back, her lips slightly parted, and she had an almost wild look about her.
I could feel her nearing orgasm, so I pulled her lower and tighter against my chest while I increased my tempo. She gasped as I pounded her, and then she stiffened and cried out when her orgasm took control of her body.
“Gabriel!” she hissed frantically in my ear, and the raw desire in her voice, combined with the sensation of her pussy squeezing my cock, sent me over the edge, and I groaned as my body shuddered under her.
“I’m going to--”
“Yes!” she panted. “Fill me! I need it so bad. Please!”
Warmth spilled out of me and up into her, and she cried out again as she tried to force herself down onto me more so more of my seed would fill her womb. I heard myself panting her name, and I felt sweat trickle across my chest as we wound around each other like knots.
When the fever finally broke, she laid down on my chest ever so slowly. I stared into her eyes, and she gave me a lazy smile.
“Now this is the way to prepare for a dangerous quest,” she sighed.
“I can’t argue with that,” I laughed as I ran my fingers through her hair. It tumbled over her shoulders and spread out like a chocolate fan to either side. I could feel its silky softness tickle my chest, and I found myself petting it. I lifted my head enough to kiss her delicately on the top of her head, and I felt her smile in response.
I moved my hand from her hair to her back and slowly slid it up and down her spine. I felt her shiver, and then she lifted her head to stare at me. My explorations continued lower, and I squeezed a handful of her very firm butt.
Then she let out a yelp and pulled herself back up and gave me a playful swat across the chest.
“Play nice, Gabriel,” she said with an arched brow.
“Mmmm,” I murmured as I reached back up to grasp her hips. “Not sure I know how. Maybe you should teach me?”
“Well, you do seem like an apt student.” She gave me a wicked grin, and then her own hands were back at work. She set the pace for the next two hours, and I was more than happy to join the fun. By the time she was finally satisfied, I could hear the first of the morning birds stirring outside.
“We didn’t get much sleep,” I whispered into her ear.
“I’ll survive,” she replied. “Besides, I received a bounty of your seed. That’s better than sleep.”
“Uhhh.” I gulped when I realized that was kind of an odd thing for her to say. “Last time we had sex, you joked about pregnancy. Are you…” I let my words trail off when I noticed that her breathing had settled into a slower, deeper rhythm. Then I wrapped my arms around her waist and dozed while I listened to the world come back to life.
Yvaine finally stirred as the sky shifted from shades of pink and orange to a crisp blue. She raised her head and glanced out the window, then looked at me.
“You should have woken me sooner,” she chided.
“You looked too comfortable,” I replied.
She sat up and looked around the floor. Then she managed to find the robe and slippers she had worn the night before, and after a long, lingering kiss, she slipped quietly from my room. I lay in bed for a while longer, remembering the scent and feel of her.
Merlin finally appeared from somewhe
re. He hopped up on the end of the bed and stared at me as he kneaded the blanket with his paws.
“Are you hungry?” I asked needlessly.
“Hungry,” the puca mimicked in a voice that sounded eerily like Maruk’s. He remained on the end of the bed while I went through the process of cleaning myself up and locating clothes that didn’t smell like I’d been battling trolls for the last two weeks. After double-checking my packs, I made my way to the kitchen, with Merlin nipping at my heels. I found an apple and a boiled egg for myself and tossed the puca a small hunk of cheese. I wandered into the dining hall and found Lavinia sipping a cup of tea. There was an empty plate in front of her, and several maps spread across the table.
“How’s it looking?” I asked as I took a seat across from her.
“Fine,” she replied with a shrug. “It will be interesting, anyway.”
Dehn joined us, munching noisily on some unidentifiable leftovers, and Lena followed quickly behind him. She placed a bowl of something that looked like oatmeal, but smelled like garlic, on the table and began to eat. I heard the sound of someone moving around in the kitchen, but no one else joined us in the dining room.
“Aerin’s packing some extra food supplies,” Lena explained when I pointed towards the kitchen. “She doesn’t seem convinced that the hot air balloon will be able to carry us there and back.”
“Probably right,” Dehn commented around a mouthful of something.
“I’m sure it’ll be okay,” I laughed. “People ride them all the time on my world.”
“Really?” Lena asked. She perked up and gazed at me in wonder.
“Well, just for fun,” I amended. “They don’t use them to travel long distances, like for business trips or something.”
“Right, that’s what horses are for,” Dehn agreed.
“Umm, not horses,” I replied.
“Then how do they get around?” Lena wondered.
“Err, well, planes, cars, trains,” I rattled off. The other three were staring at me blankly, so I shrugged and said, “I’ll tell you about it later.”
An hour later, we were all gathered in front of our hall. The horses pawed at the road, ready to enjoy the cloudless, sunlit day. A few passersby greeted us with smiles and nods, and I saw others point towards us, and whisper quietly to their companions. I saw admiration and awe in their looks, and I realized just how far we had come up in this world. I gave the signal, and the Shadow Foxes quickly mounted. Yvaine took the lead, with the rest following closely behind.
