“There,” said Ari. “We’re totally committed now.”
“Let’s hope you know what you’re doing,” said Kerys.
“I just want to point out that theoretically, if I didn’t know what I was doing, having a Ring of Insight would certainly help, don’t you think?” he said.
Kerys rolled her eyes at him. Ari set the ornate ring down in the center of the altar, rubbed his hands together, and then placed his hand down on the ward that triggered the actual enchanting process.
The strength of an enchantment was dependent on the amount of essence available within the altar, the enchanting capacity of the item, and how long the enchanter kept his hand held down on the ward. Ari reasoned that it made sense to maximize the strength of his Ring of Insight, and he let the essence he’d collected from the scrolls pour into the enchanting process until the ring was at its limit and the ward automatically went dim underneath his palm.
“There,” he said. “It’s done. I am the proud new owner of a Ring of Insight.”
It was only the second enchanted item he’d ever made, and he couldn’t help a grin from spreading across his face as he pulled it onto his finger. He didn’t feel any immediate change in his thinking abilities, but by prodding into the ring’s functionality with his will, he was able to discern that the enchantment needed to be activated rather than working on its own in the background.
“Is it working?” asked Eva.
“I’m not sure,” said Ari. “I think I need to test it out. What’s something that we could use more insight about?”
“I’d say Deepwater Spire itself, but we have more pressing concerns,” said Kerys. “How about our chances of surviving the next few days? What’s the most important thing that we need to keep in mind?”
“That’s perfect,” said Ari. He held the question in his thoughts and very cautiously pushed his will into the ring. The response was almost immediate, and came in the form of a sudden, somewhat unwanted realization.
He was dying. He had less than five years left to live, possibly even less than one.
The damage that activating the tower’s teleportation wards had done to his soul essence had effectively cut his lifespan in half, and the subsequent beating he’d taken from the purple mesmer had brought him to the brink of his mortality.
Another hit from the purple mesmer would kill him, even just a glancing blow. Eva had not been exaggerating when she’d spoken of the danger that such a powerful mesmer presented.
“Ari?” said Kerys. “Did it do anything?”
“It’s telling me…” He tried to swallow the painful lump that had formed in his throat. “That we need to work together and trust each other if we’re going to make it through this.”
CHAPTER 12
Ari took the first watch, knowing that it would be impossible for him to sleep regardless. He stood on the tower’s roof and stared up at the sky, feeling more numb than anything.
The threat of death was nothing new to him. Leaving Golias Hollow for the surface had seemed, at the time, like a death sentence for both Kerys and himself. Survival had been a struggle every step of the way, one that played out by the hour, by the minute, and by the second.
He kept trying to put the revelation the Ring of Insight had given him into context alongside that harsh truth. Even if he’d abused his soul essence to the point of having only a year left to live, that was still plenty of time to find a safe place for himself and Kerys. If he couldn’t manage it in a year, it was unlikely that having the extra decades of his natural lifespan would end up mattering.
He was on his third sarkin flower smoke of the night. The drug made him feel twitchy at such high doses, but it was the only thing he could fall back on to handle his emotions and the constant stream of questions that needed answers.
What would happen to Eva after he was dead? Was it possible to convince her to form a bond with Kerys in his place? How many locations did the tower have available to teleport to? Did it make sense for Ari to focus on those as potential safe places to settle with Kerys?
How many days did he actually have left?
Ari massaged his temples and tried his best to shake off the sinking feeling in his stomach. It had always been so easy for him to put Kerys’ life, and even Eva’s life, ahead of his own. Looking at it from that perspective, the knowledge that he’d die a few decades earlier than expected wasn’t that big of a deal.
He kept repeating the words to himself like a mantra, trying to hold back the fear. It was impossible given how thoroughly entangled it was with the more immediate threats facing them.
The storm was still coming. He’d have to face the purple mesmer again in the morning, possibly along with even more if they didn’t find enough essence in the artifacts they could gather on the tower’s upper floor. A single lapse in his concentration, a single missed block, and he would be dead.
“Aristial Stoneblood!” Kerys’ voice cut through both the air and his dour mood as she made her way up the ladder. “I can smell that! You can’t keep smoking this much, it’s unhealthy.”
He smiled as he saw her scrunched-up face appear through the hatch. Her blonde hair had grown longer over the past few weeks, especially her bangs, and she had to brush a few of them aside to keep glowering at him as she made her way over.
“You’re right,” he said, putting the smoke out before flicking it into the night. “Sorry…”
Kerys blinked, her expression shifting from annoyance to puzzlement.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
Part of him wanted to give her an honest answer. She deserved to know the truth, yet at the same time, she deserved to be spared it. Ari could see an argument for both, and he knew that he’d never been very good at lying to Kerys. He wanted to tell her, but he wouldn’t. Not if it meant adding another burden to her already substantial pile.
“I’m fine,” said Ari. “Just tired.”
“You’re lying to me, Aristial,” said Kerys. “You’ve been acting weird ever since you put on that enchanted ring.”
Ari shrugged. He’d only used it that one time as a test, and he’d been significantly impressed by the sharpness of its insight, even if he hadn’t liked what it had revealed to him.
“Kerys,” he said. “Do you want to learn how to fight?”
Kerys shook her head, her mouth falling open slightly in complete bewilderment.
“Where is this coming from?” she asked. “I mean, I would like to learn, but why are you bringing it up now?”
“We found a short sword in one of the chests in the spire,” said Ari. “I was considering keeping it so I’d have a weapon in addition to Azurelight, but I think it makes more sense to give it to you. If you want it, and if you’re willing to put in the work to learn.”
“I do!” said Kerys. “But… you know how I am, Ari. I’ve always been frail. I’m not sure I’ll ever have the level of ability of someone like Eva.”
Ari chuckled slightly, remembering one of the memories of Lord Mythril that he’d seen through his vision a few days earlier.
“Trust me,” he said. “Eva was untrained once, too. You might not end up with the skills of a sword master, but I think it would be helpful if we could at least get you to the point where you can take care of yourself.”
“You’re suggesting this so suddenly,” said Kerys. “Something did happen today, didn’t it? Does this have anything to do with your tunic and whatever you did to end up with it on inside out?”
Ari couldn’t help but chuckle at the suspicious expression he saw at her face.
“Come here,” he said.
“Why?”
“Because I really want to kiss you right now,” he said.
Kerys blushed, and she looked a little shy as she moved closer to him. Ari ran his hand across her cheek and gave her a soft, sensual kiss, one that Kerys did her best to reciprocate with her clumsy lips. He let his forehead lean against hers and held her in a gentle embrace.
“I thin
k you’ll be formidable with a little bit of training,” he said.
“Are you teasing me, Aristial?” asked Kerys.
“It’ll make you feistier, too,” said Ari. “Maybe even feisty enough that you throw out that whole ‘saving your virginity for marriage’ nonsense.”
“That’s your ulterior motive, isn’t it?” said Kerys with a small smile. “You just want to take on the role of teaching me so you can coerce me into doing dirty things from a position of authority.”
“Doesn’t that sound like fun, though?”
He lifted her chin with a finger and kissed her again, putting more passion into it. Kerys let out a small moan as their lips parted.
“You aren’t taking my virginity tonight, Aristial,” she whispered, sounding a little less than sure.
“Eva’s watch starts in a few minutes,” said Ari. “Can I at least tuck you into bed?”
Kerys hesitated for a couple of seconds before nodding slowly. She took Ari’s hand in hers and led him down the hatch, down the stairs, and to the door of her room. Ari pinned her against it before she could get it completely open, kissing and pawing at her body with unrestrained lust.
“At least wait until we’re in my room,” whispered Kerys. “Eva could see us.”
“Unlike some people, Eva isn’t into peeping,” said Ari.
Kerys slapped him on the arm. Ari caught her wrist, spun her around, and pressed his crotch into her butt as he cupped her breasts. Kerys let out a low moan, finally getting the door open and pulling Ari in after her as they fell onto the bed.
It was both exactly what he wanted and needed. It was more than just a distraction from what the Ring of Insight had revealed to him. It was Kerys.
He forced himself to slow down a little as he gave her a passionate kiss, both of their bodies intertwining together from the side as they embraced. Ari hugged her to him tight, letting one of his hands slide up the length of her thigh and under her dress.
He remembered teasing her about her soft, silk panties on their first night outside of the Hollow. Kerys shuddered as Ari pulled them aside and began gently rubbing with his fingers and palm.
“You’ll tell me if I do something that feels good, won’t you, Kerys?” he whispered in a teasing voice.
Kerys blushed and made a less-than-perfect attempt at controlling her expression.
“It… feels okay,” she said, reluctantly.
Ari grinned, letting his breath tickle the inside of her neck as he slid a finger inside of her. Kerys’ hips jerked slightly, and she let out a tiny, impassioned squeak. Ari kissed her, letting his pace build and knowing that the only way to convince Kerys to go all the way was to make her want it.
“There’s so much more we could do than just this,” he whispered. “I want to feel all of you, Kerys.”
“Aristial…” she whispered. “I—I’m already—”
“You’re already what?” Ari moved his hand faster, rubbing and caressing with more insistence as he felt the growing tension in her hip, and the arch of her back.
He moved into a more dominant position over her, pinning her body underneath his, and gave her a deep kiss, full of tongue. Kerys still wasn’t the most experienced kisser, and Ari started to wonder if he’d get more acreage out of using his tongue on a different part of her when she shuddered and threaded her fingers through his hair.
“Oh, Dormiar!” she moaned. “Oh, Ari!”
She bucked her hips upward hard enough to threaten to knock Ari off the bed before collapsing backward into a lewd, contented pile. Ari hadn’t bothered to take off her dress earlier, and he didn’t bother to now. Instead, he stripped off his own clothing in record time, prepared to finally push Kerys into taking the next step.
Her mouth formed a tiny O as Ari turned back toward her, his exposed arousal drawing her full attention. He smiled a little at that, and wondered if she’d ever fantasized about what he was about to do. He certainly had.
“I… I’m not…” Kerys spoke in a quiet, unconfident voice. “I’m still not sure.”
Ari was already straddling her, and he tried to keep his disappointment in check as he ran his hands over her tightly closed thighs. Kerys flinched slightly, as though she’d grown suddenly ticklish over the last few seconds.
“You didn’t mind my finger,” said Ari. “Just think of this as a big finger. A really big finger.”
“It’s different,” whispered Kerys. “I’m not ready yet, Aristial. I’m sorry.”
He nodded, knowing that she’d told him as much up on the roof, and it was his own fault for trying his luck.
“I feel so lame,” muttered Kerys. “This is just one more thing that Eva is more confident with than me. Maybe that’s why I felt the compulsion to peep on you two. Just to see what it’s like when you’re passionate with someone who actually knows what they’re doing.”
“That’s not a fair way to think about it,” said Ari. “You and Eva are different people and good at different things.”
Kerys rolled her eyes. “There’s not a single thing related to intimacy and sex that I can do better than her.”
Ari opened his mouth to repeat himself and then hesitated.
“That’s easily disproved,” he said.
“Really?” asked Kerys. “How? You’re just saying that, aren’t you?”
“It’s lewd,” said Ari. “And perverted. But it’s something that you’ll always be able to do far, far better than Eva.”
He slid so he was straddling her higher up as he spoke, and also reached out to the straps of Kerys’ dress, pulling them down from her shoulders. Her large, shapely breasts fell loose, and Ari took one in each hand, pressing his thumbs against her glorious nipples.
“What are you doing?” hissed Kerys.
“I told you it was lewd,” said Ari, as he slid his cock between her breasts. “Kerys. This is part of the reason why so many men back in the Hollow would stare at your chest.”
“Don’t… say things like that,” said Kerys.
Ari found Kerys’ hands and gently pulled them to where he’d just been holding his, so she was squeezing her breasts together in a manner that mushed them tight against his tool. He slowly began to move his hips, pumping back and forth and enjoying the sensation of her soft, jiggly flesh.
“That can’t possibly feel good,” said Kerys. “Can it?”
“Better than good,” said Ari, thrusting even faster. “The best part about it is watching your face.”
“Aristial!”
“You’re blushing, like you’re scared of getting caught,” said Ari. “And your eyes track the tip of my manhood, like you’re trying to gauge if it’s within distance of your mouth and your tongue.”
He thrust forward as far as he could manage, putting his cock onto Kerys’ chin. She obliged him, wrapping her lips around the head of his shaft for several blissful seconds. She gave him a parting lick with her tongue as Ari pulled back, and then he was thrusting again at full speed.
“Are there… other things that Eva couldn’t do back when you were having sex with each other?” whispered Kerys. “Or wouldn’t do?”
The tone of her voice was what pushed Ari over the edge. The idea of Kerys letting him into her bed in an attempt to creatively outdo Eva using inventive parts of her body was too hot for him to handle. Sweet little Kerys Weaver, turned into his lewd, willing slut out of a circumstantial rivalry.
He thrust into her breasts mindlessly, sliding one of his hands behind her head to guide it back up as he was about to finish. Kerys was wise to his ways, and she quickly got her mouth around the tip of his shaft to control the mess as it spurted out.
It was the best orgasm Ari could had experienced in a very long time. He collapsed next to Kerys on the bed, letting her use his shoulder as a pillow and feeling her hand running through his hair.
“Did you enjoy that?” she asked. Her voice bubbled with a very girlish-sounding pride, and Ari couldn’t help but smile.
“I loved it,�
�� said Ari. “It really got my mind off things.”
CHAPTER 13
Ari fell asleep in Kerys’ bed, with her nestled against his shoulder. In a way, it was the best treatment he could have asked for, a clean wash of his muddled thoughts that brought him back to what mattered.
He’d given up his life in Golias Hollow to go up to the surface with Kerys and protect her. If he’d been told that he was going to die in a year on his first day outside, he would have felt relieved to have been given so much time.
He forced himself to hold onto that perspective, using it as a club to bludgeon his fear of death into submission. He didn’t have the luxury of being able to feel sorry for himself, let alone the time. He wasn’t Dormiar or some legendary figure from the histories. He was just a man with a simple task: to find a safe home for his friends.
He awoke to the sound of Kerys’ door swinging open. Eva stood on the other side of it, watching the sleeping couple with her arms folded and a single raised eyebrow.
“Lord Stoneblood,” she said. “Lady Kerys. I… regret having to disturb you, but I don’t think we have more than a few hours before the storm hits.”
Kerys let out a yawn and sat up, then hugged her sheets to her chest with an embarrassed squeal as she realized that she was still naked. Ari didn’t bother with such modesty, climbing out of bed and pulling on his clothes as quickly as he could.
“We need to get moving immediately, then,” he said. “This is our last chance. If we can’t figure out how to get those last two keys and find something worth its weight in essence, we’ll be caught in the storm.”
“I should go with you,” said Kerys. “I might be able to help.”
Ari and Eva exchanged glances.
“I think you should stay here,” said Ari.
“But you were the one who brought up me learning how to defend myself last night,” said Kerys. “Isn’t this what you meant?”
“You aren’t ready yet,” said Ari.
“Were you ready when we first came up to the surface?” asked Kerys.
Vision Voyage (The Weatherblight Saga Book 2) Page 7
