by Mark Albany
I squeezed her nipple the way I knew she liked. She intensified her thrusts, pushing harder and faster. My other hand drifted down between us, my thumb landing on then toying with her clit.
“I’m about to—oh yes, Braks!” she cried. Her nails dug into my chest, and she let out a low roar of pleasure mingled with pain. I felt her pussy tightening around me, warm cum soaking my cock as I pushed it up into her deeper, harder, and faster.
Her thrusts slowed as she came down from her orgasm. My eyes opened, watching her sweaty body as she kept moving slower, winding down. I knew she could feel my frustration, but as our connection was suddenly stronger, I could feel her almost daring me to take control.
I didn’t need a second invitation. Or really, a first one.
I gripped her hips with both hands and flipped her onto her back, following quickly to push myself into her again with a rough thrust. She closed her eyes as my hips pumped in and out of her.
“Fuck me, Braks,” she groaned, her voice a little hoarse already. “Fuck me harder.”
I was only too happy to oblige. My hands slipped under her shoulders and held her in place as I pounded into her over and over. Her pussy tightened around me again as she leaned up and sank her teeth into my shoulder, letting me feel, as well as hear, her cries of pleasure.
“Oh, fuck,” I gasped, enjoying the pleasure rushing through my body, pushing me closer and closer to the edge. I came hard just as I felt her climaxing again, and I roughly thrust myself deeper inside her. My lips were parted, but no sound came out as her nails dragged down my back. There would be marks, but I didn’t mind.
I gripped her tighter to me, eventually grinding to a halt still buried between her thighs. Her legs wrapped around me, and her feet ran lightly up and down my thighs and ass.
“Oh, Braks,” she whispered, kissing the teeth marks she left on my shoulder. “How have we not done that before?”
Wit wasn’t something my mind was capable of at the moment. I dipped my head down to kiss her neck and shoulder. “I have no idea. That was damned amazing.”
She moaned, and her hands trailed through my hair and lifted my head so she could kiss my lips. “You can be sure we’ll be having a repeat in short order.”
I nodded, biting lightly at her bottom lip. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”
She grinned and licked the lip that my teeth had left the slightest of marks on.
I slowly pulled myself off her and lay down at her side. She followed me over, laying kisses over my bare chest.
“Have you noticed—” I started but stopped when she began to nod before I even finished.
“The connection, it’s stronger now.” She propped her head up on her hand. “After the sex, it got clearer somehow.”
I lifted my head to kiss her lips. “Sounds like we’ll have to do this a lot more often, then.”
“It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make,” she murmured, laying her head on my chest.
Chapter 12
After the day we’d had, I needed the sleep. It came easier after making love to Leena. By the time I woke up, I saw that Kalna had joined us, although she kept her clothes on. Keeping watch was a tiring business, as I was well aware. I placed a soft kiss on top of her head as I untangled myself from the two of them and stood up. I looked out the door and saw that the sun was just starting to rise over the sea.
It was a peaceful moment, the likes of which we didn’t get that often. It brought a small smile to my face. I put my clothes on and moved to the fire, which had died down to embers overnight. I added a few pieces of wood, watching as the flames picked up. I poured some water into one of the pans, putting it over the flame and adding the last of our food.
Less than an hour later, I looked up at the door as Strange Man poked his head in.
“Hungry again?” I whispered. He nodded. “Give us a moment, would you?”
He nodded again and withdrew. I moved over to where Kalna and Leena were still sleeping. The latter was still naked.
“Wake up.” I nudged Leena’s shoulder. Her right eye popped open, and she glared at me.
“What?” she asked dangerously.
“Get some clothes on. We’re about to have company.”
She jumped up from the floor, looking at the door. “I’m really missing having a room to do this in,” she grumbled, picking her clothes up and hurriedly putting them on.
The noise and movement woke Kalna up. She also wasn’t happy about being roused from sleep, and I imagined she felt even worse. She’d had less rest than Leena and I.
By the time Strange Man looked in again, we were all sitting around the fire and serving up the last of our food. He moved over to the fire. I set a plate out for him to eat from as well.
“That’s the last of our food,” I said, shaking my head. “About time we start finding some more.”
Kalna and Leena nodded.
“I could take a hunting trip,” Leena volunteered. “That is, assuming the animals around here are good for eating.”
“The locals relied on fishing instead of hunting,” Strange Man replied, wolfing his food down as he’d done the night before.
“I know how to fish, too,” Leena nodded. “But I don’t have a rod to do it with.”
I only managed to resist making a crack about that because Strange Man was looking at me, and it felt odd.
“Well, there are other villages on the island that haven’t been attacked,” the man said.
“What about this village?” Kalna asked.
“I’m guessing it was attacked because the prince had some dark needs that had to be fulfilled,” Strange Man said softly. “I’ve seen the other villages. They still haven’t been attacked.”
“Are we to assume that these villages wouldn’t mind helping us strike back at the men invading their island?” Leena replied just as softly, her tone conveying her skepticism. “Maybe even help us with more than supplies… be willing to dedicate manpower?”
Kalna shook her head. “I can’t argue that we need food and supplies, but already planning an attack? I don’t think we should jump on that until Eira returns with reinforcements.”
“Who’s Eira?” Strange Man asked.
I waved the question off. I didn’t want to explain the concept of our ice woman friend to this stranger. I was sure he had questions he’d like to ask about two humans running around with an elf, but they hadn’t been voiced thus far.
“Either way,” Kalna brought the conversation back to the topic at hand. “We shouldn’t expose ourselves to the Trelans before we have our full complement back together.”
I nodded. While I felt confident in my ability to tackle the Trelans without too much trouble, I didn’t want to overrule Kalna’s worries. Not only because she had a point but because I didn’t want to show any weakness in our group in front of someone we’d just met.
Strange Man was staring at me again. I shifted uncomfortably.
Want me to get rid of him for you?
It had been a while since I’d felt that voice sending chills down my spine, though I wasn’t going to say I’d missed it. The last time ended with Kalna having to force it down.
Well, now, that’s just rude. I know we don’t like each other, but we could at least try to be civil.
I wondered if it was thinking about civil when it made me kill those Trelans with my bare hands.
I meant civil with each other. I thought that much was clear.
I forced myself to ignore the voice. Kalna and Leena were both looking at me now. At first, I thought it was because they sensed the disturbance of the Darkness coming back to the fore of my mind, but then I realized it was because they were waiting for me to speak.
“What?” I asked, looking defensive.
“Kalna was asking what you thought we should do now,” Leena said, apparently having noticed that my mind had been elsewhere as the conversation had progressed.
I nodded, looking into the fire to hide the fact that I had no fucking
clue what we should do next. There weren’t that many avenues for us to follow. What could we do when we had no food and no idea of where we were supposed to go or how we were supposed to get there?
“So…” I looked at Strange Man, expecting him to offer a name, to no avail. “Do you think you could guide us to some of these villages that haven’t been destroyed yet?”
“Well, don’t think I’m not grateful for the food, as I am,” he replied. “But why would I risk my life to help you guys…do what, exactly?”
“We’re looking to hamper the Trelans. But if you don’t want to join us, we’d understand.”
“You can consider it payment for the food we gave you, even after you tried to steal it,” Leena muttered under her breath. It wasn’t meant to be quiet though, as everyone present heard what she said.
Kalna shook her head. “What do you think—”
I raised a hand to cut her off. “We’re not going to expose ourselves, but there is the fact that we need to resupply.” I hoped she understood that I wasn’t undercutting her point. As difficult as it was, I tried to convey the thought over our connection.
She relaxed and nodded, indicating that she understood. Even if she didn’t feel comfortable with the decision.
Oh gods, this is just fucking pathetic.
“Shut up,” I hissed under my breath.
“What was that?” Strange Man asked.
“Nothing,” I snapped. “Just talking to myself. Anyway, can you help us, or can’t you?”
“You could easily make me do your bidding.” He looked around at our weapons pointedly.
“Nobody is forcing you,” Leena replied. “If you’d rather not help, you’re free to go.”
He looked around at us and not at the weapons this time. There was no connection between us, but the thought that he’d completely misinterpreted who we were and what we were doing here was as easy to read on his face as if it had been written on a piece of parchment.
“Very well,” he said after a long pause. “I think I’ll help you. You did offer me your food. But if the Trelans come, you can’t expect me to fight. I’m no warrior and would probably just get in your way.”
“Don’t worry about that.” Kalna shook her head. “If you see any Trelans, you’re more than welcome to run away. This isn’t your fight, after all.”
The man nodded.
“So, we’re in agreement?” I asked. Kalna still didn’t look convinced, but she shrugged. “Good. Then we can pack up our camp, and you,” I pointed at the man, “can start leading us toward the closest one of these villages.”
Chapter 13
Following the surprisingly well-made roads that crisscrossed the island was not a good idea. We’d figured that out after narrowly avoiding detection by a handful of squads. Even though the surrounding terrain was rough and difficult to traverse, we figured we would actually be saving time by not having to alternate between diving off the roads to avoid detection and fighting those we weren’t able to evade.
Kalna seemed more at home in the jungle than we were. We had visited her home: between the heat and heavy foliage around us, this place could not be more different than where she’d come from. Even so, I guessed it had something to do with her affinity for her natural surroundings that allowed her to feel more at ease. So, it seemed natural that she be the scout for our little party, with Leena, Strange Man, and me bringing up the rear.
As thick as the underbrush was, we also decided that having a rearguard was too dangerous. While making sure nobody was following us, our rear guard could get lost.
“So,” Strange Man said as the sun started climbing higher into the sky. “How many are missing from your party?”
I looked at him sharply. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, you mentioned this… Eira. And I couldn’t help but wonder who else might be missing.” He avoided my pointed gaze. “We could use as much help as we can get, after all.”
“We’re a ‘we’ now?” Leena asked.
The man turned to face her. “Well, considering that I’ve tied my fate to yours—at least until we reach the village that I mentioned—I can’t help but consider us as partners for the moment,” he responded in an annoyed tone. I couldn’t help but notice that the longer we spent around him, the more elegant his language became. His accent remained the same, though.
I wasn’t sure why I expected it to change.
Just kill him and be done with it.
I didn’t bother responding. “How far away was this village, again?”
“It’s completely isolated from the rest of the island, only accessible by the sea.”
“How do you suggest we get there, then? Swimming?”
“Well, only accessible to most by the sea, I should say.” He grinned. “But I know a way around the cliffs that surround it.”
We followed his lead as he guided us deeper into the jungle. As uncomfortable as I felt trusting this man, we didn’t have much of a choice. Our path dipped deeper and deeper into the ground. We followed what looked like a massive crack in a cliff face that made for a smooth, if narrow, path down. If I’d been wearing my full armor, I would have gotten wedged into the rocks around us. Thankfully, we managed with my only needing to move through the path sideways.
The crack opened out into the sea, but a small crust of land cropped out from what I realized was a massive and unscalable cliff face.
We looked out at the waves lapping gently at the walls of the cliff, but Strange Man kept moving, wading out into the water.
“Come on, then,” he shouted back at us. “The tide is out, so it should be shallow enough for us to make it through to the village. It’s just around the corner!”
“Should?” Kalna asked, raising an eyebrow.
“We’ve followed him this far.” I pulled my sword from my belt and held it over my head. I still had my doubts, but our only other option was to climb back the way we’d come, and I wasn’t about to do that. I moved out into the relatively warm water, which came as a relief, even though the air temperature was soaring. The sun was already at its peak in the sky.
If I stuck close to the cliff face, the water only came up to about my waist. Not easy to move through, especially with the waves trying to crash me against the wall to my left, but not particularly difficult either. Kalna followed close behind me, with Leena taking up the rear.
“How long until the tide comes back in again?” I asked, wading closer to Strange Man.
“A few hours.” He smiled. “Not to fret. The village really is just around the corner, I promise.”
“The corner of what?” Leena asked, exasperated.
The man didn’t answer, pushing ahead instead. I followed close behind, still holding my sword high enough to keep it away from the water. Even with my power, my muscles burned from the effort of wading through the water that was inching higher over my chest. I wondered if I should just give up on the wading and swim. Kalna was already, and I could tell that Leena would have been too if she didn’t need to keep her bow out of the water.
“Want me to carry those for you?” I asked as I saw her struggling to keep her balance while holding her unstrung bow and pack out of the water.
“About damn time,” she snapped, handing the pack and bow over to me before gliding into the water, swimming almost effortlessly.
It was just as well. I was a terrible swimmer.
We circled around the corner the man had talked about, watching as an inlet opened up in front of us. The sea kept moving, waves rippling gently toward an island where a respectably-sized village was situated. The cliff face circled around, creating an impassible land barrier that protected the village from any attack from the mainland. Since the jungle seemed to circle the top of the cliff evenly, it also made the inlet almost invisible from anyone standing anywhere other than the very edge.
It was a breathtaking view. I paused to give it my full attention before continuing forward. The water got shallower as we got closer to the i
sland. Eventually, we were treading on dry land again.
Our arrival hadn’t gone unnoticed. As soon as we were clear of the water, over a dozen warriors emerged from the buildings where they’d apparently been waiting for us. They had a selection of massive steel claymores, spears, bows, and even crossbows pointed at us before we could react. They were saying something in their language, gesticulating wildly with their weapons.
Despite the language barrier, there was little doubt as to what they wanted us to do. I quickly dropped the weapons in my hands, both mine and Leena’s. The strange man had no weapons, so he just whimpered and jumped back to hide behind me.
The hostility seemed to fade from the men’s and women’s faces when Kalna emerged into view from the water, however. Again, the language kept me from understanding what exactly they were saying. Had they never seen a dark elf before? It wouldn’t have surprised me.
They raised their weapons, seemingly entranced by Kalna’s appearance, from her hair, to her pointed ears, to her eyes. She looked around uncomfortably.
“Braks, what’s happening? Should I be afraid?”
“How the hell am I supposed to know? They haven’t asked you to drop your weapons, though, so I’d take that as a good thing.”
I waved my hands and got the attention of one of the warriors He looked like he was in his prime. He was a half-foot shorter than me, but his massive shoulders and bulging muscles meant his height didn’t matter. If I didn’t have an ancient evil residing inside me, I would have given the man even odds on overpowering me.
I pointed at my weapons. He shook his head, and I pointed down at my weapons again, making to drop down to pick them up. He shrugged and turned back to Kalna.
“Well, I guess I’ll just go ahead and rearm myself,” I said, picking up my sword and Leena’s bow and brushing the sand from the weapons. When I straightened back up, the man was standing in front of me. I hadn’t even heard him moving, and I took a step back in surprise, drawing a deep chuckle from the man.
“You speak the tongue of the Khalans,” the man said. His accent was thick, but the pronunciation was good enough.
