by M E Wolf
“It is up to you whether you will want to perform more than sixteen hours a day, but you do need sleep after all. Your breaks are not included in your time of performance.”
Gus was glad that Jintari did her blouse up completely, it allowed him to think without having disgusting thoughts about the girl and he considered her a child. His thoughts made him blanch and run to the back of the kitchen to maybe work off his tasteless thoughts. This night he would work harder than his wife Gretchen for once in his life. She did not know the reason why he was helping her, but she was pleased that he finally came to assist her in the kitchen.
It was hard to do the kitchen duties all by herself. Gretchen decided to reward her husband when everything was closed up for the night, and they retired to their room. For now she prepared the kitchen for the evening rush because she expected there to be more customers than usual with Jintari performing even with the bad name the inn had that seemed to carry throughout the land.
After Barkeep Gus left the table, Vetria and Jintari began to talk. They had an hour and so they drank more brandy and talked. Vetria was first to say anything and they exchanged many stories. Jintari told her of how she could not remember any of the past before she woke up near a lagoon and this puzzled Vetria.
“You are sure that you remember nothing. Not even a hint of any of your past before you awoke some weeks ago.
“This is strange and even I do not understand what would cause you to forget even skills that you had before or even any training.
“I feel a great potential power in you, but it is like something is blocking you from remembering how to use it. Something very traumatic must have happened to you.”
Just then a pain in Jintari’s head grabbed at her, like something burst inside her head from Vetria’s mental probe. It sent her crashing to the table. Vetria could see the whites of her eyes as they rolled back and the blood that began to drip from her nose. She smelt poo as Jintari crapped herself. Vetria rushed to her side berating herself for her stupidity.
CHAPTER SIXTY SEVEN
Mistress Gretchen helped Vetria take her to her room, they were worried for her safety. Barkeep Gus was both worried and angry because there was only a half hour left till Jintari was supposed to dance and then sing. The barkeep was not allowed in the room until they finished washing Jintari, and had her safely beneath the covers on her bed. No one knew what was wrong with her.
Vetria was worried that her probing of Jintari’s mind had caused the pain and comatose reaction. Jintari was unresponsive and only showed that she was still alive when Vetria spoon fed her soups. She also had a fever and seemed to be going through a lot of turmoil while in her coma, like she was constantly having nightmare after nightmare. It stressed Vetria out to see her sister like this.
Continuing to probe her mind, Vetria tried to discern what had happened to Jintari and realized that her first probe of her mind had caused her to have a flood of information as the block on her memory was destroyed. Memory overload was only common in a last child from a Dochani mother and this saddened her because if Jintari was her mother’s last child then that would mean that her mother was dead. She had never met her mother before and that hurt her very much, even though that was very typical of the Dochani especially when that mother traveled so much.
Seeing that Jintari was here that meant that she could travel from world to world when so far, Vetria only was able to do some healing. Maybe it had to do with how you were trained or maybe it was a natural skill, she did not know. For hours Jintari rolled all over her bed restlessly as those around her were frantic, especially Barkeep Gus since he may lose some patrons because he had promised them an unknown beautiful girl would sing and dance for them.
The tables were now nearly empty as angry patrons had left the Goblin Carcass because they expected to be entertained and Barkeep Gus had promised them that they would. They had no concern about the girl having a bout of illness they just wanted to be entertained. Some of the male patrons even thought that they would get lucky with the strange girl that was to perform because they saw her earlier when she was drunk and some even got a brief glimpse of one of her breasts, though without much flesh to fill it out men that were deprived of a woman’s touch just did not care as long as they were female.
Even though they did see that she had a sickly pallor, they still wanted her in their beds or even on the streets or in alleys. It was not for more than three days in bed tossing and turning in nightmares that she did come to be awake or at least open her eyes enough to say that she was awake. She looked confused as though she had no idea where she was or anyone that was around her. Vetria was stunned by her appearance though as before she became bedridden she was very pretty, but now she was stunning as though she had come into her inheritance while she slept for the last three or more days.
Obviously, Jintari was puzzled by her nakedness as well as who the people were around her and it took her time to remember the journey from the lagoon to the Goblin Carcass and the minuscule training that she had received on her way. She also came to the realization that she had spent seven thousand years of her life in the vortex and actually had come to an understanding of its importance. Her mother’s memories were with her and at first it was hard to get used to her mother’s strange way of thinking since her mother had grown up on Dochani Prime where she had never been.
With her mother’s knowledge came abilities, abilities that were never a part of her mother because her mother was not a last child of her own mother. Jintari decided she liked Alexandra better than this new name even though it was given to her by the keeper of the lagoon. She understood how she had agreed to sing for a certain amount of time and dance as well, but she was unhappy about it and hoped that Thorinjian came when her debt was paid off because she knew that she had to sing for him.
It was odd that she was roughly thirty six thousand years old and no longer had her wings and she missed her wings, her claws were gone too even though she knew that her feline grace and teeth remained. Alexandra's memory was coming back in patches and she had to quickly organize it before she had an overload again, which would make her comatose all over again and that would not solve the debt that she had. A debt that she could have avoided only if she had have had her memory and memories continuously bombarded her thoughts, memories that were obviously from her mother and her mother’s mothers, it was so natural to her that her mind sorted them out subconsciously.
Some memories of her own past and her mother’s past were hard to digest and tears began to flow and she found herself sobbing. An arm was immediately around her to comfort her, looking up towards the face of her comforter showed her the face of one of her many older sisters, but the only relative on this world that she understood as Geh, even though others did not understand her word for this world. She could converse with her children, but her husband had been killed while he waited on another world that was not this one or something else changed him in a way that she could no longer sense what she knew as her husband. Where were her children?
CHAPTER SIXTY EIGHT
Shortly she would have to make due with performing for the crowds that had been gathering in the inn’s main room. The tables were all full and the barkeep had estimated that if she performed tonight she would be going far along to getting rid of her debt to the inn. With a name like Goblin Carcass she would be surprised if there were enough patrons in the next ten years to have her end up paying back her debt and the inn did have a reputation for having many people massacred by goblins.
This was some time ago, long ago to the citizens here, but not that long considering just over one hundred years of time was barely a second compared to Alexandra’s current age. Also, the inn could only hold about two hundred patrons total and Alexandra could not expect much if anything of tips or them ordering stuff while she danced that would give her the opportunity to pay a debt. Still naked, she could probably get a lot of tips if she went down and into the inn’s main room, but she was n
ot a prostitute, and that would make her a prostitute.
As if Barkeep Gus could hear her thoughts and Alexandra knew for sure that he could not, he came in with an outfit for her to perform in. He actually appeared to have more than one and his nervous expression did not bode well for her at all. Obviously he had brought clothes that may have been appropriate for her demeanor as a drunken slut, but she was herself now at least she hoped that she was herself. Well at least all of her self was with her even though it only amounted to a minuscule portion and kept getting smaller as the knowledge and powers were transmitted to her from her numerous ancestors, for once and after all was a different size.
She was six foot and eight inches tall now, a comparable difference to four foot and six inches before. He wondered why she shooed him out of the room so that she could be alone with her sister and Gretchen and no man should see her nakedness. It would take some time before she would trust a man again after knowing that her husband had died after he waited for her for more than thirty thousand years and while she was without her memories she had developed an addiction to brandy, even now she sipped brandy from a flask that she had filled three times already this morning and it was not far past dawn.
After Barkeep Gus was shooed out of the room by his wife Gretchen and the door was locked behind him Alexandra got out of bed to the stunned stares of her sister Vetria and the cook Gretchen. Alexandra’s body looked as though a sculptor in love with his craft carved her perfectly out of flawless white marble and they knew for certain that she needed only one day of dancing and singing to pay her debts to the inn.
Her breasts were perfectly round with her nipples a rosy pink, her fiery red hair flowed down the smooth hollow of her back and stopped before the rise of her buttocks that glistened from the morning sun from the only window of the room. Legs, arms, hands, feet, face, flat stomach, tantalizing navel, all of these would drive every man wild and make them weak-kneed. With all of this appeal, with all of her charms, only a few would know her gait was that of a most fierce warrior, although the knowledge from her ancestors would allow it to be demure if she wanted it to be.
No one currently in the inn’s main room would notice, but the one she was supposed to sing for would, if he could only focus on her long enough to discern between her exquisite beauty and her feline deadliness. The clothes that Barkeep Gus had brought for her would leave nothing to the imagination, but at least they were not as indecent as Barkeep Gus would have led her to believe. Maybe just seeing her face was enough to hint to the man that unlimited desire could be had by seeing the rest of her, after all he did not want to leave. She giggled to herself, which sent a tiny ripple through breasts, abdomen and her pelvis.
It caused the two women in the room with her to gasp in awe not believing that she could be more beautiful then she was. Four sets of clothing were laid out on the bed for her to choose. They were all very colourful and each one she looked at reflected its array of colours in her sky blue eyes changing them slightly to reflect the clothing. Alexandra tried on the first three, but realized to her puzzlement that they would never be enough to cover her skin. It would in effect be like she walked down to the inn’s main room naked because that is how she felt. It was as if she would be safer walking down there with the window wrapped around her lithe form, well almost.
Examining the last piece of clothing, she noticed that it at least was opaque and covered her body adequately even though barely. It was a blue gown that draped close to her body that just barely covered her nipples and part of her upper breasts and slid down to halfway down her thighs. The gown was snug as though it was made specifically for her body even though no one had ever measured her before. Short as the gown was, Alexandra did notice a pair of panties on her bed that matched the dress and to this she sighed in relief and put them on.
Despite them riding up in the back, they fit well and assured her that she did have some protection from the elements and most of all the men in the inn’s main room. She decided to discard these outfits as they were not appropriate and brought the deer skin layer of her armour out, top and skirt only with the cloth underneath. Vetria and Gretchen finally getting over their gasps and gapes helped Alexandra lace up the brown leather sandals, which the lacings reached the top of her pristine calves.
Three golden bracelets were placed on each wrist and a gold chain with a heart-shaped pendant was clasped around her neck, the pendant resting between the hollow of her breasts. Her guitar was handed to her and slinging it over her shoulder, obviously not taking weapons with her to not startle the patrons of the inn besides she did know how to fight without them, although she felt that she might possibly have knowledge of that from one of her ancestors or mothers, but she would have to think on it and now was not the time. Walking out of the room, she headed downstairs to where she would be performing for the next twenty-four hours at least before she took a break because she knew with her appearance she would cause a riot if she decided to leave too soon.
CHAPTER SIXTY NINE
Upon his arrival most of the current patrons looked up from where they sat at their own tables. The barkeep eyed the large pouch at Thorinjian’s side for a moment and then frantically cleared a table for him. He spoke as Thorinjian sat in one of the five chairs at the table.
“What would you like, Sir?”
The barkeep frantically pulled out a small clipboard of paper that was hooked over the apron string tied in front. His rushing made the pencil fall to the floor. Thorinjian waited for the barkeep to pick up the pencil before he started with his order.
“I will have your largest and best piece of steak in this place, some vegetables and a large jug of your best mead.”
The barkeep jotted down everything on the paper, turned and then headed towards the kitchen to tell the cook the order. Thorinjian watched the stout man waddle over to an even fatter lady. They appeared to be speaking to one another for a moment and then the lady walked into the kitchen and disappeared for a while. Before he knew it the mead was placed on his table, but by the time his steak was served he had to order another large jug of mead.
It was a hardy meal and Thorinjian guessed that the steak had to be at least thirty-five ounces. Once done his meal he had ordered another large jug of mead. He was surprised at his new metabolism because he would have been passed out on the floor by now when he drank this much on his own world. In his rush to get something to eat, he did not notice the dancers when he had first come in. Well seasoned with the mead he now noticed three dancers on a small stage not quite big enough for the variations of a dance that he had not been acquainted with before on his world.
Despite this they performed well to the tune of the flute, harp and drums set up behind the dancers off from the forefront of the stage where they danced. Thorinjian was unfamiliar with the song sung by the canter that stood in front of the dancers at center stage. She must have been over six feet tall, close to seven feet and the skimpy leather outfit she wore more than caught his eye. Pearl white long legs made his mouth water more than the juicy steak that he was devouring and he had to shake his head to clear it.
Her voice was unlike that of the singers from his home world. Sounds radiated from her vocal cords like a magical water that washed over him as each note was strung on her six string guitar and as each word was sung. He felt imbued with hope and time seemed to lapse into that stage where it seems to stop, but does not really stop. Where his mind’s viewpoint on time stops, but everything in the world speeds up. That place where time gets lost and yet still remains and one is left with the feeling of dissolution.
It was like everything had stopped as Thorinjian listened to the song,
“. . . Heroes were backed into the river where they met their demise. The Great City of Shem had fallen and evil had run awry.
“Some land was swallowed into the sea and Nemish Island was formed. Evil, evil, evil roamed there from that day to this. Great treasures lie at the bottom of the sea, but it is said to be too d
eep to traverse... .”
The singing droned on and Thorinjian was taken into a deep trance. He was one of those heroes being hard pressed by the foe. Many of his comrades were being driven into the river. Thorinjian tried to remain, but found that he was struggling beneath the water as some of his comrades were slowly floating to the top of the river. Their faces were already a frozen blue colour, the colour that was there when you died of drowning.
Bubbles were floating around him and when he thought that he would drown, he was in the Great City of Shem. He was fighting for his life along side his comrades and the legendary sword of Kharn was in his hands. Thorinjian knew that this sword gave him an ironic sense of immortality, but it needed to be wielded in order to be of any help. The enemy knew this as well and it was obvious to Thorinjian that they would wait for him to fall asleep.
His view switched and he was looking down on the battlefield. He could see the actual warrior that was really holding onto the sword. Thorinjian did not know his name. The battle below was coming to a close and all but the warrior with the sword died. Thousands of evil warriors died from the legendary sword by the time the enemy launched thousands of arrows in volley after volley. Very few arrows got their mark, but it was enough for the warrior to decide that he should not let the enemy have the sword.
Letting go of the sword would have him dead, so he held fast to the sword and walked into the sea. Thorinjian was the warrior again and he knew that he had to get as deep as he could and place the sword somewhere where the evil could not easily get at it. He traveled for miles under the sea, until he was at least a thousand miles below the surface of the sea. Thorinjian drove the sword into the seabed and let go. The warrior collapsed, dying at the bottom of the sea.
