Could I reverse the magic?
"Slowly pour the water on her chest," I told the woman who brought me the bottle. She nodded, took the container from me, and did as I instructed.
I tapped into the Earth again, creating a surge of excess energy in my blood. I ripped open the front of Shlara's shirt, her skin was turning white. The slow stream of water from the bottle was centered over Shlara's heart. I placed my hand between the stream and her skin. Then I tried to reverse what I had done before: pushing my Earth into Shlara's body by using the water.
It didn't work.
"No. No. No!" I screamed. How could I be so fucking stupid? I should have given up and let her win. Tears fell down my face and landed on her dying body. I had killed my best friend, my best general. All because I didn't want to lose a petty argument.
How much water is in a human body?
I lifted her off the riverbank. The women gasped as I ran toward the group of people standing in the current. They parted way for me, but I paid them no mind. Nothing mattered but Shlara.
My leg wasn't fully healed and I tripped a few dozen steps into the water, I fell down to my knees but didn't lose my hold on her twitching body. I cursed my clumsiness and struggled a few more feet into the river's icy blue torrent.
Then I repeated what I had tried before with the liquid. This time there was much more water and the energy it made coursing around us seemed to help. I felt it rip through my body, dance through my insides, my organs, through my hands and into Shlara. Her eyes shot open and she gasped as liquid flowed into her mouth from the river. She tried to sit up in my arms, but the current was too strong. After a few more seconds I stopped pushing the Element into her and pulled her out of the flow, cradling her soaking body against my chest.
"Cold." Her teeth chattered as she clutched the front of my bloody tunic. I nodded and carried her out of the water. Her seizures grew worse as we left the current, but I figured coldness from the river on a hot spring day would be better than a seizure caused by dehydration.
"Get firewood and set it over there." I gestured to a spot on the river's edge. Half a dozen men ran off toward the campsite.
"Is she going to be okay?" the woman who had assisted me asked as I sat down on one of the rocks with Shlara in my arms.
"Yes. Leave us."
"Aye, Kaiyer." She gave a signal to the rest of the people gathered. They shot concerned looks our way and slowly departed. Within moments, the men returned with firewood and lit it for us. Once they had finished, I looked at the departing mob and nodded. They saluted and ran back toward the camp.
I inched myself closer to the fire so that Shlara would get the full heat. It was a little past midday and the flames made it almost hotter than I could stand, but she needed the warmth.
"Kaiyer," she muttered into my chest after a few minutes.
"Yes?" I asked with relief.
"Did you win?" her voice was barely a whisper.
"Yes."
"Harmph," she said in annoyance. Then there was silence punctuated by the cracking of the firewood.
"Kaiyer," she spoke a bit louder.
"Yes?" I wanted to crush her body to me, but I didn't know if she was using her Earth yet. I didn't want to smother her.
"You'll have to break my nose again so I can set it. I think it healed wrong," she complained.
"I'll fix it," I said eagerly.
"How did you win? I don't remember," she finally asked after a few more minutes of shivering silence.
"I cheated. I'm sorry."
"No, you're not." She tried to lift her head to look at me but I cradled her too close and I was too strong. I didn't want to meet her eyes.
"Can you use your Earth?" I asked after she said nothing for a while.
"Yes. It is slow."
"You'll be okay?"
"I'd be better if you told me you would make love to me tonight." She coughed but I thought it was an attempt at laughter.
"You lost."
"You cheated," she spat.
"I said I was sorry."
"My head hurts." She had stopped shivering.
I rubbed her back carefully with my left hand, regret floated through my mind. I should sleep with her tonight. It would fix our relationship.
Fuck. This war would end in a week or two. Afterward, Shlara and I could be together. There would be no more Elvens and no more revenge.
No more Iolarathe.
"Kaiyer."
"Yes?" I stopped rubbing her back.
"You're a fucking asshole." She finally lifted her head to stare at me. Her nose had healed and it didn't look crooked. She smiled her full grin at me and winked.
I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.
She laughed too. But I was sure it wasn't for the same reasons.
"Why did you keep attacking me low?"
"Hummm?" She raised an eyebrow.
"You seemed to prefer this combination of low attacks. What was your strategy?"
"Oh, that." She sighed. "I just laughed a little inside when I saw you bent over before me."
"Oh. I see. And I'm the asshole, huh?" She smiled and giggled. It sounded less painful than her earlier laughter.
Then our lips met suddenly in a kiss that had been long overdue. It was deep, passionate, and washed away all thoughts of the Elvens from me, for a moment.
Chapter 23-Kaiyer
The door to my room opened suddenly. The change in air pressure disrupted the memory of Shlara's kiss and what might have happened between us afterward. I looked over from my seat at the table on the balcony and saw Isslata close the door behind her.
"Good afternoon, O'Baarni." She smiled pleasantly. Her light brown leather boots extended up past her knees and made a staccato click on the stone floor as she walked toward me. She wore a larger than normal smile on her face. It looked slightly mischievous.
The thoughts of Shlara slipped away and I grinned at the beautiful Elven woman. I had spent the last week on a short list of tasks while I endured my confinement, and Isslata was one of them. I hated to admit it, but she was also the most enjoyable of the tasks. The woman unbuckled her sword belt and dropped the leather-clad blade on the dresser where my clothes were kept.
She walked out on to the balcony and slid her hips around the edge of my chair. Then she lowered herself gently into my lap and threw her legs across the table. My hands gripped her waist as she landed on me and she sighed before her lips pushed against my mouth. Her tongue and mine danced together for a few minutes as her fingers roamed across my chest and my fingers squeezed her hips and slender thighs.
She finally broke our kiss and leaned away. Her eyes burned into mine with desire and there was no way she couldn't feel my erection pushing against her ass through the fabric of our pants.
"Umm," she moaned softly as she wiggled her body against my groin. "You should shave this." She touched my two-week old beard with the tips of her gloved fingers.
"Why?" I asked with a smile.
"Because I have a surprise for you tonight." She smirked and gave me a final smoldering look before she leaned her legs down and rose out of my lap. Her hair was tied up in some sort of half-ponytail knot that kept the majority of her golden hair back, but it still looked like a beautiful mess. She began to unbraid part of the mane as she walked toward our shared bathroom.
"What surprise?" I asked while I attempted to keep concern out of my voice. I wasn't too fond of surprises. Especially when Nadea and I were prisoners to our enemies and I had to sedate my only ally by fucking her every night.
"You'll enjoy it. I promise." She looked over her shoulder at me while she finished untying her hair. It fell down her back like a wave of water that caught the sunlight.
"I'm going to bathe. Will you join me?" she took off her blue leather tunic and dropped it on the ground before she made it into the other room.
"Are you going to tell me more about this surprise?" I heard the faucet turn to fill the tub, but she didn
't reply. I got out of my chair and drank the rest of the pitcher of water that had been left on the table by one of the servants. Then I walked across the cold stone floor toward the bathroom and past the sword that lay on my dresser.
Isslata had let me examine the weapon a few days ago. It was a thick gray piece of steel that was crafted in the same manner as the weapons I recalled from my past. It was etched with flowers and vines that formed a groove in the center of the blade. Thayer would have appreciated its weight and width, but he would not have cared about the designs. The way Isslata casually left the wicked blade laying around our room was a constant reminder of the leverage she and Alatorict had over me. Any act of aggression on my part would mean the death of Nadea.
In the bathroom, she had already removed her clothes. I got a perfect view of her naked backside, rounded ass, and taut legs as she tested the temperature of the bath with her left hand. Their bodies were probably an inch or two taller than the average human, and they tended to be leaner. But Isslata had claimed to be one of the empress's best warriors and her body carried at least twenty extra pounds of muscle that made her figure look more human. Aside from the difference in hair color, the pointy ears, and the light peach-colored skin, her body looked very similar to Nadea or Shlara's athletic frame.
"The surprise?" I asked again. She turned around and gave me a view of her pert breasts and the manicured golden curls of her pubic area.
"This water feels so good," she said as she stepped into the bath. "Take off your clothes and join me." She pointed at me with a long finger that bounced through the air like she was drawing small circles.
"I already took one this morning after I exercised."
"Getting clean isn't the primary objective of bathing with me, no?" she smiled and leaned back into the water. I remembered seducing Nadea into the same bathtub with me many months ago. The memory was painful. I missed her more than I thought possible, especially after all the recent memories of Shlara. The two women were very similar in both physical appearance and personality.
I was sure that neither Nadea nor Jessmei would appreciate my current situation.
I had a horrible record of fucking Elvens given my insistence on ending their race's existence.
"How was your morning?" I asked from the chair next to the bathtub. She frowned in disapproval.
"It was excellent." I knew she was responsible for training the various units of Alatorict's small army and served as his bodyguard. I had tried to extract more information from her about battle strategies, their numbers, or anything I could use. The progress I was making was slower than I wanted, but there was nothing else for me to do with my time.
"What did you do for your exercises this morning?" She asked as she leaned back against the rim of the tub and began to wet her hair. The bathroom counters and shelves were now filled with various scented soaps, oils, and brushes she preferred to use on her body when she was in the bath.
"The usual: pull-ups, squats, and handstand pushups," I said with my careful smile. She nodded back and closed her eyes.
It was the routine we had grown accustomed to for the last few weeks. We danced around each other's questions and attempted to learn more about the other while not giving up our own knowledge. In two hours, dinner would arrive and we would continue the match over the excellent meal while we sat on the chilly balcony. Then the servants would clear the plates and we would spend the rest of the night and most of the early morning enjoying each other's bodies. We would collapse in a fit of exhaustion for a few hours before she would wake up and leave to work with her army.
"Do you grow tired of our games, O'Baarni?" she asked suddenly. Her glittering eyes opened to their full almond shape as she stared at me intently.
"What games?" I attempted ignorance, but the hair on my neck stood. Was it a lucky guess on her part or did she have some mind reading powers?
"This." She waved her hand back and forth between the two of us, spraying drops of water from her fingertips across the stone floor. "These conversations."
"You've been fishing for Alatorict. He wants results that you haven't produced," I said. Her eyes darted up and met mine with an icy glare.
"Alatorict does not wish to be involved with you anymore and has made your safekeeping my responsibility."
"Until the empress arrives?" I chuckled and uncrossed my arms, leaning forward to emphasize my point. "You aren't that interested in me, just pleasing your empress."
"And you aren't interested in Nadea?" She grimaced and then laughed mockingly. "O'Baarni, we can continue on with our current arrangement. I've enjoyed your presence, your body, and your talents. We don't have to change anything. However, I would prefer to have something to give my empress when she arrives. If only to make Alatorict look the fool. I'm sure you would like to have a bit more information at your disposal when you first meet with her. Yes?" She nodded and licked her lips.
"Why do you wish to make Alatorict look the fool?"
"Ahh. Well, I could answer that question. But then you would have to answer one of mine. I will tell you the truth and you will tell me the truth. Think of it like the game we have been playing, but we'll both win." She smiled enthusiastically and clasped her wet hands and fingers together.
"What if I don't want to answer one of the questions?" I felt my heart pound. This was probably a bad idea, but if she was offering me answers and she was sincere about being truthful, there was much to gain. I could get precious information about Nadea's location and be gone from the castle.
"I have the same fears you do. I'll answer all of your questions to the best of my ability. If either of us is unsatisfied, then we can stop. We'll take turns asking and answering."
I tried to run through the many different questions she might come up with and my possible defense.
"I'll even let you go first, lover." She opened a bottle and poured some of the contents on her hair. The room now smelled like lavender with a hint of vanilla.
"What is the surprise?" I said after a few more moments of internal struggle. Time to take a risk.
"Are you in agreement?" She smiled wide, exposing a row of perfectly arranged teeth. I nodded and she clapped her hands together in mock applause.
"The surprise is that Vernine will join us for dinner tonight." Her smile grew coy as her voice grew huskier. "She'll be staying for dessert and breakfast as well."
"Ahh." I sat back and relaxed. I had expected whatever she had planned to be more diabolical in nature. I still hadn't remembered the week I had spent with the two women in my room. Maybe when I saw Vernine again it would spark my recollection.
"Does my surprise please you, O'Baarni?" she purred from the tub. Her eyes were on fire.
"Yes." I nodded back to her and smiled.
"My turn. Am I the--"
"No," I interrupted her. "You just asked a question."
"No, I did, wait, that wasn't my question!" She pouted, and when she realized I would not budge a low growl escaped from her chest.
"How many Elvens are in Castle Nia?" I asked with a smile on my face.
"There are two hundred and ninety," she said the number quickly and her heart didn't flutter, so I doubted that she was lying, although I didn't really know if I could judge honesty through the beating of Elven hearts as I could in humans.
"Am I a better lover than your pet Nadea?" her grin was wicked. Isslata thought she knew the answer already but I guessed she wanted me to admit to her prowess.
"Nadea and I were never lovers," I said with a smile back. Her eyes widened a bit in shock.
"That is surprising. But you are full of surprises." I nodded.
In truth, Isslata was the best lover I had had, or at least, that I remembered. Iolarathe had been mainly concerned with her own pleasure. While I had never failed to reach a satisfying climax with her, I suspected as long as she had felt pleasure, she would not have cared about my needs. She was my master, and I her slave. Sex had not changed that dynamic. I remembered Iolara
the as more attractive than Isslata, but my recollections of the red-haired Elven overflowed with the emotions that her face and body elicited. I recalled every painfully beautiful detail of her face, her hair, her body, but memories were always colored in unreliable perfection.
Jessmei’s lack of experience and fitness couldn't compare to Isslata's Elven stamina. Isslata made my pleasure more of a priority then her own. She always had a different position, movement, or activity to keep me excited. Lovemaking was still so new to Jessmei that she often got caught up with what she was experiencing and forgot about me. It was something that she would learn either with me in the future, or with her next lover.
I frowned slightly at the thought of the beautiful blonde princess. She should be safe in the small village where I left her. Once Nadea was safe, I would return for Jessmei. I doubted my friend would be thrilled to find out that the princess and I were lovers, but I would deal with that once the situation arose.
"Where is Nadea in the dungeons?" I asked.
"She isn't in the dungeons anymore." Isslata smirked at my confusion.
"Where is she?" I felt my voice rise slightly and I tried to control my anger.
"Relax, O'Baarni. It is my turn." She smiled at me and rose out of the tub. The late day sun passed through the windows and made her wet body shimmer in a hue that matched her golden mane. She grabbed a thick towel from an iron rack and started to dry off her hair and shoulders.
"What clan are you?" I guessed this question was coming.
"I'm not from a clan." Her head snapped around to look at me and her eyes narrowed.
"You must give me more than that." She had finished drying off most of her body and discarded the towel on the floor before she sauntered toward me.
"I wasn't in a clan. I know of them, but I wasn't part of--" I stopped when Isslata straddled my legs and sat on me. Her fingers ran through my hair and she turned my face so she might whisper in my ear.
"Then who gifted you?" her teeth lightly scraped against my earlobe and she let out a soft sigh of pleasure.
The Destroyer Book 2 Page 36
