The messenger bowed his head, his chest heaving rapidly. "Your Majesty, a message from Sir Landis." He held out a tattered paper.
Sayid took the parchment and waved for footmen to assist the messenger and his animal. He opened the paper and read Landis's clearly hurried writing.
My Lord, King Sayid:
Strangers now visit the land of My King. These unknown men came from the sky in a machine of metal, riding on thunder before which even the sound of the wings of the lizards' pales.
These are a strange people, and they speak through magic boxes they carry on their belts. They hold what are clearly weapons, but Clemmons and I have yet to discern their manner. The men have offered no harm, but they are watchful.
More to follow.
Sir Landis
Sayid wondered if he should go personally to meet these strangers, but that would not only be unseemly for a king, but it might be a trick of the dragons.
Best to stay here until Landis and Clemmons learned more.
* * * *
Clemmons was far more outgoing than he, and Landis knew it, so he was content to stand by while the woman and Clemmons taught her box to talk. He busied himself for a few minutes, sending a quick message to the king.
The woman's box was talking better now, and she made appropriate replies, so he guessed she could understand them, as well.
Clemmons laughed casually. "We mean you no harm."
She hadn't removed her helmet or even raised her visor. Her soldiers maintained their watchful vigil over the men in the weeds and paid no attention to them or the woman. Landis thought that meant they believed this woman could take care of herself even when facing two knights of the realm.
She nodded. "And I mean you no harm."
Landis decided the machine was doing well enough for him to jump into the conversation. "Perhaps then you can tell us your name and where you come from."
"I'm Sergeant Rawls, and I'm from the Empire of Mankind."
"Well, Sergeantrawls, maybe you could show your face." Clemmons rubbed his bare chest with his hands, grabbing Landis's attention. "After all, I'm not even covered!"
"No, not 'Sergeantrawls'." She took a deep breath. "Sergeant is a title. My last name is Rawls."
Landis laughed. "We understand a title, but last name? You have more than one name?"
"Yes, my first name is Shane."
"So what do we call you?"
She seemed to sigh. "Just call me Shane. That will save time."
Clemmons nodded. "Alright, Shane. Maybe you can show your face."
She paused for many seconds, finally calling to one of her comrades. "Degnan, cover me."
The man turned, his weapon not quite pointed at them. "Yes, Sergeant."
She leaned forward, and Landis heard a soft buzz as the visor rolled up into the helmet. She pulled the helmet from her head and stood up straight again, facing them.
He'd been imagining she would be attractive, his imagination perhaps running away with him, filling in the blanks the black suit and covered helmet created. She was a small woman, short and slender, except for the ample breasts the skin-tight suit served to highlight.
But nothing prepared him for her face.
Short hair the color of golden sunlight bouncing from ripe flax framed a pretty triangular face. As she shook her head, her hair formed a golden halo around her head, but her eyes never left him and Clemmons. His first thought was that the eyes were the color of flax blossoms, blue with purple tints, that would compliment the color of her hair perfectly, but Landis soon realized he was mistaken. The eyes were the color of sapphires, dark blue with a depth to infinity and hints of flashing white his overactive imagination told him would sparkle like the sun on quartz when she smiled.
The tanned skin of her face told him much, and Landis knew a warrior when he saw one. The woman, this Shane, was in excellent physical condition, trained and sharpened to kill, just as he and Clemmons. He managed to pull his eyes from the gorgeous face, and his gaze drifted down her body. The black suit covered her completely, not an inch of skin showing anyplace except her bare head where the helmet had covered her.
But the skin-tight armor hid nothing of her shape. Her breasts rode high and round on her chest, delightfully inviting, and gave way to a narrow waist before sweeping delectably to full hips. Even the shape of her legs, curvaceous and looking longer than they should on such a petite woman, came through the odd black material.
Even though he wondered what this beautiful woman would be like to talk to in a different place and situation, Landis couldn't help but notice the stirring of his cock beneath his armor.
The hardening of his dick caused a similar stir in his conscience. It dawned on Landis that he never felt any guilt over his relationship with Clemmons—he didn't see a love affair with a man as being any disrespect to Anna's memory. But this sudden and unexpected attraction to a woman somehow felt like cheating, and not just cheating on Anna, but on Clemmons as well.
The biggest problem was that here and now was neither the time nor place to be thinking about his love for Anna and Clemmons or his lust for a woman he just met.
* * * *
Clemmons watched carefully as the woman removed her helmet, but he wasn't sure whom to watch more carefully.
The woman-warrior was nothing less than staggeringly beautiful. Short, blonde hair made a perfect frame for the lovely face. Her chin was narrow and covered with tanned skin he knew would be soft and supple to the touch. Clemmons fought the urge to reach out and stroke his hand down her cheek.
He stared, but he couldn't pull his gaze from her eyes. Once, many years ago, Clemmons had seen a deep spring near a town, and the lizards had claimed the spring for their own, thus leaving the village without a water supply. He led a regiment to secure the spring for the men. The spring wasn't round but an elongated oval, shaped much like nuts imported from the western parts of the kingdom, and one end had a slight twist toward the north. He imagined that from the perspective of a dragon flying high overhead, the spring would have looked much like a man's eye. The locals didn't know how deep the water of the spring was, and some said it was bottomless. Clemmons knew such ideas were nonsense, but he had seen the water for himself. Still and a deep blue with swirling flashes of white, the depths could have gone on forever. The eyes of the woman now standing before him and Landis had that same look—deep and infinite, a blue that grabbed a man and held his every attention, mindless of all else around him.
Her body, details hidden by the black armor she wore, was delicious. Large, firm breasts sat high and pointed on her chest. Her legs seemed to go on to the same infinity reached by her blue eyes. Between tits and legs resided a playground of delectable curves, ridges, and valleys of feminine flesh.
She had a beauty to rival that of any of the women at court, and yet this woman was clearly a warrior. She gave orders to the men who accompanied her, and the attitude of the men was such that Clemmons fully understood she was more than capable of defending herself. Such women were exceedingly rare, and he couldn't recall any in his past.
But as fascinating as Clemmons found the woman, he also noticed how Landis stared at her. His lover's face held a strange, dreamlike expression as his gaze flowed from the woman's pretty face, down her chest, across the flat stomach, and played down the shapely legs to her feet before moving back up her form.
Sometimes, when Landis spoke of Anna, his face held that same, faraway look.
Chapter 2
Leaping Lizards
Over the last four days, Shane had come to trust Landis and Clemmons. With only one exception, they never withheld information or even hesitated to answer questions as fully as they could. While the translators were working well, the language barrier still cropped up from time to time, often with amusing results. Like when the translator somehow connected the word "hill" to "boob" and "slit" to "pussy." She laughed out loud when Landis tried to tell her about a cleft in the low mountains where his men sometim
es took cover from rainstorms.
"I gather it's a bit rare, but the science people tell me parallel evolution isn't unheard of." Lieutenant Talbert's musings snapped Shane out of her thoughts. She'd wondered about why—and how—the people here could be so much like humans. "There's a theory that much, if not all of the life in the galaxy sprang from some sort of common cosmic egg. Different exobiologists use different terms, but they seem to like panspermia the best." He smiled. "I can barely pronounce it."
Regardless of the reason, there were no important differences between humans and the people here. Shane wondered how far that went. She'd seen both Landis and Clemmons without their shirts, and the bones and muscles under the appropriately tanned skin all looked right. In fact, they looked right enough to make her mouth water. The bulges in their pants made her pussy water, too. She giggled—it also made her hills warm.
Talbert frowned. "What did I say?"
"Oh, nothing." Shane changed the subject. "How did your meetings go with the king?"
"Very good." He poked at the campfire with a stick. "Most of the talks are with various ministers and other officials, but the time I spent with King Sayid was good. He was just as tightlipped about this war they're fighting as the two knights, though."
That was the only area where Landis and Clemmons had been coy. All she'd been able to learn was that the knights fought dragons. As romantic as the idea sounded, it also had a bit of the incredulous about it. "I think it's mostly a translation problem. For some reason, the electronic translators can't grab the emotional side of why they are fighting."
"I agree. Maybe when the linguists get up to speed, they can figure it out. I don't think it's important, though."
Shane glanced at her watch. "I'd better go check on the sentries." She stood up from the campfire. "Sleep well."
She liked to make a check on the several guard posts set up around the camp before she went to bed, not to check on the guards so much as to just take a walk. She used the excuse of making sure the sensors were working right to get out under the alien sky and unfamiliar stars.
She approached post four, and a bright light flashed in her face as a voice called out, "Halt! Identify yourself."
Shane smiled. The guards were well trained and alert. "Rawls, Shane. Sergeant."
"Give the password."
"Alpha niner five gamma."
"Advance and be recognized." She walked toward the light, keeping her hand away from the sidearm she wore. The bright light went off. "Evening, Sergeant."
"Evening, Degnan. Everything all right out here?"
"Just fine. All systems are green and nothing happening." He chuckled softly. "Sort of a boring planet, if you ask me."
"Boring is good for a change."
The scanner beeped softly, and Degnan turned to the screens. "Two people approaching, bearing 187, range 158 meters."
She looked over his shoulder at the infrared display and recognized the outlines of Clemmons and Landis. None of the other men were as big as they. "I'll intercept and identify them."
"Yes, Sergeant."
Shane moved off in the direction of the approaching knights. She was much more relaxed now that she had replaced her body armor with a casual uniform. While the armor didn't restrict her movements, it was sometimes stiff and would go rigid under what the system decided was an impact. The softer material of the uniform felt good against her skin.
Whatever its exact nature, Shane knew she didn't understand the kind of war the knights fought. The closest things in her experience were the urban combat missions thirty years ago when Palean Liberation Front terrorists invaded the Klendau system. She was stationed near the base camps and she could have returned to the ship every night, much like an accountant after a busy day at the office, but she chose to stay in the bivouac instead. In much the same way, Landis and Clemmons were close enough to the capital of their kingdom to go home at the end of the day, but they stayed at the encampment.
Over the last few days, Shane had noticed the two knights were much closer than simple men-in-arms. It wasn't unusual for soldiers who shared a tent and lived in close proximity to form intense friendships, at least for humans, but Landis and Clemmons seemed somehow different.
Shane experienced the closeness that built between soldiers in combat. She lost count of how many battlefield romances brought on by the stress and danger she shared with a fellow warrior. Most turned out to be nothing more than one-night stands.
She wondered for a short time if the men might be gay, but she dismissed the idea. Clemmons, in particular, flirted openly with her. Landis and Clemmons were nothing more than good friends and comrades.
* * * *
"We are not pleased by this turn of events, Cedric." Handley drummed his sharp claws in irritation, and small sparks flashed from the stone of the floor. "We are less pleased by your inability to provide us with information."
Cedric didn't actually fear Handley. Like most dragons, he feared Handley's henchmen, those who would, at a mere hint from the king, make certain no one ever heard from the king's enemy again. He couldn't quite stifle the wave of shivers that ran through him. "I have given you all of the information I have, Sire."
"And it is less than almost nothing. You say that strange men have joined our enemies, but you do not speak of their strengths, weaknesses, or even their intentions."
"I know nothing of those things."
Handley's diaphanous wings flared out to their full length, nearly touching the walls on each side of the great hall. As he lunged toward Cedric, he flapped them hard as if to emphasize the deep roar of his voice and the yellow flash of his eyes. "Then speak to us of what you suspect!"
"The nature of the new men who have joined the others is hard to discover." Cedric lowered his head, signaling his sorrow for his lack of knowledge. "There are two, a man and a woman, who appear to share command of the group. The man has involved himself with King Sayid and various ministers, but the woman has spent time with the knights and warriors of the king."
"What can that mean?"
Cedric couldn't avoid answering a direct question. "I'm not certain, but I think the man is a politician while the woman is a soldier."
Handley's eyes narrowed, the yellow irises glowing as if on fire. "They plot against us."
"That I do not yet know, Sire. They have offered no harm to anyone."
"What else could it mean?" Handley lashed his tail, and as the green and gold scales crashed into the floor, small chips of stone flew from the rocks. "You will do whatever is needed to protect us."
* * * *
They rarely had the time or energy while at the scene of a battle, but Landis and Clemmons liked to take a walk before bed. Landis wondered about why the dragons had given them the time to walk the past few days since the arrival of Shane and her people.
"I think the lizards don't know what to make of our guests." Clemmons squeezed Landis's hand before he went on. "I know the dragons are aware of the visitors, but they want more information."
The lizards had made no attacks since Shane's arrival, flying only high overhead. Landis knew the soaring dragons could learn much from that practice with their remarkable eyesight, but without hearing the talks between the parties, they would also miss a lot of the information. Landis wondered if that was good or bad.
"Perhaps we should take advantage of their confusion and attack the dragons."
Clemmons shook his head. "No, not until we know what Shane would make of that."
"You're right, of course, and I don't think it would be the wisest thing we could do, either." Landis still had some concerns about the strangers. Shane and her soldiers made no offer of violence, but it was clear the weapons and tools at her disposal were far superior to the strong sword clicking softly in its scabbard on his hip.
"I'm always right." Landis felt Clemmons squeeze his hand again. "Tell me what you think of Shane."
"In some ways, she frightens me. She's confident of her abilities and
those of her people. I don't think she's overconfident, either."
"Nor do I, but that's not what I mean." Clemmons paused a few moments. "Don't you find it odd for such a beautiful woman to be a soldier?"
"For us, yes, but we know little of the ways of her people. It may not be unusual at all for them."
"I think you're wrong. Look at the other women with her."
"Oh, I have, and one of the other warriors is nearly as pretty as Shane, and the woman who is talking with Lord Halstone about the crops is perhaps prettier."
"I think you're wrong about that." Clemmons again hesitated for a second or two. "Don't you find Shane attractive?"
Landis had found her gorgeous since the first time he saw her, but he hadn't mentioned that to Clemmons. "It doesn't really matter."
"Yes it does." He sighed. "I can't recall a woman nearly that beautiful."
It occurred to him that Clemmons was confessing. "You know, there's no harm in looking at a pretty woman."
"I guess not."
"I owe you an answer. Yes, Shane is very attractive."
"Well, it's not just me, then."
"No, it's not." Since confessions seemed to be the order of the evening, Landis had his own. "I have to admit I've wondered what she would feel like in my arms."
"So have I." Clemmons nodded slowly.
He decided to ask the question that had nagged him for the last four days. "Do you miss being with a woman?"
Clemmons walked in silence for more than a minute. "In some ways, yes." He stopped and tugged Landis's hand, turning him so they faced each other. "But not many."
Landis had thought about this before and even more the last few days. "I think I know what you mean, but never forget I love you."
Without a word, Clemmons slipped his arms around his waist and pulled them together, pressing his lips to Landis's mouth. He pressed his tongue between his lover's lips, and waves of warmth, mixed oddly with shivering chills, rushed through Landis, and he hugged Clemmons tightly. The flavor of Clemmons's perspiration danced across his tongue and filled his nose, the clean saltiness adding to the sensations assailing him.
Knights of Desire [Flights of Fancy 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 3
