My sigils were warm. I think my body wanted someone to be with me, but I was happy to have an evening to myself. Too much male energy. Sheesh.
I could feel my third guardian, a little closer now. When I thought about him, the sigil on my forehead pulsed. These guardians we had yet to find were not like Forrest and Gilbert. I knew that, instinctively. They were…more intense. I wasn’t sure how yet.
Next thing I knew, I was waking from a nightmare. A monster had somehow entered my bedchamber and nipped at my ear with its fangs. Sasanu sor, Comtressa… it whispered. When I tried to scream, I realized I was a monster too, and—
“Phoebe.” Forrest’s hands were on my shoulders. It was darker now than it had been; the fire outside the tent burned low. I could barely seem the whites of his eyes. “You all right?”
“Y—yeah. Just a dream.” I bit my lip. “Monsters were talking to me.”
“I get those.”
“It was so vivid. It said ‘sasanu sor’ like they sometimes do, but then it was like it called me something…and it bit me. It was threatening me.”
He squeezed my shoulder. “It’s not real. Go back to sleep.”
I caught his hand. “Sleep with me? Please? Just sleep, I mean. I’m—I’m scared.”
“Fine.” He poked his head out of the tent and told the other guys, and then I vaguely saw him spread out on one of the bedrolls, still clothed, ready to fight. I don’t know how he could sleep like that.
“Forrest?”
“Yes?”
I realized I’d said his name without really knowing what I wanted from him. I think I just wanted someone to hold me and tell me we’d be all right. But that wasn’t Forrest’s way.
“Nothing.”
In the darkness, a hand found mine and held it. That was how I fell asleep.
Chapter Eight
The monsters found us the next day, as we were looking for a good spot to set up camp off the road. Ten of them—the largest pack I’d seen.
The guys sprung into action instantly. Forrest pushed me against his horse. “Rin, you cover those three, I’ll get the rest.” Gilbert was already playing a wild tune that made the monsters behave with erratic confusion.
Rin claimed that he and Gilbert could take care of eight by themselves. That didn’t mean it was without danger. The monsters were coming from two directions—a closely bunched group of seven from the bushes, and three more agile ones climbing out of the trees farther down the road. They must have been the scouts; less malformed than the ones on the ground. They hissed, speaking to each other in their strange, rudimentary language.
I held Wretch with both arms as she flapped her wings, trying to get free.
“No, you wait right here, girl,” I insisted. “Look at those things.”
Initially, I was more nervous about Forrest tackling the group of seven. I’m sure he directed Rin toward the other three because he thought they’d be easier. But as they engaged in the fight, I wasn’t so sure. Rin’s three were faster, slipperier. They barely had any rocks attached to their skin. His blades whipped around, trying to get them before they could get close to me, but one slipped out from between his feet.
I shrieked as the thing came scurrying toward me fast. The horse made a nervous snort, edging back. Wretch growled. I was afraid to let go of Wretch to make any attempt to defend myself.
The monster sniffed my feet.
“Comtressaaaa,” the monster hissed. “Sasa nu—”
Forrest’s sword practically fell onto the monster as he dove, driving the Monster Cleaver through its skull, and then kicking away another one who tried to get close to me. Rin had taken care of the other two scouts and he easily picked off the remaining few seven, who seemed pretty addled by Gilbert’s music.
“It said the things from the dream!” I cried. “It called me ‘Comtressa’!”
“‘Comtressa…’ I’ve never heard of them using that word before,” Rin said.
“You talk with ‘em often?” Forrest asked, a little sarcastically.
“In Gaermon, scholars have recorded every known word the monsters have used—supposing they are words at all. They do seem to have some spoken commands, but their vocabulary is only about thirty words in total. Of course, Phoebe is a priestess. Maybe this word recognizes her as an enemy.”
“It almost sounds more like a title,” Gilbert said.
“They know what I am…,” I said, panting. “They know I’m the priestess and they’re after me. That’s the biggest pack yet.”
“It’s the most we’ve encountered, too,” Gilbert said. “But the thing that concerned me the most was the three superior monsters. I’ve never seen so many like that before—so fast and fairly resistant to my magic songs.”
“Enough of this talk,” Forrest said. “If we start thinking about how bad it could get, we’ll become afraid. And the worst thing we can do right now is let fear in our heads.”
“He’s right,” Rin said. “We’re all in one piece, aren’t we? That’s all that matters now.”
“That’s true,” Gilbert said.
So, I guess they were going to be not-freaked-out. I couldn’t quite get there. That thing had almost touched me, and it had definitely looked in my eyes and used a word that was just for me. They were in my dreams, too. It seemed inevitable now that the day would come when Forrest, Gilbert, and Rin wouldn’t be enough.
Plus, Rin wasn’t even my official guardian. But clearly, we needed him. That just proved there was no guarantee my guardians were enough to face the danger of the monsters, much less the empire.
I had to take this threat seriously.
As we were eating dinner at our camp that evening, I looked at Gilbert. “Okay,” I said. “I think…I should start following a consistent schedule like the book suggests. I should…lend my magic to Gilbert tonight, Forrest tomorrow…and so on.”
Gilbert immediately stood up and offered me his hand, with a flourishing bow. “Don’t be frightened, my lady.”
“Um…” I took the hand. Frightened? I don’t know if I was frightened, exactly, but I didn’t want to look at Forrest or Rin. “You don’t want to hesitate even for a minute?”
“My lady,” Rin said, “if I haven’t already made it clear, I am the heir of Gaermon. My first duty is to my people, and restoring you as the priestess is part of that. I’m fully aware of what Gilbert must do to be a strong guardian. No reason to hesitate.”
“Okay! Yeah. Cool.” I was turning into a mess of clammy palms and rambling words. “I’m glad we’re on the same page. Same page. Heh. Because that book is crazy, right? You don’t all have to call me ‘my lady’ either. I’m used to being called by my name, sooo…” Maybe I was a little frightened, really. I let Gilbert pull me up. He opened the flap of the tent.
I ducked my head under the sloped, sagging cloth ceiling. Once again, our bedrolls were unfolded side by side, making for a soft floor that filled the entire tent.
“Not exactly the Chateau Grace, is it?” Gilbert said, naming off a familiar hotel in the capital. It had a theater inside where I had performed.
“No,” I agreed.
“Your hands are shaking. Surely you don’t think I would be rougher than the knight?”
“No, I—I don’t know why I’m nervous.”
But I did know. Tonight, it was getting real. I couldn’t pretend I was just having a normal relationship with one man.
“I’m no stranger to the arts of seduction,” he said. “We can take it slow. If you don’t want to do anything tonight, I believe a mere massage will activate my sigil.”
“That’s true…” I relaxed a little.
“I could start by giving you those braid loops you wanted.”
“Okay.” I settled down, legs crossed. Although Gilbert was more slender and delicate than Forrest in build, he was still quite a bit taller than me. He sprinkled some scented powder on my hair that was good for keeping hair from getting too oily, and brushed it out. I started relaxing more.
He was really good at this. The sensation of the brushing and tugging as he swept through my long hair and then formed braids was soothing: almost sexual, but not quite.
“How did you learn to do this?” I murmured. “Pretty sure they don’t teach hair at bardic college.”
“Some of us are just born talented,” he said. “I suppose I have dextrous hands.” A few more tugs.
“Do you have sisters?”
“I—no,” he said. “No sisters. I’ve just spent plenty of time with ladies who know of such things.” His tone had a bit of an edge. “I was in an orphanage for a little while after my mother died. It was mostly girls there. The boys usually find work more quickly, as I did, while girls stay until they are old enough to marry.”
“Oh, I get it. I’m sorry.” I had seen kids like that in the cities, with holes in their shoes if they had them at all. Things had gotten even worse for the poor since the monsters came. If work dried up in a city, it was really expensive to leave, because you had to be able to afford guards on the road. If your crops failed in a town, same problem. If your parents died, but you had relatives in another region, well, good luck getting to them. The working classes were stuck where they were born, unless you wanted to take your chances going outside the gate on your own.
“It worked out,” he said. “I found work in the music shop and quickly advanced through the ranks of society.”
“How did you meet Rin? That was when you had finally gotten to a position in a royal court?”
“I was in Barna first. It’s just a town, so I doubt you’ve heard of it, ruled by Baron Ayamo, and Rin—or rather, Prince Raio as I knew him then—came for a diplomatic visit. He kept looking at me, and then he offered me a position. But his father was not exactly pleased. Of course…now, his father is dead.” He laughed with a hint of sarcasm. “I really am living up to the promise of seduction, aren’t I? Telling you tales of tragedy.”
“I would rather know about your life,” I said. “I feel more for a friend than a stranger.”
“Your hair is done—and resplendent, if I do say so. Try not to toss and turn in your sleep.” He lowered himself to the floor of bedrolls and offered me a small smile.
I smiled back, shy again. “I don’t know where to begin.”
“Then, let me.” He slipped his hand beneath my collar and touched his sigil to my chest.
Instantly, my body responded to the touch. The warm sensation that swept over me was starting to become familiar, but I can’t say I was used to it. It electrified me just as it had the first time.
“I know I might not have the brute sexuality of someone like Forrest,” he said. “But I’m willing to bet I am more sensitive to your desires. I want to bring you as much pleasure as Sir Forrest—if not more.”
Oh my. I hadn’t expected him to say that. There was no way he was going to beat Forrest, but—I also didn’t expect the way he deftly disrobed the both of us in a few easy moves. It was almost like our clothes just vanished magically and before I knew it, I was laying back while his tongue swirled around my nipples.
Any thought I might have had that Forrest was more attractive than Gilbert and that Gilbert was too feminine to be sexy was quickly going out the window. It was like trying to compare a delicious roast to chocolate—how could you? It would be equally tragic to never taste either. Gilbert’s body was lean and lithe, but he also had nice lines of graceful muscle in his shoulders, arms and legs. His hair was golden and soft and I found myself digging my fingers into it as he pleasured my nipples, his teeth grazing around the tips before he sucked on them, drawing magic out of me. I was getting into that same space I’d gotten with Forrest, where I felt power building up from deep inside me.
How had I carried this power all along and never known? Why had the fates chosen me for such a task? I was deeply overwhelmed by my position. I was changing into someone I hardly knew.
His tongue slid down my belly, down until it found the center of my pleasure and stroked all around it, first coming from one side and then the other, and then right down the center, after which he took my clit fully into his mouth and sucked on it.
Boys in the capital definitely didn’t offer this kind of thing. I let out a full-throated moan of delight as I felt a gush of wet heat between my legs. His tongue dipped down toward my entrance and spread my slickness around in longer strokes, and I couldn’t help it, I whimpered out, “Gilbert—!”
As soon as I said it, I thought about Forrest and Rin keeping watch outside the tent, and my stomach pitched. I tried to shove Gilbert away. “Wait—wait—”
He straightened his hair with his fingers, after I’d been just kind of wrecking it. “What is it, my lady? I mean—Phoebe.”
“It’s too much.”
“Is it?” A corner of his lip twitched upward. “I thought it was going quite well.”
“Just—just—wha—I mean—isn’t this kind of weird for you? Rin’s out there! And I didn’t think you would want to get all up in my girl parts like it was nothing.”
“Rin knows what I can do, and thus, he would be disappointed in me if I didn’t wring a few screams out of you. As for me, I’ve tried to explain. I think a part of me has been looking for you always. You are deeply attractive to me. But I don’t think that takes away from my relationship with Rin or the rest of my sexuality. It’s all right for these matters to be complicated, you know.” He paused. “It’s Sir Forrest you’re worried about.”
“Well…maybe,” I said, in a smaller voice. “He’s jealous.”
“He’s the one who told me, so forcefully, that I had to put you ahead of all else. He’d be a hypocrite if he didn’t do the same. Of course, he has his emotions. I think it’s best to let them ride their course. Only time will make it easier.”
Gilbert seemed to be taking to the arrangement a lot better than I initially expected. Of course, he was also more comfortable with men, and apparently with sex in general. He also had Rin. I didn’t want to break them up, but what if one of my other guardians was with a woman? That would make me jealous, I just knew it. Which seemed kind of unfair. Gilbert could retain his current lover while other guardians might not.
“Would you rather have Forrest tonight?” Gilbert asked.
I paused, but then shook my head. “You’re right. He has to get used to it…just like I do.”
Gilbert kissed my forehead. “You’re doing fine. Don’t take it to heart. I think we all can’t help but love you.”
“Yeah, because of magic.”
“No. Because you are sweet and rather hilarious and quite without pretensions. I can already tell that you bare your heart to the people you love. Maybe that’s common enough in a small town, but in the circles where I have travel, it is actually quite rare.”
“Well, also magic,” I said, but I felt a little better, deep down inside.
It still seemed improbable and a little wrong, but I felt a strong and equal love for both of my guardians. Sir Forrest had shown that he would risk life and limb for me, and defend me without question. Gilbert had an emotional understanding of the situation and I could already tell he would be my closest confidante.
He kissed me again, on the mouth this time, but tenderly. Then he turned his attentions to my tender clit, his tongue stroking me to a swift orgasm. I let all my worries go, and didn’t hold back my cries.
Chapter Nine
I crashed into sleep after that, and woke up feeling rested, with Rin on the other side of the tent, twitching in his dreams. I guess he took the last sleep shift. I poked my head out of the tent and Forrest and Gilbert were watching the fire, yawning and lethargic.
“Uh…good morning,” I said. “Should we wake Rin?”
“Let ‘im sleep until the potatoes are done,” Forrest said, poking the ashes. “We’d better get a pot at the next town so we can make porridge again.”
“Are you all right?” I asked.
“Fine.”
“You look dead tired. Did you ever sleep?”<
br />
He looked up at me with a face that said, Obviously not. “I’ll be fine,” he said. “I’ve had less sleep before.”
“We traded off being in the tent,” Gilbert said. “By the time you fell asleep, we only had ten hours before sunrise.”
“So you each slept three hours?” I put my hands on my hips. “This isn’t sustainable. I need you guys in fighting shape!”
“We’ll have to do just one person on watch, two people to sleep, from now on,” Forrest said.
“I could take a shift, too,” I said.
“Phoebe, your job is to lend us strength and let us care for you. You are not taking a watch. You need your sleep. And the monsters are fast. You would need a weapon at the ready to take a watch.”
“You didn’t buy me the knife,” I said, but I gave up, slumping onto the pine needles carpeting the forest floor around the fire. Wretch climbed into my lap. I knew Forrest was never going to let me do anything important, but it really chafed. I didn’t actually want to cut monsters in half, but right now my role was so passive I would afraid they would eventually lose some respect for me.
Rin came out of the tent. He gave Gilbert a brief kiss. “Why didn’t you wake me? We need to get moving…” He quickly rubbed sleep from his eyes. “For all I know, my sister could be suffering, every day she is the captive of the Empire.”
“I believe they’ll treat her well,” Sir Forrest said.
“They’ll try to marry her off,” Rin snapped. “To some man she would never have chosen. Himika has never even left Gaermon Castle before. She’s too delicate for brutal treatment from the empire.”
“Maybe she’s stronger than you think,” I said, feeling some sympathy for all girls who were aggressively protected.
“The princesses of Gaermon have always been delicate,” he said. “She is sickly.”
“Poor girl,” Gilbert said, while I felt like I’d said something dumb. “She has to be very mindful of her health.”
Sir Forrest poked one of the baking potatoes. “All right. They’re done enough.”
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