Darkness has Fallen (Elf World Saga Book 2)

by Matthew Pequegnat

  He could not currently remember what she was doing was called, but it was a reasonably common exercise with female elves, a cross between yoga, gymnastics and dance. It sort of made him feel like a slug, he had not been exercising since he had left the war zone. And somehow doubted that today was a good day to start. “I think I’ll declare last night sufficient exercise for the day…”

  She looked over at him puzzled, and he realized he had spoken the last out loud, he just shrugged and continued drinking his coffee.

  She released her pose and switched to the other foot bending over her head. He got up and wandered over to get a better look, while drinking his coffee.

  She flowed from one pose to another, he filled his cup and enjoyed watching her, and being Myst he started wondering...

  “Hum, do you think later you could do that while I…?”

  She interrupted him laughing, “Yes, yes I can, maybe after breakfast… And maybe this next pose will give you an idea as well.”

  “Ah yes, very… oh , ah no, I don’t think I could manage that last part unless we install a trapeze…”

  She stood up and gave him a kiss, then wandered over to the croissants, “pour me some coffee please.”

  He brought her a cup, “That was very pleasant to watch, you are extraordinary in every way…”

  “Why thankyou kind Ser. I have to admit I enjoy you watching me, it makes it much more fun. I can feel your eyes caressing me, makes me tingle in all the right places....” Then she giggled, “But,”she pointedly looked down, “I expected more of a reaction.”

  Myst sighed, “Finish your breakfast, then we’ll see about more, exercise…”

  He heard a buzzing sound and walked over to the french doors and looked out. It was getting louder but he did not see anything, “Can’t be a swarm of bees in winter...”

  Kayla had pulled on a white fur coat and a pair of boots and open the door and went out on the balcony, “Myst, come see!”

  Myst had gone to pull on a pair of pants and his boots, where his shirt was… and followed her outside, he noticed that quite a few people were outside looking up.

  There looking north where Kayla was pointing, was one of the gnome Zeppelins crossing the city about a thousand feet up in the air.

  “It’s a little far south isn't it,” Kayla asked?

  “It’s the first I’ve seen over the city, the airdrome is on the far north part of the island by Valbon Park, what ten miles or so from here. I thought they went suppose to fly over the city.”

  “Maybe the winds blew it too far south...” She looked up at him, “Ah, the blending of magic and science, those gnomes are so clever,” Kayla had back up against Myst to conserve body heat. “That’s the twice weekly flight from Krigsburg coming in.”

  “Twice a week? It seems only a short while ago they invented these airships, and it was just once every other month they made the three hundred mile flight over the mountains.”

  Kayla looked back at him, “Twenty years… but I guess for elves that is a short time ago. One day it would be fun to ride, don’t you think. But let's go back in I’m freezing out here!”

  He followed her back inside, she tossed her fur coat on the sofa, then hopped on one foot pulling off one boot then other, then scurried to the bedroom calling to him, “Come back to bed and warm me up!”

  He followed her and slid in under the comforter and she immediately stuck her feet against his belly. “AY, OH my God they are freezing!”

  “Tha-he-hehe,” she just laughed at him and wiggled her toes against his warm skin.

  ~

  Almost eight hours later of lazing the day away, an Myst exhausted, was laying on his bed in his apartment and Kayla was sitting ontop of him straddling his hips, he had pretty much surrendered by now, too consumed to do more than talk, fortunately she seemed willing to give him a rest and chat for awhile.

  Myst had taken her over to the very cute, Café Bonpart just down the block from his flat, they ate at one of the little outdoor tables with the striped dark red and blue covered chairs that matched the awning overhead. The Onion soup and coffees kept them warm as they chated and people watched a pleasant hour or so away. Then a short shopping excursion because Myst happened to live close to one of the top streets in the world for female fashions… Then returning home to show him what she had found, not that he hadn't just seen them a short while ago in the stores, but... “such is life with a beautiful women,” he thought.

  She stretched her arms high over her head like a cat, “I think I could get used to doing nothing but laying in bed making love all the time.”

  He nodded in agreement.

  She laughed ruefully, “But I think you would get tired of it before long. Doing nothing eventually gets old.”

  Myst gave her a disbelieving look, “You think so, because you haven't let me do much of ‘nothing’… particularly sleep.”

  She stretched again, “have I told you about my year of doing nothing”?

  Myst, enjoying watching her stretch, shook his head no.

  Kayla leaned forward bouncing one nipple off his nose, then again with the other one. She swung her leg over and climbed off him, hopped down off the bed and wandered naked to the glass balcony door. Quickly she opened and grabbed a bottle of a hearty red wine that had been chilling outside, and quickly closed the door. She sauntered over to the fire place to stand for a moment to warm her rear, while pouring them both some wine and came back to the bed. She handed him one of the glasses and then carefully so not to spill, climbed back into the spot she had left. She wiggled her hips slightly and looked at him questionably. He shrugged still needing a break from her sport.

  She sipped the wine, and started her story, “It was after my first diplomatic posting, the Imperial Foreign Office, had sent me to Ferinzia for two years as a junior counselor officer, just an Assistant Attaché processing travel and trade visas, so boring… It’s a wonder I did not find another career after that! The only saving grace was the beautiful city with perfect weather...” She was lost in thought for a moment, “Well, with that done, my friend and colleague Miranda Verras and I had set sail back to Palantar in the late Autumn of oh what year was it 10,156.”

  Myst broke in, “What does she look like,?” Being very visual he always insisted on details and rightly guessing the direction her story would eventually take...

  Kayla thought, “tall, slender, blue eyes, dark honey brown hair with fair highlights… somewhat round face, very pretty, a real party girl.”

  Kayla sipped at her wine then continued, “The ship was less than a day out of the city of Florenta when it was hit with a horrible storm. The mainsail got stripped away and the storm drove us far south into the Great Reef. The hull was shattered when we hit the reef, luckily some of us got off in a lifeboat before the ship sank.” She paused of a sip of wine, her gaze far away, “Somehow the lifeboats shallow draft made it over most of the sharp reefs, sure it was taking water, but the waves were no longer as massive. We almost made it to an island deep within the reefs, but the gale wind drove us over a shallow almost exposed reef, and the lifeboat also had its keel sheared off.. I woke up on a beach on a beautiful tropical deserted island with Miranda and a half dozen of the surviving crew.”

  She paused remembering, “The sea was full of fish, the trees covered in fruits and nuts, birds abounded on the island, so food was easy and plentiful, and the guys had no problems keeping us supplied with things to eat. We found an abandoned house just off the beach and for the next year we sat around with pretty much nothing to do, day after day after day..., you try to sleep as much as possible, swim in the crystal blue waters, run on the soft sand beach, explore the lush green jungle, but you still would have another long eighteen hours of so to fill… Soon you've heard everyone's stories repeatedly, played every game possible, and then you even get bored of sex after a while.” Kayla wiggled suggestively, “Are you getting bored of sex already husband?”

  Myst smiled, “Another
day or two we’ll see… if I survive, but you're ruining my hot tropical island fantasy…”

  She snorted a snip of her wine laughing. “Your hot tropical island fantasy would have the numbers of male and females reversed, I know you too well!”

  He shrugged acknowledging she was right.

  After a few minutes of stories of exotic island life, she exclaimed “oh, wait husband, what is this,” she wiggled again, “you seem to be waking up!”

  Myst laughed, “Well aren't you a little minks…” as he pulled her face down to his lips.

  “Humm, ah...,” Kayla whispered into his ear as she started to pant with excited exertion, “maybe after this, oh... that’s nice, I, hum ah… will you take me out to get something to eat I’m starving.”

  Myst opened his eyes slowly, and found himself snuggled up, like spoons in a drawer, with beautiful golden haired elf lass. She lay tight against him, head on his shoulder, his arms wrapped around her, each of his hands gently cupping her breast.

  “Myst?”

  They had obviously fallen asleep, he glanced at the french door and saw that it was dark, but with this being the darkest time of the year...

  “Yes my dear one…”

  “Ah, I’m starving. We fell asleep.”

  “It appears so,” he checked the mantal clock, not yet seven. “Well you had better put some clothes on then… if you want to eat something!”

  Kayla wanted to celebrate so Myst took her to the very refined and elegant restaurant The Lasserre, a confection of creamy white and gold silk damask wall coverings, and with a azure ceiling mural that could be withdrawn to reveal a massive skylight, the restaurant, Myst thought, it was nearly as attractive as the food. They decided to have the spiced duck with roasted figs in red wine sauce for two, and a expensive bottle of ‘978 Pomerol that the sommelier said went well with the duck, and he was right it did.

  Kayla had somehow already started to acquire closet space in his apartment, but as she was now wearing a teal colored silk sheath dress, that hugged her curves and caressed her skin like an illicit lover, along with elegantly smooth dark silk sheer stockings, and black stiletto high heels, Myst thought he did not have anything to complain about, no not in the slightest, “let her have all the closets.”

  He had noticed, and so had everyone else, that when the maître d' had helped her take off the Three-Quarter-Length silver fox coat, the chill air was teasing Kayla’s nipples to a very pleasing hardness. The one and only advantage to the cold he could think of.

  She saw him noticing her chest, “I hate the cold, it's the main reason I wouldn't want to live here year around.” She adjusted the silk of her dress pulling it away from her nipples. It simply fell back into the same place when she was done. And of that he was most appreciative.

  “You know my love, I’ve yet to meet a man who is bothered by that,” he nodded at her chest… or a woman who doesn't complain in such a way to bring a mans attention to it.”

  She gave him a secret smile and insouciant shrug.

  So he continued, “You must have really enjoyed that warm year on that tropical island then.”

  Again smiling delightfully, “You, know the best thing about that time,” she started and he gave a raised eyebrow look that made her laugh. “Ok one of the best things, was that I went the entire year without wearing clothes and didn't need them. It is certainly one of the things I look forward to doing more of living in Mentonferrat.”

  Myst nodded, “Yes, well in Drakar nine months of the year you could do that I think, particularly Mentonferrat, its winters are the mildest of the coast”.

  “Hence all the lemon and citron fruit trees,” she interrupted.

  He smiled, “Hence the lemons and citron trees. Now our summers are sunny, long and warm, you will love that, but while the winter is warmer than here by a good bit, but it's still too cool for too much nakedness.”

  She pretended to pout, then smiled, “There's no such thing, besides I’ll just spend the winter in your heated outdoor bathing pool.”

  “You and the rest of my staff,” he laughed and she joined in delightedly remembering the fun parties they had had in that pool in the castle's central courtyard, under the plane trees. “One of the reasons I can’t expand the staff much more, is the pool can only fit about twenty five or thirty at a time.”

  Kayla nodded while trying to sip her wine, “remember the Spring Equinox Festival, there was so many elves in the pool you couldn't see the water…! Oh how I look forward to being there for that this year!”

  “Hum, maybe no one would try to assassinate him this time… Cheers to that thought.” He kept that to himself not wanting to upset her with that memory.

  A piano band was playing his favorite new music that had taken the elven world by storm, the lively sound of the piano accompanied by a double bass, drums, saxophone, and guitar seem to fit the sophisticated mood of the restaurant.

  He, sipped at his wine, and enjoyed the spiced duck, and drank in Kayla, the sight of the gossamer elven torc around Kayla’s neck, made him pause and reflect… so exquisite, that was the best word he could think to describe her.

  During the elegant meal, they had decided to spend the Winter Fest holiday here in Palantar, the city really was magical at that season, it would let them tie up some loose strings. Then home to the sunny and reasonably warmer southland. Maybe stop by and see what his father was up to in Bordan or Oreon as he now insisted calling it by its ancient name, before the Emperor had changed it to suppress Andalisian pride, he had to keep an eye on him now he was in full scheming mode.

  “Did I tell you,” Kayla paused and put her fork down, “We’ve been invited to both the Porto Vennian and Ferinzian Embassy’s ball celebrating the Emperor's Birthday…”

  “Ah, that’s right you used to be run the Moon Elf desk at the Foreign Office here for a while.”

  “Chief Counselor, yes. After completing tours in all five of the Moon Elf kingdoms.” Then she frowned slightly, “and what does the Foreign Office do after spending forty years making me an expert on Moon Elves, with high level contacts throughout their countries…”

  Myst smiled having heard this once or twice before, “They promote you and send you to nothing but crazy Star Elf counties…” he finished for her.

  “They send me to every crazy Star Elf country they can find for the rest of my career! I’m not particularly fond of crazy Star Elves.”

  Myst laughed, “Well you kinda like Zarra Alkirr don’t you…”

  She paused and smiled at him, “Zarra’s particularly crazy..., but Myst she’s just the exception to the every rule example. But yes, she is fun.”

  “For an assassin, she is that…”

  “But she would make a terrible second wife,” Kalya added.

  “Are you already planning on bring on a sister wife,” he teased.

  She laughed at that, “No! And I agree with you about the whole polygamy thing…” She took a sip of wine, “I’m more than fine with occasionally sharing you with my friends, but a full time extra wife isn't the relationship dynamics I particularly want.”

  Myst noded in agreement, “I can’t even fathom why any man would want that,” he was going to say headache, but thought better of that at the last moment, changing it to “responsibility…”

  Kayla sat forward always happy to engage in intellectual discussions, “Cultural and familial responsibility,” she declared, “after each great war or cataclysm the already imbalance in males becomes so drastic that we as a society have to use that tactic to survive. It’s why the Moon Elves developed the clan marriage system they still use, we do something similar after each great loss, the surviving males tend to take on the widows of their brothers and cousins as second or third wives. The Moon Elves simply made that a permanent part of their society and we only tend do it when necessary.”

  “Did you know,” Kayla went on, “that now less than ten percent of Sun Elf marriages are plurals, but after the last great war it was
over eighty percent?”

  “No, I didn't” Myst responded, “but very fascinating my love, and as I have no close male relatives, I’m not planning on taking on that responsibility even if we have another cataclysm and most of the males are killed off!”

  “Well, not on a full time basis,” she laughed delightedly!

  He raised his glass of wine to her in perfect agreement... “Another great meal, but if we keep eating like this I’m going to get terribly out of shape.”

  “Well let's swim a mile or two in the spa’s pool tomorrow…” she suggested.

  “A great idea, I wish we had a lap pool at our castle… Hum, I wonder, but were to put it?”

  “Down by the river,” Kayla suggested, “excited by the idea. There is that flat section a couple hundred yards below the castle.”

  “Something to think about, well have Galen Caravello see what he can do when we get back to Mentonferrat.”

  “Soon, I can’t wait to go back, I miss the Blue Coast so…”

  A light snow was falling from the dark Decembre sky, not yet sticking to the ground as they left the restaurant and hurried to a waiting carriage for the few mile ride back to ‘their’ flat.

  “Did you want to stop at the Lussanbourg Spa on the way home and soak in the hot waters…” He asked?

  “Burr, it's cold! I think just home, let's get up and have breakfast at Lussanbourg maybe, then swim and soak for a couple hours.” She shivered and huddled next to him.

  “It’s one more thing we share, but hardly elf like letting something like a little cold air make you shiver…” He told her.

  “I’ve never fully bought into that hype, Myst and neither has my goosebumps, see…” She pulled her skirt up to show him her thigh above the stocking.”

  “Nice, that’s warming me up.” was his only comment.

  “Well if it was warmer I would take this dress off and ride you through the streets, but now you're just going to have to wait till we get home!”

  Myst smiled at her thinking to himself, “Just as well, in this cold she wouldn't get much of a ride…”