by D. R. Rosier
In a short amount of time we were all seated around a table, servants came in with food as Serina laid out what happened.
Serina explained what happened, “They poured through the pass and as they approached the gates, a large number of commoners attacked the gates from within, apparently people that were well known and trusted by others that must have been planted there years ago. They’ve been planning this for… a long time. I’m not sure, but I believe they will consolidate and use the city as a bridgehead to bring in more troops. Hopefully it will take them some time to be ready to attack the other towns. That seems to be the way they operate, slowly but surely taking a kingdom a piece at a time.”
Nialla scowled, “How did commoners overwhelm the mages at the gates? There should be three posted there in addition to the mayor’s family.”
Serina frowned, “That’s the most shocking thing. According to the mayor the enemy had no mages at all with them, but for some reason as the army approached the gates from outside magic stopped working. The mages guarding the gates were helpless and immediately slaughtered before the betraying commoners threw the gates open. The mayor managed to get out via the escape tunnel and sent a report.
“He’s been testing using scrying, he can get a view of them from very high up, if he tries to go lower than, or closer than a few hundred yards the magic is cut off. It’s almost like the cuffs that cut off magic, only this seems to affect a huge area instead.”
“Well that explains a whole lot,” I said softly.
Serina looked at me sharply and said, “Explain.”
I shrugged, “Maybe it’s just a guess, but it seems like the Empire’s mages don’t serve in the military, instead they create magical devices so normal people can defeat the mages in countries they invade. It keeps them safe on the back lines. It explains why the Empire demanded the Elves be destroyed, and why they were waiting for that to happen before they attacked. The emperor hates Elves because when they face elves they need to risk mages.”
Serina still looked confused, didn’t she know?
I added, “Sorry, I thought you knew. Magic restraint cuffs do not work on Elven affinity magic. One Elf could probably easily destroy that enchantment and the whole army for that matter if they have no mages there.
“Like I said, it explains why they focused on destroying the treaty and then demanding the Elves be destroyed. They’re only attacking now because they know you have no intention of following through on that. They’re only chance to win without risking their mages is to hope the treaty and relationship has been damaged enough that the Elves won’t help until it’s too late.”
Serina suddenly looked torn. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why. Ari, Alethea, and I were the only ones that could really stop them. Cirenthia didn’t have the overwhelming number of troops we would need to take back the city even now, a month from now it would be ten times worse as the enemy troops started to pour through the pass.
And of course, she would have to stay here.
I cut through it and said, “I’ll go, just make sure there are troops coming behind us, we can do a lot of damage as a small group before they get there.”
Alethea jumped in so Serina wouldn’t have to ask about getting help from the Elves either, “I’m going with them, but I’ll send the treaty we worked up to my father and explain how we need to stick together in this. We do not need the Empire as a new neighbor.”
Serina said softly, “Be safe, the rest of us can plan for the troops and what’s needed logistically. You four should get packed and go as quickly as you can.”
Audience or not I kissed Serina fiercely and promised we’d be careful, and more importantly, that we’d be back.
Serina smiled sadly and said wistfully, echoing her words from the last time I’d left, “You’d better come back, or I’ll hunt you down and turn you to ash.”
I smiled wryly as we packed, so much for all our plans, personal and business. I’ve said before though, life is what happens when you’re busy making plans. It was something I had to do, Serina was queen and as soon as I could manage it I planned to marry her, if she consented. It was all the motivation I needed to join this fight. I was worried about my mates coming along, but that wasn’t new. They came first in my mind, but sometimes you had to take risks in life. Of course, now I had a third person to worry about.
Tina came in carrying a satchel full of food from the kitchens, and we were ready to go. To my surprise Tina gave me a hug and warned me to be careful for the queen’s sake. When we arrived at the stables they already had four horses ready to go. My new one was a bit temperamental, but he settled after a while. I missed my other horse, but we hadn’t found the time to return to River’s Bend and pick him up.
I was tempted to fast travel out to the road leading east, but knew it would be waste of magic and just suffered through the slow crowded twenty minute walk through the city. Soon enough we were out on the road and headed away at a canter. I had no doubts if we were careful we could defeat the current force, just the four of us, but I was sure in the next attempt they would be bringing mages to bear on us. Still, that might take a while to organize, and once I had been to the border it would be a matter of a few hours to move back and forth; and even faster if I burned magic for it.
I cut off my thoughts about the future; I needed to focus on the road and our plans for when we got there. It would be ironic if a bandit’s arrow found me while I was woolgathering about what I wanted to be doing a few weeks from now. That thought made me consider something else.
I said to all three, “I had a disturbing thought. There are a few towns along this road before we reach Valley Pass. Pine Bluff, Desert Sands, and Mountain View. I was thinking if Valley Pass had enemy agents in it, it’s likely the other towns do as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if they all had orders to assassinate any Elves moving East. So whenever we are in a town we go in warded against physical attack. Alethea and Sienna needs to let either Ari or I scent any food we buy, either cooked at an inn or bought for resupply. We should be able to sniff out any poisons.”
Alethea whispered to Ari, “Is he always this paranoid about our safety.”
Ari smiled mysteriously and said with satisfaction, “Always.”
I continued as if I hadn’t heard them, “We also need to be vigilant even if we do manage to oust their military when we get there. There could still be sleeper agents left against that possibility.”
We continued discussing possible scenarios and ways we should be aware. We were at war, and the last thing I would do was take it lightly, even if I expected to slaughter them all when we got there if they didn’t surrender. I frowned, they never surrender, although that doesn’t stop me from trying.
I packaged a message for Serina, Carl, Maggie, and Nialla. They had probably considered it already in their meeting after we left, but assassination was a good way to throw an enemy kingdom off balance. I wanted to be sure they were taking steps against it.
We stopped for a quick lunch, and I slowly lightened up as the day went on. I was fairly sure we had addressed most of the possibilities, and it was hard to remain grim and stern around the three of them. Being on the road had always been our happiest memories, and it was hard not to feel that now. Plus, once addressed it would be a waste of energy to keep worrying about it constantly, which was no way to live.
Ciren and spending time with Serina had been great too, but it was harder to relax when we were surrounded by so many others, especially when Ari and Alethea had to drop into their emotionless visage, and they hated not feeling nature around themselves. The happier moments there usually only happened in the private moments. Things would get better that way of course when they formed friendships with the normal people in the castle, but it would take time.
When we stopped for the evening, we all practiced together. With Alethea only having fire it changed the dynamic of our training. I hadn’t given it much thought before, but fire was better suited for combat t
han most elements, whereas air was a lot more versatile in application.
I sparred with Alethea that night, she was very good and her style was different enough from Ari’s that it took me a while to figure out. She was all fire and joy in her movements as we moved around each other and traded blows.
When we stopped for dinner I was painfully aware of Alethea’s presence, and every move she made. It was as if her instincts had decided our sparring had been foreplay, the pheromones she was putting off were beyond distracting. All I could think about while eating was ravaging her, taking her, making her mine. After we ate Ari set up a ward around the camp and looked amused as she pulled Sienna toward the tent.
Ari said with a knowing look, “I’ll put up a sound muffle.”
Alethea sent her a grateful look; we would want privacy for this first time.
There was no more patience left for either of us. I had to have her. She started to strip out of her clothes as she moved toward me, a sultry desperate look in her eyes. I was so focused on the beauty and curves of her body that it was only as I dropped my pants to the ground that I realized I had been stripping as well.
She whispered, “You are more than a friend to me, my second name is Aine.”
I replied by telling her my second name, the third would wait until we were ready to bond our lives together as mates. Her second name hadn’t surprised me, how often had I thought of her as fiery joy over the last few days?
Her lips were so warm and soft as I kissed her for the first time. We both moaned in pleasure and I gasped as I felt her almost hot hand wrap around my member. Everywhere our bodies touched felt like fire. Our kiss grew more primal as I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her toward me, my other hand controlling her by her hair as I pulled her lips tighter against mine.
She broke the kiss and whispered sultrily in my ear, “Fuck me, make me yours.”
I don’t remember doing it, but I must have pushed her onto the ground and mounted her from behind, all I knew was I was currently taking her hard and fast from behind. I vaguely heard her mewling in pleasure and begging me to fuck her harder, but it was all lost in the storm of lust swirling through my mind.
Her body was welcoming, and I fit perfectly inside her tight channel as I took her hard and fast. I dimly noted that she was wantonly screaming in pleasure as she bucked back into me with all her strength, giving herself to me. All that mattered to me at that moment was reaching completion, filling her with my essence, claiming her and making her mine.
My balls boiled as my pleasure rose and I growled, “You’re mine,” as I started to fill her core with my essence.
As I came out of my insane animal lust I felt her body trembling against mine as she too reached her bliss in animalistic ecstasy. I was pretty sure this was her third or fourth orgasm, but it was hard to remember. While under the influence of her pheromones I simply didn’t care about her except as an object to be claimed.
When we came down a little I pulled her into my arms. She stiffened a little at first, but then relaxed against me. I remember how ashamed Ari had been at first, about this purely instinctual bonding, so I held her close for a while.
I lifted her head by her chin and kissed her lightly, a mere brush of our lips before I deepened it slightly. She responded to my kiss and started to run her fingers up and down my chest, and up and around to the back of my neck, while I slowly and gently explored her body with my fingertips.
I was extremely gentle, as if to erase my harsh actions of earlier as we kissed for a long time as I traced and explored all her curves. The gently curve of her neck, the deep valley of her waist, the soft silken skin of her long legs, as she in turn explored me. I teased her lower back and her soft and supple ass with my fingertips.
I could feel she wanted me again, needed me, but this time it was all her and not the biological instincts to claim her mate. In fact, those were absent now, satisfied. I picked her up and moved her so she straddled me, slowly lowering her down. Her hot tight passage caressed my length with delicious wet friction as she took me deeply inside her heaven.
I was sitting with her in my lap, our faces were close together and I could feel her soft body tight against mine. She was so beautiful and I caressed her face softly before claiming her lips sensuously. I broke the kiss and she returned my smile as our eyes locked together intensely.
I stared into her eyes and said softly, “I love you Alethea.” I felt like I was drowning in it.
She blushed at the intensity of our connection and ground against me lightly, “I love you too Marcus.”
We made love slowly as she rode me, every sensation seemed magnified as our bodies rubbed and grazed against each other’s as she worked her wet heat slowly up and down my pleasure time and again, while her nipples drew lines of fire up and down my chest.
Our making love and my gentle regard must have made her feel better about the claiming, because she smiled wickedly and pushed me onto my back, and then picked up the pace. She looked so sexy as she started to bounce up and down along my length. I started to push up into her as she came down on me and ground her hips forward before pulling back up. Her perky B cups shook each time our bodies slapped together, and her long beautiful silver blonde hair teased my chest and neck.
She picked up speed again and started to bounce on me in a wanton fashion, her breath short and fast. The increase of the blissfully wet friction pulled a gasp out of me. This time though it was all her, she wanted this. She was truly breathtaking as she set the pace, I pushed up to meet her body each time she impaled herself on my length.
She said breathlessly, “Goddess how I’ve wanted this,” and she gasped, her body locked up and trembling above mine as her core milked and fluttered around my girth.
She was in the throes of bliss but she never broke eye contact, and I could see the love there amidst the desire and pleasure in her eyes. It was impossible to look away, and I knew she saw the mirror of those feelings in mine.
She couldn’t move so I took over, grabbing her firm ass I lifted her a bit, bent my knees, and then started pushing up into her fast and hard. I smiled as her eyes widened and she whimpered in pleasure. I sped up even faster, a little too fast for it to be normal and her body just collapsed against me. I held her body up by her waist as I rolled her form one orgasm to the next, her body felt so good against mine as I pleasured her. Her soft wet bliss was milking, fluttering, and undulating around my sensitive invading flesh.
I felt my own pleasure rising and started to expand within her.
She purred breathlessly in my ear, “Yes love, I want to feel you fill me.”
I lost control and started to spurt within her, filling her core with my essence.
She bit my shoulder and came hard for me one more time as the last of my load filled her.
We just laid there for a long time with her lying on top of me, my member still inside her. She nuzzled into my neck and kissed me, and then sighed in contentment.
I played with her hair and caressed the smooth silken skin of her back for a while when she said, “Should we join Ari and Sienna in the tent?”
I kissed her hair and held her a little tighter, “I don’t think I’m done having you to myself yet.”
She pushed against my chest to raise her head. She looked at me with a smile in her eyes, “When will you know?”
I pulled her into a kiss and rolled over. I saw her eyes widen as I felt myself grow again in her tight channel, forcing her walls to make room for me again.
I winked, “I don’t know love, ask me again at dawn…”
She opened her mouth to say something, but cut off with a gasp as I claimed her lips with mine and started to move in and out of her…
Chapter 20
It was amazing how easily Alethea fit into our group. She had already been close friends and family with the three of us, so it just worked. There were some minor adjustments, but nothing that even came close to a true problem.
Over
the next week we got daily reports from Serina. The mayor of Valley Pass had stayed behind and was constantly feeding her information as it came in. Based on where the edges of the anti-magic field were, it appeared to be one of the officers that were giving it off. It was hard to make out from a distance, but the warrior in question seemed to be wearing a medallion of some kind.
The Imperial troops dressed by rank it seemed, the higher an officer was, the more elaborate he dressed. There was also the fact that more soldiers did seem to be arriving every day along with supplies. It was the fourth day when another officer showed up with a similar medallion, then another later the same day. I worried with a bunch of those magic suppression devices they would move out, but so far the enemy seemed content to secure the bridgehead into Cirenthia.
When we reached Pine Bluff, we stayed for one night to get some hot baths and a meal not cooked over a campfire. I was happy to leave however; my paranoia seemed to be in full force. I was more worried about Alethea and Ari than me or Sienna, if anyone was targeted it would be them. Although I couldn’t rule out they may know I used magic the Elven way.
The second week went pretty much the same, but they were organizing the commoners into work gangs to strip the nearby farms of food for their army. We were making good time, but it was still frustratingly slow and I thought longingly of airplanes, or even a damned train. Desert Sands seemed another apt name as it was built on the edge of a desert, luckily it wasn’t that large and we were across it in just a couple of days.
Air magic came in handy to help keep us cool during the trek. Still, we were all sweaty and had sand everywhere when we reached the other side. It was with some relief when we found a large stream and bathed.
Still, it was more the time it was taking than the travel itself. I enjoyed spending the time alone with my mates, and Alethea and I grew even closer during this time. It was just the urgency of the situation at the border that kept things from being perfect, but the ladies didn’t let me brood very long when I thought about it.
