"Like I told you before, it didn't work out. He wanted it to, but I had to come home," Nadea said flatly.
I scrunched up my nose. They couldn't have been talking about the Merchant King Staril? The man was a notorious schemer, killer, and had forcefully conquered the broken up country of Astical about ten years ago.
"That is probably for the best. I didn't like the idea of you going down to that treacherous country, but as usual, you got your way. Now I am going to convince you and get my way; please find someone to love and spend your life with." The duke's voice had an edge of sadness in it.
"It's not for me, Father. At least not now. There is work to do to keep these Ancients from our land." Her voice was firm.
"I know, I know. But you've spent the last five years 'working' on the legends of the O'Baarni with this hope. After meeting him, I am surprised you haven't taken more than just a professional interest in Kaiyer. I believe he is attracted to you. He looked over at you many times while we questioned him."
"Most men look at me, Kaiyer is no exception. Sometimes it would be easier if I looked differently, or was a man."
"Don't say that!" The duke laughed. "You've gotten away with more than you realize because you grew up a pretty girl and turned into a beautiful woman."
“Perhaps, but I believe I would be taken more seriously if I were a man. Would you be pressing your son to marry and produce offspring instead of working to help the kingdom, or would you take pride in his patriotism and contributions?”
A loud crunch sounded behind my ear and I almost jumped out of my skin. I turned around to see Grandfather biting into a large green apple. He smiled at me as he chewed, his gray whiskers danced with the movement of his mouth. Without saying anything, he pointed at the door. I felt my face burn when I opened it and stepped into the room. My entrance interrupted the remainder of the duke and duchess's conversation.
"Maerc took a break for a few minutes. Once he comes back we'll talk about what to do with our new friend," the duke said to Grandfather and me when we walked into the meeting room. As soon as we sat down Maerc strode into the room.
"Where do we stand?" the general said as he went to his seat.
"Nadea and I were talking about our thin friend Kaiyer. I'm not sure what to do with him immediately," the duke said as he leaned back. "It seems he wants to help us but we both agree he isn't telling us everything."
The general nodded.
"Agreed. He is telling us most of what he remembers, but I believe he is leaving out something. I really don't understand how a third-ranked assassin from the Guild missed him from a few feet away with a crossbow."
"The princess said that she really didn't see much of the fight. He pushed her out of the way when they kicked down the door, and then she crouched on the ground when he threw the table," Nadea said.
"I'd like to have more time with him. I am sure there are many things we can learn. Perhaps if we ask the same questions in different ways he will make a mistake and inadvertently give us more information," Grandfather said. I felt hot anger rise in my stomach as my heart pounded.
"He isn't our enemy!" I blurted out. They stopped and looked at me. "He saved us many times while we were traveling. He's done nothing but cooperate with us, and he did not have to. I don't understand why you think he is hiding something." There was a lump in my throat and I realized I was shaking.
I could see pity in everyone's eyes but Maerc’s, who seemed annoyed by my outburst. Perhaps annoyed I was even speaking, let alone with such impertinence, amongst my elders and betters.
"Listen Paug," the duke said as he smiled at me. "The kingdom really appreciates everything you have done. But now we need to think of what having this man in our midst really means. We don't know his real motives. He seems to want to help us, but even the best intentions are stones on the pathway to ruin." Nadea nodded and my eyes began to water. I forced the tears back. I knew they already regarded me as weak, naïve and young. Crying would do nothing to dispel that notion.
"You know,” the duke continued, "It is very good that you think so highly of Kaiyer. He will need someone to help him get adjusted to living in our culture, someone to guide him. In addition, we'll need a clever individual to watch over him and make sure that we can really trust him. If Janci will allow it, I would like you to stay here for the next few months and aid us with him. What do you both think?" I felt my hopes soar suddenly. I turned to look at Grandfather. His face scowled in concentration.
"I don't know about that," he said slowly, "if Paug isn't around I won't have anyone to nag me when I pick up the tobacco pipe." His eyes twinkled. "I guess it is okay." He smiled at me.
"Thank you Grandfather!" I turned to the duke. "Thank you, my lord!"
"You might have one of the most important jobs in the kingdom now, boy," he said. His face suddenly became impassive, like the face of a rock. His eyes turned cold. "This man trusts you, and we all believe that he is hiding something from us. Find out as much as you can from him and report it to us. The fate of the Kingdom of Nia, and our very lives, depends on the knowledge in his head. No one else was alive during the time of the Ancients, let alone part of the O'Baarni's forces."
I nodded.
"I won't fail you, sir."
"Be sure that you don't."
Chapter 17-The O’Baarni
Her lips met mine, matching my hunger and intensity. Our tongues intertwined briefly before her teeth gently bit into the fleshy part of my lower lip. Just before it hurt, she reduced the pressure and moved to my jaw, kissing, licking, and muttering under her breath as she traced along the ridge toward my earlobe. I gasped in pleasure as her tongue grazed the outside of my ear. The wetness of her mouth made me think about other parts of her body that might be wet.
After a few seconds I wound my fingers through her beautiful hair, the thick, coppery strands looked like a waterfall of blood that my fingers were parting. I grabbed onto the mane and pulled her head back, she moaned in appreciation as my mouth went to work down the front of her neck, and then across her collarbone. When I got to her shoulders I changed my kisses and licks into bites. Her nails dug into my back, and the pain mixed with the pleasure of our bodies pressed together was intoxicating.
"That is so good Kaiyer," she moaned in my ear. I walked my mouth up the side of her neck to her tall ears. She inhaled and exhaled sharply when I began to nibble on the earlobe and lick inside of her ear. Her hands moved from my back to the front of my tunic. I felt her fingers graze the skin of my chest as she untied the front collar of the shirt with practiced ease.
"Off," she commanded, tugging my shirt upward. I broke off the suckling of her ear and leaned back. Then she ripped my tunic over my head and pulled me against her. She whispered softly again as her lips kissed down my shoulders and chest. I was clumsier unbuttoning the front of her riding tunic than she had been unlacing mine. But as soon as I was done she shrugged it off, exposing her full, pert breasts and toned stomach.
I grabbed her left breast with my hand and moved my lips down to take the nipple into my mouth. My tongue and lips danced around it as my hand massaged it. She made a sound like she was in pain and I stopped, looking up at her face while my mouth was still around the tender pink nipple.
"Don't stop. It feels very good," she purred. I went back to sucking and licking while my right hand rubbed and teased her other breast. Her nails traced small circles over my back and shoulders while she panted. After a few minutes of devouring her breasts I moved my hands down to her small waist and taut butt, pulling her off the ground toward me. She leaned her head back as I licked up her neck again to her jaw, and then gasped in surprise when I tipped her over and sent both of us tumbling into the thick stack of hay in the loft above the stables.
I kissed down the front of her muscular stomach and her hands ran through my thick hair, her nails tickling and scratching my scalp before her fingertips got to the top of my neck and started to rub gently.
"Do you want
me, Kaiyer?" she hissed as my kisses trailed down to the bottom of her stomach where her leather riding pants hugged her slim hips.
"Yesss," I said. My hands moved to the leather ties on the front of her trousers and unlatched them. Her feet pushed into the ground, raising her hips so I could slide off her tight pants.
"So good," she moaned again as the leather came off. She never wore undergarments and I saw that the silky copper pubic hair guarding her entrance was damp. I continued where I left off, kissing down from the bottom of her stomach. Her hands were frantic now, rubbing across my shoulders and scalp as she let out soft whimpers.
"Oh yes. Oh yes!" I angled my face up during a long lick. Her eyes were shut and her mouth hung open in pleasure. My tongue licked lightly against her soft pubic hair and then went a little lower until it made contact with the small nub of flesh above her entrance. She had told me that this was the most sensitive part of her body and I had learned how to deftly navigate it in the last month that we had been lovers.
She gasped and tensed again as my mouth sucked on it, and then she let out a soft moan of pleasure as my tongue slowly dragged across the top of the nub. She tasted of apricots, sweet, with a slightly sour after taste. I continued to lick her delicately, enjoying the sounds of her moans and the sensation of her hands sliding across my head and back. After a few minutes more of teasing the small nub, I moved a bit lower and slid my tongue into her entrance, tasting her wetness and warmth. She rewarded me with another gasp as her body tensed and rocked toward me. One of her legs wrapped around my shoulders. Its raised position allowed me to slide my wet tongue deeper into her.
I wasn't paying attention to the sounds of her voice anymore. I was intent on pushing my tongue deep into her before sliding it up, out of her entrance, and across the pink nub above. It was what she enjoyed the most, and nothing else matter but pleasing her. My eyes looked up to meet hers. The blue and silver glowing orbs were half-opened, with a look of wild lust in them. She had moved her right hand near her mouth and was biting intently on two of her fingers to keep from screaming.
I focused more on her entrance, sliding one of my pointer fingers into her while my tongue licked around the pink fleshy outsides. My mouth sucked on her nub again and she gasped loudly. Then her body started to shake. It was the sign that she was about to orgasm, so I continued doing exactly what I had been, moving my finger in and out of her, while my mouth sucked gently.
"Maaaarrrrrr!" she moaned and screamed over the hand that was in her mouth. Her hips bucked against me like a horse. I should have been afraid for my life, since she was strong enough to break my neck if she accidently tightened her knees around me, but I didn't think she would do it.
It lasted a long time, almost two minutes before her body began to relax and her hips slumped down back into the embrace of the hay. I slid my finger out of her with a wet sound and licked her dampness off of it.
"Hummmm," she sighed from below me. Her face looked relaxed and content. She saw me looking down at her and smiled.
"Take those off." She pointed to my pants.
I did so quickly, my penis glad to be released from its prison of leather. The cool morning air made me desire someplace warm to put it, though.
"Come here," she commanded again. Her arms opened wide and I lay down in her embrace, the tip of my member sliding deliciously against the soft, smooth skin of her stomach. Her hair had a few strands of hay in it, bright gold against copper.
"You did very well." She let out another breath of satisfaction. "I think I should return the favor, huh?" Her hand closed gently around the base of my shaft. I felt my heartbeat in it as she stroked the sensitive skin.
She moaned again and sat up onto her knees next to me. With ease she swung her left leg over my body and straddled my hips like she mounted a horse. Her hair fell down over her face and she pulled it back over her ears with her right hand while her left continued to stroke my penis. The tip had started to become very wet from her attention.
She shifted her body forward again so that the base of it touched against her entrance. She stroked a little faster as her hand tightened around me. It almost hurt, but I didn't care. Her curved eyes looked down into my face.
"Am I everything to you, Kaiyer?" I didn't understand what she meant, but at this point I would say anything to feel myself inside of her.
"Yes," I gasped.
"Good," she purred again.
"Do you have any other lovers?" she asked suddenly, her face angry. I hadn't expected that question.
"No. No one else but you," I said. She had scared me the first time she had ordered me to come with her up to the hayloft. But since then I had waited eagerly for the mornings when her trainers would leave and she would ask me to take off her boots and wash her feet.
"No one but me?" she questioned, her face returning to a smile. Her hips rose slightly and she pulled the angle of my erection toward her warm, wet entrance.
"No. No one but you," I moaned as she sat back down on me and my member slid deep inside of her. She was so wet that I met no resistance as I entered her.
We both moaned in pleasure as I filled her. Then neither of us moved for a few minutes.
"Do you like being inside of me?" she said. I didn't open my eyes. I was too lost in the pleasure of her body wrapped tightly around me.
"Yesss!" I hissed.
"I like it as well," she said and she slowly raised herself up and lowered herself down. The movement made me thrust deeper into her. We gasped.
She rocked back and forward, causing my erection to scrape across the soft walls inside of her. My hands rubbed up and down her body, over her breasts, and finally ended at her hips, pushing and pulling her deeper onto my shaft. Her eyes were closed as she rode me, but our moans grew louder and louder.
"I am your only lover?" she said again, looking livid while grinding herself deeper onto me. I felt my penis tense and spasm by the sudden change of angle and pressure.
"Yes," I whispered as I looked into her blue eyes, the silver in them seemed to blaze like fire.
"You will never have another lover besides me?" she asked it as a question.
"No, no one but you, ever," I whispered. I would say anything to her as our bodies thrashed together in passion.
She leaned down and kissed me deeply. While our lips were engaged, she lifted her knees up off the floor and straightened her legs, so that her whole body lay upon me. I felt a sharp stab of pain in my mouth and gasped. She broke off the kiss and sat up again. I tasted blood flowing from my mouth. Speckles of it were on her lips.
"Say that I am your only lover," she whispered down to me as she rode me. The pressure began to build up inside of my loins and I knew I would climax soon. Her eyes looked up into the air, like she didn’t know I was beneath her anymore.
"You are my only lover!" I think I screamed it. Her body shuddered on top of me. She was climaxing again. Her body was burning against mine. It felt like she was a hot coal and I was a leaf, about to burst into flame. Were her eyes really glowing?
"Say my name!" she said as she let out a low moan.
I said it as I released into her, filling her with my seed. It was so intense that I don't remember anything but her bright eyes, the sensation of my body being on fire, and releasing into her. A river flowing into the ocean.
Chapter 18-Kaiyer
My vision cleared from the powerful memory, and it took me a few seconds to reorient myself to my surroundings.
My body lay submerged in the massive bathtub. The water coming out of the metal spout sizzled as it splashed into the boiling pool around me. I reached up and turned on more of the cold flow from the silver pipe. The heat wouldn’t burn me, but my body already felt on fire after the memory of Iolarathe’s lovemaking.
I stared into the water and attempted to relax. I tried to remember more about her and the hay loft. That particular session seemed different than the others, more intense. She had never asked me about other lovers before or af
ter that morning. My throat clenched up as I remembered her killing my brother. Her face seemed to be just as pleased when she had strangled him as when I released inside of her.
She was dead anyway. The O’Baarni had killed her and her Elvens long ago. Turned to dust, as Malek’s letter said they all were. I didn’t need to feel anything about her anymore.
I grabbed the soap from the shelf by the tub. I had been in here too long and I didn’t know how much time I had before Paug would come to get me for the celebration tonight. I lathered up my body, cleaning off the oil and sweat from the workout I had performed in my room for most of the morning.
Paug and his grandfather ate breakfast with me after the king’s tailor measured me for clothes. They spent a few hours before my exercise, asking me various questions about my memories and what I thought about everything that had transpired since I awoke. I didn’t tell them about certain things. Like the magic that I wielded and my relationship with Iolarathe.
After Janci left, the boy opened a few books he had gathered from the library, showing me the meaning of the words written there. I picked up the script quickly, or so he said, and he left after lunch, telling me that he would come get me before the banquet began. I did feel a bit nervous about attending a large gathering where I would receive some award. Even though my friend said I understood their language, I was obviously missing key points of their customs and culture that had put me at odds with Nadea.
I got out of the tub and shaved my face quickly with my razor. My hands still shook from the memory and I nicked myself half a dozen times. I healed almost as soon as the first tiny drops of blood left the small cuts.
Calm down. The voice echoed in my head hundreds of times.
I remembered yelling those very words across a group of soldiers practicing magic. Perhaps I was a trainer, or teacher, like the man with the cane. I remembered brief flashes of fighting in a circle. I yelled their mistakes aloud, my blade cutting through them. They healed within minutes and attacked me again.
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