“For two weeks of work? Hmm…”
“We’re a week away, at best,” she said.
“I’ve got to return. That’s on your time, not mine.”
She laid ten more coins on the table next to the others. “Fair enough.”
He prepared to sweep them towards him, but she grabbed some of them. “Half now, half when we get there.”
“I’ll escort you.” He grinned. “It’s a shame you don’t trust me.”
She shrugged. “It’s nothing personal. What’s your name?”
“Saros, and yours, High Priestess?”
Chapter 16
Olivia lay naked in bed next to the bouncer. He was asleep, but she was wide awake. Not an unheard-of situation, for sure. The man was handsome, strong, and patient. She adored his physique, and his lovemaking skills were nearly impeccable. She should have been having the time of her life. Instead she stared at the ceiling.
Even with the most inexperienced lovers she would still be able to at least finish herself. Yet she felt next to nothing. She recalled Sandra’s shock at having gone more than half a year without having sex. At the time she dismissed her friend’s concerns, but now she couldn’t help but wonder if she had lost the desire, will, or both. Either possibility gravely concerned her.
To prove herself wrong and resolve the tension, she stared pleasuring herself. Yet the word pleasure wasn’t remotely accurate. She missed all the usual wonderful sensations. As time went on, frustration consumed her. Perhaps her lover, the man whose name she didn’t know, could be of assistance.
She rolled over and ran her hand gently through his chest hair. His gentle snore was interrupted, but he didn’t open his eyes. A few kisses on his shoulders did nothing but elicit a thin smile.
“Wake up, sleepy-head.”
He stretched and groaned, licked his lips, then settled back into a light slumber. She kissed his cheek then ran her fingers down his abdomen. His powerful muscles tensed as she narrowly avoided tickling him.
“Mmm,” he said.
“I’m not done with you.”
He stretched again. “I don’t know if…”
She held him firmly in her hand and giggled. “What?”
“I’m really…”
He returned only a low, guttural groan as she stroked him. His hips rose to meet her slow, sensual movements.
“Really what?”
He rose and climbed on top of her. “Really want to go again.”
She grinned. “Perfect.”
He wasted no time in entering her. The initial sensations were usually exquisite, but they were completely absent. Perhaps a change of pace was needed. She stopped him, then got on all fours. He grabbed her waist and continued. It felt better, but there could be more. She tossed her hair, hoping he’d get the message. She bit her lower lip when he bunched her hair and held it firmly in his grasp.
“Harder,” she commanded, despite her submissive position.
He obliged, but her arousal didn’t budge. She almost asked him again. He continued for some time, yet nothing changed. He was clearly tired, and his thighs were sweaty. She feigned her climax if only for sheer embarrassment and to put his kind soul out of misery. After he finished, he collapsed on the bed.
There would be no third try.
Chapter 17
Saros tied his horse to a tree and began to brush him. “We covered a lot of ground today.”
“A lot more than I thought we would,” Niv replied.
“I reckon we got about three more days.”
Niv started gathering rocks for the campfire. “I thought you said a week there and a week back?”
“I did. But I didn’t count on riding a fine young horse like this one you rented for me.”
Niv chuckled. “I saw that donkey of yours. I wanted to be sure you could keep up with me.” She looked around for wood but didn’t see anything. “We’ll need a few logs.”
He shrugged. “Why you telling me?”
She scoffed. “Usually the one who cooks doesn’t fetch the wood.”
He removed a pan and utensils from his saddle bag. “Who said you were cooking?
“Well, I just assumed—"
“Are you a good cook?”
“I can bake, but, I’m not great with a frying pan.”
He wiped his pan clean with the edge of his shirt. “I am.”
She scrunched her nose. “That doesn’t make it clean.”
He looked at it closely, then smiled. “Nope, but it makes it look good. I bathe regularly, so I don’t have bugs, if that’s what you’re worried about. Besides, the fire would cook them off.”
She sighed. “That’s gross.”
He laughed. “Now, how about that firewood?”
She had to walk a fair distance to find suitable logs. When she returned, she was surprised to find that Saros had cubed two potatoes in her drinking cup.
She arranged the firewood in the pit. “I was going to make tea in this.”
“I needed something to put them in,” he replied. “Sure did take you long enough.”
She pointed to the logs. “I can make up for that.”
She summoned a small ball of flame and held it in her palm, then tossed it into the pit. The logs instantly began to smolder. The wood cracked, and smoke billowed from the fire.
“Impressive.” He removed a small stick from his pocket. “But I was going to light the kindling with this.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“I don’t know. The man I bought it from called it a fire stick. Seems as good a name as any.”
“How does it work?”
He raked the end of the stick across the side of a rock. It burst into flames.
“It must be made of flint.”
“No. Just some kind of powder at the tip.”
He handed her the stick. She admired the flame until it burned too closely to her fingertips. She tossed into the fire. “I’ve never seen this before. Where did he get it?”
“He said it came from a land on the other side of the ocean.”
“One of the islands?”
“No. Another continent.”
“What?” She searched her mind for any indication of another continent in her maps or books, “That’s impossible. Selandis is the largest land mass in the world.”
“I don’t know. Just telling you what he said. Might have been full of it.”
He took the pan, put some butter in it, then poured the potatoes on one side, taking care to leave an empty space.
“What else are we having?” she asked.
“Some of that salt pork you bought.”
After the potatoes had a few minutes to cook, he laid the pork in the pan. The moisture in the meat combined with the butter to create a ferocious sizzle.
“Listen to that. Mmm.”
When it was almost done, he took a small packet from his pocket and poured something on the pork.
“What’s that?”
He shook his finger. “Not telling.”
“You will if you expect me to eat.”
“I don’t expect you to do anything.”
She frowned. “Don’t you think I have a right to know what I’m eating?”
He folded the packet and placed it back in his pocket, then smiled. “My dear, neither you nor I have any rights at all.” He plated both a generous serving. “Dinner is ready.”
The food smelled delicious. She tried a potato. It was perfectly cooked. “These are wonderful.”
He cut a big bite of pork and shoved it in his mouth. “So is the meat.”
She took a closer smell. She was tempted but was too stubborn to take a bite. “I need to know what’s in this.”
“Pork.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know that. What’d you put on it?”
“Seasoning.”
“What kind of seasoning?”
“Herbs. Spices. That sort of thing.”
“And that’s it?”
He nodde
d. “That’s it.”
Her pride had been satisfied, so she took a bite. It was the best salt pork she had ever tasted. “This is… incredible.”
“My seasonings make nearly anything edible,” he said. “I’d even eat my arm if I sprinkled some on it.”
“It’s fantastic. Well, Saros, you are a good cook.” She caught a glimpse of his shirttail. “Good enough to make me forget about wiping the pan with your shirt.”
He grinned. “I figured as much. Eat up.”
The food was astounding—on par, if not exceeding, what she was accustomed to.
“We could use a cook like you in the temple.”
He grunted. “Cook for a matriarchal order? No thank you.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Not my cup of tea.”
“The offer is open should you change your mind.”
She made some Elvemon tea from the berries she purchased in town.
“Now that’s my cup of tea,” he said.
“Finally, something we have in common.”
He grinned. “I suspect we have far more in common than you think.”
“Maybe. So… what did you mean about us not having any rights?”
“Rights come from people like you and the Varesh assembly. They don’t magically spring up from the ground, ya know? What you’re thinking about is freedom. That’s everywhere, in abundance.”
She handed him a cup of tea. “The people of Selandis weren’t free under Vorea’s rule.”
“Are they free now?”
She nodded. “Of course.”
He took a drink. “If you say so.”
“What do you mean? I do say so.”
“I don’t know the innerworkings of Selandis politics, but I have heard you’re a fair leader. I mean no disrespect.”
“I never thought that,” she said. “But I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“I know, and that’s alright. Most people think I’m crazy.”
She had to admit, she thought he was a bit off. But there was a genuine nature to the ideas he presented. “You are gruff. And direct. But not pretentious. I like that.”
He laughed. “Thanks for the compliment.”
She helped him clean the plates and put away the dishes, then they returned to their horses to ensure they were settled for the evening. Later, they resumed their discussion near the fire over the remainder of their tea.
“You have some unique ideas.”
“You’re still thinking on what I said about freedom, aren’t you?”
She cradled her now lukewarm tea in her hands. “Yes. I don’t know what to make of it.”
“If we talk about it anymore tonight, you’ll think me a madman. No, High Priestess. I must dispense my insanity in drips, not a deluge.”
“Fair enough.” She yawned. “I’m tired, anyway.”
She laid down her bedroll and nestled under the covers.
“Sleep well, High Priestess.”
“You can call me Niv’leana. Or Niv.”
“Which do you prefer?”
“Everyone calls me Niv,” she replied. “Except my best friend, Frasie. She calls me Nivvy.”
He stuffed his pipe with tobacco and lit it. “I rarely call people by their names. So, I don’t expect I’ll use either much. But when I do, I tend to call them how I see them. Right now, I see you as the High Priestess.”
“Alright. It is your choice.”
“Of course it is. It may change. We’ll see.”
“Good night, Saros.”
Chapter 18
Sandra tracked Olivia’s return to the bar with a smirk. “You look positively disheveled.”
Olivia buried her head in her hands. “I feel disheveled.”
Sandra looked toward her chest and pointed. “Listen, love, it’s not that I mind, but, umm… you might want to cover up.”
She looked down and noticed her breast nearly hanging out of her robe. She fixed herself and tightened the belt. “Sorry about that.”
Sandra chuckled. “Hangover?”
She shrugged. “Just a dry mouth.”
She set a large tumbler on the bar and filled it with ice water. “This is what you need. Drink up.”
The water felt good going down her throat. She was parched.
“So… did he work out all that ailed you?”
She sighed. “He tried.”
Sandra scoffed. “Was he impatient?”
“No, he was perfect. It was me.”
“You mean… nothing?”
“The back rub he gave me beforehand was better,” she replied. “But even that was lacking.”
“Your problem is more than sex can solve, then,” Sandra said. “Who’d a thought? Hmm… maybe you’re sick?”
“I don’t think so. I still have my appetite.”
Sandra pointed at her. “Alright. Let’s try cake.” She cut a piece of chocolate cake from a platter and served her a piece.
She took her fork in hand. “For breakfast?”
“Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
She ate a bite.
Sandra carefully watched her for a reaction. “Well?”
“It’s… alright.”
Sandra frowned. “I happen to know that’s a great cake. I made it myself.”
“I’m sure it is. I think I’d like it. But… I don’t. I suppose I have lost my appetite.”
“You have to eat, my dear.”
She took another bite. “I know. I’ll finish this.”
The bouncer walked in without a shirt and stood behind Olivia. He wrapped his arms around her.
Sandra winked at him. “Good morning, Langus.”
So that’s his name.
He kissed the top of her head. “Good morning.”
She smiled at him. “Hope you slept well.”
He chuckled. “I did. Thanks to you.”
She sighed. Sandra noticed her and gave her a perplexed look.
He sat in the stool next to her. “What are you doing today?”
She rubbed her forehead. “I’ve got a lot to do at the temple, Langus.”
“It’s alright,” he replied. “I’ll be here.”
She finished her last bite of cake and downed the remainder of the water. “I’d better get to the temple. Thank you for your hospitality, Sandra.” She turned to Langus. “And I enjoyed last night.”
It didn’t seem right to tell him the truth.
He grinned. “Me too.”
She went to her room and got dressed, then returned to the bar. “What do I owe you?”
“I already told you, Olivia: heroes indulge freely in my establishment.”
She nodded in appreciation and left. She walked through the busy lower city, crossed the retaining pool bridge, stopped at the fountain, and looked over the city.
Just a few weeks ago it gave her a sense of pride to know she had been a part of an effort to save a city from tyrannical rule. Though Lahara had been razed, at least Vorea had been stopped. Through their efforts, Selandis had been spared and its people saved.
She read the plaque on the fountain. It exalted the virtues of the heroes of the Ael’Shanar-Den’tari war. Another statue beside it was dedicated to the sacrifices made by members of the order in the Proctor Wars.
She scoffed to herself. “Hero.”
She was too young to remember much of the Proctor Wars, but she certainly didn’t back Selandis. And the Ael’Shanar fought the Den’tari when they wanted to remain neutral in political affairs.
Selandis indeed had been saved. Her new friend, Niv’leana, had certainly done some good for all the continent and the order. Not a decade ago she would have jumped at the chance to have a say in reforming the Ael’Shanar, and yet she moped about the city concerned only over her lack of pleasure.
She didn’t feel like a hero, and certainly not the seductress she prided herself to be. She would have normally toyed with that bouncer like a cat taunting a mouse. Even in he
r state of despair, he still wanted another go. That normally would have enthralled her. Now it was the footnote to an otherwise miserable evening.
The sky was gray and her heart heavy. There was no pleasure to be had.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Chapter 19
“Olivia!”
Olivia stopped and turned to see Emira chasing after her with a journal in hand. She ran her fingers through her hair and feigned a smile.
“I’m glad I caught you.” Emira took a second look at her. “Are you alright, Olivia?”
“I’m fine. Just… rough night. What’s wrong?”
Emira sighed. “I need your advice. I know I’m not Niv, but…”
She stopped her. “I’ll be glad to help. Walk with me.”
The two made their way down the main hall toward the temple gardens.
“I don’t know if you heard but I am currently High Priestess.”
“Yes, Niv told me before she left.”
“The council has been very accepting of my temporary leadership.”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm? Is that good?”
“Maybe. Go on, please.”
“Since Niv’leana’s departure, the elders on the council have been suggesting quite a few things. I’m not sure if she would agree with all of them.”
“That’s why I went, Hmm. Have you approved of any of these measures?”
“A few of the smaller ones,” Emira said. “For example, creating a holiday in remembrance of Vella.”
“Vella… wasn’t that Maeva’s sister?”
“Yes. The High Priestess before Vorea.”
“I don’t see any harm in that. Though I wonder why they didn’t introduce it before Niv left.”
“The agenda has been packed since Niv’leana’s return,” Emira said. “It could be a coincidence. But they are more forceful with me.”
“You must stand firm, Emira. If you believe something isn’t in the best interests of the order or the city, then you must oppose it. You have veto power. Don’t be afraid to use it.”
They entered the gardens and sat on a bench near the center fountain. “I don’t want them to turn against me.”
“Have you seen any indication of that?”
“No… but they are far more experienced than I and have been on the council for years. I don’t want to upset them.”
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