by Sam Cheever
“Be really careful, Hermes. She has eggs.”
I swore softly. Even I knew there was nothing more deadly than a dragon protecting her young.
I walked over and looked down at the huge nest.
The intricately woven mass of sticks and feathers appeared to be held together by something brown and stinky. Probably manure.
Thus the smell.
Nestled together in the center of the nest were three enormous eggs. They were silver with white, irregularly shaped spots and seemed to glisten in the warmth of the sun. The nest had been built to capture the single sunray that entered the cave.
I stepped into the nest and stopped as an enormous crunching sound met my first step. I held my breath but the dragon didn’t move.
I took another step, waited and then another. Kneeling down, I forced myself to feel around in the feathers surrounding the eggs. I figured, if I were a wizard trying to hide a key, I would put it under the cranky dragon’s eggs.
My hand had just touched something small and metal when Nidras screamed my name and I heard a soft growl behind me.
I grabbed one of the eggs and threw myself out of the nest, rolling sideways while protecting the egg with my arms. The dragon roared and fire shot past me. I held the egg up in front of my body.
The thing weighed about fifty pounds and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold it up for long. Leaning my weight against the wall, I wrapped an arm around the egg and let go with my other arm long enough to toss Nidras the key.
She caught it with the tips of her fingers and I returned my attention to the dragon. She was advancing on me, her jaws wide and fire dancing on her massive, black tongue. You will die, puny Cupid.
“If you kill me I’ll drop your egg.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nidras dropping into a crouch on the floor.
The dragon sprayed fire in my direction again. It hit the rock wall behind me and tore tiny chunks of heated rock off to rip into my skin. I ignored the pain and screamed at Nidras, “Get out of here!”
“I’m not leaving you.”
“Trust me, I’m right behind you.”
The dragon started to turn as Nidras skidded by. “Hey, ugly!” I held the egg out from my body as if I would drop it.
The dragon shot another furnace blast into the wall.
Dozens of tiny, white-hot missiles pierced my skin. “This is no damn fun!” I screamed and, seeing that Nidras had reached the cave’s entrance, I tossed the egg toward the dragon and ran past, bumping against her wide body as she reached to catch the egg. I shoved an elbow into her fleshy middle and leapt over the razor sharp tail, which swung toward me as I passed.
“Go, go, go!”
Nidras plunged through the cave entrance and I was right behind her.
The dragon’s enraged roars followed us as we ran toward the only shelter we could see ahead. The woods where we’d prepared for our last visit to the wizard Grimsbar.
I only hoped this visit would turn out better.
We ran full out toward the trees.
Seconds later the sound of enormous wings pounding the sky above our heads spurred us to run even faster. I wanted to look around, to see how close she was but I couldn’t. I kept my eyes on Nidras, who was covering the ground with rapid strides directly in front of me.
Flames shot toward my back and I gritted my teeth against the blinding pain. The fire had barely touched my skin but the smell of burning cloth told me she’d charred my shirt. Reaching for the chain around my neck, I turned and stopped, flinging it toward the shimmering air above my head.
I smelled sulfurous breath as the chain whipped upward and wrapped around an all but invisible neck. As soon as the chain found her neck, the dragon became fully visible. She roared and pounded her wings, lifting me off the ground a couple of feet.
I didn’t let go of the chain. First, because I’d forgotten to ask Bleark how to do it. And second, because if I let her go I might not get another chance at her. So I jerked my body hard in an effort to tighten the chain and break the dragon’s thick neck.
Her massive jaws gaped open and her tongue slid out. Flames danced down the chain, burning my hands. I screamed in pain but held on.
Whipping past my head, one of Nidras’ knives embedded itself into the dragon’s chest. She shrieked and jerked backward.
A second knife flew past me and landed in her thick throat.
The dragon pounded her wings harder, carrying me backward with her. I flicked my wrist and the chain came free. The dragon lifted into the air and disappeared in soft shimmer of air. The fading sound of her wings told us she’d turned back toward her cave.
Nidras’ knives dropped toward the ground. I walked over and grabbed them, wiping dragon blood off on the thick grass beneath my feet.
I sagged to my knees, panting hard. I could hear Nidras sucking wind behind me. Soft hands slid around me and plunged into the front of my shirt, healing light flared. Pain jolted through me as Nidras sent healing magics into my body. I stiffened under the surge of power and tried to pull away.
I knew she didn’t have the energy to heal me.
But she held on tight. I couldn’t jar her loose.
As the healing heat faded, Nidras hit her knees behind me, leaning heavily against my back.
I turned and caught her before she sagged to the ground. Sliding my arms under her shoulders and knees, I stood up and carried her toward the woods.
I travelled deep into the center of the wood, where the trees were the densest and light trickled gently through the thick canopy of green high above our heads. I lay her on a deep pile of leaves and pine needles and sat back on my heels, wishing there was something I could do to revive her.
My mind raced over the few options I had and I came up with nothing all that helpful. I finally decided upon practical issues. She’d need water. I could handle that. I left her to go in search of a water source. I walked in a wide circle, reluctant to go too far from Nidras.
When my ears finally picked up the sound of falling water I headed in that direction. A creek filled with clean, blue water bubbled happily through the woods, creating a deep pool in one spot that looked inviting.
I filled my water skin with cool water, drank my fill and then refilled it for Nidras. Fighting an overwhelming urge to linger, I returned to the spot where I’d left her. She was still sleeping.
I lay down and curled myself around her, hoping my presence would carry her back to strength more quickly. Exhausted, I drifted off to asleep.
It was full dark when I woke up. Nidras was still sleeping beside me. I lay there, my eyes adjusting to the dim light of the wood. The moon was fat and bright but it streamed through the thick tree cover in thin ribbons.
A slim beam of moonlight rested on Nidras, creating blue sparks in her hair. On impulse, I buried my nose in her neck, inhaling her warm, sweet scent. I placed a soft, lingering kiss on the velvet skin of her neck.
She stirred finally and her eyes fluttered open. She turned a sleepy, lavender gaze my way. Lifting her hand, she cupped my bristly cheek. “Hey.”
I turned my head and placed a kiss in her palm. “Hey yourself. How’re you feeling?”
She slid her fingers into my hair and licked her lips. “I’m great. I didn’t expect to see you again.”
I tapped the tip of her nose with my forefinger. “I’ve told you before, I’m not that easy to get rid of.”
Her smile was eminently sad. She dropped her gaze and hid her feelings behind thick, black lashes.
Fear slid through me. I knew what she was thinking and I wasn’t going to accept it. It wasn’t over between us. I would fight to my death to save what we’d managed to scrap and scavenge from the complex whirl of our existence.
No amount of magic in the world could keep me away from Nidras.
Only one thing could stop me. Nidras herself.
The pain in her face made my stomach clench in fear. In anguish, I lowered my head and captured her lips.
I pulled her close and held her tight, not willing to let her slip away from me. Nidras responded eagerly. Her kiss was filled with a soft sort of hopelessness.
I was determined to take that hopelessness and turn it into something warmer.
Wedging a knee between her legs, I rolled over her, resting my weight on my elbows as I tasted her face, neck and chest with my lips and tongue.
Nidras’ mouth opened in a soft sigh. Her legs parted and she arched her back to press her velvety mound into my thigh. I slipped a hand under her sweater and found the lacy edges of her bra, tucking a finger beneath the edge to skim her breasts.
Her nipples peaked and hardened under my probing touch.
I pulled the sweater up and freed a plump breast from the restraining lace, sucking it into my mouth as Nidras pulled her head back on a moan. Her fingers fumbled with the button of my jeans.
I released her other breast and pulled it into my hungry mouth. My other hand found the heated vee between her thighs. I slid a finger through the crease, bringing a moan of delight from Nidras as I passed over the tender bud that was the seat of her desire. The soft fabric of her slacks was a thin barrier to my attentions.
She redoubled her efforts to remove my jeans. I rolled to the side just long enough to help us both undress. When she was naked and compliant beneath me I wasted no time tucking my raging cock between her thighs. With a groan of ecstasy, I slid into her welcoming pussy.
Her body pulled me into hot, moist ecstasy even as her legs wrapped around my hips to hold me there. As I settled into a slow, breath-stealing tempo, Nidras’ inner muscles held me tight, creating a wonderful friction as my flesh buried itself deeply inside her heated channel and then retreated slowly, delightfully.
Nidras played her fingers softly across my buttocks. I shivered as she slid a finger toward my most vulnerable spot, breaching the deep crevice between my buttocks and pressing gently on the sensitive, puckered flesh there.
My tempo increased under her ministrations. No one had ever touched me there. Rather than being repulsed, as I would have guessed I would be, her gentle probing made my cock throb with delight and my balls tighten in anticipation.
I lifted Nidras’ hips and drove myself even more deeply into her body. Nestling my face in her fragrant neck, I found the pulse beating at her throat and nibbled on the sweet flesh covering it. Nidras’ body tensed as her release slid over her and she cried out, my name a sweet proclamation on her lips.
As her pussy throbbed around me Nidras inserted her finger, up to the first joint, into my tender asshole and I screamed, sliding over that bright edge into my own orgasm. My body rocked for a full minute in release. I’d never experienced anything like it. I was completely helpless under the sensual assault, as wave after wave of pleasure swamped me, tightening my muscles and making my toes curl hard against the soles of my feet.
Nidras’ body convulsed a second time as cum boiled out of my balls and shot deep into her body. She jerked under the assault of each emission, the pale oval of her beautiful face showcasing her delight.
I collapsed over her body, still semi-hard inside her. I found myself completely unable to pull away. My body recognized that we were a perfect fit and I fought the irrational fear that, if we separated, she would disappear.
Nidras’ eyes were closed, her chest rising and falling in the aftermath of our sensual activities. Her vagina pulsed gently around my quickly recovering cock. When I started to move inside her again her eyes popped wide and she grinned.
“Greedy Cupid.”
I plunged deep and she gasped. “I have to mark you while I can.”
A cloud slid across her pretty face. She opened her mouth to respond but I couldn’t let her speak. I didn’t want to hear what I knew she’d say. So I lowered my lips and kissed her, deeply and thoroughly and increased the tempo of my driving hips.
Nidras’ eyes closed and she sighed against my lips. If I couldn’t keep her forever, I’d at least enjoy this brief time with her.
For just this moment in time, she was mine.
No one…not even Nidras…could take the treasured moments away from me.
Nidras stood completely still, her back to me and watched the castle. He hand was at her throat, fondling the chain of the necklace I’d grabbed off the dragon and returned to her after making love. Her tears as I’d pulled it out and handed it to her made me realize my instincts had been right on. The necklace meant a lot to her.
My eyes were glued to the parapet, which roiled with movement high above us.
“Gremlins.”
I nodded. The small monsters’s helmets were barely visible above the arrow slots. “Small but deadly.”
Nidras turned to me and I grinned. “I learn. Sometimes the hard way…but I do learn.”
Her soft laughter drove a spear of pain into my chest and made my cock twitch. I had felt her withdrawing from me as our last kiss ended. She was just as sure that this would be our final encounter as I was determined that it wouldn’t be. I vowed silently to change that surety.
Nidras nodded toward the lower battlements. “He’s got intuitive demons on the wall. They’ll know we’re out here.”
I frowned. “Awesome.”
Nidras expelled air. “Yeah.”
“If they’re demons, shouldn’t they be on your side?”
She started walking toward the castle. “I wish it were that simple, Hermes.”
“Yeah.” I said. “The only thing simple around here appears to be me.” Nidras had already been swallowed up by the dark. I hurried to catch up to her.
Chapter Eleven
Ass Kickin’
The night sky was a deep, blue-black. Not a single star sparkled above our heads as we moved silently toward the castle that rose from the ground ahead like a gaping wound against the sky. A thick layer of clouds scuttled across a narrow sliver of moon, strangling off even the reluctant offering of light provided there.
Since my vision was impaired by the lack of light, my other senses kicked into overdrive to compensate. I smelled the clean, mountain air, with just a tinge of magical residue dancing along a soft, hesitant breeze. My skin tingled under the aura of doom that permeated the dark place. My ears were attuned to the minute sounds around us, to the point where I could hear murmurs from the castle guards, still hundreds of yards away.
As we neared the high, stone walls at the base of the castle, the shadows were disturbed by occasional movement from the wizard’s guards, giving us an ever-changing look into the position and number of them.
Nidras stopped and reached back, touching my arm. She squeezed it gently, five times.
Five guards.
I didn’t know what kind of monsters awaited us by the castle wall but I would be ready.
I used both hands to pull the chain from my neck, keeping it taut so the links wouldn’t clank together and give away our position. Nidras nodded her head toward the left and silently drew both knives. She stepped forward, moving to the right.
She took off running and, a moment later I heard the wet sound of her knives sliding through flesh and the muffled groan of dying guards.
As I was sure she’d planned, the guards on my side were already looking toward the sound of her attack and taking steps toward her when I arrived.
The first two didn’t even know I was there as I whipped the chain around their necks and jerked hard, easily breaking the fragile bones of their spines.
As the second guard dropped, a sword split the air beside my head and a burning sensation across the top of my ear told me it had been a close call. A warm trickle of blood ran down my face and neck as I turned, lifting the chain to catch the sword before the guard had time to strike again.
The chain encircled the razor-sharp metal and I jerked my arm, yanking it from my attacker’s grip and flinging it several yards away into the black night. The guard flung himself at me, grabbing me around the neck with thick, enormously strong fingers.
I
looked into small, black eyes, overscored by thick, spiky black eyebrows. He looked like a human but had the strength of a large grizzly bear.
The guard was too close for me to swing the chain. As he closed off my wind and my lungs clenched in panic, my instincts were screaming at me to drop my chain and try to push him off me.
I fought that urge and instead lifted the chain and wrapped it around the front of his throat. I was limited in my range of movement by his arms. Stars burst before my eyes as his grip tightened around my throat. I couldn’t get as much pressure on his neck as I needed to but I gave it everything I had, pressing the thick metal against his windpipe for all I was worth.
I knew I was getting to him when he started trying to shake me off. His black eyes widened against the pain I was inflicting.
His fingers twitched on my throat and I managed to gasp a breath, giving me renewed strength to press the chain.
He coughed, choking against the pressure at his throat. I jerked upward, hard, knocking his arms away to remove his hands from my throat and ramming the chain up into the soft tissue under his chin.
He fell backward, grabbing at his throat and I swung the chain toward his legs, jerking him off his feet.
He went down hard, exposing Nidras, who was standing behind him with a blood-coated knife.
I looked down at the dead guard. His human form morphed and thickened into something vaguely reptilian, with greenish skin and claws at the end of twisted, bent limbs. His head lengthened and flattened, like an alligator’s.
“I was just getting around to killing him, you know.”
She grinned at me and cocked an eyebrow. “We don’t have all night.”
We stepped over the bodies Nidras had created and moved silently through the door in the wall. Unlike the last time we were there, the courtyard was dark and silent. Empty.
The aura around the castle was thick with menace. I held the chain in my hands in front of me, ready to use at any moment. A bitter, unnatural cold permeated the space. My skin numbed under its assault and I fought against its anesthetizing effects.
My eyes scanned the shadowed edges of the space, which, in my adrenaline-charged imagination, seemed to spin and roil with threat. My head whipped toward the soft sound of movement in the shadows near the castle door. A flash of flame colored red danced across my vision and disappeared in a blink. A wisp of ethereal gray floated from the shadows and vanished in the stingy light of the moon.
