“I’ll have to explain to him how I found you,” she said. “How I let you stay in the homestead. An unwed woman, and a young man, staying on a small estate together. He might… assume things. Even if we deny it.”
“Oh,” said Hal. “That’s alright, though. I’ll just explain to him that things aren’t like that between us. Maybe I’ll even say that I’ve just been filling in for him as your brother!”
Hal smiled and winked at her. Laurel’s reaction was a strange, mute sort of horror. She was quiet for long enough for the moment to become awkward, and her gaze was fixated on the floor of the sitting room.
“Is your heartgem empty?” she finally asked.
“Close to it,” said Hal. “But Zoria said she’d stop by again tonight, so I’ll be all set for tomorrow.”
Laurel sighed.
“Well,” she said. “That’s good. I… won’t be around tonight. Precia just arrived back in town. She sent me a message about a dinner being held by one of the high ranking members of Great House Orta, so I’ll be attending as her guest.”
“Alright,” said Hal. “Oh! I almost forgot.”
He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small wooden medicine box. Laurel raised an eyebrow as he passed it to her.
“It’s a special scar salve that some of the fighters waiting in the arena tent were giving out,” he said. “It’s just enough for a sample, but we can buy more if it works for you.”
Laurel nodded, and a slow smile spread across her lips, reaching far enough to either side to expose the dimples in her cheeks. She opened her mouth as though to say something, but laughed instead, her eyes filling with fondness for him.
“Thank you,” she finally said. “It’s the sweetest gift I’ve been given in longer than I can remember.”
CHAPTER 22
Laurel spent the next hour getting ready. There was little else for Hal to do than sit, mind his injuries, and play with Karnas. He tried toying with his heartgem for a while, seeing if he could coax the hidden styles of gem magic out of it, but had no luck.
When Laurel finally emerged from her room, Hal’s jaw dropped at how well she’d cleaned up. She’d put her hair up into a bun, which was held in place with several painted wooden sticks. Her gown was tight fitting, blue with gold trim, with a deep neckline and matching gloves.
“Wow,” said Hal.
Laurel smiled at him.
“Yua doesn’t like this dress,” she said. “She never let me wear it when I was younger and living in Meldence.”
“I… can’t imagine why,” said Hal. “Are you sure you don’t need an escort tonight?”
Laurel shook her head.
“Precia will be by to pick me up,” she said. “And this isn’t really the type of dinner that people bring their servants to.”
Laurel brought a hand to her mouth as soon as she’d finished speaking. Hal rolled his eyes at her.
“Oh, but of course, Lady Laurel,” he said, mockingly. “I’m so appreciative that you would allow your humble bodyguard the night off.”
“Stop,” said Laurel. “You know what I meant.”
“I do,” said Hal. “Just be safe, and have fun.”
Precia arrived shortly after, and Laurel said her goodbyes and left. For the first time in longer than he could remember, Hal had a chance to really relax. He spent a few minutes feeding Karnas, surprised by the baby dragon’s appetite, and then fought off boredom as he waited for Zoria.
Hal waited. And waited. Hours went by, with no sign of her or anybody else. He considered going for a walk through the city to keep himself entertained, but even just standing made his ribs ache.
It was close to midnight, near the time Hal expected Laurel to be returning, when there was finally a knock on the guest lodge’s outer door. He opened it, and a petite, cloaked figure pushed past him inside.
“About time,” said Hal. “What took you so long?”
“Is anyone else here?” asked Zoria.
Hal scowled at her, but shook his head no. She walked into the sitting room, motioning for him to follow her.
“You understand that your end of our deal involves helping me keep my heartgem filled?” asked Hal. “I’m fighting again tomorrow. You can’t just show up late like this and expect it to be fine.”
Zoria ignored him. She pulled a small bag out of her cloak and set it on the table. From within it, she took out a long metal nib shard with a wooden handle. She let out a small sigh, and then let her robe slip off, falling to the ground.
She was completely naked underneath. Hal was behind her, and stared at the swollen outline of where her tattoos had been across her back. Her brown hair was tied up into a high maiden’s tail, out of the way, which also emphasized the sharpness of her elven ears.
She turned to face him, and for a moment, all Hal could do was stare at her beautiful, nude body. Her breasts were fair sized for her small frame, perky, with faint pink nipples. She had a lean figure, the curve of her hips and butt just enough to give her an alluring air of femininity.
“The shard is already loaded with runic crystal dust ink,” said Zoria. “I won’t ask you to do all of them tonight, master. Just the one nearest to the base of my neck.”
She passed him a long, hollow piece of sharp crystal filled with ink, along with a piece of paper that had a tracing of her original tattoo on it. The design was incredibly intricate, elven lettering interspersed with fluid patterns and smooth, looping lines.
“You’re serious?” asked Hal. “You want me to tattoo you? I’m not an artist, Zoria. I don’t have the skills for this.”
“Obviously,” she said. “Trace it with regular ink, first. Then sterilize the tattoo shard over flame and carefully redo the lines, pushing the crystal ink down as you go.”
“You’d trust me to do this?” asked Hal.
Zoria raised an eyebrow, as though she was surprised that he’d asked.
“Who else would I trust to do this?” she asked. “Some random surfacer off the street?”
“I’ve seen other people in Meldence with tattoos,” said Hal. “I’m sure you could find someone trained in this kind of thing, if you asked around.”
“And expose my identity to one of the cattle?” asked Zoria. “Far too risky. I already know that you won’t betray me when you give your word, master.”
Hal chewed on his lower lip, considering his options. If he refused her, he would have no avenue through which to refill his heartgem by morning.
I could go to a brothel. Except, I don’t have any money.
“Fine,” he said. “Let’s get this over with.”
“You must promise not to rush,” said Zoria. She strode toward him with long, languid steps, drawing Hal’s attention back to her exquisite naked body.
“I’ll take my time,” said Hal.
She smiled at him, her emerald green eyes holding his for a moment.
“Then let’s get on with it,” she said.
The process was far more intimate than Hal expected it to be. Zoria lay on her stomach across his bed. He carefully pushed her drawing into position against her back, straddling her to get the best angle as he used the tattooing shard to push the ink through the paper and onto her shoulders.
Zoria was totally still as he did the tracing, and only the soft sound of her breathing filled the air. It didn’t take long to copy the design onto her body, but that was only the beginning of the process.
“Make sure it’s piercing skin,” said Zoria. “Don’t be afraid to push harder than you think you need to.”
“I won’t be,” said Hal.
He heated the tip of the tattoo shard over the fire, waiting until it had cooled sufficiently before returning to his room and getting back into position over Zoria. She was breathing faster, and flinched back slightly as he pressed the tip of the shard into her skin.
“Harder,” whispered Zoria.
Hal pushed harder, piercing through her pale skin with the shard’s tip and pushing a
tiny amount of the magic ink into her flesh. Zoria instantly tensed up, a small gasp of pain escaping her lips.
“It hurts that much?” asked Hal.
“The… crystal dust,” she whispered. “It’s very painful when it first makes contact.”
She looked over her shoulder at him, and he saw tears hanging from the corners of her eyes. He didn’t bother to ask whether she really wanted him to keep going. Her expression was determined, set on the path she’d chosen for herself.
“These tattoos will let you conjure your armor and wings again, right?” asked Hal. He’d only seen her in her full runic attire once before, right when they’d first met.
“If you trace them correctly, yes,” said Zoria. Hal pushed the shard in again and felt her body jerk underneath him. He shifted his legs, straddling her higher up on her waist, rather than across her butt.
“What do you plan on doing once the tattoos are finished?” asked Hal.
“The same thing I’ve told you I’d do in the past,” said Zoria. “Returning to the Upper Realm. Taking my revenge against those who orchestrated my betrayal, and then clearing my name.”
Hal waited until she’d finished speaking before continuing on with the design. The crystal dust ink was a slightly different color than the regular ink, closer to a deep violet, rather than black.
“And the family you mentioned to me once?” asked Hal. “Will you go back to them, afterward?”
“Does it matter?” asked Zoria. Hal pushed the shard into her, almost as though in response to the flippant tone of her question.
“It does,” said Hal. “Probably to them, if not to you.”
He paused for a moment, letting her catch her breath. She was sweating and shivering slightly. Hal was suddenly glad that he wasn’t the one on the needle’s receiving end.
“Do you know what I think, Zoria?” he asked, as he started back up.
“Please… do tell,” she said, through gasps of pain. “I’m so interested… in my master’s thoughts.”
Hal smiled.
“I don’t think you have any intention of going back to your family,” he said. “I think you’re expecting to die in your revenge attempt.”
“Why would you think that?” asked Zoria.
“Because I’ve been there before,” he said. “I can see it in you. More than I even saw it in myself.”
Hal moved a little faster with the tattoo shard, watching as Zoria’s hands clutched tight into the pillow she had her face buried in.
“You don’t care about yourself,” said Hal. “You don’t care about being happy, or making a new life for yourself. These tattoos are no different than my gemstone was to me. A means to an end. A way to get revenge.”
“Do you have a point?” asked Zoria. “Or do you just… like to feel superior?”
“You’re the one constantly denigrating us lowly surfacers,” said Hal. “But yes, I do have a point. And it’s that I know something truly terrible must have happened to you when you were betrayed. And I’m here, with open ears, if you ever want to talk about it.”
“Bitch’s blood,” muttered Zoria. “You forget yourself, surfacer.”
“It’s surfacer again, now?” asked Hal. “What happened to master?”
He pushed the shard down into the final line of the design, stealing the breath from Zoria’s lungs and keeping her from getting the final word. As soon as he was sure it was done and he hadn’t made any mistakes in the pattern, Hal wiped it down with a clean handkerchief dipped in cold water.
CHAPTER 23
He let Zoria rest in his bed for a while, waiting out in the sitting room. Hal was starting to get a little concerned that Laurel still wasn’t back. She’d said she’d gone to dinner, and though she hadn’t given a definite timeframe, it didn’t seem like the type of social event to run so late into the night.
Zoria was still naked when she strode out of his room. She had a broad smile on her face and spun in a slow circle as she stood in front of him.
“You did a good job, master” she said. “It should work perfectly once my body accepts the crystal.”
“Thanks,” said Hal. “Uh, you should probably put some clothes on now. Laurel will probably be back any minute.”
Zoria took a step closer to him, ignoring his suggestion. She set a hand on either side of his chair and leaned over him, putting her naked breasts level with his eyes.
“If she hasn’t returned by now, I doubt she’ll be back tonight,” said Zoria.
Hal frowned, unsure if he was willing to jump to the same conclusion.
“I’d rather be safe than sorry,” he said.
Zoria reached a hand out, cupping his cheek and letting her breasts push softly into his face.
“Are you forgetting that you’ll be fighting again tomorrow, master?” she asked. “Safe would be for you to make sure that you have a full heartgem for the tournament.”
Hal smiled at her logic.
I can’t really disagree with that…
Zoria was already undoing his belt and sliding his pants down with slow, teasing movements. She licked her lips as his cock came into view, letting her fingers gently caress the soft length of it. Blood instantly rushed downward through Hal’s body, and he let out a slow groan as he felt himself hardening to her touch.
“Take your heartgem out of your shirt,” said Zoria. “I’m curious about something.”
Hal obliged her, and was surprised to see that the gem was already pulsing red, feeding off the essence of his emotions even before anything had really begun to happen.
“I wish it was this easy for the other elements,” said Hal. “Maybe the Temple of Lyris is onto something with the herbs they use.”
Zoria’s hand slowly stroked up the length of his erection, sending a rush of pleasure shooting through the rest of him.
“Your surface Temple has the wrong idea of things,” said Zoria. “Your gemstones are a simple magic focus. Useful due to their reusability, but lacking the distilled power of something like a magic crystal, or a blood spell.”
Hal wanted to ask her to tell him more of what she knew of other magics, but Zoria’s soft hand distracted him from his questions. He shifted his hips to thrust closer to her, and she let out an appreciative laugh.
“You are quite lucky, master,” she cooed. “Imagine if your heartgem had taken on sapphire, or topaz as its first type. You’d have to chase despair as an emotion, or spend your time meditating in the pursuit of tranquility.”
“It… wouldn’t be as much fun,” said Hal. He was fully hard from Zoria’s touch, and she continued pleasuring his cock with her soft touch and sensual movements.
“Not for me, either,” said Zoria. “Now. Let’s see what types of things your heartgem likes best, shall we?”
She kept her eyes on his gemstone as she continued stroking, varying her speed and grip strength as she did. The heartgem reacted in sync with Hal’s pleasure, and he started to wonder if there was a way to take advantage of that, at least until Zoria pulled his focus back with her erotic workings.
Slowly, she leaned her face in closer. She stuck her tongue, not quite bringing it into contact with his shaft. The heartgem pulsed red, absorbing essence from Hal’s horny anticipation, if not from actual, lustful pleasure.
“This is interesting,” said Zoria. “I wonder… Perhaps the simplest way to generate ruby essence is just to draw an encounter out? To tease you, and make you wait for your release, like a good little bull.”
“Is that what you’re trying to do?” asked Hal. “Tease me?”
Zoria answered his question by giving his cock a slow lick from base to tip, using only the edge of her hot, wet tongue. Hal’s abdominal muscles tightened from the pleasure of it, and the heartgem pulsed scarlet.
“I am naked,” she whispered. “You could change the dynamic at any time, master.”
“I could,” said Hal.
Zoria planted a soft kiss on the sensitive skin of his shaft, letting her lips s
lide and rub in furious pleasure. Hal leaned his head back, his entire body humming with ecstasy.
Slowly, she began to suck, taking her time as she brought her mouth down on his manhood. She continued to watch the heartgem, and so did Hal, though it was hard to keep his attention on it and not her.
True to what Zoria had said, there seemed to be a direct relationship between Hal’s extended arousal and the speed at which the gem filled. Ruby essence swirled inside of it almost like steam caught in a room, slowly intensifying the gem’s color as it settled and appeared to solidify.
But Hal was anything but settled. He watched Zoria sucking him off, listened to the tiny, mewling noises she made as she kissed and licked his cock. He ran a hand through her hair and felt a sudden fondness for her that caught him a little off guard.
She really pulled through for me, tonight. And I helped her, too.
“Master,” whispered Zoria, taking a small breather. “How does this feel?”
She brought her mouth back onto him, taking Hal’s tool deeper than he’d ever expected it to be able to go. Hal moaned as he felt her tongue sliding, prodding, and teasing at his shaft from underneath. It was too much for him to handle.
Hal groaned and rested his hand on her head as he unloaded. The heartgem pulsed in time with his orgasm, and Zoria sucked in time with that, swallowing his seed without hesitation. He let out a long, satisfied sigh, and watched as the gem stopped glowing, its color slowly fading back to its regular ruby red.
“It still isn’t completely full yet,” pointed out Zoria. “But… we have all night.”
Hal nodded. They had all night, assuming that Laurel didn’t return. And he wasn’t sure how he felt about how likely that possibility seemed.
INTERLUDE
Mauve leaned back in his chair, stifling a yawn. Voiceman Peck, a rotund man with only wisps of white hair left sparsely populating his scalp, was arguing with Voiceman Jonah, a scholarly fellow no older than he was. It was a routine he knew all too well, having listened to it play out a dozen or more times in his short few weeks as a voiceman.
Harvest Tournament (Sexcraft Chronicles Book 2) Page 12
