by Jack Bessie
Shocara stood, seething, before turning and walking away. It took will power not to slam the door. She went looking for Hacarim, one of the leaders most inclined to resist her ideas.
She found him sharpening his sword with a stone, sitting cross legged on the ground. Shocara squatted, facing him.
“What might you suggest for our next raid?” she asked, and then waited. He seemed inclined to ignore her, but she waited, trying not to fidget. Finally, he looked up.
“There is a small settlement of Elvin across the border from our lands. It is well defended and much secure. Unfortunately, for the Elvin, there are large areas of forest near by. If those guarding it could be persuaded to hastily depart, leaving a small garrison, we might pounce, from out of the forest cover, and take many captives!”
“And what might draw off the warriors guarding them?”
“An attack on Alarinad...they will be expecting such, and seeing what they expect, they will find that reasonable, although it isn’t.”
“We should lose many men in such an attack!”
“Ah, Princess, that would be true if we actually intended to attack!” Hacarim laughed.
“A feint? You would hope to draw off a substantial force, to pursue us? We would be at a severe disadvantage, mounted on tired terranaks!”
“Not if they had rested at night, and were well ready! Should our force scatter, we would make a less inviting target. By the time the Elvin abandon their pursuit, the warriors will have taken captives from our real target, and well made their escape, also on well rested creatures. By the time the Elvin understand what we have done, they will be faced with pursuing us on tired mounts, and we will be far ahead!”
“That is wicked! I must persuade the others that this will work! We need to have the area scouted first, and not rush. The Elvin will be on edge for a time, but the longer we wait, the more complacent they will become. We should raid other places far removed, to aid them in their distraction!”
Hacarim though this also wise.
When Shocara presented this idea to all the leaders, while eating the evening meal, there was more silence than agreement, still, with Hacarim apparently in favor of it, others became more enthused. Atrucin, who had been one of those to scout for the raid on Alarinad, had a more mundane concern.
“How shall we get that many Terronaks to hide in the woods. We had great difficulty getting even three to go in! They prefer the open! All we did last time was to get them under low hanging branches, at the forest edge, not actually under the trees!””
“We have time...start devoting much time to training them to do so! We can’t afford to take any that won’t co-operate with such a critical thing!” This made the men sit up and begin muttering among themselves. The terranaks were huge and difficult creatures, easily capable of attacking their rider if annoyed. Trying to coax or drag one under the tree cover was likely a good way to get eaten.
“I thought you were brave?” Shocara asked, eyes gleaming.
“We are, but we aren’t stupid!” Atrucin declared, likely speaking for many.
“Being eaten by a terranak may be less evil than what the Elvin can do to you!” she reminded them, and laughed.
12
Rasten awoke slowly, his mind still filled with odd and terrifying images of the previous ten days. He managed to open his eyes, seeing towering above his head, a magnificent carved headboard, shaped like a huge, spreading tree. The wood seemed alive, the detail astounding. He reached up, lightly touching it in wonder.
“You find it of interest?” he heard a sweet Elvin female voice ask. Glancing around he discovered a half dozen beautiful Elvin females sitting, some on either side of a large bed, and a couple at the foot, watching him. A small turn of his head revealed the sleeping form of Amein beside him, lying in bare splendor, and snoring slightly. Raising his head a bit revealed that he was likewise completely bare, and this explained the delighted smiles on the Elvin women’s faces, or so he hoped.
The one sitting closest to his head, who looked amazingly similar to Amein, spoke again.
“Welcome home, dear son. I am Princess Haiveria, Amein’s mother.” Rasten frowned at this declaration.
“How can that be...I remember my mother on Earth and...” he got no further, as all of the females burst into amused laughter. Sensing his upset, Heaiveria shushed them with a small gesture.
“Do not be upset! I was your father’s mate and companion, and here we accord a child such as you, even born of another, as being family in the closest of ways. Has Amein spoken of our ways?” the older woman wondered.
“That many children are not of both...mates? Yes, she mentioned that. She said she marked no difference between any of her siblings, no matter who their parents might have...been with?” he managed to say, afraid he would offend her. Her laughter was bright and well pleased.
“It is so! You will succumb to such ways in due time, dear Rasten! All that matters is that I wish to count you as belonging with us, and we would hope you might return the affection! You have much to learn of our ways. It appears that you have found my daughter to be irresistible?” Haiveria slyly inquired. Rasten’s guilty face declared this handily. “Good. She is ready to have a mate, although she herself has not discovered this yet! Be patient with her; you two will both be busy with your many tasks,” she assured him. “Now, we need to check your wounds, to see if they are healed or are healing properly!”
Rasten peered towards his feet, and noted several patches of clean white material, some on his legs, one on his right side, and a couple on each arm. A look showed him Amein similarly adorned. He vaguely remembered being wounded and cut in many places, as had Amein, both of them arriving back at the gate house bloodied and near collapse. Haiveria introduced the others as they set to work, these being three of Amein’s sisters, two cousins and a niece. All seemed so luscious, that he feared becoming aroused. The females seemed to be intent on just that, casually touching him gently as they loosened his wrappings. Most were discarded, he being healed, and only a couple were replaced by new and fresh ones, after some sort of ointment was applied.
He couldn’t be sure, but he sensed that Amein was being likewise touched and caressed gently, but his own situation was too distracting to be sure. Amein awoke, stretching, while the relatives cared for her. She seemed utterly relaxed and unembarrassed by both being bare, and in their attention, giving each in turn a hearty kiss and hug.
The visitors soon departed, all having kissed him, some with a decidedly enticing effort. They were at last alone, facing each other.
“You were embarrassed to have all of them examining you...weren’t you?” she demanded. Reaching down, she touched his mostly erect organ, and grinned slyly. “But not too bad...judging by this? You’d like to have all of them...wouldn’t you?!” she suddenly accused. Rasten shrugged, feeling helplessly unwilling to lie.
“They all look so much like you!” he moaned.
“They’d all have you like I do too, if you’d let them!”
“You want that?” he asked, having detected a tiny note of displeasure in her voice.
“Any other Elvin girl would not complain...it is the way,” she answered simply.
“But you aren’t just any other Elvin girl!” he teased. “I still find it impossible to believe that another would be as willing and naughty as you’ve been,” he suggested, hoping to sooth her with a compliment. She rolled her eyes, and gave him a stern look.
“The youngest of the nieces who were just here would exhaust you with their eagerness and skill! Our people are what you’d call slutty, in a way you’ve just begun to experience. Now...this needs attention!” she insisted, taking his hand, and placing it tightly against her puss. “Do you feel strong enough to play with me?”
“Apparently this is!” he suggested, slapping his hard maleness against her thigh, the fragrance of her female self affecting him strongly.
The devoted themselves to their pleasure, with Rasten only s
lightly concerned that someone might peek. That several did, as Amein expected, but avoided admitting, went un-noticed by him: Amein simply had no care which ones might be dreamily spying, knowing that she had been guilty of such snooping more than once herself. She simply wished to avoid admitting this to Rasten until a later date.
When they were done playing, they took a brief nap. It would have lasted longer, but they were awakened by two young Elves lightly tickling both of them.
“What are you doing?” Amein asked, yawning.
“Getting you up, so you can get dressed. It is almost time for the mid day meal! Everyone is simply dying to see both of you, and hear your tales!” the younger of the two suggested, still lightly caressing Rasten’s firm butt. When he turned to peek at her, she snatched her hand back, and gave him a smile that held only a hint of guilt.
“How old are you?” Rasten wondered, curious. He was utterly at a loss as to the age of the Elvin folk, still unable to grasp that Amein, at over two hundred was still considered a very young woman, almost a girl, even though she was fully accorded adult status, and had done deeds that made his head ache.
“I have seen only fifteen summers, but am fully permitted to be with you, should you desire me!” she opportunistically declared, beaming with eagerness.
“Leinien!” the other Elvin girl scolded, apparently outraged at being beaten to the gate by her younger sister. Amein laughed delightedly, before addressing them.
“He has little time or strength left for either of you, when I’m done!” she informed them.
“Yes, Princess!” they both mournfully intoned, looking sad and disappointed. Neither girl was willing to leave the other behind, so they both stayed, and helped Amein and Rasten choose clothing, and get dressed. Rasten found being waited on in his bare state by the Elvin equivalent of teenagers, to be a bit disconcerting, but was delighted by the young one’s beauty and charm. As they left the room, Amein on his arm, and the two young ones leading them, Amein noted his gaze.
“I acted just as foolishly eager when I was their age...we all do! They will end up in bed with you, sooner or later!” she suggested, and Rasten couldn’t decide if this was a warning or a simple statement on inevitability. He would have asked, but they arrived at the main hall, where an enormous gathering had been planned.
“Great! I already feel like an animal at the market, being looked at to decide if they want to eat me,” he whispered.
“The females all want to sleep with you, mostly. Relax! Most of these are relatives, in one form or another, by blood or marriage! You’re home, Rasten, a dear and treasured member of a very distinguished and well regarded family. Just relax and be yourself. Oh, by the way, the men are apt to kiss you as much as the women will...we’re very affectionate and warm...all of Elvinkind is. Just don’t cringe or flinch when they do...you’ll get used to it!” she whispered, mere seconds before the first of many eagerly stepped close to be introduced.
Rasten lost count quickly, the number of close relatives staggering, not to mention the seemingly limitless number of cousins, nieces and nephews. That over a dozen generations were present was another thing that left him speechless. The clan elder, Midarini sensed his awe, and being seated next to Rasten, was able to give him some understanding.
“Yes, it is a bit much, isn’t it? Being near immortal has some odd effects, which other peoples never experience. Even though almost no Elvin female will have her first child until past two or three hundred, choosing to do other things first, the fact that we live so long means we end up with quite a range of relatives. It has its aggravations, but it has a surprising effect; care to guess what that is?” the elder asked, a look of amusement plain.
“I can’t imagine!” Rasten sighed. “I’m having trouble absorbing all of the Elvin ways!”
“You’ll get accustomed to it in time! What I was hinting at is this; it makes a leader think long and hard about his or her decisions, seeing that they will impact their own family for generations to come! Short lived people tend to be a bit more short sighted!”
Surveying the hall, where more than two hundred were seated, all engaged in animated conversations, filled him with a sense of wonder.
“Is this real or illusion? I mean, if you put this many human family members together, there’d be all sorts of scheming afoot, along with gossip and vicious backstabbing,” Rasten wondered. “Do the Elvin kind really get along this well?” The elder thought this quite amusing.
“They are mostly a very cohesive group...it is one of our greatest strengths. Our enemies would be much more dangerous, if they didn’t constantly undermine themselves with plotting and attempts to advance their own place at the expense of all others!” Midarini laughed. “What?” he asked, seeing Rasten’s brows furrow.
“I can’t imagine I was brought here just to serve as a reason to have a gathering such as this? Amein took a terrible risk, coming to find me. What is the real reason?” he asked, curious to see what the elder would say.
“Well, it wasn’t just so Amein might have a new playmate, although it probably has seemed like that so far?” he teased, knowing Amein’s tendencies well. “There are dire things you must know, that will better shape your understanding. Come to my study later, and bring Amein...we’ll speak more fully then,” was all he offered. Rasten nodded, disappointed, but he was soon required to go to a small stage, with Amein, to tell of their adventure, so that all might be informed.
By the time they were finished, Rasten had come to the understanding that he likely was more immune to embarrassment that he had ever thought. Amein didn’t hesitate to tell the most intimately personal parts of their meeting and journey, delighting her family with his helpless succumbing to her naughty persuasion. That she was bursting with pride at her sexual skills, any could see. Rasten noted that many of the females seemed to be dreamily staring at him, likely eager to try their hand with him, alone and naked. This gave him mixed feelings, on the one hand unbelievably sexy and tempting, but on the other, he doubted if Amein would be as thrilled. It struck him that she was in large manner showing off, and slyly teasing her relatives, like a young human woman might do upon the conquest of a man desired by many. What he couldn’t decide was if this was a sign of some immaturity, or merely a common Elvin trait.
When they were finished, and preparing to go see the Elder, they passed by a group of Amein’s sisters. One snagged her, her oldest, Nacien, who eyed Rasten before glancing at Amein. “You’ve brought us a fine one, dear sister. I’m sure he’ll be delightful to all of us!”
“I’m not of a mind to share...at least for a while!”
“Oh, poo...Elvin always share...and you are Elvin!” Nacien insisted. Seeing Amein’s expression, and her suddenly wet eyes, gave the older woman pause. “Amein...what has happened...something is wrong?” Nacien gently asked, surprised and well concerned.
“I don’t know! Please, leave it be. I need to speak with the Elder about it!” Amein whispered harshly, not wanting to announce it to everyone.
“Very well...talk to me later, when you can!” Nacien replied quietly. When Rasten and Amein had moved well away, Nacien gestured for the others to come close.
“Something has bewitched our dear little sister, and she is jealous! Can you imagine that?” she said coyly.
“She takes great risks, unlike you, Nacien, and may have suffered some evil because of it. You have no place to be snide, dear sister!” Lucarien suggested. This offended Nacien, mostly due to its truth.
“Perhaps. Yet I find it quite interesting that for once, the Perfect One may be less than perfect...don’t you?”
“I would suggest that your jealousy is worse than Amein’s dear daughter!” the stern voice of Princess Haiveria suggested, having slipped close, unobserved. Nacien looked amazingly guilty, which delighted her siblings immensely.
“I would deny your accusation, but have no wish to lie, mother! I seem cursed by my envy of her strength and success! I wish so much to be like he
r, yet have no will to endure what she has to be as she is. You think me a fool?”
“I find it sad that you understand your own heart so poorly! Not every Elvin female is able to rise to her level, doing the things she does. The thing that you overlook is that in those things you are suited for, you are among the best! Your only foolishness is in thinking that you being a companion, a mother, a giver and teacher of new life, is somehow less worthy than waging war and being skilled at weapons! Amein would give her soul to see peace and an end to the ceaseless war that has plagued us! That her sense of duty has carried her this far, her devotion to Sayarin’s dream, not of conquest and rule, but for there to be peace and friendship with our enemies is something worthy of admiring! Any fool may bring death and destruction...even the barbarians, who have none of our skills or sorcery!” Haiveria insisted. Nacien stood, head hung, well chastised. Being sensitive to their mother’s opinions, the others were delighted to not have received such comments, and had no intention of risking such by gloating or saying anything snide.
“Mother? What might you advise us, if Amein is in fact unwilling to share Rasten...is somehow...jealous?” Lucarien asked, having trouble even saying such an odd and outrageous thing. Jealous and Elvin were never used together unless the word not was included.
“We will help her, first by being patient; none of you are in danger of being neglected, I’m certain! Secondly, we will attempt to keep our offspring, the ones who are overly eager, from overwhelming Rasten. He will also need time to get used to our ways. He is already much overwhelmed by Amein, and doesn’t need the rest of you to deal with...or myself either!” Haiveria declared, and winked at her daughters.
“No matter how inclined you might be?” Nacien asked, well aware of her mother’s reputation for being overwhelming sexually.
“Especially because of that!” the older Elvin female declared, and chuckled, offering Nacien a hug.
13
