Keeper's Knowledge (Balancer's Soul cycle)

by Lee Morgan

  Sarah’s dress this time was mostly white with some black trim around her sleeveless top. Her dress flared out and he saw many more filling layers underneath. She wore white, three inch high heels and her anklet danced with her every step. Her hips swayed and that made her dress swing even more dramatically. The back of her dress exposed her flesh and it sent his pulse racing.

  This dance was a little closer than yesterday’s and he did well for the first Swing dance. He effortlessly tossed Sarah high in the air and she giggled once he caught her. She spread her legs and they did the swings like he remembered from old movies like Grease and Dirty Dancing.

  Sarah and Connor laughed when Sorono tossed Veronica in the air after mimicking him. She let out a roaring scream, but started a hissing laugh once Sorono easily caught her. Veronica was wearing a yellow dress and it had a large pink poodle sewn in. Connor looked at his sister’s similar pink dress and knew that it was her idea. Then a chain event started with the men tossing their partners two or more stories high in the air.

  On day three came the Ballroom dance. He made a replica of a black on black tuxedo like what he wore for graduation.

  His mate’s dress was black and it showed her hourglass figure perfectly. It was tight around her breasts and it also pushed them up to look even larger than usual. The bottom of her black dress turned into a bell every time she spun. Around her wispy waistline hung several, thin, silver chains. Her smile said she was enjoying her dancing. Women all around thanked her for suggesting this to end the meeting.

  Day four was the Modern dance. Connor wore a thin black jacket and left it open to show the white undershirt. He even made blue denim jeans with black shoes.

  She wore a two piece dress and both were aquamarine. Her top was covered by a blue sash that wrapped around her breasts and tied together in the back. The bottom half hung off her hips and exposing her taut middle. The bottom part of her dress had a cut up her left leg and made its way all the way up to the thigh. She also wore complimentary heels.

  Day five was by far the hardest to control his urges and desires. It was for the Latin dance. Connor wore a tight black shirt with a deep V that went all the way to his belly button. He designed it wide enough so that everyone could easily see his brand. His pants were also tight around the hips and upper thighs and around his ankles, they flared into bellbottoms. He reused the black shoes from the Ballroom dance because they could be used more than once.

  Connor about had a heart attack once Sarah’s Latin dress came into view and not just from the complexity of this dress.

  Her dress was as green as her eyes. There were hundreds upon hundreds of strips ranging from eight inches to twenty five inches. The small strips were mostly located on her left hip and became longer as they made it to her right side. The long strips made it down to her right ankle. It looked like a wedge as long as she stayed still. Her feet were covered in four inch green high heels. There was a long and single green sash sewn on the side of her right hip. The sash moved across her abdomen and under her left arm. It then was wrapped around her back, under her right arm and over her breasts. It wrapped around her chest three times and once it went under her left arm, it went behind and over her shoulder and ended when it was held securely between her breasts.

  The music became almost as intoxicating as her quick movements and practiced steps. Her legs were quick, precise and perfect. Her dress didn’t slip even a single inch which surprised him, but it didn’t take away his thoughts.

  Connor told Mark and Jack something before they separated for the night and they grinned from ear to ear.

  Later that night, after the lights went out, he heard a knock on the door. Sarah followed Connor out after he opened the door to see Sorono and he was still wearing his dance outfit. Connor looked up at him and asked “What do you need so late this evening, Sorono?”

  Connor could easily see him, but Sarah struggled as she squinted. He said “After the dance tomorrow, the meeting will be finished. I wanted to let you know that I’ve made all of my arrangements for our departure. Damian will take my place until I make my return.” He turned his eyes to his sanctuary and asked “What time will we be leaving?”

  He didn’t have a clue so he said “How about three hours after the dance? We’ll meet right here and leave together.”

  “Very well. Veronica and I will be ready by then. Have a good night and Sarah?” At the mention of her name she brightened. “You’ll get a kick out of Connor’s costume.” He walked away grinning.

  Connor turned to Sarah’s feral grin. “What did he mean by that?”

  He put his hands up saying “Nothing. He meant nothing at all.” and held her hand to say “We need some sleep and we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”

  She grinned like a cat cornering a mouse, but she didn’t push it any more.

  Sarah awoke this morning to an annoying and pestering knock. She knew of only one person it could be. She sat upright and said “What do you want, Kara?”

  The knocking stopped. “Is Brother in there?”

  She fumbled around in the darkness and felt…nothing. Connor, where are you…? She thought wildly. Sarah felt for their bond and soon pinpointed his location. She had to steady her breathing so she didn’t sound worried. “Kara, he’s up on the first floor. Do you need him for something?”

  “No, I was just asking because Mark wasn’t in bed when I woke up either.” Sarah heard her sigh beyond the door. “The boys must have left together… Get up before you’re late.”

  She rubbed her eyes and they were beginning to adjust. “What time is it?”

  “We have just over three hours to get ready for the last dance party.”

  Sarah eyes were now wide awake at hearing the approaching deadline. “I’ll be out soon.” She jumped out of bed and slid on her clothes. She opened the door just moments before her mother. “Is Father gone as well?”

  “Of course…” Jillian stretched and yawned. She continued by saying “The boys must have left early because they might have complex costumes.” Her mother grinned brightly. “They won’t be able to beat us though.”

  “Speaking of…” She looked at the large wooden door that was nearby. “I need to gather the finishing touches of my costume before heading down. I’ll meet up with you two in a little while.”

  They waved goodbye as Sarah walked into the sanctuary.

  She left the door cracked because she wasn’t going to spend too much time in here. She walked into the clearing and the sounds of the insects were the first thing to greet the senses. She knew just what she had to get to finish off the costume. She searched around the field until she found a few vibrant wild flowers and picked only three yellow and two white Daisies. Small twigs and some perfectly sized leaves were easy to come by, plucked fresh from an oak tree. She held the simple items in both of her hands.

  She left the sanctuary and closed the door with the heel of her right foot. Sarah didn’t have breakfast, but she would need to eat before departing later today.

  Sarah walked down the long hall and could hear all the women getting louder the closer she approached. Dropping down onto the stone floor, Jillian waved her over and Sarah saw that she already had her dress in her hands. At least I didn’t need to go fishing for it. She thought to herself absently and smiled inwardly. She could easily see Veronica already in costume.

  Veronica wanted to do something funny for her costume and she made it. It became a dragon costume. She designed black rods to hold satiny black cloths. Now she looked more like a dragon one would imagine. Her top was a light blue sleeveless shirt and she wore shorts with a hole in them for her long tail to snake through. Veronica smiled and said to her dear friends “I cannot wait until I show Sorono this new outfit. He’s going to laugh once he sees it.”

  “I don’t doubt it.” Kara grinned.

  Veronica glanced at Sarah’s in her mother’s hands and said “You had better hurry and put that on. Otherwise you won’t be able to make Co
nnor’s jaw drop.”

  “Alright already,” She stepped closer to her mother and she handed over the dress. Sarah sat her finishing materials on the ground beside Jillian’s foot and she said that she’ll keep an eye on them. Sarah walked behind one of the twenty privacy curtains to change quickly. She stripped off everything except for her panties. She opened the simple dress and smiled as she held it in front of her so she could get one last good look before putting it on. It was a simple and strapless sheath dress, made of silk. It was the color of evergreen with a gold trim around the top of the bust. She slid her legs through it and carefully pulled it up into the correct position. It hung tightly to her every curve and left little to the imagination. She brought it over her breasts and the end of the dress went all the way down to the knees. She didn’t have shoes because this costume didn’t require any. Before leaving the changing area, she fluffed her hair, tossing some over her front to give it a wild and delicate look, and grabbed her clothes.

  Sarah returned to see Kara’s costume. She looked as pretty as ever and her hair was now just past her shoulders. She smiled once her silver eyes caught her approach. Kara’s dress looked like a sexy French maid with the entire black and white outfit. She had a feather duster in her hand and black high heel shoes. She said “Woo hoo! Hot Mamma In The Building!!!” She turned to Jillian and said “Go ahead Jillian. I’ll work with her. Go and put on your dress too.”

  “Thanks Kara.” Jillian grabbed her red dress and hurried off to a momentarily vacant dressing room.

  Kara grabbed the gathered flowers, twigs and Daisy’s to help put them in. Kara carefully slid all of the materials into Sarah’s hair, once she turned her back to her. Sarah felt her winding the stem of the flowers into her hair. It took about ten minutes until she felt satisfied with her perfect results.

  At the time Kara finished, Jillian made her way back. Her dress was red, yellow and orange. The top of her dress flared and showed off her ample bosom. The middle of her dress is blood red and showed her perfect hourglass figure. The lower portion of her dress came about half way to her knees. As she moved she looked like she was walking while being on fire. Her golden eyes and dark hair were almost surreal for her dress. It was a disturbingly beautiful sight.

  Jillian stopped in her tracks and said “Sarah, you look amazing. You’ve yet to tell us what your costume is exactly.”

  Sarah’s feet were on the cool marble, but she spun once and said “I’m a Wood Nymph. Since Connor is a being of nature I decided that as his mate, a woman of nature would be a fun twist.”

  “It sure is a twist alright.” She turned around to see Amphrite standing behind her. The tall woman was wearing a blue and green mini-dress. It looked like the flowing of the sea. Sarah looked down at her long legs and saw that they were encased by sexy green fishnet stockings. She also had on sky blue high heels. “Your mate won’t know what hit him.”

  Sarah shook her head which made Amphrite confused. “I’m more worried about what he’s got in store for me. I woke up this morning and he was gone.”

  “You know him better than I do…Good luck anyways.” She smiled softly as she looked down at Sarah. “If we don’t get a chance to see each other again, I wanted to say it was a pleasure meeting everyone. And I won’t forget about our little competition either.” She grinned and leaned down to give Sarah a quick hug. She returned the gesture with a simple squeeze. Before she left she said “Good luck raising your first child, Sarah. You’ll do terrific.”

  With everything complete, all the women in the room lined up in front of the stairwell. Luckily Sarah made it closer to the front rather than the back. Unfortunately she lost the others in the large group, but knew they would meet up later today.

  Then everyone started moving forward and up the steps. She took to the steps and made her way up. Every step let her know Connor was that much closer.

  Sarah made it to the third level and followed the bond to her mate. She froze instantly once she saw him standing with the other men. Sorono wore a black toga with a gold clasp over his left shoulder. In his left hand was a huge javelin as tall as he is. He looked like an ancient Olympian giant. Mark wore a mafia style gray and black business suit with a matching hat. Over his right shoulder was a bloody baseball bat. Jack decided to make a Viking outfit and since he is a still breathing Viking warrior, it made his look all the more striking. He had an open fur covered tunic and leather pants. On his back rested an actual two bladed battleaxe.

  Connor was by far the most impressive of them all. He wore shoes that looked more like a cloven hoof. His legs were covered by brown, furry animal skin. He didn’t wear a shirt and his tattooed chest was open for everyone to see. On his left arm remained his silver armlet and it too looked impressive. On the top of his head sat silver wrapped like a crown and two silver horns were attached. The horns were large as they sloped back and up. She instantly came to the realization of what his outfit truly is. It was the God of the Wilds, the Greek God Pan, but with Connor it was Pan on steroids. If anyone else wore that costume they would look a fool, but her husband could pull it off.

  All of the women were moving around her and Sarah realized that her mother and Kara caught up and stood to either side of her. They too were openly gawking, but not at Connor she soon realized. Sensing hesitation the four men made their way over, because they were frozen in place.

  Mark spoke to Kara first with a smile. “A sexy French maid huh… I guess you’ll help me later after I take down some local punks who have a debt to pay.”

  Kara snapped out of it and brushed his wide chest with the duster. “Why of course, Honey. Just be sure to leave the bloody bat at the scene when you’re done.” They laughed and walked off, blending into the crowd.

  Jillian looked up into Jack’s eyes and said “I haven’t remembered you ever looking like such a huge Viking before.” She batted her eyelashes timidly. “Care to do a little pillaging and rob these people of their spotlight?”

  “As long as you don’t allow anyone to touch you or else they will burst into flames.” They took each other’s hand and left.

  Connor looked her up and down with a wry smile touching his lips. “You’re a Wood Nymph are you not?”

  “You’re the Greek God Pan right?” He sat a hand on his hip and laughed. She had to ask. “Where did you get your idea from? I remembered you weren’t too good at history.”

  He broke into a full fledged smile. “Actually I had a little help. I asked some of the guys about the gods of nature and they knew quite a bit about those myths and legends. I decided to go with the god of nature and the wilds. I thought you would like the irony a little bit.” He pulled a single oak leaf out of her hair and looked at it. “It seems like you favor a little irony yourself.” He looked around as the music began a strong and fast beat and people started dancing. “I think we should show them how the creatures of nature dance.”

  She took his hand and said “I couldn’t agree more.” She pulled him into the crowd and began dancing to the beat. It became so much fun.

  About three hours into the dance Elder Alexander stood once the music stopped. The crowd quieted and he raised his voice so all could hear. “This will be a slow dance. Also it will be the last dance of this meeting. Please enjoy this last piece I created so that your love can be shown through your bodies.”

  The moment he sat down and grabbed a violin the music from the stage became slow and beautiful. The song was an original one that she’d never heard before, but it was so deliciously beautiful. It was as if the music in everyone’s heart had turned into a audible composition. Connor’s hazel eyes gazed at her and his smile was worth more than life itself. Even those ridiculous silver horns looked good on him. He entered her mind and said “Sarah, I want to dance like we did at our home. Would you like to do that?”

  She whispered “Without a doubt.”

  They brought their powers forward as one, while holding hands. She focused on Pressure and made two streams of ener
gy escape through the bottoms of her bare feet. They slowly began to rise and once they cleared everyone’s heads they began to twirl slowly. She wrapped her hands behind his neck and looked up into his perfect face. Even his horns couldn’t diminish his handsomeness. He wrapped his arms around her lower back and smiled genuinely.

  The music made their aerial dance perfect.

  About twenty seconds later they felt Sorono’s mind. “Now that is a dance.” Sarah pulled back and saw the entire crowd looking up at them. She felt instantly self conscious. They weren’t dancing at all, but they were only watching their flying dance.

  She then spotted Sorono and he was holding his claws out to Veronica. She took it with a smile and Sarah felt them summoning their power. While the music continually played, they began to rise. They wrapped their arms around each other and began twirling themselves.

  Connor and Sarah began spinning again with them and soon there were many Keepers and a few Pressure Balancers dancing in the air. It was the best ending to a meeting she had ever seen in her three hundred years.

  She whispered “Thank you for doing this for me. It was a perfect dance.”

  When the music completed everyone returned to change back into their usual attire and pack up to leave. Even Connor and the rest of the men left to change. Sarah went back to level four and grabbed her clothes. She jumped back up on the platform and made her way back to their room. While she was changing into her clothes Connor came in wearing his normal dark clothing.

  They put everything in their packs and closed them tightly. They slung their packs over their shoulders and left the room for the very last time. Both of her parents stood with Veronica and Sorono and were all waiting by the sanctuary. Her parents wore their matching hiking clothes, Veronica wore her usual white robe and her egg was still covered by the blanket, Sorono wore a similar white robe, but his belt was made of solid silver this time. They were all talking amongst themselves.