by B N Miles
He sat back on the stone bench and leaned his head on the rock. He closed his eyes and let his body relax for the first time in a few days as the sweat of work, of hard training, of long nights with his girls began to seep from his skin.
There was a noise behind him after a few minutes of quiet. He looked over his shoulder and saw the light of another lamp coming down the steps. He smiled and shifted himself. Key and Felin planned on joining him when they were finished speaking with Dagan and the Medlar warriors, and Key had promised to bring some of the soap that the Waters villagers made. It smelled like honey and made his skin feel soft and smooth, almost like magic.
But it wasn’t Felin or Key that stepped off the stairs and onto the landing. He tilted his head in surprise as Galla Remorn lingered for a moment, still in her conservative dark blue dress, holding a lamp aloft. She spotted him and a smile spread across her face as she walked to the wall and hung her lamp on a peg.
“Galla,” Cam said. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”
“I wasn’t planning on it,” she said. “But then I heard Felin and Key talking about meeting you, and I guess I couldn’t resist.”
He tilted his head as she walked over to the pool, her arms crossed over her chest.
“You’re welcome to join me,” he said. “Although I’m not sure your father would approve. Don’t you have your own private bath?”
“I do,” she said. “But it’s so boring. Nobody ever joins me down there, and do you have any clue how creepy and lonely a mountain can be?”
Cam laughed. “I can guess,” he said.
“Well, it stinks.” She looked at him for a moment and bit her lip. “Is it really okay if I join you? I don’t want to piss off your girlfriends.”
“I don’t mind,” he said. “It’s a public bath. Anyone can come in. And I don’t think Felin, Miuri, or Key would really care.” He frowned for a second then tilted his head. “Well, Felin might, but that’s okay.”
She laughed and waved a hand at him. “Turn around,” she said.
He smirked and leaned forward. “Really?” he asked. “I didn’t think you were the modest type.”
“I’m a Lord’s daughter, Cam,” she said. “I’m very modest. Now turn around.”
He turned away and shook his head, water dripping from his hair. He stared at the far wall and watched her distorted shadow undress in the lamplight.
“I didn’t notice,” he said. “I guess I was too busy staring at all those revealing dresses you wear around me.”
She laughed and sounded delighted.
“I knew you’d like them,” she said. “I thought you would, anyway. But you’re hard to read sometimes.”
“And you’re a Lord’s daughter,” he said. “So I shouldn’t be looking at all.”
“I don’t mind if you look,” she said. “You’re interesting, you know that? You have three pretty girlfriends, and one of them is an Elf. Do you know what people say about you?”
“I can guess,” Cam said, feeling a pang of anger and frustration.
“Some of the men and women, they’re jealous,” she said. “I heard some of the men say you should share the treasure. Can you imagine? As if Key or Miuri or Felin would ever want to be with some random farmer.”
“I’m not the sharing type,” Cam said and smiled at the thought of trying to treat any of his girls like an object. “And I don’t have much control over them. I don’t think I’d want to control them, even if I could.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” she said. “But a lot of men would.”
“That’s not much fun.”
She laughed and Cam heard the sound of cloth hitting the stone. The silhouette stood naked, and he thought he could see just a hint of her hips and breasts. He heard jewelry jangle and was tempted to look over his shoulder. Galla was a beautiful girl with a lean, soft body. Her pretty red hair and bright eyes drew him in, but it was her smooth, long legs and her round breasts that made him want to tear those dresses off her aristocratic body.
Or maybe he just had a thing for rich, spoiled girls. Maybe he wanted to bring her into his bed and show her what it was like to really and truly be fucked.
He felt himself stirring and had to push his thoughts away. No, he was a shaman and she was the Lord’s daughter. He had to be polite and respectful.
“Okay,” she said. “You can look.”
He turned around just as she descended into the water. He hair was piled up on her head with strands falling down around her face. He saw her breasts with her pink, firm nipples shake just as she moved into the water. Her skin was smooth and pale and perfect, her stomach was flat and surprisingly muscular, and her arms were tone and lean. He felt his cock begin to stiffen again at the sight of her, but she quickly disappeared down beneath the water.
She did that on purpose, Cam realized. She let him get a look at her body. She smiled at him, a seductive little grin. She wanted him to turn at that moment and get just a glimpse of her body, and he couldn’t help but be impressed. She was equal to any of his girls, and he knew she would taste incredible with her legs wrapped around his face.
He turned away from her and took a deep breath, forcing those thoughts away again. He had to control himself.
“I don’t think it’s strange that you have so many girlfriends, you know,” Galla said.
“Thanks, I guess.” Cam sat back on a bench and put his arms out to either side while Galla floated around the pool, just her shoulders and head showing above the water. Her full lips enticed him as she spoke.
“But my father wonders about you,” she said.
“What does your father think?”
“He thinks you’re… decadent,” she said. “And quick to anger. He says you don’t think through your actions.”
Cam snorted. “And your father spends too much time thinking.”
“Ah, are you criticizing the Lord of the Mansion to his daughter?”
Cam winced. “I didn’t mean—”
She laughed and shook her head. “It’s okay,” she said. “I’m just teasing. I agree with you, actually. My father spends all day in his study looking at maps, going over ledgers, and thinking about what we should do. And at the end of the day, nothing gets done.”
Cam let out a breath. He had to be careful with Galla. Even if she was saying all the right things, she was still her father’s daughter and not necessarily his ally.
“I respect your father’s intelligence,” Cam said. “He’s clearly a brilliant man and he does a very good job running this Mansion.”
“But?” she asked, tilting her head.
“But,” Cam said, forging ahead, “we can’t hide behind the rock forever. The wolves are out there, and each day we spend waiting for them to come is another day they spend raiding our people, killing and burning and stealing. More of them come from the north, and each day it becomes a little bit harder to take the fight to them.”
Galla smiled then floated to the bench next to him. She sat back, a few feet away, but close enough that Cam felt uncomfortable. She turned and leaned one arm out of the pool and sat up onto the stone, her head tilted in his direction.
“So, what’s your plan then?” she asked. “I heard what you were saying in council. You really think we should attack the wolves?”
“I think we should do something,” he said. “I hate the idea of just sitting around and waiting. We should send a small party out to make contact with the army at the very least. If we can free some of the prisoners the wolves took, all the better.”
“Hm,” she said. “It’s not a bad idea.”
“But your father won’t go for it.”
“No, he won’t.” He shook her head. “Sorry, Cam. I don’t think I could convince him, either.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to.” He took a deep breath and let it out.
“I know. That’s what I like about you.” She stared into his eyes for a long moment and he looked back.
He wanted her, he knew it deep do
wn inside of him, but the distance between their social stations was far too great. The fact that she was in the water with him and that she came to his training sessions every day was scandalous enough. Taking things any further could risk his position in the Mansion and his people’s safety behind its walls.
Galla moved nearer to him, close enough to touch. Her pink lips parted, her head tilted slightly to the side. Her hair spilled over, some stray strands brushing up against the stone tiles. Cam didn’t move, but he didn’t pull away, either. He knew Key and Miuri liked Galla, thought she was pretty and clever, although Felin was much more hesitant about her.
Even still, he couldn’t take what he wanted, even if she was offering it to him.
“It doesn’t matter,” Cam said. “The other Elders wouldn’t listen, even if your father was on my side. They’re all too afraid, and it’s hard to blame them. It’s a small miracle so many of us even made it this far.”
She smiled a little and tilted her head. “You should be angry at them,” she said. “Most men would be furious in your position.”
“I am,” he admitted. “But they’re still my people. I can’t hate them, even if I want to sometimes.”
“Maybe I can help in some other way,” she said. “I won’t go to my father, but maybe I can speak with some of the Elders. Maybe I can convince a few of them to be a little more… aggressive.”
Cam frowned and leaned toward her. “Do you think that’s possible?”
“I know some of them are considering it,” she said. “They need a little more help getting to that conclusion, though.”
“I would be grateful for your help, Galla.”
For a moment, he felt guilty not telling her about his planned excursion outside of the Mansion’s walls, but he didn’t trust her quite yet. If Lord Remorn or any of the other Elders hear about his plans with Elder Frew, they might try and come stop them. That would be a disaster, and he couldn’t take the risk.
She beamed at him. “Then that’s settled. I’ll be your little spy and messenger with the other Elders. They love me, Cam, you’ll see. I’m a pretty young girl with good breeding and good manners. The Elders are so easy to please.”
Cam laughed despite his guilt. “You’re easy on the eyes,” he said. “But you’re clever, too. I should’ve been more careful around you from the start.”
“Oh, don’t be hard on yourself. I was wearing distracting clothing for a reason. I didn’t want you to realize that I was more than just a pretty face.”
She leaned toward him and he was tempted to reach out and take that gorgeous red hair of hers and pull her naked body into his lap. But instead, she floated past him, heading toward the stairs. He watched her walk up and out of the bathing pool, water flowing down her lean body and tight, firm ass. She was incredible, and he finally lost control as his cock got rock hard and he gripped the sides of the pool with his fingers.
She looked over her shoulders, saw him staring, and smiled. She knew what she was doing, and his heart beat faster in his chest. She was dangerous, and he had to keep himself in check.
She walked to the towels, took one out, and wrapped it around herself. She took a second and began to dry her body with it, wiping down her long legs and arms. When she finished, she tilted her head at him.
“Turn around,” she said. “I’d better get dressed before someone catches us and starts all sorts of rude rumors.”
“You want me to peek,” he said. “That’s the game, isn’t it?”
She laughed. “You can peek if you want, Cam. I can’t stop you.”
He turned and looked at the far wall. He heard her dressing behind him, and he was tempted to look, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
When he decided to see her naked, really see her naked, he wasn’t going to just stare.
“Okay,” she said.
He turned and she was dressed again, jewels on her neck and wrists and fingers glittering in the lamp light.
“You look almost as good with clothes on as you do without them,” he said.
He could’ve sworn she blushed a little. “I won’t lie to you,” she said. “I hoped you’d peek.”
He laughed as she turned away and headed to the stairs. Before she could go up, a racket came from further along the passage. She hesitated next to the entrance as footsteps descended and Key and Felin came bursting into the room.
“There he is!” Key said. “Told you he wouldn’t wait.”
“I wanted to watch you take your clothes off, Cam,” Felin said. “Can you please come out, dress, and take it all off again?”
Cam laughed and nodded at Galla. “Ladies, we have a visitor.”
Key and Felin both looked over at her and seemed surprised. Key stepped forward and nodded her head respectfully.
“Lady Galla,” Key said.
“Key, if I have to tell you to stop calling me Lady one more time, I’m going to throw you in that water.”
Key grinned. “I’m doing it to piss you off now.”
“It’s working.” Galla smiled at the girls. “I was just leaving. Already had my bath for the day.”
“Pity,” Key said, tilting her head. “You sure you don’t have time to join us?”
“She might be busy,” Felin said and scowled at Galla.
“Don’t be rude, Felin,” Key said. “What do you think, Galla? There’s plenty of room and I’m sure Cam would love to see you naked.”
“She’s right about that,” Cam said.
“I appreciate the offer, but I should go,” Galla said, blushing a little. She took her lamp off the peg and held it up. “Enjoy your bath, ladies.”
Galla slipped past them and up the steps. Key watched her go as Felin walked over to Cam’s pile of clothing and began to strip off her tunic. She undressed in a hurry, without modesty or hesitation.
Cam had seen the wolf girl naked many times over the last week, and even before that when she first came to him in the woods, but he still marveled at her fit body, her small but firm breasts, her long, lean muscles. She stretched and let her wild hair fall down her back.
“What did she want?” Felin asked.
“Just wanted to talk politics,” Cam said.
Key snorted and leaned her spear up against a wall. She began to unbutton her tunic and Cam watched with a hunger that surprised him. Felin jumped into the water and splashed around a little before settling down right next to Cam.
He felt her hand on his chest slide down to his still-hard cock. She let out a little laugh as Cam pushed her away.
“He’s hard right now,” Felin said. “Galla must’ve been good at talking politics.”
“I’m excited that my girlfriends are joining me for a bath,” Cam said.
“It’s okay,” Key said. “Galla’s beautiful. I can’t blame you. Even I’m a little tempted.”
“Since when did you become so open minded?” Cam asked.
Key shrugged and took off her tunic. He let out a breath as her honey-blonde hair spilled down around her shoulders and her large breasts shook as she began to shimmy out of her pants. Key was just as fit as Felin, but had more curves, a different body type. Both of his girls excited him, and it almost wasn’t fair how easily they could tease him.
Key got her clothes off and joined them, sliding into the water with a little more grace then Felin. She sat on Cam’s other side and leaned back with a satisfied sigh.
He looked at his girls and grinned to himself.
“She says she wants to help us,” Cam said, his voice soft. “She wants to convince the other Elders to launch an attack on the wolves.”
“Interesting,” Key said.
“I don’t trust her,” Felin said.
“You don’t trust anyone,” Key said then looked at Cam. “It can’t hurt, though. If she’s lying, we’re no worse off.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Cam said. “And she has no reason to lie.”
“Unless she’s spying for her father,” Felin said.
Cam frowned a little then shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.”
“You’re too smitten by her,” Felin said. “She’s no good for you, Cam. She’s too clever and you’re not good at seeing through that sort of thing.”
“I appreciate your being protective, Fel, but I really do think she’s on our side,” Cam said. “Now, did you two talk to Dagan?”
Felin pouted and sighed, leaning back and staring up at the ceiling. “We talked to the old bastard,” Felin said.
“And?” Cam asked, suddenly feeling nervous.
“Fifteen of your warriors volunteered to go,” Felin said.
“That many?” Cam was surprised. “And he did it so fast.”
“He wasn’t wasting time,” Felin said. “When we found him, the old bastard was already gathering supplies. He wants to leave at first light tomorrow.”
Cam made a surprised grunt and looked at Key. “What do you think?” he asked.
She gave him a serious look and tilted her head. “I think it’s our best chance to do something real,” she said.
“Okay,” Cam said. “First light tomorrow, then. Let’s hope Frew can match our numbers at least. I was hoping for fifty, but thirty will have to do.”
“Thirty will be enough,” Felin said, her face serious. “They won’t expect Humans to fight back. We were told your people would be easy to subjugate, and once taken, you wouldn’t try to escape.”
Cam frowned and narrowed his eyes. “Really? Why are you just telling me that now?”
“I didn’t want to upset you. It’s clearly not true, but a lot of my people believe it. I don’t think the prisoners will be watched too closely.”
“That’s a good thing, then,” Cam said.
“All right, enough of this,” Key said. She moved over to where she discarded her clothes and opened her small waist pouch. She took out a small, white, round stone. She tossed it to Cam and he caught it, only realizing after a moment that it was smooth and soft and slipped from his fingers, landing with a soft plop in the water. It floated up to the top and bobbed around until Felin grabbed it and laughed.
