Gods of Shadow and Flame

by M. H. Johnson

  Together they formed a unique duet of beauty and savagery both. Playful as much as it was serious, they nonetheless struck in deadly earnest, Jess feeling the crack of her beau's Zornhau strike against her buckler, smiling even as she saw his face gaze at her with sudden apprehension, afraid the force of his blow had caused her harm, though the darting thrust to his knee she had delivered while blocking before adroitly skipping out of his line of attack soon put his heart at ease, as did her teasing grin.

  Flashing a sharp smile in turn that sent Jess’s heart racing with a different kind of exhilaration, Jess could sense that he would hold back no longer, even as he attempted to seize the Vor, striking out with a quick, snapping cut to her head, the blow instantly morphing into a deadly double Zwerchhau strike even as she parried, her head jolted as the final blow rang against her helmet, yet not before her blade slammed under his left armpit, having chosen at that last moment to strike forth and true, even as his blade also found its mark.

  “I think that is a draw, my Jess,” he laughed softly, wincing as he circled his arm. Jess, grinning, nodded her head, though the movement made her feel ever so slightly dizzy.

  "A sound blow, my prince. I agree, let us call it a draw."

  They had laughed then, helping each other remove their helmets, before celebrating their mutual victory with a kiss both fiercely sweet and somehow utterly innocent under the gentle rays of the noonday sun, as it was as much about the exhilaration of the contest and the sweet joy of being with someone tenderly loved as it was about desire, both of them blushing to the approving cheers of guardsmen and royal armsmen alike, many having stopped to watch the fierce battle between Druid and prince as it played out. Steel and laughter both echoed throughout the training grounds that day.

  51

  Freshly changed and bathed, Apple having carefully applied liniments of Jess's own devising to shoulder muscles Jess had exercised to the limit on top of bruises received, her sister had more than a few choice words to say while applying makeup to Jess's smiling features.

  "I don't know why you push yourself so hard, Jess. Joshua already favors you. The last thing you want to do is put him off with how savage you can be. Let him see you as the beautiful doll you now look, utterly gorgeous in forest green, hair beautifully strung with Mother's pearls, ruby lips and eyes that shine so brightly. Let him adore you completely and worship you, as only a man after your heart can." Apple's laughter turned throaty. "Believe me, Jess, a woman is capable of conquests far beyond what any man can accomplish on the battlefield alone."

  Jess shook her head and smiled. “Joshua is a soldier, first and foremost, trained to take on all enemies of Erovering, to lead his men against all odds, just as I was. For all that he is a valued prince, and I now seen as a prize for my way with gardens as much as I was once valued for my mastery over the battlefield, we still feel the keen need to test each other, Apple. It is in our natures.” Her gaze turned thoughtful. “Honestly, I don't think I could fall for a man who was all gentle and sweet with no iron, no savagery to his nature, and I think my beau feels the same.”

  Apple grinned. "I don't think there was that much iron to Onnika. She was as sweet and lush a rose as ever to grace the Courts, yet it didn't stop you from sweeping her off her feet as her knight in shining armor and ravishing her most satisfactorily, as she once confided to me when we both had a bit too much apple brandy."

  Blushing, Jess looked away from her sister's bemused gaze, but didn't deny it. "There is a great difference between loving the buck, and embracing the doe, Apple. It is hard for me to explain, since I know you love men exclusively." Jess shrugged. "With a woman, I don't mind if she is a soft rose, as I take the role of iron in that relationship, able to cherish and protect her. With a man? I suppose I like to feel like the delicate flower. Soft, vulnerable, sensual, claimed by a man who can hold me in his arms and let me feel safe and snug as I fall asleep in his embrace. Does that make sense?"

  Smiling, Apple nodded. “There. You look as beautiful as any flower of the Court. Go out, have a nice walk and win his heart, Jess. You're worth it.”

  Laughing Jess parted with a kiss to a bemused sister's cheek, heart racing as if she were stepping into the dueling ring once more, catching sight of a freshly dressed and shaved Joshua waiting in the central room of their suite. Jess found herself filled with a strange sort of happiness as he warmly clasped her hand, as if claiming her for his own, the polite murmurs of her mother washing over her as Joshua led her from quarters to garden, content just to walk by Joshua's side, holding his hand, loving the strong sensual sound of his voice even as he regaled her with the small details of his life at the capital. She smiled as his arms suddenly wrapped around her, gently leaning her head back to rest against his strong chest as he squeezed her tight, leaving her feeling safe and warm, snug in the cocoon of his powerful embrace.

  "My word, Jess, you have certainly lived an exciting life," he commended sometime later after coaxing any number of childhood adventures out of her, his gentle laughter coloring her childhood mishaps at the hands of her brother and her own naivete in an almost magical light. His eyes filled with such admiration when she went on to regale him with numerous escapades survived in lands of nightmare and dream, those fragments she remembered with startling, almost frightening clarity, for all that most, sadly, she knew only secondhand from the accounts she had read.

  Jess smiled somewhat ruefully. “I have had my share of adventures and scrapes with death. Stories feted in my honor, for all that, save for nightmarish glimpses that sometimes set me to screaming in the wee hours of the night, I can hardly remember a thing.”

  Joshua's smile turned rueful. "Yet somehow you picked up a style of buckler and blade fighting unlike anything I've ever seen before. Was it a flash of intuition garnered in your Delvings, sweetest Jess?"

  Jess shrugged, covering her shudder with a smile. Her Joshua must have sensed something, suddenly holding her close, as if to soothe a tremble she only noticed at that moment. "Sometimes I feel as though I am haunted, my Joshua. Burdened by old rages, ancient promises, and memories not my own."

  Joshua gently lifted her chin, slowly lowering himself to kiss her, having not a care who saw, for all that no lord catching sight of them was so crass as to do other than politely turn away, loath to offend prince and mistress of the garden both. "I know, my Jessica. I know how heavy and burdened your heart is by the terrible things you were forced to endure in nightmarish realms of Shadow. Just know that Erovering will always be thankful to you and your companions for closing two rifts that had threatened our land, that and for rescuing all the daughters of all the lords so happy to make this academy their winter retreat, men who would have had nothing but broken homes and bitter memories had you not chosen to play the hero, only to be betrayed and brutalized by infernalists who dared claim power not their own, seeking to falsely accuse and execute the queen of my heart." His gaze turned fierce. "Infernalists who have already begun to pay the ultimate price, with my blessing." Tenderly, he stroked her cheek. "Ulric and I will always protect those sacred to our hearts. I promise you that, my Jess. When you come back to Krona with me, it shall be as a lady feted and honored. The consort of my hand, the lady of my heart."

  Jess flushed, smiling. “You are the man of my heart as well, Joshua Trueblood.”

  “I adore you, you know.” He lowered his mouth to hers in a tender kiss, her prince first hesitant, then strong as her lips parted to better taste the sweetness of his mouth, soon growing passionate with a heat that sent her heart racing, and other parts tingling with almost painful need.

  She smiled even as their gentle kiss, soft and questing, soon transformed into something far more urgent. Yet it was Joshua who broke their sweet embrace, for all that his eyes were alight with a fierce hunger, his grin coaxing a throaty laugh from Jess in turn.

  “I do believe it is time for our next bout, my prince,” Jess archly teased. “I wonder if your favorite sword will get the best of m
e this time?”

  Joshua chuckled. “Of that we shall have to see, my precious rose. What secrets lie at the heart of your gentle petals?”

  Jess felt herself blush prettily at that, though it did not stop her from taking his hand in a steely grip, firmly leading him to the heart of her garden, to enter the famed rose maze by secret routes only she could find, not wanting her mother or sister to exchange arch looks at her passing through the main entrance. For the rose-laden atrium now served as a most popular out of doors dining hall and gaming venue, Jess hastily explained to a bemused looking Joshua, Erovering's elite frequently spending the warm sunny days playing games of strategy and chance when not strolling about the gardens, enjoying a taste of spring paradise even as the rest of Erovering shivered under endless blankets of snow.

  Within moments Jess and her prince were lost within the cool passageways of the rose bushes arching high overhead, having slipped in quite a ways from her mother's prying eyes, the golden shafts of sunlight both beautiful and yet somehow otherworldly as well; utterly foreign to the gentle noonday sun they had left but heartbeats ago. And the moment their feet touched the loamy soil within the grand maze, there was utter silence, save for the whisper of foliage rustling to a gentle breeze, rose petals of ivory and crimson falling to the ground with the most graceful of midair dances and the sweetest of fragrances.

  Of the noise and bustle of the dining atrium so close to Jess's secret entrance there was no trace, and Jess's response to her lover's wide eyed wonder of it all was to flash a mischievous smile, even as she tilted her head to softly kiss the warm salty lips of an only slightly disoriented Joshua, who with a throaty laugh pinned Jess against the loamy petal covered ground, taking his time to gently kiss the nape of her neck, savoring her shuddering gasps even as his tongue playfully made its way down her all too easily removed dress, and within moments Jess began to gasp, biting her lip, as Joshua, gazing at her so tenderly, gently went down to kiss and caress her most tender parts, whispering words of adoration even as he made her whimper with sweetest pleasure.

  A gentle rhythm built up to an inexorable climax, until at last Jess cried out, Joshua panting and grinning, Jess gazing at him with such adoration even as she drew him down to kiss tender soft lips that tasted of her own warmth, gently spreading her own legs wide, and even as he gazed down at her with such tender adoration, a question upon his lips, she managed a throaty chuckle, arching her hips, drawing him in.

  He shuddered and allowed himself to sink into her soft warmth, Jess crying out with the brilliant shock of pleasure before allowing herself to fully surrender to his embrace, his touch, squeezing him tightly to her with a hungry growl, the two quickly losing themselves in the carnal joys of their fierce passion for one another, Jess throatily chuckling at Joshua's aching struggle to keep his grunts of pleasure in check, she feeling no such need, crying out her rapture with gleeful abandon, squeezing Joshua tightly to her even as he shuddered and sighed with sweetest release.

  Jess kissed her man tenderly, enjoying the weight of him, stroking his sweaty brow, assuring her prince that not a soul in the outside world could hear them. For in a very real sense, they were safe and snug in their own little world.

  "Is that a fact, my precious rose? Not a soul can hear us, no matter how we cry out with the sweet?" Teasing eyes locked upon Jess's blushing features. Her lips curled into a gentle smile, feeling utterly replete, though sensing his mounting urgency for her, his hunger to embrace her once more. She smiled with delicious anticipation, suddenly feeling far more alert than she had even moments before, and hungry to embrace his passion once more as well.

  “Indeed it is, my prince. Even as you claim my sweet surrender with your masterful blade, none can hear my cries for mercy, save you.”

  All this she said softly, hungrily, even as she stroked and mounted him, biting her lip with the luscious pleasure of his treasured sword piercing her sweetness once more, his own gasp making Jess purr with a warm glow of contentment, enjoying the shivery tingle of his tongue caressing and suckling her breasts even as she slowly gave in to the waves of fierce ecstasy coursing through her.

  She wanted to swoon with the shocking pleasure of his powerful strokes as Joshua sought to consume her with his passion, grunting with a savage desperation Jess found utterly intoxicating, allowing herself to be swept up in a wave of desire that built to an intolerable crescendo, encompassing her body entire in one fierce, overwhelming torrent of aching need. A pleasure so intense, a torment so sweet that she sobbed with ecstasy and relief as she peaked in his arms, leaving her breathless and dazed, aware only of her Joshua shuddering as he collapsed atop her, utterly spent.

  "My dear knight in shining armor. I fear you have utterly bested me." She smiled and kissed a dazed looking Joshua upon passion bitten lips, allowing herself to sink into the dreamiest of dozes, wrapped safely in his arms. And as incredibly sweet and pleasurable as she had found their lovemaking, the protective way he held her close, nestled together on a bed of rose petals, was like floating in gentle paradise.

  “Jessica? There is something I would very much like you to have, if you would accept it.”

  The voice was soft, tentative, almost anxious. Dressed once more and utterly at peace with the world, the two were strolling hand in hand ever deeper within her rose maze. A corridor sentineled by massive rosebushes standing silent vigil, endless walls of flowering green, showering down a gentle stream of crimson, pink, and ivory rose petals that Jess was bemusedly certain would extend without limit, for as long as she pleased, should she but desire it strongly enough. As if they strode a portal to a perfect world of floral beauty, her magnificent garden but a bridge between two grand realms.

  Jess, sensing something momentous, pushed such flights of fancy aside, turning to gaze into her lover's captivating eyes. "I would love any gift you would care to give me, dear Joshua. I would adore it with all my heart."

  Joshua's grin was like the sun emerging from overcast skies to light the sky with brilliance and warmth. Or at least, that was what it felt like to Jess.

  “I was hoping you would say that,” Joshua confided with some relief. “Now close your eyes.”

  It was a measure of her utter trust in him that she disregarded every well-trained warrior's first instinct, to never leave oneself utterly at the mercy of the whim of another. Of course, it helped that she sensed not the slightest trace of malice or deception from the man she was quite certain had successfully stolen her heart.

  Still, she gasped once when she felt the cool touch of metal against her skin.

  "You can open your eyes now." Joshua flashed his adorable smile even as he gently held up the thin braid of what was obviously his own carefully spun hair, upon which had been threaded an exquisite double serpentine ring, silver and gold, appearing to twine about one another in an endless loop, each biting the other's tail. One of the oldest and most revered symbols of pair bonding to be found in all of Erovering, a sacred promise between lovers who planned one day to wed. That no one may stake a claim upon the other, that each was already spoken for.

  Even as she gazed at the promise ring, utterly speechless, Joshua slowly held up his own ring, the twin of the ring upon her own throat, declaring to all the world that each was betrothed to the other.

  With a throaty cry Jess threw herself into his arms, kissing him with a sweet heady joy she had never known before. "Saints above, only in my most secret heart did I think you would go so far. I know the terrible pressure your family has put you under already. The need to leave yourself open to future alliances. But this? Crown laws aside, in the eyes of any true citizen, you all but declare me your wife!" She fought to hold back tears, wrapping him up in a tight embrace, he squeezing her back, tentative lips tasting hers once more.

  His voice came out a husky whisper, yet fierce with heartfelt passion, his soulful stare rocking her with its intensity. “I love you with all my heart, Jessica de Calenbry. Don’t you ever forget that.”


  There was only one response she could give. Throaty laughter and a kiss achingly tender rekindled the warm embers of their passion into a hungry flame burning hot once more, both of them sinking in unison to the loamy floor of her vast rose maze, consummating their declarations of love with a passion heartfelt and fierce, lost in each other's arms even as the brilliant sunny day slowly faded into a peaceful dusk, the two lovers at last parting the maze hand in hand, wearing their betrothal rings about their necks openly, for all the world to see.

  52

  "Jess, it's beautiful!" Her sister, resplendent in a dress of deepest blue, perfectly coiffed and the picture of elegance, gazed at her rumpled sister's beautiful ring with a look equal parts bemusement and envy. "Oh, I am so happy for you! By the gods, you've managed to net yourself a prince!" Her sister chuckled throatily. "Though I would take a bath soonest, dearest Jess, lest you'd proclaim to the world how thoroughly your beau has claimed you."

  Jess flashed a sheepish smile, well aware that her dress was rumpled, stained with the loamy soil of her garden. Her hair was a mussed mess, and her body, she had no doubt, was well-marked with her lover’s gentle nips and scent as well.

  Her sister’s chuckle was positively evil. “It is a good thing for you it is dark out, else the world entire would know what you and our dear prince were up to in the garden, for the entire afternoon from what I can tell.”

  Jess blushed, her sister grinning wickedly before wrinkling her nose. "Seriously, Jess. Take a bath. You smell a bit… musky."

  But Jess was already retreating for their ever ready copper bath, not even minding that the water was tepid, happy to be out from under her sister's too knowing gaze, even as she sighed in sweetest reminiscence, recalling every deliciously wicked detail of the day entire in her lover's arms, feeling a pleasant soreness throb deliciously through her even as she did so. "Tell Mother Joshua is coming over after dinner, will you Apple?" She called behind her, doing her best to be out of range of her sister's teasing laughter. Her heart raced, thinking upon what Joshua would likely be coming over to discuss in the most solemn and formal of tones with her mother.