by Mark Albany
But, training needed to continue. With Aliana needed to help build supply trains for the gathering army, Braire and Norel both offered to pick up where Aliana had to leave off. Having two new instructors was interesting—for about a minute. The two of them had very different training styles. Norel was more of an academic, and focused on learning theory and then practicing. Braire was almost the complete opposite, saying I needed to focus on learning what I needed to know in the heat of the moment, since that was when I was usually going to be using it.
In the end, after a few hours of being tossed around by the two of them, I decided that if anyone was going step in and set some order to this particular brand of chaos, it would have to be me. I ended up letting Braire leave for the morning so I could focus on meditation, with Norel staying to instruct me on my spellcasting technique in her quiet yet demanding way.
As the afternoon came around, though, I realized I needed some physical exertion. I had been pushed to the limit with Aliana over our previous sessions, but once I had recovered from that, there was very much a need to be pushed again.
And I just knew that Braire would be more than willing to help me with that.
Norel stood nearby as something of a referee, someone to keep us from going too far in our engagements. It wasn’t too long before Aliana joined us in the secluded little spot we’d picked out. It was a small inlet near a river that was far enough away from the troops that we wouldn’t put them at risk with all the power flying around, while still close enough to the ruins that we wouldn’t be too far away if anything happened.
Although with Aliana here and able to transport us back to the camp, that became something of a moot point anyway.
I gripped my blade tighter, feeling sweat starting to soak my hands, making the hilt a bit more slippery than I expected. Braire had brought a couple of knives to bear, similar to Aliana’s, and at one point brought a strike in a bit too close, tearing my shirt to the point where it wasn’t necessary anymore. I had decided to keep any other clothes away lest she decide to ruin those as well.
Which I was still sure she was doing on purpose although she had quickly denied it, making it a favor I would have to return once I was able to get close enough. I remembered Aliana’s training session where she had me fighting for my life back at Norel’s estate, but this was different. Braire was different. She was dangerous and unpredictable. To me, anyway.
Norel and Aliana seemed to trust her, though. That was enough for me.
I drew a deep breath, feeling the burning in my muscles lessening as Braire pulled away from the tree she’d been leaning on, waiting for me to recover from our previous session.
“Ready to go again?” she asked, a grin playing on her face as she realized the multiple ways her question could be taken, depending on the circumstances.
I wasn’t really in the mood, though. I clenched my jaw, taking a deep breath before bringing my sword up into a ready position.
“Come at me,” I said, not intending the double entendre but not willing to go back on it, either. I started moving toward her. She grinned, tilting her head and flicking her hands, bringing her knives out. They were longer than Aliana’s, almost to the point of being short swords, and they were sharp and wickedly curved. She moved her right hand forward, sending the blade flying toward me.
I quickly brought my sword to bear, deflecting the knife away from me and throwing it into one of the many nearby trees. It was an impressive move but it caught me off-guard, bringing my charge to a halt as Braire jumped forward, power gathering in her suddenly-free hand. She launched at me with a cry.
I dove to the right, landing on my shoulder, rolling and quickly regaining my feet the way Aliana taught me, although really it was one of the first things I’d learned while being trained to fight under Vis’ tutelage. I heard air swishing around steel as I came up. Knowing better than to turn and see what it was, I flooded my consciousness into the air around me, watching as Braire called her blade back to her fingers—with me standing between her and it. Without looking, I twirled my sword behind my back, knocking the knife away.
As I did, I saw Braire launch another magical strike at my chest. I felt my power flooding my rune-hand. The familiar white light launched forward, crashing into her power and sending it to the ground where it exploded in a small ball of fire, leaving a charred crater on the ground.
“Impressive,” Braire said, breathing hard. “Your defense is hard to penetrate, Grant. But not impossible.”
I ducked as she once again called her knife back to her hands and took a running leap forward as she caught it, immediately transferring the power of her jump into a swing at my neck with both knives.
I wasn’t there to greet it. I’d jumped to the right, keeping the sword up in case I needed to block or deflect. She hit the ground then lost her balance when her blades hit nothing but air. I quickly reversed my sword into a downward swing, trying to take advantage of her struggle to stay on her feet.
She raised her knife to redirect the blow away from her neck, pushing it just above her head as she reversed her other knife as well, swinging it toward my stomach. I honestly had no idea if she intended to disembowel me, but there was no sense in risking it. I sidestepped the strike, moving around it and using the momentum of my redirected attack to go low, catching her on her armored greaves and sweeping her feet out from under her.
She dropped but quickly rolled, wrapping her arms around my leg and pulling me down beside her. I hadn’t expected the move, clearly, and as she rolled over my knee, I quickly found myself in the position of either dropping the rest of the way or having a broken leg for one of the largest battles of our time together. I chose to not have a broken leg.
It wasn’t acceptable or fair, but that didn’t change the fact that I was on my ass, feeling the impact jarring the blade out of my hands. Braire was quick to climb on top of me, pushing me onto my back as she straddled my hips.
I reached up, seeing the gleam of her blades coming closer to me as I trapped both of her wrists in my hands, keeping the blades from getting any closer. I knew she wasn’t going to kill me, but this was all-out training so there was no sense taking any risks. I groaned, fighting against her leverage as she leaned on her arms, but my combat training came back to me.
Do not become entangled with someone who is larger or than stronger than you. Aliana’s words. All things considered, I was larger and physically stronger than Braire. All I needed to do was reverse the momentum.
“Yield!” Braire demanded.
“Not…happening…” I muttered through clenched teeth. I wasn’t sure why, but there was nothing I could do to push her arms back. Either she was using magic to infuse her muscles with additional strength, or I was more fatigued than I’d thought.
You’re a rogue mage, I remembered. My strength wasn’t in overpowering anyone with my physical strength but rather, using someone else’s strength against them.
I shifted my body to the right as I watched one of the blades inching down toward my chest. With a sudden jerk, I pulled myself out of the way and let her hand go. She gasped as her knife shot down, sinking into the ground as I rolled over her hand, knocking the knife from her grasp as I used the fact that she was now off balance to roll on top of her. She kept her legs wrapped around my waist as I looked down at her, my hands taking hers by the wrist and pinning them to the ground above her head. I was suddenly very aware of how naked I was, as well as the fact that we were pressed quite close to each other.
“Well,” Braire said, breathless. “Isn’t this an interesting position to be in?”
“Quite,” I agreed, breathless as well, but as we remained locked in place, I discovered that my breathlessness might have a different source. I didn’t want to give up this advantageous position but if I didn’t, soon…
Then again, from the way she was tilting her head and letting her eyes drift down between us, maybe that wouldn’t be necessary.
“I think this fight i
s over,” I said, trying to keep my voice soft but finding that it had dropped a few tones.
“Not until one of us yields,” she replied, cocking an eyebrow. I could feel her wrapping her legs tighter around me, not giving me any room to escape. I let one of her hands go, using it to pull the other knife away from her softened grip, moving it down to rest at her neck.
“Yield,” I whispered, almost afraid she was going to agree. To my relief, she shook her head stubbornly.
“Never,” she hissed, jutting her chin out as I ran the blade down her neck and over her shoulder. The hook of the blade caught on the top she was wearing. I looked up as I felt her thighs squeezing me, pulling me in against her. Her eyes spoke of excitement, hunger and need as I pulled her top lower, letting her right breast out of its confining wraps. It was perfectly round and heavy, drawing my eye and the touch of my hand as I looked back into her eyes.
Her free hand came up to grip the back of my neck, her fingers slowly threading through my hair as she pulled me down to her. I felt her tongue running lightly over my lips before pressing inside, letting me taste her as she held me close. I could feel her teeth and nails digging into me, mixing with the pleasure flooding my body as I palmed her breast with one hand, releasing her hands to glide my right hand smoothly down her arm to pull her other breast out before exploring the rest of her body, inch by delicious inch.
“Fuck,” she gasped, shuddering gently. I could feel that shudder in myself as well, as the first tenuous touch of a bond appeared between us. I pushed my hips forward, grinding my growing cock between her thighs. She moaned against my lips, letting her fingers run down my back before gripping my ass. The heat from our training session hadn’t been expended. If anything, it grew hotter as I felt her pushing into me as I fumbled to pull the light dress she’d been wearing for our training out of the way. She sank her nails into my ass as I let her feel my cock rubbing over the bare skin of her thighs.
I felt another pair of hands run over my back, as a third tilted Braire’s head back. I’d almost forgotten that Norel and Aliana had been following our training session. I wasn’t sure how. Maybe the heat between Braire and me had been enough to fog my memory of everything else. I leaned my head up, being rewarded as Aliana pressed her lips to mine just as my hips thrust forward, Braire’s hand guiding my cock inside her. I could hear her gasp, a shudder of pleasure rushing through her body as she tightened around me before I had even finished my thrust.
Aliana let her hand drift down to my ass, grabbing it and pushing as I thrust into Braire again, and again. Braire’s eyes were closed, her body rocking each time I bottomed out inside her. She had reached up to grab Norel, pulling the elf closer as her other hand reached for me. Her hand on my chest quickly left nail marks to match the ones I was still wearing on my back. Her eyes opened and I could see something primal in them.
“Harder,” she demanded. As requests went, it was simple enough to fulfill. My distraction with Aliana would have to wait, I realized as I leaned over Braire. I could see Norel, already naked and toying with her pussy as she watched us. Aliana moved over to her side to help, as well as watch.
It was enticing in all the right ways. I found myself struggling to keep my focus as I put one hand over Braire’s shoulder for support as the other wrapped lightly around her neck, drawing her attention and her eyes solely on me as I quickened my pace, pushing her for what she wanted. I could feel her tight, wet walls wrapping tighter and tighter around me as her back arched.
“Grant,” she whispered, her eyes closed as she pulled me closer. I felt her cumming on my cock. I shuddered, feeling her pleasure rushing into my body. The sensations were intense—I could feel her release in addition to my arousal, as well as Norel’s and Aliana’s.
The latter of whom was quick to note that Braire was finished for the moment. Aliana was feeling greedy in a way that would have Norel pushing for competition, I just knew it. I was pulled out from between Braire’s shaking thighs as Aliana, already naked and wet in need, pulled me closer to her.
I grabbed her hands, pulling them away from me as I turned her onto her hands and knees over Braire as I took my place behind her. My cock, drenched with Braire’s cum, pushed deep inside Aliana as I watched Norel playing with herself, soft moans coming from her lips as she watched me roughly fuck Aliana from behind.
I took a handful of Aliana’s hair, pulling her back to take me in over and over again as she panted, moaned and gasped for me over Braire, who was still struggling to recover as the newly-formed bond between us pushed her toward another orgasm. I could see her hands grabbing Aliana’s breasts, bouncing with each firm thrust from me. I reached down, grabbing one of Braire’s breasts as I watched Norel reach down to toy with her pussy, slipping a pair of fingers inside her and thrusting in time with my cock sliding in and out of Aliana.
It was difficult to tell which orgasm was more intense. Braire’s body was already drained from her first, and she gave herself over to the climax as it washed over her. I could see her body shivering as she moaned something in elvish, bucking her hips against Norel’s hand. For her part, Norel maintained her composure remarkably well, all things considered. Her focus wavered as she felt me approaching my edge, and it was quickly swept away with Aliana’s wet pleasure washing us both away. I couldn’t hold myself in as my hands gripped her tight enough to leave marks on her smooth skin. Hips bucking and cock twitching inside her, I filled her with my cum.
The intensity of our four bodies joined in pleasure was astounding. The power grew inside me until the prickling I usually felt was more like a burn, searing into the nail marks on my skin, and the minute scratches left on me by Braire’s blades. It was like the power was looking for somewhere to go, like my body wasn’t able to contain all of it.
I finally dropped to the ground, joined by the three women. I didn’t feel drained, nothing like that. I’d actually never felt quite this invigorated in my life, but the way the orgasms just kept washing over me, over and over again… It was all I could do just to stare through the tree cover and into the clouds.
“Holy…fuck…” I said, shaking my head as I finally regained the ability to speak. Norel didn’t respond, and I saw that her eyes were closed. I sucked in a deep breath, watching as Aliana laid her head on Braire’s stomach and idly traced her fingers across the bare skin.
Braire, for her part, looked thoughtful, almost pensive, like she wanted to find out they why of what had happened. I didn’t blame her. I was struggling with that a bit myself.
Finally, after what felt like hours of the four of us just lying there, Braire lifted Aliana’s head gently, playing with her horns with a small smile before pushing herself to her feet.
“Thank you, Grant,” she said, her voice soft and… I couldn’t think of a better word than musical. “This was…most interesting.”
Interesting. That was one way to describe it. Like she’d been conducting an experiment with me. Though as she passed, she reached down to gently brush her hand over my shoulder in the thoughtless sort of action of someone growing more intimately comfortable with another.
“I think Aliana will have to resume your training for now,” Braire said softly as she quickly fixed the clothes we’d never actually gotten around to fully removing. “I think I need a bath. Yes, a nice…hot bath.”
I smiled, tilting my head and looking over at Aliana, who was staring up at me.
“You know, I think she’s warming up to me,” I said with a cheeky grin.
7
That evening I found the shared silence in our little camp was different than usual. The three sisters looked rather more relaxed than I’d seen them in a while, as though they’d finally come to terms with something and were glad they could move on from it, but now the question was, “where next?”
I looked around. I felt uncomfortable, but not because the silence itself was. This unspoken bond between us remained, and there was comfort and silence from Norel, Aliana, and now Braire. It
was interesting to have a third member. I needed to find a way to section off my mind to know which one each separate feeling belonged to. They weren’t sisters of blood, but mentally they were all annoyingly similar. When there were three of them and focus was at a premium, I just knew that mix-ups and confusion weren’t far behind.
“What’s the matter?” Aliana asked while turning to face me, concern showing in her eyes as she leaned closer.
There was no way I was going to lay out what I was actually thinking. It was too embarrassing. Instead, I decided to share something else that had been plaguing me since this afternoon, when a light post-sex training session with Aliana ended the day.
“I just feel guilty,” I said softly, lowering my eyes. “Here we are, standing against one of the greatest threats that humanity has faced this century, and I was enjoying myself. Having fun with the three of you. I don’t know why I feel this way.”
“We’re still gathering our strength,” Braire replied with a small smile. “If we were ready to fight Cyron, we would be. And when we are, it will happen. Until then, there is no harm in enjoying the small pleasures of life, and certainly no need to beat yourself over it.”
“Small pleasures is nothing like what we experienced this afternoon,” Norel interjected, chewing on a leg of a pheasant that had been found in the city, still relatively fresh.
Aliana chuckled but Braire didn’t say anything, simply lowered her head. She had been trying all afternoon to block the bond we now shared, but she didn’t seem to be very good at it. I didn’t want to intrude on what she wanted to keep private, but there was a warm feeling in her mind that made me smile and change the subject.
