Crimson Warrior

by Amanda McLaren

  “What happens if the seal isn’t lifted?”

  “The magic can drive them insane if it it’s released wrong, Kariken. I know how. The Azhi taught the humans how to do this, before there was war between us. I can. It’s just…” San grew quiet. When the Azhi spoke again, her voice shook. “It’s painful, Xia. It’s the most agonizing thing anybody could ever go through for both parties.”

  I closed my eyes and bit my lip, nodding. “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, San. I want this.”

  We were quiet for a time. Suddenly Anshumali’s lips pressed hard against mine. Hot lust burned from her into me. Shivers traveled down my spine; I let her press me onto my back and climb on. She purred into my ears as my mate pinned my wrists.

  “W-what are you doing?”

  “We’ll get started in a few hours.”

  “This isn’t the time for sex, San!”

  She kissed down my neck to suck at my collar bone. “If not now, when? Kariken, I love you. I don’t want to hurt you. But if I must release this power, I will bring you utter bliss. Over and over again, until you just can’t take anymore.”

  I felt the tug of a smile on my lips. “Good luck there, Anshumali. No lover has ever satisfied me before.”

  “Is that a challenge?”

  “One you won’t win.” I told her with defiant pride.

  San’s hands released my wrists so she could rip off my clothing. After a moment of feeling around, I managed to get hers off with a little help. The moment of frustration it gave me passed as my lover’s teeth gently clamped down on my tits. My hands ran down her body until they found her amazing rump and one of her fantastic boobs. I began to squeeze both, smacking her ass to listen to it jiggle.

  Sanquility buried three fingers into my waiting hole.

  “Oh gods,” My hips moved with her fingers. Her thumb strummed my clit as we found a fast, hot pace. I bit and sucked at her ears and neck as I scratched her butt and played with her tits. Rubbing. Pinching. Her whimpers became moans.

  Sybel’s voice came from outside. There was a knock at the door.

  “Stay out!” Sanquility yelled. “We’re busy!”

  “Did you lock the door?” I somehow managed to get all the words out.

  “Yes.” She wiggled her fingers; I pulled her hair and put a boob in my mouth to suck and lick at it. “Fuck,” My lover groaned.

  “Deeper” I demanded. The Azhi shifted before complying. “Yes!” I maneuvered to my best, slipping around the curves of her powerful body until I found my goal. Sanquility gasped as my fingers slid in.

  Like this, twined together, we drove harder and harder, until together we climaxed. San didn’t even pause however, and kept true to her word, until we were so exhausted we drifted off to sleep entwined.

  When I slowly opened my eyes to the smell of boar and bread, I was sore in that wonderful way. Sanquility’s body pressed against mine gently. I sat up, trying to keep myself composed. She handed me the bread. I ate quietly, aware that she was doing the same. I was very much aware that now was the time.

  “I’m thirsty.”

  “Here you are.” A cold brass flask was pressed into my free hand. “You’ll be glad for it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s liquor. Drink it all.”

  I took a sip. The unexpected kick made me gag. “Damn.” The meat was handed to me. “Thanks.”

  We ate in silence. Though I wanted to gulp the alcohol down, it was so strong I was forced to gingerly sip it, and even then, it didn’t take long for my head to begin spinning.

  “Let me have some of that.” San snickered, clearly amused.

  “What in the Seven’s name is that stuff?” My words slipped a little, to my surprise. I’d only drunk a quarter of the small flask.

  “It’s a blend between the stuff you usually drink and something that hits a little quicker.” I heard her take a swig. “I misjudged how much you can handle. There’s no need for more; we’ll begin in a minute.”

  “I’m no lightweight.”

  San snorted; her amusement circled through me, confusing my sluggish mind. “Clearly. Feeling sore, love?”

  My cheeks flushed with heat. “You certainly won my challenge, didn’t you?”

  Her nose touched my ear. “I’d like to think so; considering it was dawn before either of us got any sleep.”

  I gasped. “How late is it?”

  “No need to worry about the time of day for a while, Kariken. We’ll be more concerned with adapting to what I’m going to do to you.”

  I suddenly became aware of an odd sensation. I shook my head, thinking it had to be the alcohol.

  “Oh, no; that’s the link. I’m gradually seeping further and further into your mind. Overlapping our minds is the first step into breaking that seal, my love.”

  “It’s…like…”

  Like there are thoughts that are yours but not?

  I gasped when it belatedly hit me that Sanquility had spoken to me. “Exactly.”

  I do not wish to do this to you, my love. The most painful part of the process is after the seal is gone.

  “What happens then?”

  “Separating into individuals again.” San whispered.

  I heard her think it as she said it, creating a sort of echo effect.

  It’s like you said it twice.

  //There is no need for words now, love. No need for us to say anything. Put down the rest of your guards. You cannot hide anything from me to do this. //

  Those guards protect myself from memories.

  //Do you need me to help? //

  No. I’ll do it.

  I weeded them free. It was almost impossible not to think of them as Anshumali Sanquility pried into a past I’d rather leave forgotten. My head began to spin as she waded deeper and deeper into my mind. My stomach churned.

  San…

  //I cannot stop now. //

  I felt her push to a part of my mind that was shrouded in darkness. It was like every time I’d opened my eyes since Sonya had been multiplied by ten. Strangely enough, it swirled. Like a thick black mist. A well of terror took hold so fierce I began to quiver.

  //The fear is natural, love. I will only continue when you’re ready. //

  Sanquility was extraordinarily calm. I allowed her confidence to gradually soothe me.

  //Brace yourself; this isn’t going to be fun. //

  The magic surged through me. It was welling up like water trickling into a dam, pooling against the blocked doorway. The magical mist obscuring part of my own mind, gradually building pressure. Soon my temples began to ache. Then my head began to throb. I closed my eyes as my stomach clenched.

  I felt for Sanquility’s hand; she gripped mine quickly and squeezed it tight.

  //It is okay, Kariken. Relax. Do not fight what I am doing. //

  I tried to heed her, but it felt impossible to open myself any more to her. It was starting to feel as if somebody were trying to split my head open. I felt tears on my cheeks, but when I reached up to wipe them away, my cheeks were dry. I gasped.

  The tears were Anshumali’s.

  San!

  //I’m okay, my love. It will hurt worse if I stop now. Give way to me; let me do this. //

  How?

  //Just will it, //

  In my mind, I could see the mist barrier fading. Almost…cracking.

  //Yes. Not much longer now. //

  I knew. I just simply knew. Instead of gritting my teeth, I forced my jaw to go slack; followed by the rest of my body. I became limp, leaning completely into Anshumali. The woman hugged me as if she were afraid to let go.

  Then…there was a wave of pain. Complete and utter agony as the seal gave way. Vanished. I leaned over the bed and vomited. My lover followed me.

  It hurts!

  //We’re almost there; just a little more. //

  My nails dug in along her back as I was pulled back into her powerful embrace.

  What else is there to do?

>   //We cannot stay like this, Kariken. We are two minds, not one. And you must allow this part of your mind into your life. Explore it. Understand it. Use it. //

  Something was tearing at my mind. Ripping it apart. Our screams blended, echoing down the halls as our minds diverged. Tearing. Horrible, horrible tearing.

  Before her mind had completely left mine, she stopped.

  I couldn’t stop the quivering. So cold. So…alone.

  “You are not alone.” Anshumali whispered.

  “I…feel that way…”

  “It will pass. Kariken, I command you to sleep.”

  “I…love…you…” My eyes slipped shut.

  When I opened my eyes to a whirling twister of red and black with torrents of several hues of green, I lurched backward in terror. When I realized that it was where Sanquility was, and in the shape of a person, I forced my mind to calm down. Reaching out, I touched Sanquility in amazement.

  My gods! It’s Sanquility! I can see Sanquility…in a very strange way.

  Glancing around, I realized my entire world was in a very subdued mesh of color in indistinct shapes. My heart soared like a song bird as I realized while reaching out that they were things in my room. None of them were distinct enough to truly see, but I could see something!

  “San! San, wake up!” I called, shaking her gently.

  Our link hung by a tether, and San shoved me away with a weak and tired grumble. “Let me be.”

  “Common, San, wake up!”

  “No, let me sleep. I’m exhausted.”

  “Fine; then I won’t tell you if it worked. I might be able to see.”

  Her head shot up. “I’m up. Can you see?”

  “Sort of.”

  “Quit playing, Xia! I’m tired!”

  “I’m not! I can only see basic shape and color. Nothing but you is distinct.”

  “Oh really?” She sat up.

  “Yes. Really.”

  “That’s called Second Sight. You’re…you’re using magic to see. Completely.”

  “…I’m…using…” I frowned. “But don’t you have use energy to use magic? Besides, I don’t have a headache. It doesn’t hurt at all to see.”

  “The Monobi are a blessed people.” She told me. “They use the magic of the earth. Your mind is automatically asking the earth to give you sight. I…I didn’t think humans could do it anymore.”

  “Azhi do it?”

  “All the time.” Sanquility stated so matter-of-factly I laughed. She went to take a swing at me, but I ducked it.

  San gasped. “Holy shit, you really can see!”

  I tightened our link just slightly.

  Then a little more.

  “Stop.” The word was harsh; scolding and full of fear.

  My heart twisted in pain. “San?” I choked out her name in confusion.

  “…I’m sorry…” She breathed. “I…I wanted it so bad. It’s just…”

  “Dangerous.” I finished her sentence, looking down at the bed. My own fingers were a mix of green and red, with an underlying swivel of black. Looking at it closer, I smiled.

  “What?”

  “Our auroras are the same.”

  “Are all the un-living the same?” She happily abandoned the topic.

  I shook my head; it caused a moment of displacement, but quickly settled again. “No. They’re very different. I don’t understand all of the shapes, but I know the colors are dull because they’re not living.”

  “Are all the living the same color?”

  I shook my head. “No. Al’re is light green and gray.” I pointed at the pup. He was lying by the door.

  “Why are ours the same?”

  “Anshumali, our souls are merged.” I stated it with the same matter-of-fact tone Sanquility had used.

  “Oh. As long as it’s obvious to you, I guess.”

  The hurt in her voice surprised me. I leapt up to give her a hard kiss – and my head exploded in fire. Doubling over, I held it for several minutes. Sanquility lay beside me and held me. “It’ll pass, Kari.”

  Long moments after it passed we just lay there.

  “Why…?”

  She gave a long, sad sigh. “It’s painful because we were too close. It’ll fade away in a day or so, okay?”

  I gave an ornery smirk. “So…I have to go longer without –”

  “You little sex addict!” Sanquility cut me off by tickling me until I couldn’t breathe. The two of us fell apart. The urge to kiss her was swept over by an unsurpassable need to fight.

  “No.” San’s voice was firm. “Not yet.”

  “Soon?”

  “Yes. Soon.”

  Another worry crept into my mind, nagging at me until I couldn’t help but ask. “You said there’s a fifty percent chance a mystic will have a child like them.”

  “I’ve already checked. Vortix’s magic is mystic magic, but because Quinn is a mage it doesn’t have to be sealed. It won’t outgrow him because his body can sustain it, and so far, he’s not misused it.”

  “Not even for pranks?”

  She got a snicker out of that. “Not that I know of, but a prank isn’t as bad as what his father does. We should keep a close eye on him; if he does abuse the power, we’ll seal it until he understands magic isn’t a game.”

  “So what do we now?”

  “Get used to your new sight, Xia. It’ll take a bit of time.”

  “I want to tell everybody.”

  “Rest a bit more, love. I don’t even have the strength to get out of bed.”

  As little as I thought I could have slept another wink, it wasn’t long that I was drifting off again.

  From the mists we walked. I walked with my shoulders squared, katana at my back. Beside me walked the Priestess. Then the four others came in tow, their heads held high.

  The humans waited for us, their eyes wide as the eyes of Lisken, on the other side. I stepped from the magic that brought us here into the light. For the first time, I saw the world as they saw it. The golden and the white eye of the Lisken looked so glorious here. So magnificent.

  Sun. Moon. Yes, that is what the humans called it.

  “We are born of the gods, and have been commanded to protect you. Each in turn, we shall teach you to protect yourselves. I am the Warrior of War, daughter of Shen.” I spoke to them in an even voice, just loud enough for all to hear. “I shall teach you to fight with fire in your veins and honor in your hearts. For without either, war is meaningless.”

  The second warrior stepped up. “I am the Warrior of Brotherhood, daughter of Alatek. “I will teach you the code of brotherhood, and laws of war. I will teach you to wield weapons together, as one. For to die alone is to die in vain.”

  A third warrior stepped forward. “I am the son of Maya-den. I will teach you to wield fire, and to honor the dead. For they gave themselves for you.”

  The next warrior. “I am the daughter of Maya-den. I will teach you to heal with plants, and to respect all life around you. For without it, you are nothing.”

  The fifth warrior bowed low. “I am the son of Azure and Adzen, and I am a mage, a warrior of magic, born of Azen. I will give you magic, to read and write, and to draw maps. You will learn how to fight with your mind as well as your sword.”

  The sixth warrior. “I am the son of Xien. I will teach you to learn to follow your instincts; I will help you bend to the changes and adapt to the world you’re entering, and grow as you were meant to grow naturally as we learn more about cultivation of land and culture.”

  The seventh strode forward, but she wore robes, not armor. She walked past me to speak the loudest. “I am no warrior, children of the earth. I am the daughter of Lisken, and I am a healer. I am a leader of spirit. I will bring you the voice of the gods. I will teach you prayer, so you may speak to them after I leave, and I will teach you their story.”

  After two months of waking up to darkness, it was nauseating and unsettling to wake up to a rainbow of color. I sat up with a rush of exhilarati
on and almost threw up from the instantaneous motion sickness. I was completely and utterly disoriented until I realized I was in my room and not in the fields outside a small village, emerging from a dark mist to save humanity.

  “That was a strange dream,” My love yawned before lightly meeting my lips with hers. “Kind of felt similar to the nightmares you had about Lyrea or the siege to your village.”

  “Yeah, it did…but…” I lay back down slowly and pulled her close to me for comfort. “It’s strange. It felt like a memory, but I…I don’t…”

  Sanquility stretched. “I hate realistic dreams. Sorry about that, love; you must have shared mine with you this time; sharing stories with you reminded me of the ones my mom told me.”

  “It felt like I lived it.” I complained.

  She leaned over to give me a hopeful, light kiss on my lips. “Does that hurt?”

  “Nope.” I purred.

  She sucked at my fingers, and her hand slid down my shirt. “This?”

  “Far from it.”

  I breathed, stretching out so I could feel the full extent of it.

  “Then let me help you forget about it, huh?” My lover cooed.

  Smiling, I ran my hands up and down her slim, tone body. “Sounds like an idea.” I purred. Our lips met again. She traded for my neck. Putting my head back to allow her more room, I closed my eyes to let the pleasure wash over me without the distraction of the colors.

  The image of a smooth skinned, pale woman with tender gray eyes and long blue-black hair entered my mind. A wave of unexpected heat pulsed through me. For a moment I tried to recall her name, but couldn’t.

  San huffed. “Who in the Abyss was that, Kariken?”

  I blinked my eyes open, and could have sworn Anshumali was the woman I’d envisioned in my mind for several unnerving seconds.