The cloth was warming now, as it absorbed the heat that was again rising in her, but little trickles of water dripped lightly down her legs, tickling and awakening those nerves. She liked the feeling, so temporarily removing the cloth from her mound, she brought it up to her breasts and squeezed it slightly. Sliding deliciously over her skin, the water seemed to kiss and caress its way down her sensitized breasts and stomach, and the slight breeze coming in through the windows turned the rivulets into cool lines crisscrossing her heated flesh.
She felt herself slipping into an almost trance-like state. It shut out the calculating part of her mind before it could remind her of the two other instances she had felt such sensations. It encouraged her body to produce its own wetness to mingle with the water. It kept her from noticing the silent figure in her doorway until she was brought back to reality by the sound of his voice."Allorah." He said. One word and a sPausing a moment to sweep a stray curl out of her face with the back of her hand, Allorah briefly scanned the hall. Most of the rectangular space was taken up with the rows of pallets on either side, nearly all of them occupied by injured men. It was the largest room in the village, originally built for the assembly of the Council of Elders and designed to hold a throng of spectators. At the moment, however, it served as a makeshift hospital. There had to be at least fifty men here, but Allorah felt a swell of pride knowing she had already checked on and treated more than half of them. Dannonae was busy caring for the other half, and soon they would be able to leave matters in the hands of one of the more medically skillful village women and go back home for some much-needed rest.She was bone-weary, and frequently smothered yawns, irritably blinking away the moisture when her eyes watered in reaction. It seemed amazing to her that her eyes could still feel so grainy even
"Teach?" Geldan's raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You're going to teach us? What sort of things?""I will teach you War."Geldan looked around as whispers flitted through the crowd. "That's an awfully broad topic, Warrior... Certainly you can give us something more specific?""The first thing I will teach you is tactics." He told them, his green gaze steady on Geldan. "As a hunting people, you fight well enough, but your use of the territory is pathetic. This is your land, you know it better than anyone. Doubtless better than these invaders, yet you don't use that to your advantage."Anger flashed across Geldan's expression before he returned it to a strained neutral. "And you think you can do better?""I know it.""How do you know it? Where does all this knowledge come from anyway?" He was rapidly losing his calm façade, his voice growing heated."Geldan..." Allorah said lowly, warningly.
"Valerian root?" She murmured in tones of surprise, glancing at her former apprentice. "Has something happened?"Allorah didn't look up, but spoke curtly. "He's gone to rout the invaders in the Sacred Wood.""Oh." She said.The kettle started to hiss and Dannonae took it off the flame, pouring the steaming water into a cup. She sprinkled in a careful dose of the herb then set the mixture in front of Allorah, seating herself at the corner next to her and folding her hands on the tabletop. Allorah didn't touch the cup, and Dannonae didn't say anything, merely watched the younger woman absorbed in her thoughts. Abruptly she spoke."I am a fool."Dannonae raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"Allorah's mouth twisted in a self-mocking smile. "He is a dragon. I know that. Of course he's capable of taking care of himself. And the whole reason why I brought him here was to help us fight those horrible people. Yet... Now t
Seth shrugged. "Whatever you like. Though if you decide to kill him, I would advise questioning him first."Geldan nodded slowly. With a graceful movement, Seth flipped the sword in his left hand around so that he held it by the blade, and offered it hilt-first to the shorter man while he kept the officer in place by pressing the ornamented sword's point into the back of his neck. Geldan took the sword gingerly, but gave a respectful nod before motioning for two of the others to hoist the officer to his feet and bear him away. After another glance at Seth, he and the other two turned to follow, leaving Allorah alone with him.She could only look at him for a minute. His hands and arms were stained crimson, and blood spotted his torso, but she felt no alarm. She asked anyway. "Are you injured?"One side of his mouth curled up in a crooked smile. "No.""Then all that blood—?""Is not mine." He finished for her. She nodded in
Allorah felt something tickling slowly along her side. She wriggled, still mostly asleep, and the tickling trailed down over her hip and along her leg. Sleepily opening her eyes a fraction, she looked for the source of the sensation and found a long-fingered hand poised over her bare skin. Her eyes opened fully and she smiled, rolling onto her back to gaze up at Seth in sleepy amusement."Good morning, my Priestess." He greeted her."Mm." Allorah brought her arms over her head and stretched her torso languidly, her feet twisting in the covers. "Warrior Seth," she yawned. Her smile widened as she realized how this exchange echoed the one only two days past. How much had changed since then."You are in a fair mood," he noted."A night of good rest oft has such an effect." She replied, and his mouth curved slyly."Do I sense a veiled rebuke?"Allorah raised her eyebrows in question. "A rebuke?"Leaning over he
They ate in calm silence, content merely to share one another's company. Underneath the table, Allorah could feel Seth's shin pressing gently against her own leg, a wordless comfort.As she wrapped her hands around the warm mug of fragrant, invigorating tea, she went over the mental list of tasks she needed to do that day, the most immediate such as caring for the wounded at the top, and the less pressing ones further down. She still needed to meet with the Weavers about a new collection of cloth for bandages, for they were beginning to run low in the infirmary. Then there was the matter of the Solstice Ceremony that had been almost entirely neglected in the face of the more immediate war efforts, and another meeting with the Elders which as a full Priestess Dannonae had insisted she begin attending, and..."You should eat more." Seth's bass voice remarked gently from her side. She turned to look at him, smoothing the small frown she had unconsciously adopted w
"You need only call if you need any assistance," the Hunter reminded her as he reached over to unbolt the door and grasp the handle."I will remain here as well." Geldan declared, his tone forceful. "If he gives you any troubleat all—""I will call." Allorah finished for him. "You may open the door, Hunter." The guard nodded again, and pulled the door open enough for her to step through.As it swung closed again, Allorah paused to let her eyes adjust to the sudden gloom. The one window had been covered with a thick piece of cloth, perhaps to keep its occupant disoriented as to the time of day, or just enhance the feeling of isolation. Still, she knew better than to fumble around blindly, so she waited until she could see enough of the room to find her way safely to the window. Carefully setting the tray on the floor, she felt for the edges of the crude drapery before drawing it up and tucking it out of the way. She blinked rapidl
Geldan gave a frustrated sigh. "But we don't have time, Allorah. At the point that you learn enough to be able to understand him, his information will already be so outdated that..." He stopped himself then, lowering his gaze and nodding deferentially. "My apologies. I don't mean to question you."Allorah looked at him tiredly, and sighed too. Though only two years her senior, she could see visible signs in his face of the toll the war and his hasty rise to leadership had taken on him. "No," she said slowly. "You're right; it's too slow. We will need to think of something else."He glanced at her, frowning. "But what?""I... I don't know." Idly, her amethyst eyes drifted down to the tray she carried as she thought. "I shall consult with Priestess Dannonae." Her voice, even to her own ears sounded weary.Geldan opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it again, exhaling sharply through his nose. He nodded again to her.
First light found Red and Makaran seated on the house-sized boulders in the midst of a nearby river. The wood was beginning to wake as the wind changed with the rising of the sun. Small creatures crept amidst the giant rocks, and birdsong began to accompany the rush of the river. There was still a chill in the air and Red saw Makaran's breath in vapor as he spoke."First I must ask a potentially awkward question. How comfortable are you with being naked?""I have nothing to be ashamed of," Red shrugged."Good. I spend so much time in other skins, that I do not actually own any clothes. Obviously I had to borrow these from Mother Hannah. Shape changing in clothes does not work at all. They do not change with you when the Spirit transforms your body.""Spirit?""Aye, Spirit. That is what Mother Hannah and I have reckoned this to be. I have a very strong animal part to the Spirit inside me, and it allows me to wear its skins.""How many?"
It was during one of those rambles through the woods that she had come upon the castle. The trees had thinned, melting into brush and then into a meadow, unkempt and overrun, and there it stood ... in the middle of the sun drenched clearing – solid, unforgiving, a wall of unremitting black broken only by thin embrasures from which arrows could be fired at unwelcome intruders. As she stood within the fringe of trees, concealed by the broad trunk of an ancient oak, peering at the battlements, she felt a shiver run down her spine. It was a clear sunny day, but around the castle, the air seemed to thicken and she wrapped her arms around herself against the sudden cold.Her first instinct was one of flight, but her curiosity overcame the sudden rush of panic and she settled herself to survey the place more carefully. The castle was laid out in a rectangle, its smooth straight lines broken only by the swelling of the towers that marked each corner. There was no sign of life.
Somewhere in the Cathalian wilderness...Red swept her red cloak out of the way as she stooped down to pick another mushroom. She added it to the collection of its kin in her basket and danced off to find another. Soon it would be too warm to wear her cloak and hood, but her mistress insisted she wear it this evening in case she got caught out after dark in falling temperatures. Spring had just begun, after all, and Winter still thought it ruled the night.Indeed a chill did seem to be creeping through the wood. The sun was fast setting and the shadows were long. The red dusk peaked through the newly budding branches of the hardwoods and colored the girl's pale skin in bloodtones. Soon it would be dark, and Red did not know that she was being shadowed.The monster had been following her scent for miles, and now its luminous yellow eyes spied the girl in the gathering gloom. Her red hood bobbed along in the undergrowth as she worked her way toward the cottage in
Once upon a time...Three massive wolves stalked through the village streets, growling and snapping at the frightened citizens that dared peer through their windows. A young beggar ran across the street and the largest wolf, wind rushing through the shining black fur, pounced, pinning him with one large paw and leaning his head down, tearing out the young boy's throat. He let out a howl and his companions joined him, howling up at the moon, full above them. The eldest of the three, who was as black as his nephew, though the smooth fur bore streaks of silver, paused, lowering his gaze to a young woman who stood calmly in the middle of the street. A long hooded cloak of vibrant red silk hung from her slender frame and beneath the hood the wolves caught glimpses of soft blonde curls and blue eyes, dark as the sky above. She stepped back and they stalked closer, sniffing curiously."Creatures of the fullest moon, great wolves, I offer myself, my body in exchange for the sa
When Red awakens she can only see darkness. As she come to she can feel the smooth silk bedding beneath her and then she realizes that her robes and undergarments had been taken from her. She was here in a strange place, naked on silk linens. When she tries to cover herself her hands were halted but the leather bonds around her wrists that were connected to the chains that hung from the wall behind the bed. This came as an amazing shock. But what was the biggest shock was when she discovered that a steel rod separated her ankles so she couldn't close her legs. Now she was fully awake and terrified.Then, in the middle of her terror a light came from the hall. Dimly at first be then growing brighter. It wasn't long before she heard footsteps approaching. She did her best to struggle against the chains and bracer, trying to hide herself from whoever was approaching. But it was too late. A candle's flame peaked it's way around a corner and behind it followed a man so dashing tha
"What does that mean?""Young dragons--well, relatively young, to you they would be very old indeed--have the great desires. It is they who kidnap princesses, crush knights, sack towns and generally make nuisances of themselves. Not unlike young humans, they have to find their way and that often includes some temper tantrums and fits of pique. Over time, they mature and the need to prove their potency to themselves diminishes. Like old humans, they get set in their ways and a nice long nap in the sunshine seems a much better way to spend a day than burning knights to a crisp or gobbling up maidens.""I don't mean to be rude, but I thought dragons were evil? Don't you...do things just to be bad?"The dragon laughed then, so deeply and completely that small flames shout out of his nostrils and smoke curled up. When he had mastered his mirth, he at last spoke."We're no more evil than any other race. There are good and bad among us. The good can be very good
Red looked at Seth and said,” You need to begin the ceremony now..”Samuel was going say something when Seth growled at him and said,” For that we will have to do this in a different setting altogether..are you ready to take a trip in fantasy?”As soon as Red nodded she was covered in a fine mist ad everything was gone.They came for her while the sun was still high. Proctor Vesle, Constable Varlet, and the town elders. She saw them coming long before they arrived and her sobbing mother begged her to run, but it wasn't in her nature. Someone would have to die today, and she couldn't allow this mantle to fall onto one of her friends.She made tea and had it poured and ready by the time the men arrived. She could smell the sweat, see the stains in their somber attire, and sense their fear and hate. It no longer bothered her. She knew very well she was signing her own death warrant when she refused the Proctor's advances
Samuel’s POVI smell blood. A wounded animal. An easy kill. The blood is still fresh. Not dead yet. A noise ahead, whimpering. Getting close. Big animal. No not animal.The part of my brain that is still human tries to comprehend. No fur. Clothing. Human. Must not kill. It's female and injured. Blood covers her ragged clothing.Smells like sweat, blood and desperation. Can't smell her. Can't smell animal on her.She trips and I move closer careful not to frighten her. A twig snaps under my feet and she sits on her heels terrified. The terror leaves her eyes almost instantly when she see me and is replaced by hope. She reaches a hand towards me and I see the other arm is being held awkwardly. It is broken and the bone has torn through the skin.Wolf. Not pack. Strange wolf. Injured wolf. Not pack. Not enemy.After sniffing her skin I move closer letting her palm glide over my head, down my neck. She screams an
Samuel’s POVThe moon was luminescent, casting its silvery shadow over the trees like some snowy net, lighting a dirt path that wound deeper and deeper into the thick, dangerous forest. But the cloud covered orb was robbed of its full lustre, far too darkened by the wispy fog rising in off the marsh to the east.I pulled my flashlight from my knapsack and let it shine a reflection of precious light, causing snakes to coil away, and poisonous spiders to rise on silky strands back into hiding.The sound of her panting breath, still hot and desperate, led me uphill toward the meandering stream, whose running water echoed like some rushing wind, rustling fall leaves until a hundred colors struck the ground.I was closing in on her, and could almost see her now, smelling her running shapely curves as she weaved and bobbed past dangling branches that tore, gouged and scratched her human flesh. But still she pressed on at full speed, her slender, racing an