by Allan Joyal
"You have," Elmori said. "The spirits tell me that the three boxes you appeared in contained a total of seventy-four people. You left the clearing with fifteen people; ten women and five men. Since then, you've gained two people and have seen four people leave the group, but only one has died."
"One who didn't need to," I muttered.
Elmori snorted. "Still only one. Of the sixty others who were in the clearing. Nine died before they could leave. There is another large group of about thirty people out there. It's mostly men, but had six women this morning according to the spirits. The rest of the people are wandering alone or in twos and threes."
"Should we try to gather them?" Heather asked me.
I shook my head. "We don't have time. Soon snow will make travel even more dangerous, and by spring, anyone still alive will be that much more difficult to locate. We can hope they find and join us, but we can't search for them."
Heather frowned. She seemed lost in thought.
Just then Kariy slumped against me. I reached around her and she opened her eyes with a tired smile. "Sorry, I'm just sleepy," she said.
"Bedtime then," I commanded. "There should be some free beds in the common room. Sleep there, and I'll see you in the morning."
"At least I don't have to make breakfast," Kariy said with a sleepy smile as she stood up. She wobbled on her feet, but managed to make her way through the door.
Heather waited until the sound of her footsteps stopped, and we could hear a faint groan of stressed wood. Instantly I found my arm in a firm grip as she leapt to her feet. "Now, you are going to take me upstairs," she hissed. "It's time I claimed you."
I looked over at Steve. "She's possessive, isn't she?"
Steve seemed about to respond, when Elmori glided up to him and wrapped him up in a tight embrace. "And tonight, you can be mine," she whispered huskily as she pulled my friend's face down and kissed him.
Steve struggled for a moment, his arms flailing around in shock. Finally he managed to get a hand on Elmori's shoulder and pushed her away. "Wha?" he gasped.
Elmori was looking him in the eye. "I thought you'd be interested in a night with me," she told him firmly. "After all, your piggish friend had no problem saying that I was beautiful."
Steve's mouth opened and closed soundlessly. Slowly, his arms wrapped around the beautiful sorceress. "Elmori, I can't stay. You are a beautiful woman, and I do want to spend the night with you, but it feels wrong that I won't stay."
Elmori smiled. "I never asked you to stay forever," she said as she pulled Steve's head down for another kiss. "Can you not give me one night in your life?"
I watched as Steve seemed to melt in Elmori's arms. "I only wish I could give you more," he whispered.
Elmori seemed to glow for a moment as she smiled lovingly at my friend. "We have tonight," she whispered as she pulled Steve to the door. They passed through, and I found myself alone with Heather.
"Well, we don't just have tonight," she said as she started pulling me towards the door. "We have a lifetime, and it starts tonight."
The voice had been sharp and stern, but the smile she bestowed on me turned the night to day. I took her into my arms and kissed her before turning and leading her to the doorway and a bed for two.
Chapter 22: A Boat Ride to Trouble
The crowing of a rooster woke me the next morning at dawn. I was a bit disoriented when I opened my eyes. There was an unfamiliar weight lying on my left side.
I looked over. The weight was revealed to be Heather, still asleep and cuddled into my side, her breasts pressed into my rib cage. Her beautiful blond hair flowed down my left arm and her head was against my shoulder. The faint smile on her face made her seem almost innocent in her slumber.
Carefully, I slid to my right, freeing myself from Heather's loving embrace. She mumbled a complaint and rolled onto her back.
Her motion gave me a perfect view of her body. Last night only a faint glow from one of the magical glowing spheres that dotted the walls provided light when we arrived in the room. Now in the glow of dawn, I was entranced by Heather's flawless skin and slender curves. The night before had been passionate, and I knew that it would not be the last night I spent in her arms.
"You know, a girl gets upset if a man stares at her body too long," Heather said. Her eyes were still closed, but she rolled back on her side and opened them to look at me.
"I guess I should be going then," I said turning to look for my clothing. I found it on a side table, neatly folded and freshly cleaned.
Heather rose from the bed and stalked over to me. She hugged me from behind, pressing her naked breasts into my back. "Women don't like it when a man runs away after a night like last night," she purred into my ear.
I sighed and reached out for my clothing, fighting out of Heather's embrace. "And this man isn't interested in little games," I growled.
Heather gasped as she stepped back. I slid into my shirt and then turned to look at her as I shook out the pants. She had a stricken look on her face as I bent down to step into my pants and pull them up to my waist.
"I'm sorry," she whispered as I fastened the button to keep the trousers secure. I looked up and watched her struggle with several emotions. Finally she knelt down in front of me, lowering her head to the floor and exposing her naked back.
"Master, your most humble woman desires nothing but to please you," she said.
"Get up! I don't need a slave girl."
"What do you want then? I'm confused."
"You're confused? Heather, last night was wonderful. And it happened because I love you and wanted to be with you. But I don't want to play little courtship games right now. The group can't afford that."
"So how do I act?"
I sighed. "Do you love me?"
Heather gasped. "I almost can't believe you need to ask. Ron, without you I'm sure I'd have been one of the nine people that Elmori told us died in the clearing. Or rather that ten people died in that clearing. Even if I survived that, I'd definitely now be part of the little slave harem that was forced to follow the other group. You have trusted me, and respected me. You have encouraged me every day. I want nothing more than to make you happy."
"Last night made me happy. Be affectionate, be flirty, and be playful when we have privacy. Just don't play games where I have to guess the right answer."
Heather leapt to her feet and threw her arms around me. She kissed me, bruising my lips with the force she threw into the kiss. Then she let me go to look at her own clothing.
"Oh thank god! Even with two outfits each, our clothing gets dirty," she moaned as she pulled out the skirt Madam Wessera had made for her.
I found a chair and pulled it out to sit while I put on socks and shoes. Heather spread the skirt on the floor and then stepped into it and pulled it up to her hips, quickly fastening the button and securing it.
She looked over at me as she wound long strips of cloth over her breasts, flattening them against her chest. "I don't exactly have a way to obtain a bra here," she admitted. "This isn't perfect or comfortable, but it's better than allowing my breasts to bounce all over."
"Are all the ladies now dressing like this?" I asked as she pulled a blouse down over her head.
"Lisa had three spare bras in her purse, and rotates through them. The rest of us have been doing this for a couple days now."
"I don't remember that from last night."
"You took a moment on that stupid chamberpot," Heather pointed out. "I removed it then so you wouldn't know. I wasn't sure how you'd react."
"So you had complaints?" I asked.
"Oh please, I know I'm no big-titted movie star for men to drool over," Heather said as she pushed me out of the chair and sat down to pull on her own boots.
I interrupted her exertions to steal a kiss. "And I don't want one of them in my bed. I need your loving touch. See you at breakfast!"
I dashed away, heading out the door and down the hallway as Heather sputtered behind me. The
floor was quiet, but I could hear someone stirring in one of the rooms. I choose not to check and climbed the stairs, quietly moving through the doorway to return to the main chamber of the tower.
Inside, I found Elmori sitting at the table. As I watched, a series of plates were brought in through the window. They contained a massive breakfast buffet offering everything from a country-fried steak slathered in gravy, to simple oatmeal. She noticed me coming through the door and smiled.
"I thought you'd start waking about now. And you have a long way to go, so I asked the spirits to prepare one more meal," she said needlessly.
"Won't all this magic have a cost for you?" I asked.
Elmori started to nod, but changed it to a shrug. "I have a lot of credit built up with the spirits I talk to. There is little reason to cast massive amounts of magic here."
Just then Lydia and Hencktor stumbled into the room. Henck had a glazed expression on his face, and Lydia was glowing. She carefully led him to a chair and then sat next to him, making sure their thighs touched.
"Ah, young love," I observed. "Tis a wonderful thing."
Lydia giggled and stuck her tongue out at me. "You're just jealous," she said.
"No he isn't," Heather said, walking in and putting her arms around me. "I just needed a few moments to brush out my hair. I didn't want to have sex hair when I came to the table."
"Oh poo!" Lydia said. "None of us has had a shower or bath in days. Who'd notice?"
I just shook my head. Then I turned to Elmori. "Where is Steve? He's usually one of the first members of the group to wake."
Elmori blushed. "He was, but..." she said.
I just reached out and carefully patted her hand. "I only hope he made you happy."
Elmori nodded. "More than I can explain. But I am very happy to have known all of you. You have been a burst of light and life to my lonely existence here."
Her words puzzled me, and I would have asked about them, but Al led the rest of the single members of our group into the room. The topic turned to the planned march to the Wizard's Academy and what we might do if we could not go home. To my surprise, the idea of a long journey in the spring and summer to find a home met with general approval.
"It makes a lot of sense," Victoria said. "We don't really fit in to the local culture. Our visits to the three towns have shown that. And it's unlikely we'll be able to stay together if we stay in any city. For our own protection, we need to create a new home."
"But why not stay around here?" Martha asked.
"Because the plains are crowded. You travelled through an area of forests and fields, but that's about the only region that isn't farmed by some group. And your group isn't large enough to fight off any of the marauding armies that regularly form," Elmori said.
"But you are just one woman!" Al said.
"Heather, smack him," I said. "Al, a swamp isn't exactly valuable real estate and Elmori is a sorceress. The leaders of those marauders are more likely to send a diplomat and try to convince her to help him than attack."
"Actually only the people of Lakverd and the Wizard's Council know I'm here," Elmori said. "The swamp is rather inhospitable and rarely travelled."
"The river is wide," I said. "I'm surprised no one uses boats or barges to move things on it."
"Years ago they did," Elmori said. "But after the dragon came and chased everyone away, river traffic died out."
"How are we getting to the Wizard's Academy?" Lisa asked.
Elmori smiled. "The spirits found an old raft that can carry you. Aquis has agreed to pull you some eighty miles upriver. From there you'll need about a day of marching to the east to reach the Academy."
"You won't be coming with us?" Jennifer asked.
"My place is here," Elmori said, putting her hand protectively over her stomach. "I won't be travelling with you. But my hopes for your safety will go with you."
Steve staggered into the room. He made a beeline to Elmori and swept her into his arms, kissing her all over her face. Elmori giggled like a schoolgirl twisting her head and trying to kiss him back.
Steve quickly tired of the game, and after allowing one kiss on the lips, found a chair and sat down to eat. As he filled his plate, he cast several worshipful gazes at Elmori.
Heather and I exchanged smiles, but said nothing as we finished our own meals. Al and Kariy both appeared a bit perplexed by Steve's actions, but remained silent as Steve began eating a large serving of pancakes.
Just then the door opened one more time and Esme and Natalie sauntered into the room. They were arm-in-arm and stopped every couple of steps to kiss and cuddle. Victoria jumped up when they stopped to kiss for the second time.
"It's so nice to see you are finally together," she gushed. "I don't know why you tried to hide it."
Esme appeared puzzled. "Hide what?"
Victoria giggled girlishly. "That you are now lovers. You've been growing close since our first night outside of Linktrum. I'm surprised you kept it hidden."
Esme looked down. "I thought I liked boys."
Natalie's matching blush made it clear she felt the same. Victoria only continued to smile. "So? I've known a couple of girls who were happy with men until they met a special woman. I even knew a boy who bragged about the girls he dated. He ended up moving in with a man he met. You can't always decide who will attract you."
Lydia nodded. She took a deep breath. "Look, I think you all have realized I was raped a few years ago. For a while only Ron, Steve, Dave and our boss could approach me without me panicking. I thought that I was going to have to find a female lover if I wanted sex ever again."
Henck choked on his food. Lydia just sighed and slapped him on the back three times before turning back to the group. "I never did. But three women in my rape support group did. My therapist said it wasn't uncommon."
"Neither of us was raped," Natalie observed.
"Let's see, you were ripped from your home by a power you can't fight. Then you are in a world that doesn't seem to value women and clearly doesn't have the technology and education you were used to. I'd say that it's a rape in its own way," Lydia observed.
"I agree," Steve and Heather said in unison.
Natalie blushed. "We were always afraid you'd have problems with us being lovers. So we avoided discussing it much."
Lydia snorted. "While I'm sure that Steve and Ron wouldn't mind watching you one night, I don't think any of us has a problem with it. Although, Kariy looks to have a question."
I glanced over at Kariy, and indeed she looked puzzled. She gazed at the table for a moment and then looked up, staring Esme directly in the eye. "I just wonder what about children."
Esme burst out laughing. "Is that all? Kariy, when Natalie and I are ready for children, I'm sure we can find a man who wouldn't mind spending a few nights in bed with us. I'm more worried about having to spend all winter in the Wizard's Academy. I'm guessing they won't be too happy if they find out about our relationship."
"Since their students take a vow of celibacy and that vow is enforced with magic, I'm guessing they'll be extremely upset if someone points it out. But they don't check too deeply into things like that," Elmori said.
After that, everyone concentrated on eating the food. It was a strange experience for me. I was very hungry, but after every other bite, I felt a need to reach over and touch Heather. She was the same as we finished off the meal.
One by one, the members of our group finished their meals and wandered over to the packs. Some time was spent repacking clean clothing as we prepared to head out. I felt that everyone was reluctant to leave and turned to Elmori.
"We are going to miss this place and you," I admitted. "You have offered us a better welcome than we deserved, especially with how Eddie acted."
Elmori smiled. "Yes, but sadly, I cannot keep you here. My magic could never feed all of you over the winter. Come, the raft awaits."
She exited the tower. I followed as she led us to the dock. The boat we had ridden in
the day before was missing, and in its place was a large raft. It was similar in design and build to the ferry we had used near Linktrum, but where the ferry had been in excellent repair, the railing on this raft was rotten and falling over.
"Is it safe?" I heard Martha ask as I jumped aboard.
The raft settled deeper in the water when I landed, but bobbed back to the surface. I knelt down to check the wood. Moisture saturated the logs and I had a feeling that removing them from the water would result in them falling apart, but the planks were still firm. I waved to the others. "Board one at a time," I said. "It's not in great shape, but it should hold for our trip."
"How long will it be?" Al asked.
"With Aquis pulling, it will be about four hours," Elmori responded as Kariy boarded the raft. "If you tried to walk, it would take about three days, maybe more since the swamp is difficult to move through."
I helped steady Kariy on the raft. Once she was safely aboard, I guided her to a spot to sit and then turned to help Victoria, who was following.
Steve followed Victoria aboard. The raft creaked alarmingly, but held together as he began to assist me in guiding everyone to spots on the decaying contraption. Finally with everyone aboard, Steve jumped to the shore to give Elmori a final kiss.
"I'll miss you," he said. "You will always be in my heart."
"And you in mine," Elmori said as Steve jumped back onto the raft. "You'll forever be in mine."
She waved her hand, and the raft surged forward. I glanced in the direction we were moving to see the rope, but quickly realized that this time Aquis was pushing the craft through the water.
The large raft settled into the water as we moved forward. In this area, the river was wide and calm, although the occasional dips from the front of the raft hinted at a powerful current driving the river towards the lake we had left two days before.
"It feels fast," Lisa said. She was gazing about her eyes wide with wonder.
"Faster than we've been walking," Steve observed as he watched the trees pass on the shore of the river. He had a melancholy expression and occasionally glanced longingly back down the river towards Elmori's tower. Then, as we followed a bend in the river, it vanished from view.