by Sarah Hawke
“We don’t have any more reason to trust her, though,” I said. “There are no guarantees here.”
“There never are,” Valuri replied mildly. “Look, Red and I barely ever agree on anything, so if we’re both telling you the same thing you might want to consider listening. This Headmistress is a bad girl—and not the good kind of bad like me.”
“Maybe,” I murmured. “Anyway, for now we should try and get some sleep. She wants us to leave first thing in the morning.”
“You’re lucky the Archmage gave me some baubles to tide me over,” Valuri said, pointing to a basket filled with Aether-infused gemstones. “Because you promised to feed me tonight.”
“Maybe tomorrow.”
She grunted and sat down on one of the beds. Kaseya joined me on the other one, and as I cradled her naked body in my arms a fresh wave of guilt washed over me. I could fuck another woman every single night and she would still dutifully crawl into bed with me. It wasn’t right—she deserved better.
As I blew out the lantern and closed my eyes, I promised myself I would make all of this up to her in the morning.
***
Against all odds I slept as lightly as I’d intended, and I woke before Kaseya had a chance to start her morning exercise regimen. It belatedly occurred to me that I had never actually seen her sleeping before, given that she always passed out last and woke up first. I gently ran my fingers through her red hair and smiled. She looked so calm and peaceful that I almost didn’t want to disturb her. But if she had taught me anything these last few months, it was that waking up didn’t always have to be a bad thing.
Grinning, I traced my hands down her smooth legs and gently nudged her knees apart. She stirred but didn’t wake until my fingertips reached her inner thighs and settled upon her quim.
“Good morning,” I whispered.
Her blue eyes fluttered open. “What…?”
I leaned in and kissed her before she could speak, and I had the satisfaction of feeling her folds slicken as I slipped a finger inside her. I activated my bond ring, hoping that it would help guide my movements. Her surprise and grogginess washed over me, but they were quickly replaced by a wave of overwhelming lust. She wrapped her arms around my neck as I began to slowly massage her clit with my thumb.
“Jorem…” she breathed. “I should…I should relieve you.”
“Hush,” I scolded, kissing the tip of her nose. “I need to eat something first.”
I smiled coyly as I nibbled my way down her neck. She moaned when my lips engulfed her nipples, then again when I slipped a second finger inside her. I really had ignored her breasts for far too long, and I spent the next several minutes eagerly correcting my mistake.
When a tiny, preemptive climax shuddered through her, the echo in my ring stiffened my cock and nearly forced me to spill right then and there. But I somehow managed to contain myself even as she lifted her leg and tried to encourage me to slip into her. I was suddenly thankful for all of Valuri’s lessons in patience and restraint over years. A younger version of myself would have grabbed Kaseya by the waist, flipped her over, and relentlessly pounded away until I exploded deep inside her cunt.
Escar’s mercy, that’s what the version of you two weeks ago would have done!
Grimacing at my own selfishness, I licked my way down Kaseya’s taut stomach, kissed her belly, and then drifted down to her searing, sopping quim. Replacing my finger with my tongue, I lashed at her clit until her back arched like I had just blasted her with a stroke of electricity.
At this point, my cock was so hard I had to grab it with my left hand just to keep it from spearing into her side. I could have stroked myself over the edge in about five seconds flat, and if Valuri had been the one beneath me I probably would have done just that. Thanks to her unquenchable Senosi hunger, she enjoyed a hot morning bath more than any other woman I had never met.
But Kaseya wasn’t Valuri, and I could feel her yearning for something else entirely. After my tongue drove her to another near climax, I leaned back and finally nudged the rest of my body between her legs. Her ankles locked around my back even before my swollen member pressed against her folds, and when I eased my full length inside her she clutched my shoulder blades and clawed into my skin.
“Fuck me, Jorem,” she begged, her voice a hoarse whisper. “Fuck your Maskari !”
I did. The warm walls of her quim welcomed my member like a returning hero, and she cooed into my ear with each and every thrust. I didn’t require a magical bond to know how much she wanted this; I didn’t have to feel her arousal through our link to know how much she needed this. And I was certain she didn’t require her collar to know how much I yearned to give it to her.
My thrusts became short and frantic as I pounded into her, but before I could cry out in release she grabbed the back of my head and pulled our lips together. I flooded her quim the instant our tongues touched. We kissed for so long afterwards that I felt the heat of the morning sunlight on my skin before my eyes opened and saw the light.
Kaseya’s smile was so bright and earnest it almost brought a tear to my eyes. “I am pleased that my body can still bring you relief.”
“Always,” I assured her. “We were only apart for a day and I thought I might go crazy inside that cell.”
“I know. I could feel it, but there was nothing I could to help.”
I brushed a strand of sweaty hair from her forehead. If we had more time, I would have been seriously tempted to flip her over and take her ass, but I wanted to get moving as quickly as possible. With luck, we would be able to meet with Silhouette and see if the Black Mistress was willing to offer us a better deal for the cargo. If not…
Well, if not we would cross that bridge when we needed to. One way or another, I had a feeling that everything was about to change.
I kissed Kaseya again, then reluctantly shifted off her and glanced over to the other bed. I half expected Valuri to be sitting there watching us with her chin propped up on her hands, but she was still doing her best impression of a lotus addict. She was completely sprawled across the bed, her straight black hair plastered across her face.
“We should clean up and get moving,” I said. “I suppose I’ll poke the bear…”
Val woke easier than I expected, though she still looked like hell for several minutes afterwards. “Never feed on strange crystals or strange men,” she murmured, pulling back her hair. “You would think I’d have learned to take my own advice by now.”
I smiled and kissed her cheek. “I have a trusted source you can feed from later,” I told her. “But right now, I just want to get out of here.”
Unsurprisingly, the house servants were incredibly helpful, and they drew each of us an individual warm bath and even cooked us a meal. I greedily devoured everything in anticipation of our ration-fueled trek across the grasslands, and Kaseya did the same. Valuri spent most of the meal complaining about being separated from her equipment, which was both reasonable and prophetic—a pair of Citadel guards arrived mere moments after we finished with a crate containing our armor and weapons.
I wasn’t particularly attached to my gear, considering I’d had to buy an entire set of new clothes following our first run-in with Ayrael, but the girls cracked open the crate the instant it hit the ground. Kaseya clutched at her sword like it was a lost family member, and Valuri did the same with her crossbows.
“Don’t worry, babies, I promise momma will shoot someone for you soon,” the Huntress said, kissing the wooden grips. “If one of those bastards so much as scuffed you, I swear I’ll burn this whole damn city to the ground…”
I grunted and shook my head. They looked so happy I almost envied them. Still, I was rather fond of the fact I could never truly be disarmed.
Once the girls had donned their armor, we returned to the atrium where our hosts had first greeted us. The Archmage was nowhere in sight, but Telanya finally showed herself. Her fresh conservative clothing and tightly-knit ponytail almost made me
forget the rambunctious, borderline manic woman I had hammered the previous night.
“Horses will be waiting for the three of you at the Whiteoak stable by the south gate,” she explained. “They’ll be saddled and equipped with supplies for your journey.”
“My lady is most kind,” I said, offering her a quick bow.
Telanya nodded to another of her servants. “And here is the advance on your payment. Five hundred gold pieces—more than enough to see you through the next week, I imagine.”
I took the offered coin purse and tried not to salivate. I had never been a wealthy man at any point in my life, but it was truly pitiful how quickly I had grown accustomed to poverty since I’d arrived in Highwind. At least things were finally looking up…assuming we made it back to the city in one piece, anyway.
“Once you return, you will be delivering the cargo to Lord Martel’s estate just southeast of town,” Telanya explained. “Remember, the mercenaries believe they are working for him and him alone. You are not to mention our names to anyone .”
“We understand,” I assured her.
“Good. The Falcon Guard’s captain is a man named Romar Koth. He will be expecting reinforcements, but he does not know who you are. You will need to show him this symbol to confirm your allegiance.”
I held out my hand and took the small medallion. “The coat of arms is from the Mantel family?”
“Very good,” Telanya said. “Once you’ve joined forces, you should make haste north. I’ll expect your return by the end of the week.”
“You’ll get your cargo, don’t worry,” I promised. “Afterwards, I hope we’ll be able to discuss our future arrangements. We do have a common enemy, after all.”
“That we do.” The high elf eyed us all for another moment before she gestured towards the door. “I look forward to your return. Do not let me down, Mister Farr.”
A few minutes later we were finally back outside the estate, and once her guards moved out of sight I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
“I still can’t believe you fucked that woman,” Valuri said. “Actually, scratch that—I can’t believe you fucked her and left us with her lecherous husband.”
“You’re not going to let me live that down for a long time, are you?”
“I wasn’t planning on it, no.”
I sighed and glanced around the streets. The morning air was even sweeter than normal, and the sun felt surprisingly good on my face. “Her stable boys are probably expecting us,” I said. “If we’re going to meet with Silhouette, we need to do it quickly.”
“I will make certain we are not followed,” Kaseya said. “I do not trust that elf to leave us alone.”
“You’re learning already, Red,” Valuri replied, playfully bumping the other woman’s arm. “We’ll make you into a cynic yet.”
“Come on,” I said. “I think it’s this way.”
Moonshadow Plaza wasn’t anywhere near as ominous as it sounded. The area was essentially just a sprawling marketplace nestled between several other districts, and I assumed it was named after the enormous statue of the Moon Goddess looming over her considerably more modest temple. In the afternoon, its massive shadow easily shrouded the entire area.
“So I take it this half-elf whore didn’t happen to mention what kind of business we’re looking for?” Valuri asked when we arrived. “A tavern, a shop…?”
“She only gave me a name,” I said. “We didn’t have a lot of extra time to chat.”
“Perhaps it is another brothel,” Kaseya suggested.
“I really hope the Skittering Spider isn’t the name of a brothel.”
“I hope it’s not a tavern or an inn, either,” Valuri commented. “If she works for the Black Mistress, maybe it’s a front business. The horrible name just means customers never stop by.”
“Maybe,” I murmured, examining the area more closely. Like most places in Highwind, the plaza was bustling with people from all walks of life, but since the girls had both draped cloaks over their shoulders they weren’t drawing nearly as much attention as normal. Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched…
“That’s it,” Valuri said, gesturing across the street to a small building with a rickety placard outside. I could barely make out the engraved letters, though the spider painted on the side was easily recognizable.
“I do not see anyone inside,” Kaseya said. “The door may not even open.”
I pursed my lips in thought as we approached. “Well, we should probably—”
“Read your fortune, stranger?” a soft, familiar voice asked from behind me. “You look like a man who walks in destiny’s shadow.”
I turned and glanced behind us. There was an old woman selling knickknacks on the corner, and she was smiling at me from beneath a dark hood. I probably would have ignored her completely if the voice weren’t so familiar…
“That sounds like something an old witch would say, doesn’t it?” the woman asked. “I’m really trying to get this character down.”
I frowned, confused, until I stretched out through the Aether. I could feel magical currents enshrouding her like a second cloak, masking her true identity beneath a thick veil of illusion magic. The longer I looked at her face, the more its true form took shape. She wasn’t an old crone at all; she was a youthful, green-eyed half-elf with lustrous silver-white hair.
“I assume this is your contact,” Valuri said, her arms crossed. Thanks to her Senosi powers, she had probably seen through the illusion instantly.
“Yes,” I managed, tossing a furtive glance back over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching us. “Nice outfit.”
“Believe me, I prefer my other one, too. But in my line of work, I need to wear whatever face needs to be seen.” Silhouette turned towards Kaseya and grinned even wider. “Hey, lovely. Nice to see you again.”
The amazon nodded. “I am pleased you were not detained in the dungeon.”
“They couldn’t prove anything,” Silhouette said, waving her hand dismissively. “They never can.”
“This little rendezvous is a little more public than I expected,” I said. “Maybe we should head inside and chat for a few minutes?”
“Oh, there’s no need for that. Not yet. Just come a bit closer and pull up a seat.”
I frowned at the lone wooden stool in front of her stand. “Uh, I really don’t think we want anyone else to hear what I have to say.”
“That’s why you’re not going to say it,” Silhouette said matter-of-factly. “Please, sit down.”
I shrugged and did as she asked. The girls stepped forward and formed a wall behind me just in case.
“The Mistress already knows all about Telanya’s little secrets,” Silhouette said, idly moving her little fortune tokens across the table between us. “And I know that high elf wouldn’t have risked her neck to let you out of the Citadel unless she wanted something in return.”
“Okay,” I murmured, my eyes narrowing suspiciously.
“You don’t need to tell me the details because I don’t want to know them. All that matters is that you’re going to have a choice soon. You can either side with the people who see our powers as a liability, or you can side with the ones who will embrace them.”
I grunted softly. “One of those sides happens to be offering quite a lot of coin. Is your mistress willing to make a deal?”
“Coin is good. Solidarity is better.”
“So that’s a no, then,” Valuri muttered.
Silhouette’s eyes flicked up to the Senosi. “A war is coming. You know that better than anyone, Huntress. You can take your coin and flee to Silver Falls or Falcon Ridge or even Nol Krovos, but it will still catch up to you eventually. The only question is who you want at your side when the fighting begins.”
“That’s not much of an answer,” I said.
“It’s the message I was told to deliver,” Silhouette replied coolly. “I’ll be here when you get back. Come and find
me if you want to chat again.”
I stared at her for a long moment, desperately trying to read her intentions. But whatever else Silhouette might have been, she was obviously a professional. Her face was an unreadable wall.
“Now if you don’t mind, honey, I have other customers waiting,” she said, gesturing behind us. There was no one there, but I received the message loud and clear. I stood and bade the girls to follow.
The plaza was a quarter mile behind us before Valuri broke the silence.
“So what in the hell was that about?” she asked. “I’ve met monks that were less cryptic.”
“It’s a test,” I said. “The Black Mistress wants to know whether we’re in this for coin or the cause.”
“‘The cause’? You mean defeating the Inquisitrix?”
“I mean sorcerer solidarity, but obviously the war is also part of it.” I pursed my lips in thought. “I’m starting to realize the politics here are a lot more complicated than I thought.”
“What was your first clue?” Valuri asked with a snort. “Look, you know I want to beat the Inquisitrix more than anyone, but that doesn’t mean I want to sign up with a coven of underworld sorcerers, either.”
“You’d rather work with Telanya and the Archmage?”
“I’d rather get paid. And at least we know they have plenty of coin.”
“This is more important than gold,” Kaseya said. “I do not trust Telanya or her husband.”
Valuri cocked a black eyebrow. “But you trust a shadowy crime boss you’ve never met? That silver-haired whore must have licked your pussy good.”
“I do not trust Silhouette or her mistress, either,” Kaseya said. “None of these people possess any honor. Perhaps we would be better off going after my sister alone.”
“Your family problems are the least of my concerns, Red,” Valuri muttered. “This is about survival, and if we’re going to survive we need resources—that includes gold.”
Kaseya glared at the other woman for several seconds. “If all you want is to survive, there is no reason for you to stay here. You must want vengeance against my sister and the Inquisitrix.”