by Sarah Hawke
Nice job again, Sera. For all you know, he was one of the Highlord’s best friends. What a great way to break the ice and make this little foray even more awkward…
“The Silver Fist will call a conclave soon,” Cassel said eventually, shaking his head as if he was dragging himself out of a bad dream. “I honestly have no idea who they’ll nominate.”
“Will you have a say?” I asked.
“Yes, though I haven’t spent much time thinking about it. A part of me is still in shock.”
I winced. “I’m sorry for bringing it up.”
“Oh, don’t be. It’s an important question. You obviously want to know who will be sitting on the Council with you.” He flashed me a weary smile then glanced back at his food. “Kastrius was the one who trained me. It was a rare honor—he hadn’t taken on a new squire since the end of the Winter War. He taught me how to wield a sword and channel the Aether…I hope I haven’t disappointed him.”
“You have an excellent service record,” I said. “To be honest, your skills seemed wasted in a place like Riverbend.”
Cassel grinned. “Guard duty is never glamorous. But at least in Riverbend I didn’t have to worry so much about politics. As long I helped keep the peace and scare off bandits, the locals were overjoyed to have me around.”
The fact that he had been running an underground brothel certainly hadn’t hurt, but I kept that observation to myself. I finally opened my rations, and I avoided stepping in any more conversational traps before we pack up and continued across the Flats. This leg of the trip was much harder than the first, largely because the bitter wind seemed determined to freeze us in our tracks. But I was able to shield us both in a warding spell that blocked out the worst of the cold, and I spent an embarrassing amount of time rehearsing potential conversation starters for when we set up camp this evening. Somehow, each one was more cringe-worthy than the last.
This is yet another reason it’s so much easier to be Faewyn. She doesn’t have to bother with small-talk and flirting—she just finds a man, drags him somewhere quiet, and takes his cock down her throat. Nothing could be simpler.
I grimaced at the thought and tried to keep my mind focused on the task at hand. We didn’t encounter any living Roskarim, thankfully, but we did encounter plenty of dead ones. Most had probably died from their wounds while limping away from the battle, though some were probably victims of clan infighting. As morbid as it sounded, I actually wished we had found even more bodies. The fact there were only a few dozen suggested that at least one of the clan leaders had survived and taken control of the horde. That was bad news for Icewatch, and it made our mission even more vital.
We cleared the Flats with about an hour to spare before nightfall, and I directed us as deep into the frozen forest as I could before we stopped to set up camp. While Cassel gathered some wood, I surveyed the perimeter and assembled a few crude traps just in case the Roskarim had sentries nearby.
“Dawn’s Reach is only about ten miles further north,” I said once I had finished my sweep and returned to camp. “If the horde has gathered anywhere, it’s there.”
“I can’t wait to see what they have waiting for us,” Cassel said. “Do you have any ideas on how to engage them?”
“A few,” I replied, grinning at his furious attempt to start a fire with a tinderbox. His technique wasn’t terrible, but the kindling was far too wet to ignite. “Take a step back.”
He glanced up. “What?”
Grunting, I lifted my bow and reached out to the Aether. An arrow of pure flame appeared at my fingertips, and Cassel yelped and dove out of the way as I shot it into the kindling. The fire roared to life, and I casually propped my bow against a tree and leaned in close to warm my hands.
“That’s cheating!” he grumbled. “And here I thought you were supposed to be the master survivalist.”
“Being a survivalist means using every tool at your disposal,” I replied matter-of-factly. “Though I could kick some snow onto it and let you try and start it again if you prefer.”
He grunted and shuffled back towards the heat. “Maybe you can teach me that trick someday. Silver Fist channeling techniques are practical enough, but they’re not very useful outside of battle.”
“Dal’Rethi techniques aren’t easy to learn. The archery ones in particular require a great deal of patience and a properly-enchanted weapon.”
Cassel arched an eyebrow at me. “Are you saying I’m too dumb to figure it out or too human to figure it out?”
I froze. “Neither. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
“I’m just teasing,” he said with a reassuring wink. “I know all us humans probably seem like restless children to you.”
“Not all the time,” I murmured, my stomach fluttering again. All the conversation starters I had rehearsed this afternoon evaporated like so much snow tossed onto the campfire.
“Well, that’s a relief,” Cassel said. He took off his gloves and stretched out his fingers over the fire. “I know it’s not polite to ask a human woman her age, but I assume you’re old enough to be my grandmother?”
I nodded and smiled thinly. “Thereabouts.”
He whistled softly through his teeth. “And you look like you could be my age, maybe even younger. It’s hard to wrap my dumb human head around.”
I laughed, and his face immediately brightened at the sound. “You know, it may surprise you to hear this, but most people I know find you very…intimidating. I doubt they’d believe me if I told them I made you laugh.”
My smile slowly faded. “I’m not a golem, Captain.”
“I know, it’s just…” Cassel shrugged. “It’s difficult to explain. You always seem so confident and self-assured, like no matter what problem Highwind is facing you’ve stared it down a dozen times before. And then there’s the fact that you’re, uh…well…”
Both of my eyebrows shot up. “I’m what?”
“You’re…” He grunted and smiled. “Well, let’s just say I don’t think there’s another woman in the Northern Reaches quite like you.”
I felt my cheeks warm even though he wasn’t looking at me. I wasn’t sure why, exactly—I knew that most men found me attractive. But for some reason having him say it made my stomach flutter again.
You’re out here in the middle of nowhere camping beneath the stars. It would be so unbelievably easy to crawl over and kiss him. He wouldn’t resist—in fact, he is probably already hard. You could spend your second night in a row with him inside you, but this time you wouldn’t have to pretend. This time he would know exactly who was crying out his name when he spills deep inside you.
“Sorry, I know that’s not appropriate,” Cassel said, clearing his throat. “Honestly I’m just grateful you let me come with you. I promise I won’t let you down, General.”
“I know you won’t,” I rasped.
What in the abyss are you waiting for? He’s the one who is flirting with you—he’s the one who is making this easy. All you need to do is reciprocate!
I closed my eyes and forced myself to breathe. Even if I did want to try being myself for once, this was not the right time. For one, we were probably surrounded by a few thousand barbarians, and we needed to keep our wits about us. For two, I had just slept with him as Faewyn last night. I was taking a big enough risk just talking to him, but if I kissed him he would almost certainly put the pieces together.
And no matter how much I may have liked him, I couldn’t afford to take that risk. Even a rumor about Faewyn’s true identity would completely compromise my ability to lead the Duskwatch.
“Well, I guess we should eat something,” Cassel said into the awkward pause. “Unless you have another fancy spell you want to show me, we’ll have to—”
Snap!
I raised my hand and called for silence. The noise had come from the trees just west of our camp, and I held my breath and listened as closely as I could. Forests were filled with random sounds, especially frozen ones where the tree
s would periodically snap thanks to the freezing temperatures. But I swore I could hear something breathing nearby, and I casually reached back and grabbed my bow.
Cassel shook his head in confusion; his human ears probably couldn’t hear anything strange. Thankfully he was aware enough to keep silent as I reached back and plucked an arrow from my quiver. I would have been shocked if a Roskarim scout had been cunning enough to disarm my makeshift traps, but stranger things had happened. The moonlight was so dim that even my elven eyes were having trouble piercing the long shadows, so I reached out to the Aether and tried to enhance my senses even further…
Too late.
The skarl roared a split second before it emerged from the darkness and pounced straight at me. My instincts took over, and I narrowly dodged its first swipe—its glistening claws missed my throat by less than an inch. It still slammed into me with the full force of its 400 pound frame, however, and I went flying backwards at least ten yards before I skidded across the frozen dirt and crashed into the trunk of a hollow tree.
Gritting my teeth, I glanced up and watched the cat-like beast swat Cassel aside like a ragdoll before it rushed towards me, its fully dilated yellow eyes glinting in the moonlight. I tried my best to ignore the shooting pain in my shoulder as I nocked an arrow, and I barely mustered the strength to lift my bow as it charged. Dark spots clouded my vision, but my aim was true regardless—I struck the skarl cleanly in its exposed underbelly.
The beast didn’t even stutter. It was so focused on the kill that it relentlessly closed the gap between us and lunged. I parried the first claw with my bow and managed to duck under a second, but its third swipe slashed a trio of bloody lines across my right leg. Shrieking in pain, I tried and failed to roll away before the skarl’s massive tail slammed into my side and sent me flying yet again.
I knew I was dead. My bow had slipped out of my grip, and the pain was so intense I was effectively paralyzed. I barely managed to roll over in time to watch the white beast lurch towards me and open its maw—
At which point a gleaming silver great sword cleaved the skarl’s head from its body. The beast’s momentum carried it past me, and the thud of its corpse slamming into a tree echoed across the forest.
“Escar take you,” Cassel growled as he dove down next to me. “Are you all right?”
“I’ll be fine,” I stuttered, clenching my teeth so hard I was surprised they didn’t crack. I made the mistake of looking down at my leg. The blood had already stained the snow so thoroughly it looked like I was lying on red sand.
“Shit,” Cassel hissed. “Just hold on, I should be able to stop the bleeding. I just need you to…General? General!”
His voice faded into oblivion as darkness claimed me.
***
The pain was gone when my eyes fluttered back open. My first assumption was that I must have died and dissipated into the Aether, but as my vision gradually returned I realized I was lying next to the campfire. Judging from the position of the moon in the sky, I hadn’t been out for more than an hour or so.
“Easy,” Cassel said, placing a firm hand on my arm. “You lost a lot of blood, and even healing magic takes time to work.”
I leaned up just enough to see the cloth wrapped around my right leg like a tourniquet. “Le’thos!” I hissed. “How in the abyss did a skarl get so close without us noticing?”
“I don’t know, but you’re lucky it didn’t rip your whole leg off,” he said. “You’re also lucky I happen to be one of the best healers in the Silver Fist.”
I grunted and touched the bandages, which I belatedly realized had been torn from my already-ruined trousers. The skin was a little sore to the touch, but his healing spell had already mended the flesh and muscle. “Impressive,” I said, and meant it. “Maybe if you teach me this trick, I’ll teach you some Dal’Rethi techniques.”
“You have a deal,” Cassel said, smiling down at me. “But for now, just lie back and relax. I want to put some salve on the wounds—it will keep the pain and the swelling down overnight.”
“I…all right,” I murmured, glancing around. The remnants of my trousers were lying next to the fire. Without the blanket he had placed beneath me—or the furs had had thrown over my legs—I would have been freezing even with the fire. Of course, the cold was the last thing on my mind…
At least your thong is intact. You know, the one you shoved in his face yesterday. You had better hope he was too distracted to recognize the design.
“I had the alchemists make up a fresh batch before we left just in case,” Cassel said as he retrieved the small jar and gathered some of the clear jelly on his fingers. While his left hand removed the tourniquet, his right began massaging the salve over my knee and thigh. It felt good.
Too good.
This is bad. How many times has he run his hands up Faewyn’s thighs? How many times has he clutched onto them while pounding her against the wall? He’s going to figure it out sooner or later, and when he does you’re never going to be able to look at him again…
“I-I can do it,” I said, my voice hoarse.
Cassel cocked an eyebrow at me. “You need to relax and save your strength,” he chided. “Unless you’d rather be lying here all tomorrow afternoon.”
I nibbled at my lip and swallowed when his fingers traced even farther up my thigh. My quim was burning again, and there was no way he hadn’t noticed the goosebumps on my skin. Hopefully he would just chalk them up to the cold…
A few minutes ago you were bleeding to death, and now you’re so aroused you can barely see straight. What’s the matter with you?
“There,” Cassel said. His fingers stopped moving, but they remained firmly parked on my upper thigh. “We should put more on after a few hours. Ideally you’d lounge around for a day or two, but given the circumstances…”
He leaned over me to study his handiwork more closely, and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t stop myself from trembling. It wasn’t just the heat from his touch; the way the firelight glinted on his stubble and framed his powerful jaw made him even more handsome. Before I realized what was happening I reached out and placed my hand on his cheek. He turned to look at me, his face silhouetted in the moonlight.
And then he kissed me. Everything about him was the same as last night—his lips, his tongue, his hands—and yet for some inexplicable reason they all felt different. His lips were warmer, his tongue was more passionate, and his hands were even stronger.
Everything felt more…real.
Because you are actually you this time. No costumes, no illusions. Serrane wants him, and Serrane is finally going to have him. Just let yourself go.
Injured or not, my legs wrapped around Cassel’s back and pulled him down on top of me. I could feel the yearning bulge in his trousers—not for Faewyn the flighty elf slut, but for me. He wanted me.
And I wanted to give myself to him. I wanted to be a sheath for his cock; I wanted to be soil for his seed. Despite all the times I had been with him, I had never fully realized how perfectly his wide, muscular body was a foil for my sinewy elven frame. While his hands clutched at the straps of my thong, mine clawed into his back. I could feel his pulse quicken as his manhood throbbed against my quim, and I couldn’t wait to feel him back inside me where he belonged…
“Wait!” I called out, pushing him away.
Cassel gasped and shook his head. “What? Did I hurt you?”
“No.” I tried to swallow, but the lump in my throat refused to budge.
What the fuck are you doing? Why are you stopping?
“This just…” I blubbered. “This isn’t appropriate.”
He stared down at me and blinked, a mixture of confusion and frustration on his face. His entire body trembled, and I could feel his manhood yearning for release. It would be so easy for me for me to unbuckle his belt, take his cock in my hand, and ease him inside me…
What are you waiting for? Aluriel’s voice screamed in my ear. This is your chance, honey. Tell
him how you feel. Better yet, show him how you feel. Wrap those long legs of yours around his back and beg him to fuck you until you can’t see straight.
I almost listened to her. But the other voice in my head—the voice of reason—reminded me that we had a job to do out here. And if Cassel hadn’t figured out that I was Faewyn yet, he surely would if we made love right now. The memory of last night had to be fresh in his mind; I simply couldn’t take the risk.
“Gods, I’m sorry,” Cassel said, pulling away and struggling to compose himself. “I don’t know what I was thinking…”
“It’s…it’s all right,” I assured him, pressing my knees back together. My quim was burning so hot I could barely sit still. If he had stayed pressed against me for one more second I doubt I would have been able to resist.
“It’s really not. I shouldn’t have presumed.” He rubbed at his face and handed me the salve. “You should be fine until morning, but if you start to feel any swelling…”
He released his grip on the jar and practically dove across the snow to the opposite side of the campfire. The awkward silence quickly became unbearable, and he cleared his throat and stood.
“I’ll, uh…I’ll go and survey the perimeter just in case there are any more of those things nearby,” he said.
I nodded hastily. “Don’t wander too far or you’ll stumble into my traps.”
“Right,” he murmured. His hand clenched and unclenched at his side one more time before he stumbled away. Once he vanished into the trees, I swore under my breath and collapsed back into the snow.
You really have a way with men, don’t you?
I honestly wondered if I would ever see him again. Perhaps he was so humiliated he would flee from here to Falcon Ridge. Perhaps he would just vanish into the sea altogether. Goddess knew a part of me wanted to sprint straight into the Roskarim camp. Death couldn’t possibly be as painful as the embarrassment I felt right now.
“Aluriel was right,” I said, throwing the blanket back over my legs. “I really am hopeless.”