Second Skin Omnibus

by M Damon Baker

  “Thanks, but I feel a little self-conscious,” Tási replied uneasily. “I’m going to wear it, like Nentai told us to, but not with the collar so open, and definitely not without the vest on.”

  “No,” I told her firmly. “You’re going to wear it exactly as she showed you. Anytime I catch you with that collar tightened up, I’m going to open it twice as wide as she did.”

  “What? Why?” Tási asked in confusion.

  “You heard what she said,” I reminded her. “No more hiding—no more living in the world we’re trying to end. If we are going to change things, we have to lead by example. I understand why you dressed the way you did in the past, but that’s over now. We are trying to free people from the brutality that haunts this world. Anywhere we rule, people must feel free to be themselves, and not like their actions are dictated by some depraved criminals.”

  Tási reluctantly nodded her head in understanding. While she was clearly uncomfortable with the way the Robes hugged her body, and even more so with the relatively modest patch of skin the neckline exposed, she knew that I was right—the time for her to hide herself beneath bulky robes and folds of fabric was over.

  “Good,” I continued when she nodded her assent. “Now, I’m curious. Just what do you have on underneath there?”

  As I spoke to her, I gently pulled open the front of her outfit and found to my delight that she wore nothing but her thin undergarments beneath the Robes. With a mischievous smile, I backed her into the bed, and we fell into the blankets together.

  13

  Just as we thought, the next day was a hectic affair with nearly everyone in the valley taking time to seek out Tási and Venna to see the new Artifacts for themselves. Between the interruptions and the loss of time due to people leaving their worksites, almost every project we had underway ground to a halt for the day—but I didn’t let the delay bother me. This was exactly what my people needed to see, and I wanted to make them feel as connected as possible to us; to make sure that they knew that the gifts we were given were theirs as well.

  The new Artifacts’ impact on morale was far greater than I anticipated. While the gifts I had received assured my citizens that what we were doing had received the blessing of the Gods, these new gifts, bestowed not on me, but on my companions, made them understand without a doubt that the Gods’ approval extended well beyond me and my individual actions. They came to believe, as I had hoped, that they were all part of something that was bigger than any individual, regardless of whether that individual happened to be a Sintári or not. The obvious evidence that they were taking part in a momentous undertaking, and were not merely someone’s pawns, became undeniable and the change in mood was incredible.

  Every person in the valley had already sworn their allegiance to me, and each one of them had seen me in my own God-forged gear, but once they’d seen my companions in that same equipment, it was as if they found a new level of dedication to our cause. Things had already been going very well, but after that first day, everyone dove into their jobs with a near cult-like devotion. After a few days, I was beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable with just how zealous everyone had become when Venna seemed to pick up on my concern.

  “It will fade, Dreya,” she said as we walked together past Hilgreth’s forge.

  “What?”

  “Their fervor—it will fade,” she repeated for me. “I’ve seen the concern in your eyes. You’re uneasy; you think it’s too much. It probably is, but it will fade in time once they get used to things.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “I have seen it before,” Venna replied wistfully. “The newly converted often pursue their religion with a certain zeal that can be unsettling. And while this is somewhat different, I think the same thing will happen. After a while, things will return to normal again.”

  “I hope you’re right,” I replied sincerely as we slowly wandered away from forge.

  Stel and Khorim had left the day before on their joint recruiting mission, so I had spent all day with Venna. She was a wreck the entire time Stel had been away on his previous trading excursion, and I wanted to keep her distracted as much as possible. So, we made the rounds together, checking in on all the various projects in the valley and along our outer fortifications while Tási tended to the infirmary for her. We had been trying to come up with a name for the garrison, but nothing we came up with seemed appropriate, so the facilities remained nameless.

  “How did your little weapon testing go yesterday?” Venna asked as we walked through the canyon on our way home.

  I had finally set up a secluded archery range to test out the power of the Quiver of the Elements’ arrows but hadn’t yet told my companions of the results.

  “Well,” I began. “The fire arrows completely charred the targets, and instantly burnt a hole through the logs I fired them into as well. The water arrows froze solid anything I fired them into. The air arrows were harder to evaluate—when I shot them into something, lightning ran over its surface. There were some scorch marks, but without actually using them on a living target, I’m not sure how serious the damage would be. The earth arrows imparted an impact effect, like my Bow, but much more powerful.”

  “So, it sounds like the fire and ice arrows would probably be lethal no matter where they struck someone,” Venna surmised. “Even having that kind of damage to a limb would almost certainly be fatal.”

  “I thought so too,” I agreed. “The earth arrow effects are also pretty apparent. It’s only the air arrows that need further evaluation.”

  “If that’s what you’d like to call it,” Venna replied with amusement.

  I took her hand in mine as we finished walking home. With everything that had been going on, the two of us had spent very little time together, and we were both happy to finally share a few moments alone, even if it was for just a short walk. Tási and Broda were already waiting for us, along with Bane who was coiled in a ball along the wall of the common room. Ever since he had missed the second visit from the Goddess, Bane had been coming home early to ensure that he was by my side for the next one.

  Bane was still growing and had easily added another few pounds to his frame over the last several weeks. The Rhastoren that had come to me the size of a housecat was now almost as large as a medium-size dog, and his growth spurt showed no sign of stopping. As he lay there in the common room, I couldn’t help but wonder yet again just how big he was going to get.

  We shared dinner together and when we were done, Bane ate every single scrap we had leftover. Although he hunted for himself every day, that never seemed to stop him from scrounging anything he could from our plates. His appetite was almost insatiable, and it was no wonder that his growth was so pronounced.

  The night before, we had all retired to our separate rooms, but with Stel and Khorim gone on their mission, that had left Broda and Venna alone for the night. So, to provide some additional distraction for the two women, I broke out a bottle of wine and began pouring a glass for everyone as we sat around the table.

  “I appreciate the effort, Dreya,” Broda objected politely. “But I’m not very fond of elven spirits.”

  “Then you’ll be happy to know that this is fire wine, Broda,” I said as I filled her glass.

  The powerful liquor was an old dwarven concoction, and much prized for both its potent effect and smooth taste.

  “Where did you get this?” She marveled as she picked up the glass and sniffed its powerful aroma.

  “I had Stel scrounge up a few bottles for us on his last trip,” I told her. “I’ve been saving them for an occasion like this.”

  “Go easy on that, Tási,” Venna cautioned as she saw the halfling take a deep sip of the powerful liquid.

  “It doesn’t seem so bad,” Tási replied after she swallowed the wine.

  “But it is—that’s why it’s so dangerous,” Broda warned her. “Best you wait a little while before you have any more.”

  The four of us drank almost the enti
re bottle of wine and stayed up much later than we should have, sharing tales and reliving some of our old adventures. Tási had been sneaking sips from her glass when she thought we weren’t looking, so despite our cautions, she passed out before the night was over. So, while Venna and Broda finally went off to sleep, I had to carry Tási’s limp body upstairs and put her to bed.

  Bane had followed me upstairs, and once I got Tási tucked in, I motioned for him to lie next to her.

  ‘Keep an eye on her, Bane,’ I sent to him. ‘Since Tási’s out of it, I’m going to stay with Venna tonight.’

  I will make sure she is safe, my Sintári.

  As I left the two of them, Bane wrapped himself around Tási and snuggled himself against her protectively. He had grown even fonder of her since I had unintentionally bonded with her water spirit, and the two of them had been spending as much time together as possible since.

  I walked downstairs and knocked softly on Venna’s door. I didn’t want to wake her if she was already sleeping, but when she called for me to come in, I opened the door.

  “I thought you might want some company,” I said as I sat down beside her.

  Venna was still struggling to get out of her Armor, so as she pulled off a gauntlet, I tugged at one of her boots to help her get ready for bed.

  “Some company?” Venna asked suspiciously.

  “I’m here, with you,” I said as I finally got the boot free. “For a short while, or the whole night. For as much or as little as you want.”

  Venna smiled broadly as she pulled off her other gauntlet.

  “I’m not sure what I want,” she replied. “But I don’t want to be alone. Are you sure you can stay all night?”

  “If that’s what you want, I’m yours.”

  Eventually, we both got undressed and lay down together. I wasn’t sure what Venna really wanted from me, but I knew that she missed Stel, and didn’t want to be alone. So, I wrapped her up in my arms, held her against my body, and sent warm feelings of comfort and reassurance gently flowing into her. She hugged me tighter and basked in the sensations I fed her as a soft moan of happiness escaped her lips.

  I felt her loneliness, and the depth of the love she had for her absent husband. Stel was a truly amazing man, and I was happy that the two of them had each other. Feeling Venna’s isolation gave me a sudden inspiration, and I poured my own images of Stel into the tendrils I sent to her.

  Venna curled up against me as I added little touches of Stel, or at least my perception of him, into the peaceful waves of comfort I fed her—he had only been gone a day, yet she missed him terribly, and her loneliness was only magnified by knowing that he would be away from her for so much longer. But as I combined my impressions of Stel into the reassurances I was sending to her, I felt her body relax, and the tension she had been holding inside melted away.

  I’m not sure how long I kept feeding her those images, but eventually I heard her snoring softly against my shoulder. Once I realized that she had fallen asleep, I slowly withdrew my influence from her and listened to the soft sounds of her breathing until they lulled me to sleep as well.

  “How did you do that?” Venna asked me as soon as I opened my eyes the next morning.

  “Do what?” I asked as I tried to rub the sleep from my eyes.

  “I was lying next to you,” she said with a tone of confusion. “But then it was Stel in my arms. I felt him. He was here.”

  I hadn’t intended to create such a strong illusion for her, I only meant to help her not feel so alone. I tried to explain what I had done to her, and I hoped that she would understand.

  “I’m sorry Venna,” I offered my apology. “I sent you some of my own images of him because I thought that you might find them comforting. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “That’s all you did?” Venna asked incredulously. “I would have sworn he was right here. I’m... I’m not sure how I feel about this, Dreya.”

  “I’m sorry, Venna,” I repeated. “I was only trying to help. I promise that I won’t do that to you again.”

  She reached out beneath the covers and took my hands in hers before replying to me again.

  “I never doubted your intentions, Dreya,” she reassured me. “I’m just not sure how I feel about what you did. Maybe if I had known what you intended to do, I might feel differently. I just wasn’t expecting to feel his presence so strongly.”

  “I might actually be interested in letting you try again when I know what to expect,” she offered. “Give me some time to think about it.”

  Once we settled the issue, we got dressed and ventured into the common room where Tási was feeding Bane some eggs from the platter of food she had already cooked. While she pretended to be happy to serve us when we sat down, I could tell that she was upset that I had left her alone the previous night. Or, more accurately, she was upset about where I had spent the previous night. So, once I had my fill, I excused myself and as I went back upstairs to my room I motioned for Tási to follow me when Venna wasn’t looking.

  “I know. I know,” Tási whined as she shut the door behind her. “It’s just that you’ve never been so… blatant before. You left me alone and spent the whole night with her right downstairs.”

  I had obviously hurt her, and I didn’t want to make things any worse, so I tried to explain.

  “Tási,” I responded calmly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel this way. I thought it would be alright since you were already… asleep.”

  “You mean passed-out drunk,” Tási chuckled mirthlessly as she replied.

  “We did warn you not to drink so much,” I reminded her.

  “You did,” she lamented. “I just didn’t realize that you’d abandon me so easily.”

  “Tási,” I replied more sharply. “I thought we had settled this—both of you are important to me. I spend almost every single night with you. I’m here for you virtually whenever you want. You know how bad Venna was the last time Stel was away for so long. She needed me, and I wanted to be there for her.”

  “I know that,” Tási snapped back at me.

  “Sorry,” she apologized immediately when I glared at her.

  “Do you want to know what we did last night?”

  “Not really,” Tási objected.

  “I held her and sent her images of Stel until she fell asleep,” I told her anyway.

  “You did what?” Tási responded in disbelief.

  “You know, I’m good for more than just one thing,” I replied in mock offense, echoing the words she had once said to me.

  It took her a moment, but when Tási recognized her own words, she looked down in embarrassment and apologized.

  “I’m sorry,” she offered softly. “Ever since you bonded me, I’ve been feeling much more attached to you. I know how things are with you and Venna. I know she’s important to you, and that the two of you need each other, but it’s more difficult for me to handle the emotions that come up when I think about that now. And when I realized what happened, where you were last night, I had trouble… I’m having trouble accepting it.”

  “Tási,” I said as I guided her to sit beside me on the edge of the bed. “No one can replace you. No one–not even Venna. But I can’t give her up either. Venna and I may not be bonded together like you and I are, but she’s important to me, and you’re right, we do need each other.”

  “But as much as I need Venna, I need you even more. Things are different between us since I bonded with you. You’re not alone, I feel it too. So, I promise not to do that again. I will not be so, what did you say? Blatant? Ever again. Not without your permission. I cannot abandon Venna, but I will never leave you for her again.”

  Tási clearly hadn’t expected such a strong statement of commitment from me, and my heartfelt words of devotion brought tears to her eyes. She hugged me tightly and I opened myself up to her and flooded her with my love. Tási returned my feelings with her own tendrils of emotion and despite the far weaker nature of her power, I
felt her devotion as powerfully as my own.

  We stayed locked in our embrace for a long while, neither one of us willing to let go or relinquish the power of the emotion that the other was sending us. When we finally parted, I kissed Tási gently and offered her a final promise.

  “I’m yours, Tási,” I told her solemnly. “First and always. I will never let you feel abandoned again.”

  “Thank you,” Tási’s voice cracked as she replied. “I know how important Venna is to you, so I never thought I’d hear you say anything like that.”

  “Venna may be important to me, Tási,” I said as I stared into her eyes, “but you’re everything.”

  It was a long while before we headed back downstairs again, but when we did, Broda was sitting down eating the last of the food Tási had cooked earlier.

  “How’s your head this morning?” Broda asked as we entered the common room. “After Dreya had to carry your sorry arse upstairs last night, I imagine you’ve got a bit of a headache.”

  “I did,” Tási confessed. “But I am a healer, so it wasn’t too hard for me to get rid of it.”

  “Where’s Venna?” I asked when I noticed that she had left.

  “She went off to the infirmary,” Broda told me between bites. “She left when Bane flew off for his daily scout.”

  “I guess that means I get to join you while you make the rounds today,” Tási beamed.

  “You certainly do,” I smiled back at her as I adjusted her collar to lay just a bit more open than usual.

  Tási’s eyes widened and she flushed red as I finished with her collar, but I took her hand and dragged her out the door before she could complain.

  “New dress code for the day,” I told her as we walked towards our first stop. “Anytime you pass out drunk, I’m spreading your collar even wider the next morning.”

  “No more alcohol for me,” Tási declared as her cheeks still burned red.

  Thankfully, after the eventful morning, the rest of the day went well, and when Tási and I returned after finishing our tour, Broda was cooking a stew for dinner while Venna sat at the table sipping a glass of elven wine.