The Warrior Woman

by Evelyn Lederman

  As the fires waned, Candy felt Tolfer stir next to her. “Let us head back to our lodgings, Canny.” She could not help but smile at the endearment name he had finally settled on. It was perfect. How ironic the name she had been called as a child was shared with a legendary warrior woman Tolfer grew up hearing stories about.

  They walked hand in hand through the village. Occasionally they would stop and talk to a couple they had met that evening. It was amazing how quickly they had been accepted by the people in this village. True, she was the leader’s granddaughter, but it felt like their acceptance had to do more with their own personalities and skills.

  Candy never fit in anywhere. For the first time, she felt at home. Ironic it would be on a prison planet in a different dimension. Candy still struggled with the whole string theory concept. Maybe they were traveling between planets rather than dimensions. She used to love to watch Stargate, whether it was the movie, the Showtime series, or when it moved to the Sci-Fi channel. Candy even had the first season on DVD. That was all her meager budget allowed. Now she was living it.

  She squealed with delight when they entered their hut to find a bed. Well, actually it was more a stuffed mat, but it was better than sleeping on the ground.

  “One of the kids’ father was working on this,” Tolfer shared with her. “When his son’s pain was reduced, he told me he would deliver his creation for our use.”

  Candy knelt down and sprawled on the bed. “It feels wonderful! What is it made of ?”

  “They keep the feathers from the birds they use for food. In addition, they also collect them when the egg-producing fowl are molting.” He joined her on their bed. Tolfer scooted closer and took her into his arms. She could feel him sniffing her hair. “You smell great!”

  Candy laughed. “I used your mother’s lavender-scented shampoo this morning.” He brushed the hair off her face in such an intimate manner, it took her breath away. “It seems like a century ago, so much has happened today. It kind of blows my mind.”

  She saw alarm and then understanding cross his face. Not having grown up on Earth, Tolfer was not aware of some of the expressions she and her friends used on a regular basis. Alex used sayings Tarsea was unfamiliar with to drive her soul mate insane. Candy just did it without forethought.

  He smiled and brought her deeper into his arms. “I am going to have to start writing down some of these expressions. If we make it back to the Troyk universe, Alex and I can double team against Tarsea. It has been entertaining to watch my brother deal with Alex’s little games.”

  Candy enjoyed the relaxed discussion they shared while they lay next to each other. She was not ready to sleep. Her body had been craving his touch all evening and now she wanted more. “Your time to be on top,” she whispered into her soul mate’s ear.

  Chapter 13

  Candy stretched in their bed, like a cat waking from a nap in the sun. She was warm and content. They had made love three times last night. Where Alex generally looked exhausted after spending the night with Tarsea, Candy felt energized.

  She had a self-defense class to teach, so she couldn’t lounge too long in bed. Who would’ve ever guessed that living in a penal colony would be so wonderful? Candy could not come up with a time she was happier.

  She was just about to kneel beside the bed in order to stand, when a premonition hit her. Her hand snapped out over the edge of the mattress and wrapped around the neck of a thick serpent. The snake was helpless in her grip. Candy did not know who was more surprised, she or the snake. Assuming a snake could even be surprised. The realization of what happened and what she had in her hand hit her hard.

  “Tolfer,” she let out a blood-curdling scream.

  Several men ran into their quarters. One of the men came up beside her and took the viper. He obviously knew what he was doing. As they took the snake from the hut, she thought she heard one of the men saying they would be eating well again tonight.

  As soon as Tolfer arrived she ran into his arms. After she was relieved of the snake, Candy had shared with him telepathically what had occurred. Candy figured she must have seen something on television about snakes and had reacted instinctively. She trembled in Tolfer’s arms as he tried to sooth her. What would have happened if she did not have the telepathic gift that warned her of the snake’s attack?

  “Are you all right?” her grandmother asked as she joined them. The communal pathway was buzzing with what had occurred. “How in the world did a snake get in here? They are primarily found on the other side of the gorge. We keep a couple here to create anti-venom medications.”

  Before she could totally absorb what her grandmother told her an alarm came across the communal pathway. Darah had disappeared. She was last seen heading toward the portal guardians’ encampment.

  Candy gave her grandmother an accusing look. “You cannot imagine Darah was responsible for this,” Alaura countered in response to her granddaughter’s stare.

  “That is exactly what I believe. Your homicidal daughter does not want me here. It is very convenient that a snake you had in captivity ended up in my quarters just as she disappeared. I am also not deaf to the whispers about her in the communal pathways.” Candy did not believe in beating around the bush. Her life had been placed in peril and she was not going to dance around the fact her aunt was insane.

  “We must go after her,” her grandmother said. Irritated the woman had discounted everything she just communicated, Candy did not move. “She is not scheduled to see her father until tomorrow. It is not safe for a girl her age all alone out there.”

  “Fine,” Candy mumbled. This was one battle she was not going to win. Besides, if she was wrong and something happened to Darah, she would never forgive herself.

  Candy had been paired with Kelog in the search for her aunt. Tolfer had stayed behind to help with the children. There was such a delicate balance within the Utopia community that any occurrence from the norm upset them. Tolfer’s natural affinity with children helped calm them.

  It was the first time Candy had been alone with Kelog since arriving on the penal colony world. Although they taught combat and self-defense sessions together, they seldom spoke about anything other than what was required to prepare for the classes. Now they were trudging through the woods together.

  Candy was the first to break the awkward silence. “We should head toward the old trail to the portal guardians’ encampment. Someone would have noticed if Darah had gone over the bridge.”

  “Exactly what I was thinking,” Kelog answered. “We make a good team.” He glanced in her direction, it was obvious he was struggling to find a topic safe for them to discuss. “I am glad to see things are going well between you and Tolfer. He really cares for you. It took a tremendous amount of courage for him to come up to me and ask me to keep an eye on you when he was not around. Darah is a frightening creature.”

  Candy could not help but smile. “That is putting it mildly. I cannot believe we are risking our lives with these prehistoric weapons going after Miss Fruit Loops.” Homemade spears were not her idea of state of the art weaponry. What she would not give for a crystal power laser pistol.

  “Who?” Kelog asked. “Never mind. I have spent enough time with Shirl to know half the things coming out of her mouth are lost on me.”

  Candy grabbed Kelog’s arm and stopped suddenly. Something was not right, although she was not sure what was wrong. Kelog had sparred enough with her lately to realize she was aware of moves he was going to make before he made them. He respected her abilities without mentioning them.

  It was not long before they heard the cries just north of their position. They cautiously followed the sound of the pleas for help. The forest ended and they entered a small clearing. Grunting sounds came from the left of their position. A small bear was circling a tree Darah had managed to climb.

  “Stupid girl,” Candy said. “Bears can climb trees. What was she thinking? The bear seems to be playing with her.”

  “What are
we supposed to do? I have only seen bears in the zoo.”

  “The natural portal is on a mountain pass; you don’t have bears in the Aster Province?”

  “Not that I know of,” Kelog confessed. “So what do we do?”

  “Letting the bear eat her I guess is out of the question,” Candy said. “We can throw rocks at it and make a lot of noise. The bear probably will not want anything to do with us. They are reclusive creatures and generally want nothing to do with humans. We’ll approach sidestepping. If the bear decides to attack, stand your ground.”

  Candy hoped her gift of premonitions included a bear that was going to attack, just as she knew the snake would. The last thing she wanted was to be mauled to death by a common bear, while attempting to save her deranged aunt. Taking a deep breath, she was ready to deal with Yogi.

  They left the confines of the forest and found a small wealth of rocks on their way to confront the bear. Candy reached down and grabbed some of the larger specimens. Right behind her, Kelog followed suit. At the top of her lungs, she started to sing Magilla Gorilla. She had no idea why she remembered the stupid song. A song about Yogi Bear would have been more appropriate, but she could not remember if he had a theme song.

  The bear turned around, made a couple of grunting sounds, and then bounded off. Candy was grateful she was not going to have to deal with the animal. When she went hiking where bears lived, park rangers informed them what to do if one came upon them. Until now, she had never encountered one in the wild.

  Darah started to climb down the tree. She rushed into Kelog’s arms, not even acknowledging Candy’s presence. “You were so brave to come after me, Kelog. I am so glad you decided to follow your uncle into the portal.”

  Kelog unwrapped Darah’s arms from around his neck. It was pretty close to a chokehold based on what Candy could see. Even in signs of gratitude, her aunt was unable to judge what she was doing.

  “We better get her back,” Candy informed Kelog. “My grandmother is worried sick.”

  “You need to mind your own business,” Darah growled. “This is a dangerous world, a person can get hurt showing up places they are not welcome. The woods are full of snakes and other nasty things.”

  Although Darah did not admit she was responsible for this morning’s close encounter with a poisonous viper, it was clear to Candy she was. Her warning was as good as a confession in Candy’s opinion. She needed to put some distance between her and her aunt before she did something dumb.

  “Head on back with her, Kelog,” Candy ordered. “I will take up the rear just in case the bear decides to double back.” It was unlikely the bear would, but it sounded good.

  Two close encounters with this world’s wild life was more than enough for one day. She wanted to get back and collapse into Tolfer’s arms. He made all the bad things disappear, if only for as long as it took for them to make love. One thing was clear, though, she was eventually going to have to do something about Darah before her aunt got the best of her.

  Two weeks passed without any further attempts on her life. Candy and Tolfer had become an integral part of the community. They became particularly friendly with two couples that were a bit younger than they were. Their new friends were first-generation Utopians, born in this parallel universe. The Troyk government unknowingly condemned these children of criminals to a life with few options. One of the women was pregnant and Candy started to share experiences with her that she had hoped to share with Alex.

  She missed her friends dreadfully when she had a free moment to think. Candy had never worked so hard in her life. What looked to be an ideal life in this community took a lot of effort. The whole village would take a late afternoon nap before preparing their evening meal, similar to the Mexican siestas. When she and Tolfer were finally free to spend time together later in the evening, they were too exhausted to do more than make love and fall asleep in each other’s arms.

  Candy had even managed to get Alaura to allow Darah more visitations with her father in exchange for Chartail spending time in Utopia. Every unattached man in the village made a play for her. Chartail had them wrapped around her little finger, including Kelog Potts. Candy also had to admit it was nice not having Darah in close proximity to her.

  Tolfer came up from behind. He pushed back the hair that fell over her left shoulder and started to nuzzle her neck. The man could produce sensations within she never imagined possible. If they had eternity together, she would never tire of him.

  “I have a surprise for you,” he communicated through the communal link. “We have the afternoon off. There is a hot spring I was told we should explore.” They often used the communal link to communicate information that was not sensitive. It also alerted the village they would be leaving its confines.

  “I promised Chartail I would teach her self-defense moves,” Candy shared. Although the communication was for all, she put a cute little pout on her face just for him.

  “Kelog has that covered,” Tolfer responded. “He has it bad for her.” Although he spoke those words aloud, it was not news to anyone about Kelog’s obsession with Chartail. She knew Kelog was going to be devastated when Chartail dropped him.

  Candy was not sure who Chartail was going to end up with. She just knew her new friend was destined for greater things. With everything Chartail had gone through since the Nightshade universe, she had developed into a formidable woman.

  She took Tolfer’s hand and together they left the protected area of the village, each grabbing a spear as they left. Candy stopped by to make sure Chartail was good with Kelog, and then borrowed his knife. Tolfer did not give her a he-man attitude and demand to carry the blade. He knew she was better trained and had the gift of foresight.

  They walked along the trail for thirty minutes when they reached a charming grotto nestled within a small opening between mountains. Candy figured it had been carved over time by wind and rain. The hot springs Tolfer had been referring to were in the middle of the grotto. Tall trees surrounded it with vines forming a natural fence around the small pool. Ivy grew up the sides of the mountain walls providing a breathtaking backdrop.

  As she approached the pool, her nose was assaulted by the smell of sulfur. Candy slipped off her shoes and stuck her toe into the water. The temperature was perfect. After two weeks of only cleansing with a towel and a single bucket of tepid water, immersing herself in the pool would be nirvana. Regardless of the horrid smell.

  She waited beside the water and watched as Tolfer removed his clothes and made his way in. Candy could not get enough of looking at him. Over the last two weeks his body had become leaner and meaner. The hard work he performed had developed muscles he had rarely used. She had felt the subtle changes in his muscle mass each night as they made love. If she had any artistic ability and the necessary supplies, Candy would never need another model to inspire her work.

  Once upon a time she would have been shy undressing in front of anyone. However, doing it in front of Tolfer was liberating. She felt his eyes on her. She deliberately slowed her progress hoping to drive him mad with desire.

  Candy entered the spring and let loose a moan. It felt so damn good. The water caressed her body as a lover would. Tolfer allowed her time to enjoy the healing properties of the liquid. This was his gift to her. He waited for her to come to him.

  The pool was deep enough for her to submerge entirely. What she would not give for a natural sponge. It was not long before her body started to burn for Tolfer’s touch.

  She swam over to her lover and placed her arms around his shoulders. Her body felt his erection. With a wicked smile on her face Candy stared at him as she positioned herself over his stiff rod. She had once had fantasies of making love to someone in a hot tub. What she was about to do was going to make those wet dreams seem positively mild in comparison.

  Slowly she impaled herself on him. Their breathing became erratic as she continued to take more of him into her body. Tolfer bent his head back and Candy leaned forward to lick the
salt from his neck.

  She finally took all of him into her body as she continued to ride him. Her need was frantic and uncontrollable. He grabbed her hips as she increased the friction generated by their bodies. Water lapped against them as the contents of the pool reacted to the motion they created. Waves of desire transitioned to spasms of an orgasm that took them both.

  Tolfer was still inside of Candy, recovering from their latest joining. The intensity of what happened between them increased with each coupling. He wondered how much more he could take. They would eventually have to reach their zenith before they literally burned each other out.

  His soul mate’s forehead was against his own. She was exhausted from the frantic ride she had just taken. His hands had a life of their own as he leaned her back and placed his hands on her breasts. Candy’s legs wrapped around him tighter in order not to float away. Her hair skimmed the top of the water, creating a long crest around her head. If ever a water nymph was personified, it would be Candy at this moment.

  Tolfer’s mouth watered as he lifted her and brought one of her breasts into his mouth. Moans of encouragement came from his soul mate as his tongue played with her breast. Tolfer pulled on her nipple and Candy screamed aloud. As he released one breast to enjoy the other, Candy muttered something he could not make out. He followed the same wonderful routine and got the same response from her. His mind was in a lustful fog, so making love to her without thinking about the mechanics worked for him.

  Candy started to move again, forcing his erect member to become harder within her. She rode him as before. He was so deep inside her, he was half afraid he was hurting her and was too absorbed in his own pleasure to notice.