by Mark Albany
“Wait, can we talk about how you found a group of elves living beyond our continent?” Lyth asked. “What were they like? How is that they’ve not tried to contact us?”
“Well, until I came to them, I don’t think that they realized that there were elves elsewhere in the world,” Braire explained. “They were also more nomadic, preferring to make their living in the trees rather than gathering in larger numbers. They also shared that forest with a great many other creatures, mostly isolationist and in many ways similar to the elves. Kinds I’d never seen before were walking among them. As for why they never tried to contact us... well, I think there might have been some bad blood between elves from our lands and those from theirs, and the distance served to drive them apart further. Eventually knowledge of our presence on another continent disappeared, and they didn’t bother to rekindle it.”
“I can understand that, at least,” Lyth said. “Even so, it is a shame that so many of our kin were separated from us, even across great distances. I feel like so much could be gained if we were just able to maintain contact with them.”
“Agreed,” I said. “It does make one wonder what exactly happened that would have driven a wedge into relations between elves of different continents. I mean, the rivalry that humans have with elves is just as senseless. Humans and humans are equally prone to conflict with each other, so it makes me wonder if humans and elves are just that similar.”
Lyth shrugged her shoulders. “We can ponder on the social issues between humans and elves until the end of time, but I don’t think that we’d ever find a solution that works. At least not in the long term. Having a common enemy does help to drive us all together, but it won’t last forever.”
It was a sad realization, but no less true. It had proven as such in my experience and considering that those around me had a great deal more, they seemed to know the same. It wouldn’t stop me from trying to find a way, of course. I didn’t want to say as much, but there was going to be some conflict or another, even if we found ourselves surviving this fight, but it was still something to fight for. An impossible dream.
“Wait, you mentioned that the beasts that you found were back in this... far off continent,” Faye said. “Which means that you would have needed to find a way to use the ability, and then discovered the beasts that you would have been able to then bind to the runes. I’m assuming that the animals somehow consent to all this, in their own way, and want to help you when they can.”
“It is a little more complex than that,” Braire said, shrugging her shoulders. “But the basic idea is that... well, yes, they do need to agree to it, as animals would, and a connection does need to be made. The ability to bind something and summon it, using the runes as we know them, isn’t completely foreign, but the ability that I learned from them that made it possible was to be able to communicate with the animals. It was why I was known as the beast mistress.”
“That does make sense, I suppose,” I said, tilting my head. “But are you dragging them clear of their lives just to help you whenever you need it, or... how does it work?”
“Again, it is a little more complex than that,” Braire said, moving her head back and forth as she tried to think of a way to explain it better. “Like... in entering the rune, they would be entering a pocket universe, like the one where you entered that castle in the cave? Something like that. Anyways, they receive my request for help inside that universe, and are able to provide help when it is convenient for them, which is translated by the rune on the stone to be immediately for me, while it can be days or even weeks for them.”
“Can they just... decline to be summoned?” Faye wondered.
“Yes, they can,” Braire said. “In fact, the reason why you see so little of my bear is that he consistently refuses to be summoned unless I find myself in a situation similar to the one that I met him in. It’s an emotional connection, and he needs to sense me in a similar mental state as I was when I first met him, if he is to come to my aid.”
“You said that you were in a cave, trapped and in need of help when he first came, yes?” I said, vaguely recalling how we had discussed it in the past.
“Indeed,” Braire said. “He’s a grumpy old bastard, but I love him, anyways.”
I still didn’t think that I fully understood what she was talking about, but at the moment, it didn’t really matter. Braire appeared to understand it will enough for it to work for her, and I trusted that she knew what she was doing. Even if it seemed like she didn’t fully understand, or maybe just didn’t know how to explain it to someone who wasn’t mentally or emotionally connected to her beasts.
“Either way,” Norel said, bringing the conversation back on topic. “It would appear that these monsters were intelligent enough. They killed a whole troop of humans before we even arrived, and there had to have been at least twenty of them, and they were powerful, too. Once we found a way to escape the cavern, however, they showed no intention or ability to follow us. I don’t know if we were just able to open a portal further than they were able to go, or maybe they were just unwilling to. Either way, when we left the cave, they didn’t follow.”
“I would say, that maybe something that made its living hunting anything that entered the caverns didn’t want to leave,” I replied. “Maybe the reason that they have survived however long that they have is because they refuse to move out from where they have the advantage, and perhaps they can survive for long spells of time without feeding on the unfortunate creatures that find their way inside?”
Norel nodded. “That does seem vaguely possible, but it cannot be the whole truth. Maybe they just can’t stand the sunlight? Or light in general.”
“How were you able to fight them without any light?” Braire asked.
“Actually, they pulled away anytime that we had light, and then opened a portal to any spot or opening where they saw there was enough darkness to allow them to move,” Norel recalled. “It was an unpleasant experience, and one that I really wish that we wouldn’t need to repeat.”
I moved in closer to her, bringing Norel to a halt before wrapping my arms around her, pulling her in close. If nothing else, the warmth of our bodies pressing together was a welcome relief.
The others moved on slowly, sensing that Norel and I needed a moment together, alone. Well, as alone as could be allowed, considering how connected the five of us were.
Pulling back, I looked down into the elf’s eyes and placed a hand on her cheek, guiding her to look back up at me. “Can you do this? Because if it is too much for you, we can turn back. We’ll find another way.”
She tilted her head and smiled. “No, I don’t think we will. Which is why I have to do this. My own personal fears should not come between us and success. Too much depends on it.”
“You shouldn’t feel forced into something like this,” I whispered softly.
“I’m not,” she replied. “And I follow on with the rest of you willingly. We can do this. Because we have to.”
I sighed and pulled her to me in a close embrace once more. “Remember, we’re with you to help.”
“I know,” she said, smiling and enjoying the closeness for a moment. “Which is why we will succeed.”
12
The day carried on as the weather continued to grow steadily worse. Or maybe as we climbed higher, the worse it got, with a great deal of wind coming up the mountainside, drawing out the poorer weather the higher we went.
I couldn’t help feeling that even so, there was so much happening below that it was somehow influencing the climate around us. I could see the clouds starting to build up, rising higher and higher. Soon I could feel the snowflakes drifting down, sinking into the ground and starting to pile up.
It wasn’t long before the snow was coming down in flurries, thicker and thicker to the point where it was difficult to see anything that was in front of us further than fifteen feet. Even huddling in closer together to avoid losing any members of our party, it was still difficult to make
out where we were going.
And considering that we were climbing up a mountain, where even the smallest misstep could and would end with all of us falling hundreds of feet to a very useless death suddenly seemed like the worst possible result of what we were trying to achieve. There was time to figure out what we were doing later, but for now, we needed some shelter to get out of the storm that looked like it was only going to be getting worse with every second that was passing.
“We need to find somewhere out of this storm!” Braire shouted, voicing what we were all thinking, as she made sure we still kept close together.
Norel had been trying to throw up shields that would keep the worst of the winds and snow away from us as we continued to move on. There was really no other way but forward, but as the snowfall started getting thicker, even that was starting to be a difficult thing to find.
I wasn’t sure how it was possible to lose the sense of moving forward, and yet it was difficult to tell which way would keep us heading in the right direction, and which would end with us plummeting to our deaths.
“To the left,” Faye said. “There’s a cave to the left of us. Now, not tomorrow!”
I turned to look at the fae woman as she started tugging us towards the left, as she had intended. The threat of ravines opening up just about anywhere, and further being covered by the snow that was coming down right up until we stepped out on them was enough to give us all pause.
“How do you know?” I called, standing firm against her tug.
“I looked forward and I saw it,” Faye said, still tugging. The woman was strong enough to make me move despite my efforts to stop her, with the snow making for a slippery surface that she could drag me through until I finally gave in, following her and letting the rest of them pull away, following Faye as she took the lead.
I wasn’t sure what she meant by saying that she had looked forward and seen it, but as of right now, we needed to find a way out of the storm. A cave would do precisely that, or at least it would help to keep us warm until the storm passed.
Sure enough, as we followed Faye through the storm, I could see something that looked like a cave ahead, although it was already starting to get covered by the snow that was still coming down in droves.
“Chances are we’ll be sealed in there before the storm is finished,” Norel pointed out, trying to clear a way for us to reach it while making sure that there were no holes in the ground for us to fall through before moving forward ahead of us.
“We don’t have a choice!” I said. “It’s either be sealed in there or die in the cold out here. We can solve one of the problems now!”
I knew that most of what I said was lost in the wind that was spinning around us and howling like an abandoned wolf, but the sentiment was not lost. We had a problem that needed solving, namely that Norel wouldn’t be able to protect us from the ice and snow that was coming down in torrents indefinitely. Once we weren’t freezing to death, we could figure out how to escape being sealed in by the snow.
It seemed like the kind of mundane problem that five powerful magic-wielders would be able to solve once we had gotten some food around a fire and then a good night’s sleep
We managed to find our way into the cave, watching as the snow quickly started building up over the entrance.
“Can we build a fire?” Norel asked, looking around.
“I brought some firewood in my pack,” I replied, patting the pack on my back. “But it won’t last us for very long. Maybe tonight, but probably not tomorrow.”
“As you said, problems need to be solved tonight,” Norel said with a small smile as I pulled the pack off and started building the fire. The snow had gotten into my pack, getting the wood wet as the snow melted, but a few moments of energy expended by Braire dried it off, and then proceeded to light the kindling that slowly built into a fire that we gathered around, just enjoying the heat for a moment.
It was a long moment before we decided to start raiding our food stores and start preparing food for a meal. It was quick work, and the food that we had was nourishing enough, as well as giving us some warmth after being cooked over the fire, which certainly helped with pushing away the freezing cold that was seeping in from the outside.
We had managed to head in deep enough to find a spot away from the wind, but that wasn’t going to keep the icy temperatures away.
Even though the fire was giving us some warmth, it was difficult to ward off the cold entirely.
“We should get some sleep,” Braire said. “Looks like we’re here for the duration of the storm, which... well, could last for days for all we know. Might as well sleep while we’re somewhat safe from the monsters that we’ve been trying to get away from.”
I nodded, agreeing, and there appeared to be no resistance from the rest of the group. None had slept well the night before, and it had been a long, hard march through the snow all day. We were all exhausted, and it wasn’t long before Braire and Norel were curled up together, with Lyth and Faye joining together with them for warmth.
If there was ever something I wanted to do, it was join them, snuggle up with the bunch, but something was keeping me apart, drawing me away. Something that felt like it was gnawing at the edges of my mind, pulling me away from what I needed to be focusing on, the people I needed to be focusing on.
There was nothing painful about the sensation, but it was still pulling at me, trying to keep my attention even as the night wore on. I couldn’t hear the storm outside anymore, but that probably just meant that the snow had sealed us in.
Interestingly enough, it did make for less cold seeping in, making the embers that the fire had burned down to act as more than enough to keep us warm as I settled into my corner of the cave, on my own. I would join the rest of them when I felt like I would be able to fall asleep, but for the moment, I would probably just disturb their rest.
And they were dropping off quickly. It wasn’t just our connection that was telling me that, but just the sight of how their breathing was deepening and they were settling into more comfortable positions together, all while being able to stay warm told me that their exhaustion didn’t allow them to stay awake for too long.
I was just as tired as they were, of course, but it was there, bothering me. Something that they apparently couldn’t feel through the connection, but was enough to keep me wide awake.
For the moment, at least. I didn’t doubt that it wouldn’t be long before I conked out.
I settled back into my improvised seat against the wall of the cave, wrapped up in a warm blanket and staring off into the blackness that was surrounding our smile fire.
It was surprising to see Faye slowly getting up from where she had been spooning Lyth and coming over to me, with an extra blanket and draping it around us before slipping under my blanket and pressing herself lightly to me.
“Why are you still awake?” I asked her as she pressed her cold nose into my warm neck.
“I could ask you the same thing,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around me. “Something’s keeping you up, and I can’t get a bead on it for the life of me, so... why don’t you tell me what it is, so I can help you make it better? You need your rest as much any one of us.”
I smiled, leaning in to place a light kiss to her lips. “Just... something bothering me. I can’t tell what it is. It’s actually something that has been tugging at the back of my mind over the past few days. Like... a dog gnawing at the back of my brain, trying to get my attention, but running away every time that I try to figure out what it is.”
She tilted her head. “It could just be anxiety over what we’re going to be facing. Not utterly unusual for someone facing what we are all going to be before too long.”
I nodded. “It could be, I suppose. But I don’t think so. It’s something else. I’m not sure how to explain it. There’s something familiar about it. Like I’ve felt a call like it before, but for the life of me, I can’t remember when I last felt something like it.”
&nb
sp; Faye tilted her head and leaned in closer to me, her breasts pressing lightly to my shoulder as her right thigh draped over me, gently rubbing over my legs. “I’m sure we can think of something to settle you for the night.”
I smiled, already knowing what she had in mind even before her hand drifted down between my thighs, under my clothes to find my growing shaft and gently rubbing some feeling into it.
“Admittedly, that is something that has helped to push the feeling away in the past,” I whispered, and I could feel her smiling as her lips pressed lightly into my neck.
“Besides,” she said, her hot breath easily felt on my skin as her breathing picked up to press her breasts a bit more firmly into me, “you did promise me a bit of fun back when we were still in the forest, and you haven’t delivered.”
“I didn’t think that you’d remember,” I replied, groaning softly as her fingers worked their magic over my cock, feeling it growing in her hand.
“You think that I would forget an invitation to have you fuck me?” she murmured, running her tongue lightly over my shoulder and up my neck before coming around to place a firm kiss on my lips, slipping her tongue into my mouth. She tasted of something sweet and warm, with just a hint of spice.
Even so, it was a little difficult to focus on that as her fingers felt what they wanted from me, which was the expected growth and throbbing of my shaft as she pressed herself closer to me. I couldn’t help but let my own hands wander, slipping under her clothes and tugging her closer, my right hand drifting down, around her waist and curling under her clothes and finding the generous curve of her ass, squeezing and pulling her closer to me.
The other came up between us, cupping her breast and squeezing the handful, enjoying the touch of her right up against me almost as much as her ministrations between my thighs.
“Fuck,” she gasped, feeling the gentle thread of magic arcing through her body from my left hand. “That’s... just not fair.”