The Changeling

by Jennifer Lyndon

  M’Tek disappeared into the shadows at the back of the room. When she returned, she carried two small glasses filled with the black substance I remembered from earlier in the day. She handed a glass to me. I sniffed it cautiously, picking up on a sharp tangy aroma. M’Tek took hers in one swallow, but held onto her glass, waiting, her eyes filling with amusement as she watched me. I sniffed the substance again and noticed a strong acrid smell. My nose started to burn, and my eyes water. M’Tek’s slow smile was growing into a grin.

  Finally, I did as she had done, slamming it to the back of my throat with the intention of swallowing it before I was forced to taste the peculiar substance. Once it hit my tongue I held it there. At first it tasted of ripe dewberries, warmed by the southern sun, but as I held it in my mouth the flavor opened up to the overripe lotus fruit I’d had as a child in the Pale Mountains of the Western Noge Territory. I struggled not to swallow, fighting against that natural urge, as more flavors, pure and poignant played across my tongue. I tasted the sweet water from the stream I swam in as a child, and then the brisk wind from across the Eponymous River Valley. When I could hold it in my mouth no longer I swallowed, only to find the taste of M’Tek’s first kiss on my lips, from that night before battle those few years ago.

  I was breathing hard, my heart pounding through my chest as I shifted my gaze from my empty glass to M’Tek. She absently dropped her glass to the floor, allowing it to shatter into countless pieces, as she reached for me, causing me to lose my grip on my own glass. Her lips were hungry, and tasted of beautiful sensations, the shock of cool water on your skin after diving from a cliff, the wind whipping through your hair while riding a fast horse across a field of bright red poppies. I kissed her eagerly as new flavors I couldn’t place flitted across my tongue and wound through my memory. Her hands moved down to my thighs as she gathered the skirt of my dress in her grip. She lifted it over my head in one fluid movement that finally broke the contact of our lips.

  Her hands pressed into my bare flesh, as she guided me back toward the shadows of the room, and around the corner to the bedchamber. Light from the windows facing the Luminous Gulf gave the room a soft glow. She lifted the covering back from the bed and eased me to the edge. I kicked off my shoes and she pressed me down under her on the bed. Her lips returned to mine as I fought with the material of her dress. It was an unwanted barrier between us.

  “Take this off,” I demanded.

  She leaned back, shifting to straddle me while unfastening her dress with lissome fingers. She lifted it off over her head and returned to me, her bare breasts pressing against mine for the first time. Her tight nipples beckoned me. I coaxed her back as I lifted up to catch a nipple in my mouth. She moaned softly, her fingers entwining through my hair, as I teased her nipple between my tongue and teeth. Lust surged through my belly as she guided my mouth to her other breast.

  She pulled back, lifting my chin and moving forward to press soft lips to mine. Her mouth traveled from my lips across my jaw to my neck. When her teeth grazed my neck a soft moan escaped my lips. She moved lower, paying attention to my breasts, teasing first one nipple, and then the other as I writhed under her. Slowly, her hand eased down between my thighs and a surge of desire shot through me.

  Her fingers moved between my thighs for a moment, becoming slick against my skin and sending tendrils of craving through me. When I gasped softly, she took her mouth from my breast and placed light kisses along my abdomen, encircling my belly and then straying lower over my pelvis, until she settled between my legs. She slipped an arm beneath one of my thighs, spreading my legs farther apart to allow her access.

  At first her kisses were light, and quick along the insides of my thighs, enticing me to react. I tried to draw her closer between my legs, but she resisted, teasing me as she moved near and then backed away several times, even going as far as to kiss the insides of my knees, when I desperately wanted her between my legs. She moved closer, still teasing me, but giving me hope she would soon relieve the tension building in me. Finally, she pressed a finger partially inside of me and I bucked against her chin, encouraging her tongue where I needed it. When my muscles tightened, my back arching, she pressed her lips to me, kissing more deeply, her tongue teasing the sensitive flesh, sucking it into her mouth. My whole body reacted, my breathing becoming faster and shallower, as she effortlessly coaxed pleasure from my body in ever increasing waves.

  Her finger pressed farther inside of me. I tensed against the movement of that finger, as she pressed deeper. She moved in a gentle motion, her tongue teasing me as her finger moved with the rhythm she taught me. After a few thrusts my entire body tensed as overwhelming ecstasy washed through me. I pressed my eyes shut, trying to hold onto the wonder of that moment, and the perfect connection I felt with her. As I was coming down, she intensified her attention, this time taking me beyond the ability to control my response, as I cried out.

  She relaxed down, her head resting on my lower belly. I ran my fingers through the soft white hair at her temple, as my heart eased its pounding in my chest and my breathing slowed. When she lifted her head to gaze up at me, that crease appeared between her eyebrows again. She eased up along my body to rest beside me.

  I reached for her, drawing her closer, pressing my lips to hers. She smiled against my mouth, and then deepened the kiss, allowing me to taste myself on her tongue. She tightened her arms around me, holding me close to her, as her legs wrapped tightly around my thigh. She moved against me once, and I shifted away. M’Tek’s eyes opened and I brushed my lips against hers.

  “Not like that, M’Tek,” I whispered against her lips. “I need to touch you.”

  She took my hand in hers and guided it down between our bodies. I felt the slick wetness between her thighs and moaned softly as a wave of desire washed through me.

  “You’re so soft,” I whispered. “You feel like velvet or…” She pressed her lips to mine, forestalling my words.

  Her breathing became faster, her mouth more aggressive on mine, as I pressed my fingers against her. I followed the pace her body set, moving my hand faster. She coaxed my hand lower and I pressed two fingers partially inside of her, my thumb pressing where she wanted me. Her body moved with my hand, the walls inside her closing around my fingers, her eyes shut tight. I kissed her eyelids, and then her lips as she gasped softly, her body becoming tighter. Her legs constricted around my thigh again pressing my hand deeper inside of her as she clung to me. Waves of movement tensed and ebbed around my fingers, escalating in intensity until she became perfectly rigid for a moment. Even her breathing seemed to stop, though her heart pulsed forcefully, and then her body relaxed.

  I slowly eased my hand away, to wrap my arms around her, as her breathing returned to normal. She opened her eyes, a look of bewilderment shaping her features. She seemed so young to me then, as if I were the elder of us. I kissed her, and she tucked herself into the shape of my body before sighing serenely.

  “M’Tek?” I said gently. She shook her head without lifting it from my shoulder.

  “Please, don’t make me speak, my love,” she whispered. “You’ve annihilated my defenses.”

  Her arms tightened around me and I stretched to press my lips to the top of her head, inhaling the citrus scent of her hair. For several minutes I lay with her in silence, trying to empty my thoughts of the thousands of questions spiraling through my mind. I was on the verge of trying to talk to her again when I noticed softness in her muscles and deep, even breathing, telltale signs she was sleeping. My questions would have to wait.

  -CH 7-

  I awoke the following morning to M’Tek stretched out like a puma in the sun beside me, with one arm draped across my stomach. Light filtered in through the wall of windows, sunlight gleaming through the room around me, offering my first clear view of our surroundings. The walls were covered in tiny copper tiles with occasional splashes of silver, gold and pewter, making an almost random pattern across the surface. A dense rug, woven in an
intricate pattern of muted colors, covered the polished stone floor.

  My bladder demanded I move, so I lifted M’Tek’s arm from my stomach and gradually shifted away from her. She sighed softly while moving to compensate for my absence. Naked, I ventured out to explore the space around me, and hopefully find a place to relieve my bladder. I was met with success quickly, and with more ease, set about exploring the apartment.

  I stumbled upon a dressing room adjacent to the bedroom, and quickly selected a delicate pale blue wrap to conceal my nakedness. I found rooms beyond, all built around a view of the sea. There was a well-stocked library, a drink cellar, and what appeared to be a kitchen in good working order. I wondered for a moment if M’Tek could actually cook, but then I put the idea out of my head as being too ridiculous. When I ran out of rooms to discover, I selected a book from the library and made my way back into the sitting room. I was busy reading about the ancient magical remedies of the Noge, when I heard M’Tek stirring in the next room.

  “Lore, my love,” she called softly. “Where have you gone?”

  “I’m in here,” I replied. “The sitting room.”

  When I heard her moving in bed I placed my book down to go to her. When I rounded the corner she was already out of bed. She turned to face me, naked, and apparently unconcerned about her lack of clothing.

  “Would you select a dressing gown for me?” she asked.

  I hurried into the next room and scanned until I found a lavender one that appeared comfortable, and returned carrying it. She rounded the corner from the bedchamber just as I approached, accepting the offered wrap. She slipped it across her shoulders and then pressed both hands to the sides of my face, kissing me ardently. She pulled away and finished tying her robe.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked softly.

  “Yes, but I thought there was no food,” I replied.

  “I have some fruit,” she said. “I’ll put a tray together. Go relax in the sitting room and I’ll bring it in to you.”

  She hurried back toward the kitchen as I slowly made my way to the large sofa upon which I’d been reading. I collected my book and nestled down in the deep cushions. As I was scanning a remedy to the bite of a water viper, M’Tek appeared. She carried a tray with sliced persimmons, cloudberries, dates, and kumquats. There was a little pile of filberts as well. I was looking at the nuts, rather than M’Tek when she shrieked.

  “Deus!” she said sharply.

  I noticed her foot bleeding, and she hobbled over to the sofa, careful of the tray. I stood to take the tray, and help her sit, and then knelt down to check her foot. Already the bleeding had stopped.

  “I completely forgot about that glass I dropped last night,” she said quietly, an expression of embarrassment on her face. “That was careless.”

  “You’re not bleeding,” I observed, taking a napkin from the tray and wiping her foot clean. “But there’s a large, jagged, piece of glass impaling the sole of your foot,” I said, stunned. “It’s deep. Why aren’t you bleeding?”

  “Let me get the glass out,” she said, ignoring my question.

  She started to pull at the glass, wincing as she tore her foot open again. Unable to sit helplessly by while she blindly ripped her foot open again, I stopped her. “Please, M’Tek, let me,” I said. “It will hurt less.”

  Very carefully, I shifted the piece of glass back and forth, and then eased it from her foot. It had an uneven shape, making it harder to slide. I wiped the blood away again with the napkin, and watched as the cut turned from a gaping, angry, red wound to a pale silver line as it appeared to stitch itself closed. I stared at her foot, waiting for understanding to come. I gazed up at M’Tek, as questions started forming in my mind. She was watching me, clearly intrigued by my reaction.

  “You know I’m Lemu,” she said, as if that should explain what I’d just seen. “My blood has powerful healing properties.”

  “My shoulder,” I said. M’Tek nodded. I slipped my wrap back from my shoulder to see the faint silver scar where Sarane’s birthmark had been. “But how?”

  “I cut my hand when you weren’t watching. My blood was on the cloth I applied to your shoulder,” she explained. “It was the safest course of action at the time.” I nodded. “You were bleeding badly. I think that cut was to the bone, but certainly through your deltoid muscle,” she continued. “You’re not worried about getting sick, are you?” she asked. “Because I wouldn’t have done anything that could hurt…”

  “I know that, M’Tek,” I interrupted. She nodded, appearing uncertain. “This is the key,” I observed. “You do see that, right? The answer is here.”

  “The key to what?” she asked, still appearing vaguely uneasy.

  “Can Pet heal this easily?” I asked. She shook her head.

  “Of course not,” M’Tek replied. “I’m the only one still living who possesses this ability.”

  “The Fae who died of the plague, the ones who weren’t pure Lemu, could they heal in this way?” M’Tek shrugged.

  “I’ve no way of knowing that. Some could,” she said. “But I can only attest to the ones I saw injured in battle.”

  “They all could,” I stated. “I’m certain of it.”

  “Why does it matter?” she asked.

  “I don’t know yet,” I replied honestly. “I’ll find out,” I said. M’Tek smiled. “I have to read every Old Noge book on healing we can find. The answer is there. I can feel it. It’s something to do with your Lemu blood.”

  “Lore, my love, I’ve been searching for the cure to this plague for over two hundred years and found nothing. Hundreds of thousands of people have died from this plague. There is no cure,” she said gently, as if softening a blow.

  “No. That can’t be. You were simply looking in the wrong place,” I argued. “I need to travel to the Western Noge Territory, to meet my Noge subjects. You told me these old families have extensive libraries dating back to the time before. One of them may hold a book that tells me something. And then you can take me to meet your Noge subjects in the east. Your brother contracted this plague in the east, that’s where…”

  “Lore. That’s enough. Stop this,” she said softly. “Please. Just stop.” I raised my gaze from the faint silver scar on the sole of her foot to meet her beautiful eyes and realized she was becoming upset. “You have to let this go,” she said. I shook my head refusing to hear what she was saying. “We don’t have time for you to waste on this.”

  I rose from my knees and sat down on the sofa beside her. She was watching me, her expression guarded. The possibilities continued, spinning through my mind, but I kept my expression clear. I relaxed my head down on her shoulder and her slender arm slipped around me, gathering me closer to her.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. M’Tek shook her head, rubbing her hand up and down along my arm, soothing me. Her lips pressed to my forehead.

  “I thought you said you were hungry,” she pointed out. I nodded and she reached for a cloudberry. When she sat back, she pressed the cloudberry to my lips. “Then eat,” she said.

  I opened my mouth and her finger pressed the tart berry against my tongue. Still chewing, I shifted across her lap so I could ease her back down on the sofa. She started laughing at my obvious ardor, but I stopped her, easily, with a kiss. When I drew back she was already breathless. She caught me in a light embrace and guided me back down on top of her. “Deus, I want you,” she whispered next to my ear. “I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone, or anything.”

  ****

  We didn’t make our way back to the palace until early afternoon. Fortunately, M’Tek was able to offer me a tunic and some trousers, or I’d have been returning to the palace in the same gown I’d worn to the banquet the previous evening. We spent half of the afternoon engaged in the gratifying process of helping each other bathe. Again I’d failed to attend to the dresses I’d packed, all carefully designed and tailored for the purpose of my debut at the Fae season. M’Tek selected one of her own gowns f
or me, another soft, delicate dress, this one a brilliant sapphire blue. She had beautiful jewels to match, which she spent an inordinate amount of time selecting and fastening on me.

  It was a perfect start to the disastrous evening in which nothing else progressed in the manner M’Tek would have liked. We arrived together, having planned to separate at the door to the ballroom, but Pet rushed over to us, slipping an arm across both of our backs and guiding us toward the middle of the room instead. Pet then peppered us with conversation as she complimented our appearances. Finally, she turned and faced us both.

  “I’m sorry, cousin, and I do remember what you said about putting you too much together,” Pet started. M’Tek tensed beside me, her expression one of anxiety. “I resisted this, truly, but it can’t be helped,” Pet said firmly. “Your people demand the traditional opening dance, but they want the Noge Queen as well.”

  “You don’t understand,” M’Tek argued, starting to panic. “Please, don’t put me in this position, Pet. I can’t conceal…”

  Not even waiting for M’Tek to finish objecting, Pet moved away, raising a hand sharply to queue the musicians. The first notes of music started. I surveyed the ballroom around us, as the guests abandoned conversation turning to watch us. I looked to M’Tek, wanting to ask what was happening, but hesitated as I read the distress in her beautiful eyes. She was frantic.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked in a whisper, and in Vilken no less. Her gaze settled on me. She shook her head once in a sharp gesture, as if to tell me to watch my tongue.

  “Would you care to dance with me, Queen Loredana?” she asked audibly, and in Fae rather than the Noge to which we’d grown accustomed. There was a formal, forced quality to her voice and manner.

  I stepped back from her, and shifted my attention to the room around us, noting our avid spectators. Everyone was now watching us. Not one pair of eyes was focused anywhere but on the two of us. Even the musicians played with eyes trained on us rather than their sheet music. I felt my heart beating faster. Instinctively I wanted to refuse the dance, though why was a mystery to me. M’Tek had specifically tried to avoid this situation, though her motives were also unclear. I turned to her instead, offering what I hoped was a pleased smile.