by Jack Porter
To keep my mind off the beautiful woman in my arms, I concentrated on watching the road ahead. It was a bit difficult since Ilana rode ahead of me with Syn, who seemed to be weak but recovering quickly. A couple of times, the dark elf turned around to smile at me, and I remembered the last time alone we’d spent together, a heated tryst against the castle wall near the postern, just before I went out to sabotage the Wraith King’s trebuchets. It was definitely a happy memory.
Soon, the terrain became more treacherous, but we weren’t picking our way through a forest. I could see through the haze for miles in any direction, except for directly north where the smoke thickened, and more ash floated through the air.
“What’s up there?” I asked.
“Lava pits,” Nya said.
“Let me guess,” I said. “The pits have fire monsters of some sort?”
She smirked. “Scorpions, Salamanders… the usual.”
“Anything else I should know?”
Nya cocked her head. “Don’t get killed.”
“You are still mad at me.”
Her face twisted into a half-smile. “You have done nothing but cause me trouble the last couple of days.”
“But I tried to make up for it this morning.”
“Yes, and then you turned around and caused me even more trouble afterward.”
“Are you referring to the fight or the serpent shifter thing?”
“My point exactly,” she said. Her stallion tossed his head as if impatient to be going so slow over the rocky ground. Nya said a quiet word to him, and he calmed. Then she looked at me once more. “Jon, about the wereserpent today,” she began.
“Yes?” I asked, feeling a bit of dread.
“Why?” she asked quietly. Nya was normally in control. At least, she never showed vulnerability. But she looked uncomfortable asking the question.
“Why did I follow the whore into the alley when you and I had been together twice this morning?”
She nodded curtly.
Now was my chance to tell her everything, but I was still burning with shame about it. “Jealous?” I asked instead. It was a bad question because Nya was being serious, and it was a poor attempt at humor.
She stiffened. “Not at all. I merely wondered if…” She glanced at Sarina. “Well, if I’d been enough for you. You seem to have a very large appetite.”
“Oh shit,” I said, feeling terrible. “No, that’s not it at all. Trust me, you were perfect.” I glanced down at Sarina to make sure she was still asleep. “I’d like nothing better than to spend more time with you.”
“Then why the whore? Or do you really just have a large appetite for many different females?”
“Well, that does seem to be the case, but in this instance, I was drugged, remember?”
“But the drug wouldn’t have worked as well if you hadn’t wanted her.”
“Okay, so I was just a guy being a guy.”
Nya scowled. “Yes, Jon. Although I fail to see how that answers my question.”
Damn it. If I didn’t tell Nya the truth, I was going to fuck things up with her.
“You’re right,” I said finally. “I’m sorry. And… I haven’t been completely honest with you.”
48
I spent the next few minutes telling her about my struggle with the power inside me and how it brought about a bloodlust and an appetite for sex that I couldn’t seem to quench. And how I’d had to fight to control it. “And,” I finished, “she found me at a weak moment. I’m not proud of it.”
Nya was silent throughout my explanation. When I looked over at the elf, she hadn’t changed her expression.
“What do you think?” I asked. “Am I screwed?”
“Screwed?” she asked.
“Fucked.”
“If you mean in trouble, then yes I believe you are. Jon, why didn’t you tell me all of this before now?”
I looked toward the growing cloud of smoke that we were heading for. “I was afraid you would think less of me.” I chuckled humorlessly. “Didn’t matter in the end, though, did it? I couldn’t manage to hide any of it. The apprentice, the wereserpent.”
“I would never think less of you,” she said quietly, “because I know what kind of man you are.”
“Are you sure about that? Because I don’t feel like myself anymore.”
“We have fought in battle together, shared a meal, and shared a bed. There’s not much more for me to learn, is there, about the things that truly matter? Jon, no matter what magic is working inside you, it would have to be powerful indeed to truly corrupt you.”
“Maybe. But everyone has a breaking point.”
“We all have trials that we must pass. You have many before you, and I admit to being afraid for you.”
I was stunned. It was the first time I’d ever heard Nya admit fear, not even in the face of ten thousand wraiths from the Black Mountains.
“And to answer your earlier question,” she continued, “no, I am not jealous of who you take to your bed. I have told you that before. But even for you, the behavior seemed extraordinary.”
“Do you still believe in the Prophecy now?”
She nodded. “More than ever.”
“It would be nice to know the rest of it.”
“Indeed. When we have completed this errand, I feel it will be time for you to seek more answers. Do you still have a desire to go through the portal?”
I hadn’t thought about the portal in days. So much had happened, and I felt… changed. “I don’t know,” I said truthfully. “Now that I have magic, what would that mean in my world? Would I be able to control it there? Or would I even keep it at all?”
“Those are not questions I can answer. But Jon, do not underestimate the power growing in you now. I have never seen the like of it in a man who was not destined to become a powerful mage. That it has taken such a remarkable turn is strange, but the fact remains that you must take great care with the gift you’ve been given.”
“I know,” I said. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that if I let down my guard for a second, I could hurt innocent people.
In the meantime, the trail forced us to ride apart, and the air grew suffocating. Too hot for talking much. The smoke was thicker now, too, and we had ridden into it as we were talking. My thirst grew, and I tried to conserve my water even though it was the only thing I could think of now.
That is, until Sarina woke. She wiped sweat from her forehead and glanced up at me, her cheeks tinged with an embarrassed shade of red. “I am sorry I fell asleep, Jon. Why didn’t you wake me?”
“I thought you needed to sleep. Don’t worry. You didn’t miss much.” I offered her my water skin and she took it with a grateful nod. While she was drinking, I asked, “When we kissed earlier today, did you feel as if I was taking advantage of you?”
Sarina frowned. “Not at all. I believe I initiated it, didn’t I?”
“But the second time, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
Sarina put the stopper back into the water skin and set it down on the pommel of the saddle. “Trust me, Jon, I would have been more forceful with you if I hadn’t wanted it.”
“You sure?”
She laughed. “You have much to learn, Jon-man.” Then she picked up my hand, the one that had been holding her in the saddle as she slept, and wrapped it around her body. “I won’t deny that you startled me, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. But you were in my dreams.”
“I was? And what was I doing?”
Sarina smiled. I could feel the warmth radiating off her body, and it had nothing to do with the hot air.
“Many, many things,” she said.
49
We halted for a few hours in the middle of the night but couldn’t afford to lose much time. The ground was stony and smoky, and I tried not to cough and keep everyone awake. Sarina lay to my right, Ilana to my left. I didn’t know where Syn was, but she was Captain of the Royal Guard, after all. She’d probably stayed
with Nya.
Sarina seemed more awake than Ilana, perhaps because of her nap. “Jon?” she whispered.
“Yes?”
Her hand moved over to my chest. I was sleeping in my leather shirt, but I could still feel her strong fingers slide down to my abdomen. Then, her hand slid lower.
My dick stirred in my pants, and I reached down to catch her hand. “Sarina,” I warned. “I thought your vow prevented you—”
“It prevents me from certain things, yes, but we are going to battle tomorrow. Again. And I’ve never had a man who I wanted to touch me before.”
“And you’re saying you want me to touch you? Even after everything that’s happened?”
“Especially after everything that’s happened.” She scooted closer, her hand still resting in mine, and placed a kiss on my cheek. “Will you?”
I sighed. Of course I wanted to... I let go of her hand and turned on my side to face her. “What does your vow let you do?”
She resumed her exploration of my groin and gripped me through my pants. “No penetration,” she whispered.
If I said that I resisted, even after a day like the one I’d had, I would have been lying.
I untied her hands and then kissed her, savoring that taste of apples again. Then I ran my hand through her soft, wild hair. She didn’t waste any time and quickly undid my pants to slip a hand inside. When she gripped me, I kissed her harder and found her breast. “What do you want?” I asked.
She grinned against my mouth. “I have heard that you are really great with your tongue…”
“Oh?” I laughed quietly. “From whom?”
“Rumors around camp.”
“Rumors around camp,” I repeated. “Do these rumors have a name?”
“Your prowess is well-known among the elves.”
I shouldn’t have been surprised. I knew that Nya and Syn talked. Apparently, they didn’t just talk to each other. Or perhaps it was simply that there had been a few… almost public… incidents. “But those are elves,” I said, grinning. “I hope I don’t disappoint the only other human in camp.”
“We shall see,” she said.
There wasn’t much talking after that. But there was panting and moaning. Getting completely undressed was unwise, considering our location, but I managed to pull her leggings down and off one leg. Sarina gasped when I first tasted her. She didn’t shave, but I didn’t expect that on the road, anyway. It didn’t matter, though, because she tasted like heaven. Not quite like the apples, but better.
I started off with slow swirls, feeling the way her body responded. She remained quiet for a bit, and I thought maybe I wasn’t hitting the right spot, so I stroked a little lower, letting my tongue explore.
Sarina sat up and put her hands in my hair, gripping me tight. I smiled. She was mine now. From there, Sarina gripped me with her powerful legs, her fingers grasping my hair while I worked on her, alternating between slow and fast.
I admit, I wanted to drag it out a bit. She began to pant, to quietly beg, and I reached up to squeeze her breast as I sucked on her bud.
Sarina exploded, her legs clenching harder around my head. I laughed quietly but kept going until she released my hair. Finally, she laid back, and I crawled up her body to lay on top of her. She was panting, so I supported my weight on my arms to let her breathe.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She kissed me. “Yes. Thank you.”
“Believe me, the pleasure is mine.”
“I want to do more,” she said.
I waited to see if she was just talking or if she really wanted to break her vow.
She reached up to stroke my beard. “You aren’t going to talk me into it?”
“I think at this point, you know how I feel about you.” In fact, I was sure she could feel my erection pressed against her still-naked pussy. Only the thin layer of fabric of my pants separated us, and it was slightly askew because she had undone the laces.
Sarina rocked into me. “I do. But, until I am released from my vow to the High Priestess, I will have to be content with this.”
I kissed her again and then moved off her to redo my pants. Despite all my sexual activities the day before, I was ready for more, and the lust inside me was trying to crowd out all my common sense. And, I was fairly certain I could talk Sarina into more if I tried.
Instead, I listened while she got dressed and then let her lay her head on my chest. She was quickly asleep, but I was more awake than ever.
Behind me, I felt Ilana’s hand on my back. And if I hadn’t seen the first red light of dawn through the smoky sky, I might have suggested she and I sneak off a bit for some fun. As it was, the camp was beginning to stir. No such luck.
50
We had just mounted our horses, with Sarina riding with Teniel to give my mare a rest, when a great roar shook the air. My horse snorted, and a few others reared.
“What in hell was that?” I asked Ilana.
“Sounds like a pit scorpion,” she said. “The Wraith King liked to keep them near his castle as pets.”
“How big does a scorpion have to be to make a big sound like that?”
But Ilana didn’t get a chance to answer my question, because right then, one of the fuckers charged out of the smoke, heading straight for Nya and Syn at the head of the line.
“Shit,” I said, and kicked my horse. She lurched forward, and we took off at a run. But it was too late, for the scorpion that came out of the smoke was as big as a bus, with wings, and a tail that looked like it was on fire. It swung its tail and hit Nya’s stallion. The animal screamed as it fell, and it thrashed around as Nya tried to get out from under it.
I charged forward, but my mare was terrified, and she stopped dead on and wouldn’t go any further. I almost fell over her neck but recovered and dismounted as the Royal Guard engaged the monster with spears and arrows. The creature fell back at the onslaught, and I ran for Nya. Another elf had grabbed Stormfyre’s reins, and miraculously, the horse rose to its feet. Nya scrambled to her feet, too.
“Are you hurt?” I asked.
Her hand was bleeding, but the wound looked superficial. “I’ll live,” she said. “How is Stormfyre?”
Another elf was checking the stallion’s body. “He’s unharmed, Your Grace.”
“How is that possible?” I asked.
“I cast a spell over both of us just before the scorpion struck,” Nya said grimly. “But the beast was very strong.”
“Good thing you did,” I said, “or neither one of you might have survived.”
The pit scorpion gave a dying scream as the elves ran it through. I shuddered, thinking how horrible that death might have been. From this distance, the end of its tail—still whipping around in the throes of death—looked more like a blade than a stinger.
The elves saw to its death, and then we remounted to continue our journey. Nya rode with Syn to make sure Stormfyre was okay, and since they suspected a nest of pit scorpions, we adjusted our path a bit to the east.
This took us closer to the lava pits, though, and the heat became intense. By the time we’d crossed the first section, I was sweating as badly as my horse. The elves, curse them, weren’t even damp, and Ilana looked at ease, too. But Sarina and I were soaked through.
We didn’t encounter any more scorpions, but the next sounds we heard were just as unpleasant, if not worse.
It was human screaming.
51
We found bodies everywhere. Some were still moving, crying, pleading. Even after all the battles I’d seen now, I had never encountered such carnage. A man was torn in half, but he was still alive. Guts and intestines hung out of his body cavity like a disgusting, dark red jam. His screams were the ones we’d heard.
As the rest of us kept watch, Nya dismounted to speak with him. He grabbed her cloak, soiling it with his bloody hands, and she spoke something calming to him I couldn’t hear. And then, standing and unsheathing her sword, she put him out of his misery.
&
nbsp; She then called for Stormfyre and mounted him. “A Salamander,” she said grimly. “These people were from Duskwell and thought to seek cover under the smoky sky of the lava pits.”
Other elves moved about the scene, checking for survivors. The ones they did find, they could do nothing for, and those were quickly sent on to the next life just like the first man.
“Is the Salamander still around?” I asked as we prepared to leave.
“It could be,” Nya said. “Remain vigilant.”
“Poor fools,” I said, looking at all the dead. “They must not have had any other choice.”
“They didn’t.”
52
We didn’t encounter anything else until we were almost out of lava pits. The smoke was denser here than it had been so far, and our path took us dangerously close to the brink of several pits where hot lava bubbled at the bottom. I was never more thankful for a sure-footed horse than I had been at those moments.
My water was long gone, and even my sweat had evaporated until my clothing was crusty with salt. But the end of our path was near, and once when the clouds shifted, I even caught a glimpse of a clear red sky to our north.
“Never thought I’d be happy to see that red sky,” I muttered.
We had just passed between two pits, on a narrow path that was more like a bridge between lakes of fire, when the front of the line halted. Standing up in my stirrups, I looked to see what the problem was.
And then I sat back down. “Oh shit.”
An enormous lizard-like creature was blocking our way. Its tail was lashing back and forth like a cat’s who was about to pounce. Since the lizard blended in with the reddish stone, we hadn’t seen it beforehand with all the smoke.
“Salamander,” Nya said grimly. She was nocking an arrow on her bow like the other elves. “Fortunately,” she said, “they don’t have the scales that wyrms or dragons have.”