Herald of Shalia 5

by Tamryn Tamer

  Harpies loved compliments and gifts but there was one other thing that they absolutely loved, dancing. The harpies in his village were always trying to convince him to dance for them while heavily insinuating that they would invite him into their nests if he danced for them. They would never say it directly since it would make them easy women but it was clear that dancing was important to them.

  “I don’t have any music so this is going to be a little bit awkward,” Frost sighed. “This better work.”

  Frost stood upright and lifted his chin in the air. He slowly raised his arms, holding them out as he envisioned an invisible woman in front of him. He took the invisible woman’s hand in one of his and wrapped his other around her waist.

  Several harpies began murmuring while hiding their faces behind their wings. He could see their faces turning pink and wondered what they had to be embarrassed about as he began performing a simple waltz with his invisible partner.

  There weren’t any abilities related directly to dancing in Nivara but there were several loosely related ones. Dodge increased his balance and grace. Unarmed combat helped with the fluidity of his movements. Even Anatomy helped him understand the ways in which he or his invisible partner could move. So, while there wasn’t a simple dance ability, everything contributed to dancing.

  There was no ability that told him whether he was doing well or embarrassing himself. Based on the reactions of his audience, he was doing a decent job.

  The harpies were entranced by his elegant movements as he danced around performing a Viennese waltz with his invisible partner.

  “So pretty,” a small dark-skinned harpy woman said.

  “Very pretty,” another agreed.

  “Pretty, yes,” Ka nodded, her golden eyes following Frost as he practically floated around the group. He arrived back and front of her and performed a playful spin before dipping his imaginary partner in front of her. Her face instantly turned scarlet. “H-herald Frost! So bold!”

  “Join me?” Frost asked while holding out his hand. “It’d be more fun.”

  “T-too daring!” Ka said while looking around the group. Several of the harpy women nodded approvingly and Ka stretched her wing out toward him. “V-very well.”

  Frost released his invisible partner and gently placed one hand on her raised wing while guiding her other wing onto his shoulder. She gently wrapped it around him as he placed his hand on her waist.

  “Herald Frost!” Ka squeaked. “This is a very intimate dance, yes!”

  Frost stifled a laugh as he started to move while guiding Ka around the group. It was significantly less embarrassing to dance with a partner and after seeing their reactions he was slightly more confident in his abilities.

  Ka was shockingly light on her feet and the way she stared up at him was almost distracting. Her oversized golden-eyes were practically glowing as he led her around the group as they slowly spun. She was extraordinarily graceful and he was more than a little surprised by how enjoyable he found dancing with her.

  Eventually, they finished the dance and Frost released the elegant harpy, offering her a polite bow to thank her for the dance.

  “So?” Frost asked as the harpies gazed at him in awkward silence.

  “You must accept,” a small pale pink-feathered harpy girl said. “It was such a pretty dance!”

  “And such a pretty gift!” another added.

  “He’s a herald of a love goddess!”

  “He also owns this land so if you accept we’ll be safe here!”

  “I…I…I…” Bo stared at Frost in disbelief and bowed. “You must teach me that dance Herald Frost!”

  “Me too!” a rainbow-feathered male said while rushing over to Bo’s side. “I must learn that dance!”

  “It was very pretty,” a female said.

  “I’m glad you all liked it,” Frost chuckled as his embarrassment faded away. He thought about how Madam Gardenia had been pestering him to go dancing but he continually found excuses and he figured the next time he was in Blackwater he might take her up on it. He smiled at Ka and nodded. “Thanks for joining me. It’s much better with a partner.”

  “P-p-partner?” Ka gasped as her face practically glowed red.

  “The priestess performed a partner’s dance!” a rainbow-feathered female said as several of the harpies gasped.

  “So bold!”

  “A partner’s dance with the priestess,” another gasped. “So dirty!”

  “Very dirty!”

  “And daring!” another added.

  “But still very dirty,” a blue and green feathered woman added while hiding her face.

  “So, High Priestess Ka. What do you say?” Frost asked as he turned his attention back to Ka.

  The harpies in his village were normally easily swayed by small gifts and acrobatic feats so if a massive gemstone and full dance wasn’t enough to get them to agree to join his territory, he wasn’t sure what else he was going to offer.

  “Say yes!”

  “Definitely say yes!”

  “Answer yes priestess!”

  “You must say yes!”

  The surrounding harpy women all joined in encouraging the priestess to accept his agreement while the men waited silently.

  “V-very well,” Ka said while looking away bashfully. “I accept! But I must insist that my handmaidens accompany us!”

  “I’m fine with that,” as he looked around at the harpies.

  “Vee, Fi, Sha, La,” the priestess said while avoiding his eyes.

  Four harpies rushed over to the priestess and created a line in front of her. Vee was the crimson-feathered harpy that’d previously taken the giant’s heart but he wasn’t sure about the others. The four of them couldn’t have looked more different.

  “I am Vee,” the crimson harpy said while bowing. Her skin was dark tan and her eyes were so brown they bordered on black. She had an almost demonic look thanks to those dark eyes and red feathers. “I am honored, Herald Frost.”

  “I am Fi,” the golden-feathered harpy said. Frost made mental note to himself that he needed to smile while saying the name to pronounce it correctly. She was one of the few genuinely dark-skinned harpies which made her violet eyes appear even brighter by contrast and her elegant golden feathers made her look like an idol or goddess that was meant to be worshipped. “I am honored, Herald Frost.”

  “I am Sha,” the small pale pink-feathered harpy said while avoiding eye contact. Her eyes matched her pink feathers and so did her face at that moment. The nervous harpy trembled as she maintained her bow and nearly lost her balance. “I am honored, Herald Frost.”

  “I am La,” a silver-eyed female said confidently as she stared into his eyes. Her pale skin looked almost white but it was just an optical illusion created by her black and silver feathers. Throughout her bow she maintained perfect eye contact as her pink lips curled into a wicked smile. “I am honored, Herald Frost.”

  “I’m honored to meet you all,” Frost said while returning their polite bow. The four women immediately turned and started practically shoving the priestess toward the large central tent in the middle of the camp as the other harpies opened a path.

  “You should follow,” Ka yelled back at him as her handmaidens rushed her along.

  “Alright,” Frost said as he walked behind the group of harpies. The other harpies appeared to be full of excitement which he figured was a good sign. All he had to do was work out the terms of their agreement and he could head back to the village and let them know everything was sorted.

  CHAPTER 5

  Frost smirked at the effigy of Twi as he followed Ka and the other harpies toward the large tent. The statue was primarily made up of sticks like most of their other buildings but colorful fabrics were draped over some of the branches to represent wings. A pile consisting of shiny rocks and a few gemstones were littered at the base of the effigy along with an assortment of colorful flowers.

  The harpies shoved Ka inside of the tent along with
two others as the remaining harpies stood outside of the curtained entrance.

  “One moment,” La said as she looked him up and down. After a few seconds she poked her head inside of the tent to check on things. She pulled her head out and nodded at the other harpy. “She’s ready.”

  “Herald Frost,” Fi, the golden-feathered harpy, bowed politely and gestured with her wings for him to go inside. “You are welcome to enter.”

  “Thanks,” Frost nodded politely as he walked past the harpies, ducking his head as he entered the tent. The inside was filled with piles of colorful fabric and a few small pieces of stolen furniture. The priestess was on the far side of the tent standing in front of a massive nest of cloth with Vee, the tan crimson-feathered harpy on her left, and Sha, the small pink-feathered harpy, on her right.

  The two remaining harpies followed him inside and immediately started messing with the fabric at the entrance. Once they were satisfied with the entrance they began walking around the tent and tugging on little ropes on the floor that seemed to lead outside of the tent. More light started coming in and Frost realized that the ropes connected to some of the fabric layers on the roof. Once the thicker fabrics were removed only a sheer layer made up of colorful cloth remained.

  “Is this acceptable priestess?” La asked while staring at the ceiling. The black and silver harpy tugged another rope, allowing more sunlight in. “Maybe this is better?”

  “This is acceptable, yes,” the priestess answered while staring at Frost. Her expression was surprisingly serious which indicated to Frost that she was prepared to argue the terms of their agreement. “It is acceptable for you as well, yes?”

  “Yeah,” Frost nodded. He thought it was fine before they made the adjustments since it was basically a tent. “It’s acceptable. So, let’s do this.”

  “So bold!” Vee gasped while glancing back at the pile of fabric behind the priestess.

  “Very bold,” Fi agreed as she rushed over to the priestess. Fi began circling Ka, running her golden wings along Ka’s feathers, as if attempting to straighten them. “And very rude to rush the priestess. She is not such an easy woman.”

  “Too bold,” Sha whispered while doing the same thing as Fi. The pink-winged harpy focused on fluffing Ka’s plumage while timidly glancing at him.

  “Bold is good. The priestess is not so easy as to be taken by a cowardly man like those in the flock,” La said while inspecting the priestess’s face and neck. “Perfect as always, priestess. So beautiful.”

  “Definitely beautiful,” Vee agreed.

  “Very beautiful,” Fi added.

  “The most beautiful,” Sha finished.

  “Herald Frost?” Ka spread her wings and slowly spun around for him as if she were modeling an outfit. “I am acceptable, yes?”

  “Of course, you’re very beautiful,” Frost agreed as he started to get an uneasy feeling about the meeting. He was under the assumption they were working through a treaty but he was starting to get the impression that he was mistaken. “So, about you and…”

  “Your dance surprised me Herald Frost, yes,” the priestess said, a thankful smile forming as she looked at him. “Many men have danced for me but none of them have danced like you. I was entranced from the moment you began and the entire time I could feel my body growing hot. When you invited me to dance with you, I was very happy and thought we would be close friends, yes. I was very shocked to find out that the dance was not a friendship dance but one inviting me to partner with you, yes. No man has ever attempted something like that. Many men have asked me to partner with them but none were willing to risk the humiliation of rejection in front of the flock. Like my handmaidens say, you are truly a very daring man, yes.”

  “So daring,” the four harpy handmaidens repeated in unison.

  “Partnering?” Frost smiled nervously as he suddenly realized where his uneasy feeling was coming from.

  “I am very pleased with this partnering, yes,” Ka said while nodding at her handmaidens. “You are a herald and I am a high priestess. You have brought beautiful gifts, said beautiful words, and danced beautifully. Even my flock agreed that it is an acceptable partnering, yes.”

  Frost contemplated the best way to correct the misunderstanding but before he’d made a decision La already had Ka’s belt in her talon. The dark-feathered harpy pulled the belt off as the other harpies removed the priestess’s tunic. Frost found himself staring at the naked harpy priestess as she blushed and suddenly talking himself out of the situation no longer seemed like a realistic solution.

  “Herald Frost,” La’s lips curled at the corner as she stared at Frost. “Do you need assistance as well?”

  “No,” Frost answered as he stared at the golden-eyed harpy standing across from him.

  Ka’s body was petite and her pale skin didn’t have a single blemish. She held her wings out, displaying herself for him as her face continued to redden. The white-feathered harpy’s breath became labored as Frost stared at her elegant body. Her breasts weren’t large but he wouldn’t have described them as small either, especially for a harpy. They were perky and prominent with the most beautiful powder pink areolas. He gritted his teeth as he imagined his tongue circling her small erect nipples.

  “About the partnering though,” Frost bit the inside of his mouth as he admired Ka’s body. “Is this a regular thing or…”

  “Herald Frost!” the priestess quickly wrapped her white wings around herself as her oversized golden eyes bore into him. “I was very clear that I am not an easy woman, yes!”

  “You were, priestess,” Vee said while glaring at him. “Very clear.”

  “You are very special for her to decide to partner with you,” Fi said as a storm of anger swirled behind the golden-harpy’s violet eyes. “The priestess is not an easy woman. To accuse her of having other partners is a grave insult!”

  “The priestess is very respectable,” Sha quietly added.

  “You’re misunderstanding,” Frost said while staring at the angry women. “I am asking because I’ve slept with many women. So, I’m not judging her. I just want to make sure that we…”

  “You have other partners?” the priestess interrupted, her feathery brows furrowing as she stared at him. “How many?”

  “You might not be an easy woman but I am a very easy man,” Frost said while holding his hand against his chest. “I’ve had more partners than I can count and I intend to continue sleeping around.”

  “Is it okay for the priestess to have an easy partner?” Sha asked timidly.

  “Many women have easy partners,” La said confidently. “If he wishes to continue being easy that should be fine.”

  “But the priestess is not just any woman,” Fi said. “It could be seen as an insult to her.”

  “Let’s discuss this,” Vee said as the harpies huddled into a circle.

  Frost couldn’t make out entirely what the harpies were saying but at the very least they realized that he wouldn’t make a good partner for the priestess. Occasionally one of them would pop their head up from the group and give him a slow look up and down before returning to the huddle.

  “Herald Frost,” La asked while poking her head up. “Are your other partners satisfied with you?”

  “I certainly think so,” Frost answered as the harpies dove back into their huddle.

  “Do you care for your partners?” Sha asked, her large vibrant pink eyes practically glowing as she stared at him.

  “Of course,” Frost said.

  “Would they agree?” Fi asked skeptically.

  “Definitely,” Frost answered confidently.

  The harpies returned to their huddle and continued discussing the situation.

  While they discussed, Frost thought about the situation himself. The harpies used the word partnering several times but the ones in his village referred to sex as mating. He imagined that partnering had different connotations and needed to make sure he wasn’t agreeing to take a new wife.

  “W
e agree to your terms. I will allow you to continue being an easy man, yes,” Ka said as if she were bestowing a gift.

  “What is all of this?” Frost looked around as the other harpies began helping each other undress. Within moments the other four harpies were completely naked and Frost found himself taking in their beautiful slender figures as they blushed.

  “My handmaidens will assist to ensure that this experience will be unforgettable, yes,” Ka said confidently. “In doing so, I will be viewed as a superior partner, yes.”

  “We are happy to assist,” La said, licking her lips as her silver eyes fixated on Frost’s pants. The black and silver feathered harpy lifted her chin and pushed her pale chest slightly forward to showcase her small breasts and pink nipples.

  “I’ll do my best,” Sha said while shivering. The pink-winged harpy rubbed her thighs together as she fidgeted nervously. “I apologize if I am lacking.”

  “I am sure the five of us can satisfy Herald Frost,” Fi said. The dark-skinned harpy stretched her golden wings and twisted her body showcasing her flawless figure. The petite harpy was obviously trying to highlight the fact that her breasts were the largest in the group but they were still on the small side. “We will not allow the priestess to be humiliated.”

  “Agreed,” Vee nodded. The tan crimson-feathered harpy smiled as she stared confidently at Frost as if she just accepted a challenge. “We will assist the priestess to ensure that Herald Frost’s thoughts become consumed with her.”

  Frost found himself staring at the five-winged women and wondered if he was getting in over his head. The more they talked about partnering the more he was convinced that it meant marriage.

  “I do have one more concern,” Frost said as the corner of his brain ruled by his base desires screamed at him to shut his stupid mouth. “Is partnering marriage?”

  “No,” the priestess replied with a confused look. “Partnering is partnering.”

  “It’s a very strange question,” La chuckled. “Especially after boasting of his partners.”

  “Maybe the priestess is his first partner?” Sha said quietly.