Last Strathulian Standing

by Daisy Dexter Dobbs

  “Is that when Shivrane discovered him?” Jia-Nian asked.

  Aydon shook his head. “No, it was on Danior’s third trip back inside to carry out the last of the survivors. By that time at least one of Tordanuk’s guards had revived and gone to seek help. Hearing the guard’s account, Shivrane materialized in the dungeon. Before Danior and the others could escape, the sorceress had worked her wicked magic, cursing Danior and the guardians who helped him by turning them into shapeshifters.”

  “One of them was my brother, D’Akola,” Danior said, his jaw muscle clenching.

  “Another horse?” Jia-Nian asked.

  “A dragon,” Aydon told her.

  “Oh…” She looked at the ground, nudging fallen leaves with her toes and clearly at a loss for words at hearing such heinous news.

  “I’d like to think he’s a good dragon…if there is such a thing,” Danior offered.”

  “Yes…I’m sure he is.” Jia-Nian patted his arm. “Have you seen your brother since Shivrane’s curse?”

  Danior shook his head. “It’s been three years now.”

  “Tell me about your own shapeshifting, Danior,” Jia-Nian changed the subject.

  “It is only by night, at the light of the moon, that I can take human form,” he explained. “I have the ability to shift back into horse form at night if needed, but by day I remain a horse, no matter what.” He gave a wry smile. “At least the bitch didn’t turn me into a centaur. I would have hated that.” Danior shuddered.

  Aydon thought he saw a tear glistening in Jia-Nian’s eye.

  “You are as brave, mighty and selfless as Aydon the Bold,” she said.

  “Danior is a far better man than I,” Aydon claimed. “He has more than earned his title Danior the True, for a man could ask for no truer friend. Because of his noble deed—because I was foolish enough to be caught by Tordanuk’s men—Danior is cursed for life. It is evil and unjust. It should be me,” he pounded his chest, “bearing Shivrane’s hateful curse.”

  “Three years,” Danior said, rolling his eyes and looking to the heavens. “Three years I’ve had to put up with Aydon’s whining. How many times do I have to remind you, thick-headed one,” Danior rapped on Aydon’s skull with his knuckles,” that you would have done the same for me if the situation had been reversed?”

  Jia-Nian rested her hand on Aydon’s biceps. “Danior is right, Aydon. I saw you in action today. You’re a hero if ever there was one. If it were Danior in captivity, you would have done the same for him. You’re not to blame because Shivrane spouted those evil words.”

  “Aydon forgets that he has saved me more times than I can remember these past three years,” Danior said. “I’ve had my horse legs, rear, neck and belly pierced by arrows, gashed by spears and otherwise wounded as Aydon battled the Pushgans.”

  “As you bravely carried me on your back into the midst of chaos,” Aydon added.

  “While other horses lay dying on the battleground,” Danior went on, “their riders long gone in search of safety, Aydon remained, tending to my wounds. At the light of the moon when I took human form he would carry me to shelter until I was well enough to stand and gallop again.”

  “You’re both heroes,” Jia-Nian stated. “And stubborn ones at that. Aydon, you saved me from certain death at the hands of Tordanuk’s fiends. Danior, you saved me from further harm by carrying me on your back to safety. I am eternally indebted to you both and forever in your service.”

  She kissed Aydon’s cheek and then Danior’s.

  “You need to get naked,” Danior said.

  Jia-Nian’s eyes widened. Her jaw clenched and her body stiffened for a moment before she recovered her composure. “Of course,” she said. “If that is what you wish.” She reached for the sopping hem of her tattered garment and Aydon stilled her hand.

  “He means you must get out of your wet garment before you become chilled to your center,” Aydon explained. He went to the satchels on the ground that had been secured to Danior’s back earlier and drew out a tunic and leather breeches, similar to the ones he wore. He tossed them to Danior.

  “He can wear that while you wear his furs,” Aydon said. “They’ll keep you warm as the night blackens.”

  “Thank you.” Jia-Nian rubbed her arms and shivered. “The night air fast obscures the balmy day breeze, shrouding us in its cold. It would be good to get into some dry garb.”

  Aydon’s gaze went to the wet cloth plastered to her skin. Her nipples stood out in pebbled relief. The outline of her cunt perfectly etched. His cock reacted accordingly to the enticing sight.

  Danior went to the place where Aydon picked up the satchel and grabbed a length of narrow rope. “You can belt the furs with this,” he said, offering it to Jia-Nian. “I’ll build a fire for light and heat. Then Aydon and I will see what we can track down for dinner.”

  Jia-Nian closed her eyes and smiled, her hand resting on her belly. “That sounds wonderful. I haven’t eaten in…since I can’t remember when. After we eat I’ll tend to your wounds with my healing herbs and poultices. Then we can keep each other warm while we sleep by huddling close, body to body. That’s what we always did at home to contend with the brisk chill of night.”

  Aydon and Danior exchanged glances at Jia-Nian’s innocent suggestion. Aydon felt sure the lustful spark of hunger in Danior’s eyes was just as keen as that in his own.

  “One of us will stand guard while the other sleeps,” he told Jia-Nian. “Danior and I will take shifts.”

  “Then we will take turns clustering,” she said. “I will keep whichever of you is not on guard warm while you sleep and then abolish the chill from the other when his shift ends.”

  Aydon immediately recalled Danior’s earlier words, Think of it…you in front and me in back. At least the first time. We’ll take turns. We can keep at it all night, until the first light of dawn when I am no longer human. A quick glance at Danior told Aydon he wasn’t the only one reminded of that suggestion.

  “I’ve always been in favor of taking turns,” Danior said, his lips curling into a smile.

  “Good,” Jia-Nian said with a nod. “It will be a comfortable night for us all then.” In the next instant she peeled her soaked garment from her body and draped it over a large rock.

  The glimpse of her pale, naked buttocks had Aydon growing even harder and the leather ties of his breeches cutting into his rigid flesh. He yearned to reach out, molding the rounded flesh with his hands, exploring the crease and dark channel with his thumbs.

  Jia-Nian turned back to them, standing with nipples hard, crinkled and highlighted by the soft light of the moon. Her mound was covered with curls that looked as soft as a bird’s down.

  Deep, twin masculine groans pierced the air as Aydon the Bold and Danior the True grappled with their carnal urges.

  Aydon feared he’d let loose his seed then and there, shaming himself for his utter lack of self-control.

  “May I, Danior?” Jia-Nian said, her arm outstretched, her fingers extended and beckoning.

  Aydon noted the lump in Danior’s throat as the man swallowed.

  “I am at your command, sweet lady,” Danior said with a slow lick of his lips. “What is your bidding?”

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll accept those nice, dry furs from you now,” she told him. “My skin is chilling fast.”

  At her words, Danior’s gaze became glued to Jia-Nian’s skin as he stood there mute and lifeless like a hollowed tree stump.

  “Danior?” she said, snapping him out of his reverie.

  He stepped into his leather breeches, hiking them up over a cock that must have ached as mightily as Aydon’s, then removed the furs, handing them to Jia-Nian.

  As she affixed the furs to her body, belting them with the rope, Danior turned to Aydon. “If we make it to the morning without succumbing to madness,” he muttered quietly, “it will be only by the grace of the great Ko’Loran.”

  Aydon’s gaze fell to Jia-Nian, who looked every bit as desirab
le garbed in the bulky furs as she had naked. “May it be so,” he said, gravely doubting their chances with a prize as succulent as Jia-Nian in their midst.

  Chapter Three

  Ko’Loran, the almighty god of sun and sky, had not yet made an appearance when Jia-Nian awoke. While the ground had been hard and unyielding as she slept, a secure feeling of well-being more than compensated for any discomfort. She sighed quietly at the inviting feel of the strong masculine arm draped over her. Aydon’s arm.

  It had been wonderful snuggling close alternately to him and Danior throughout the night. Any misgivings she’d had about being alone with the men were allayed by that same comforting inner voice that had convinced her to put her trust in Aydon after he rescued her. Cuddled close all night, she had a distinct impression of well-being, something akin to being with her family, but…decidedly different.

  Now, once her eyes became accustomed to the dark, her gaze traveled to the large, gnarled olive tree and the figure leaning against it.

  Careful to slip from Aydon’s arm without disturbing him, Jia-Nian walked to Danior, desiring to spend some time and have a few words with him before Ko’Loran’s arrival had him shifting back into stallion form.

  “Your quiet footfalls are like those of a small prey animal, Jia-Nian,” Danior said, without turning as she approached from behind. “One who is accustomed to being stalked by predators.”

  “I have had my share of such experiences these last days,” she acknowledged, reaching the tree and placing her hand upon his shoulder. “I wanted to spend some time talking with you before you shift, Danior.”

  Danior held up his hand. “Listen. The sounds of life begin in the forest.” He sniffed the air. “Ko’Loran approaches soon, Jia-Nian. Our time for talk is short.”

  She came around to stand face-to-face, or, rather, face to chest with the guardian. It was then that she realized Danior stood naked before her.

  “Oh!” Her eyes instinctively flew to his cock. It expanded before her eyes and she experienced a brief resurgence of the fear she’d had when the Pushgans had forced themselves upon her. “You’re naked,” she said, foolishly stating the obvious, but at a lack to say anything of more intelligence at the sight of his manhood.

  “My apologies.” Danior’s hands covered his cock. A pained expression crossed his features as he gazed into her eyes. “Please, there’s no need to fear me. As a Guardian of Zalvanus, I swear to you on my life, Jia-Nian, I have no intention to harm you now or ever.”

  Before all the words had even left Danior’s lips, Jia-Nian knew without a doubt that he spoke the truth. It was that same inner knowing that had made itself known ever since she’d met Aydon the day before.

  Expelling a deep breath, she smiled up at the guardian. “I know, Danior. I trust you and Aydon both.”

  “I’ve learned the hard way,” Danior told her, “that it’s better for me to disrobe before shifting into horse form. I’ve gone through more shirts and leather breeches that way.” He laughed softly and Jia-Nian found herself admiring Danior’s ready humor, especially in the face of cheerless circumstances.

  He and Aydon both had skin deeply tanned, hair inky black and tall, powerful, well-muscled bodies. But while Aydon’s eyes were the color of the sun-drenched sea, Danior’s were the same soft brown as his sleek horse hide.

  A pair of more stunningly handsome men she’d never encountered.

  “I was wondering, Danior, can you comprehend human speech while you’re in animal form?”

  “Much, though not all. It seems that my human half and my animal half each strive to dominate. The human part struggles for full awareness. But the horse part resists abandoning the free, wild pleasures that come with four legs and great speed.”

  “Do you have feelings like fear or happiness while you’re in horse form?”

  Danior gifted her with a full smile as he gazed into Jia-Nian’s eyes. With a brush of his knuckle to her chin, he tilted her face upward and answered, “Yes, Jia-Nian. I feel both. Human and animal each take delight in the feel of a beautiful woman riding me.”

  Jia-Nian felt her cheeks heat at his compliment.

  “During the day, my animal side is glad to be relieved of the tension and hatred man brings upon himself. The only fears come from the innate understanding that a horse is a prey animal, rather than a predator. And because of my close bond with Aydon, I experience fear for him as we ride into battle.”

  “Not for yourself?”

  Shock coursed through Jia-Nian as, before Danior could respond, she glimpsed his form wavering as the night sky lightened. Her hand flew to his head, stroking his hair in a soothing fashion. Enthralled, she watched the magical shift from human to animal.

  Of all the incredible changes she witnessed, Jia-Nian felt sure it would be the sadness in Danior’s eyes as he held her gaze that she would not soon forget.

  “I will talk to you during the day, Danior,” she pledged. “And I will eagerly await the time when Ko’Loran departs and Ivarus, goddess of the moon, sheds her life-giving light on your form again.”

  Soon she realized she was no longer stroking his shoulder-length locks, but his silken stallion’s mane. In awe of his beauty in either human or animal form, Jia-Nian rested her head against Danior’s long neck.

  “You are a magnificent animal, Danior,” she said, running her fingers down over his powerful muscles. A single tear coursed down her cheek. Her heart ached for Danior and the mighty injustice done to him by Shivrane.

  “After three years, I’m still amazed when Danior shifts form,” Aydon said from behind.

  “It’s so unfair.” A new set of tears spilled from her eyes as she turned to face him. “Isn’t there anything that can be done?” she asked, already knowing the answer. Shivrane was not known for casting spells or otherwise performing magic that could easily be amended.

  “I doubt it,” Aydon answered. “But still, I make it a point to visit every good wizard, magician and even a few witches and hags as I travel from village to village, in hopes of finding one who can undo Shivrane’s evil magic.”

  “Perhaps once we arrive in Zalvanus, their healers can put things right,” Jia-Nian offered.

  Aydon nodded. “If any people have the power to thwart Shivrane’s merciless magic, it would be the Zalvaneans.” He looked to the sky. “It will be fully light soon. We must be on our way.”

  “I’ll change into my garment,” Jia-Nian said, removing the furs and slipping her slightly damp clothing over her head. It was interesting, the look of deep concentration on Aydon’s face as she dressed and undressed. She had noted the same intense expressions on both his and Danior’s faces last night.

  And then this morning Danior had all but referred to her as a beautiful woman. The thought made her smile. Could it be possible that these two magnificent barbarian warriors found her physically appealing? Perhaps even enough to consider making her one of their concubines? Hope stirred in her heart.

  She became aware of a sort of melting sensation throughout her entire being as she felt the last vestiges of fear and anxiety disintegrating. Once again Jia-Nian’s inner voice spoke to her from deep inside, soothing her, calming her, assuring her that it was not only safe but desirable for her to embrace her growing attraction to these men. These good and honorable men, so vastly different from the heinous Pushgans.

  Jia-Nian watched Aydon dress Danior with his saddle of furs. Giving her stifled emotions free rein, she found her thoughts conjuring up most delightful scenarios. Flesh pressed against flesh, lusty kisses and whispered endearments. She even wondered for a moment what it might feel like to ride Danior naked—him without his furs and she without her clothes.

  It was a lovely thought—a most enjoyable one. She silently thanked the gods for the generous healing they’d performed, freeing her from the clawing grips of fear, dread and constant apprehension.

  She closed her eyes briefly, envisioning herself wild and naked and carefree atop the magnificent horse as h
e galloped like the wind until they were both breathless.

  Jia-Nian’s clit pulsed and wetness seeped from between her thighs. Why such a thought prompted a pleasurable response at her cunt was beyond her understanding.

  “What are you thinking about?” Aydon asked, surprising her from her wanton daydreams.

  “Nothing important. Why?”

  He smiled. “Because your cheeks have colored and your eyes have darkened.”

  Jia-Nian felt herself flush and she watched Aydon’s smile grow wider.

  “Yes, just like that,” he said, stepping close and clasping her hot cheeks in his cool hands.

  “I-I was thinking about how happy we’ll be once we reach Zalvanus,” she lied. It was difficult to think clearly with Aydon holding her face like that. Standing so close she couldn’t resist taking in a whiff, appreciating his masculine scent. Like Danior, Aydon had bathed in the river last night while their fish roasted in the fire and now he smelled like the forest. Fresh, earthy, herbal and inviting.

  She filled her nostrils with his scent again.

  “We still have a few days ride,” Aydon told her, finally releasing her cheeks, but running his hand up and down along her arm, which sparked prickles of heat through her core.

  “The journey won’t be an easy one, Jia-Nian. There are several known encampments of Pushgans along the way. They’ve engaged village after village in battle, conquering them all in their quest to claim the territories around Zalvanus in Tordanuk’s name.”

  “Why is that tyrant so set on claiming Zalvanus?” Jia-Nian wondered. “He already rules over a vast realm, why must he have theirs as well?”

  You are familiar with the old Zalvanean prophecy?” Aydon asked.

  “From my grandfather, yes. It is so lengthy, of which part do you speak?”

  “Wherein it tells of Zalvanus one day ruling all the earth with peace and harmony,” Aydon clarified. “As a warmonger, that notion no doubt stirs Tordanuk’s bile. His interests are power, wealth, acclaim, not peace. The usual spoils that fuel a tyrant’s maniacal greed. It is said the Zalvaneans came here from another world, that they hold the secrets of the stars and the gods and life and death. Imagine what Tordanuk could do with that knowledge.”