Aydon sniffed the air in a long, deep breath. “The perfume of her sex floods my senses,” he agreed.
Gods, it was more than she could stand. Panting, Jia-Nian’s head dropped and her eyes closed against the onslaught of euphoria. A shiver convulsed through her, signaling her body’s initial preparation for orgasm.
“Her body stiffens, and my balls tighten,” Danior said. “Lift her head for me, Aydon. I want to see the proof of mastery that we have over our little warrior queen as she succumbs to ecstasy.”
Aydon did as Danior suggested, fisting Jia-Nian’s hair and yanking her head up and back. Gasping, her eyes flew open to meet Danior’s intense gaze, so feral and possessive.
“Ahhh, yes…that’s what I want to see,” Danior said, his voice a husky growl. “The queen’s eyes blaze, Aydon. Flickering twin flames of ecstasy as I squeeze and roll over her sensitive spot.”
“I want to see it in your eyes too,” she told Danior. “I want to see the power I wield over your princely cock as you surrender to climax.”
“Your soaked cunt sucks me deep.” A slow smile curled Danior’s lips as he gazed down to where they were joined. “A more beautiful sight I have never beheld. Tell me, Aydon, do you enjoy watching her hole swallow your cock. Do you like seeing your flesh as it hides and seeks?”
As he finished speaking, Jia-Nian watched the muscles in Danior’s jaw flex and his features take on the familiar expression of rapture as it clutched at his core. She knew his time was close.
Aydon let loose of her hair, threading his fingers through it in a soothing motion. “If I were a poet,” he answered, “I would skillfully depict the bottomless splendor of watching my cock pierce our queen’s ass, her cunt, her mouth.” Poet or not, his words fueled Jia-Nian’s approaching peak. “And the sight of your cock impaling her cunt now, Danior, as I ream her from behind is vastly sensual.”
Before Aydon had finished replying, Danior stiffened, cupping Jia-Nian’s breasts and squeezing. Hot ribbons of fluid surged through her cunt as Danior gritted his teeth and growled his release, sending a vibration through her that Jia-Nian felt clear to her clit.
As she watched her sweet Danior offer certain evidence of her sexual power over him, again Jia-Nian thanked the gods for returning him to her, for casting her beloved back from the land of no return. Whatever would she do without him in her life?
Aydon’s groan was low and forceful. “My queen,” he cried, clutching her hips. “My sweet, forever love.” He roared as his essence spewed deep into her ass.
Tears filled Jia-Nian’s eyes. There was no room left for even a single measure of bliss. She was gloriously filled to overflowing in both body and spirit. Her holes bathed in the warm cream of liquid happiness, she yielded to the rippling waves of convulsion, radiating from her clit to her cunt and ultimately finding their way to her nether hole where the spasms milked Aydon’s cock.
“Forever, my beloveds,” she cried.
———
Her guardians sleeping on either side of her, Jia-Nian nestled happy and contented between them as she slept.
She’d had many vivid, detailed dreams in the past, always focusing on some aspect of the tales her grandfather told her. Jia-Nian now realized those dreams were teaching her, preparing her for the future. But tonight’s dream was different, more vibrant and lifelike.
In it she was shown a city filled with light, one that gleamed with gold and precious gems. Rich tapestries and deep rugs adorned the enormous rooms with soaring ceilings ornamented with intricate carvings and delicate scrollwork.
It was a beautiful place populated with joyful, carefree people of all ages, creeds and colors. There was ample food and drink, an abundance of soft, silken fabrics and buildings of stone with great columns. There was no illness, no sorrow, hunger or discontent.
She saw herself sitting on a throne, her princes flanking her as they rested on their own thrones. They were garbed in fine fabrics radiant with a sheen that reflected the sun’s rays. Each ensemble was embellished with glittering threads of gold and silver, as if bits of the stars, moon and sun had been captured in the material.
While Jia-Nian realized she was dreaming, she embraced the inner knowledge that she was in fact envisioning a future time and real circumstances. The very notion stole her breath away.
So you see, little one, came her dear grandfather’s voice, it is indeed as I always told you it would be for you one day. You will lead the Zalvaneans to certain victory and rule as their beloved queen.
Jia-Nian’s eyes teared when her grandfather’s visage shimmered into view. Her beautiful dream had just become much more cherished. It was the first time she’d dreamt of him since his passing years before.
“I wish this dream would never end,” she said on a sigh.
Open your eyes, dear Jia-Nian, and you will see that I am no dream.
Afraid to let go of this special time with her grandfather, Jia-Nian hesitated. When she did open her eyes he still shimmered before her in a halo of light. He looked just as healthy and happy as she remembered him before he lay dying from the gash of a Pushgan’s sword after one of their sieges.
She looked left and right to see both Aydon and Danior still asleep. Aware of her nakedness, she snatched a garment from the corner of the bed and held it to her breast.
Her grandfather gave her a warm smile. “Be unashamed of your nakedness before me, my child,” he said, his voice gentle and with more substance than in her dream. “Remember, I first glimpsed it when you eagerly slipped from your mother’s womb into my waiting hands.”
“Grandfather Lobaniah, how can it be that you are truly here? Are you not in Niranjan with Shorana, goddess of the spirit world, ruler of the dead?”
“That is where I dwell,” he confirmed. “It is with her permission and with the consent of the great Ko’Loran that I show myself to you as your spirit guide, little one. I have always guided you, even after the time of my passing. I appear now because it is time. Time for you to meet your destiny, Jia-Nian, to fulfill the sacred prophecies.”
“But why me, Grandfather? Why was I the one chosen for this great responsibility? I am not even fully Zalvanean.”
“It is not for us to presume why the gods make such decisions, child. I know only that you and the two who will rule as your princes are of pure heart and bold in spirit. As for being Strathulian as well as Zalvanean, the prophecies clearly state that the queen comes from a distant land.”
Jia-Nian surely feared she would faint dead away when three other figures shimmered to life alongside her grandfather. Though she’d never seen graven images of Shorana, Ko’Loran, god of sun and sky or of Ivarus, the moon goddess, Jia-Nian knew without doubt that she gazed upon the almighty deities now.
“Great Ko’Loran!” came Aydon’s cry next to her. Jia-Nian was quite certain he meant it as a declaration of surprise rather than a greeting.
“You are correct, of course,” Ko’Loran answered Aydon’s verbalized gasp of wonder. Golden beams of light radiated from his body. He wore a long soft yellow tunic, embellished in gold along the hems. A circle of golden laurel leaves crowned his head.
She watched as Aydon promptly shifted to a sitting position, swiping his hand over his fresh-from-sleep face in a scrubbing motion, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“I’m glad you see them too,” Jia-Nian whispered, relieved. “The one on the right is Lobaniah, my grandfather.”
“It was as if someone tapped me on the shoulder, commanding me to awaken,” Aydon replied, never taking his eyes from the startling vision before them.
“And the same for me,” Danior agreed, sitting up and bearing a similar expression of utter astonishment. “It’s you,” he cried, gesturing to Shorana. “I-I glimpsed your visage when I died.”
“It is,” Shorana confirmed with a nod. “And you did.” She was shrouded in soft white veils from head to toe, her appearance beautiful, calming and quite unlike how Jia-Nian had imagined the ruler of the dead. Th
ere was no glow, no light, she simply emanated a soothing sense of peace.
“Great Ivarus, I would know you anywhere,” Danior said to the second female, his voice full of awe. Garbed in a flowing garment of pearly silver, Ivarus too, was most striking. An aura of palest silver glowed from her head to toe. “It is you who breathes precious life into me each night as you hang the moon in the darkened sky.”
“It has been my pleasure to bring you such great happiness, my son,” she acknowledged.
“And my displeasure to take it from you each morning,” Ko’Loran said.
“How is it possible that we see you here?” Aydon asked. “Perhaps we three died in our sleep.”
“As my granddaughter’s guardians,” Lobaniah explained, “you and Danior share her vision just as you share her destiny. “You need to be fully prepared for what awaits on your difficult journey to conquest over Zalvanus’ oppressors. We are here to ready you to meet your fate and lay claim to victory.”
“We bear gifts agreed upon by the Council of Deities,” Shorana said. “I grant the three of you extended life and the unconditional ability to heal.” She paused when Jia-Nian, Aydon and Danior chorused gasps. “No blow from any foe’s sword, no plague or illness, no sip of poisoned wine or fiery breath from any dragon will end your lives. Nor will it leave you in agony for more than a brief time before healing commences.”
“Good gods…can it really be?” Danior said.
Aydon shook his head, disbelief obvious in his expression. “No…it’s too much to fathom. I can’t believe it,” he muttered. “We must be dreaming still or perhaps the ale we drank was tainted and has caused outlandish visions.”
Shorana frowned. “Without belief, without faith, Aydon, you have nothing. You become merely a dried up husk, empty and useless.” A blazing sword appeared in her hand and she swiftly plunged it through Aydon’s chest before drawing it out again. Aghast, Jia-Nian and Danior cried out in despair but Aydon was silent, his face etched in pain, his mouth agape as he watched the torrent of blood seep from the mortal heart wound.
As they stared, the hole in Aydon’s chest diminished until there was no evidence he’d ever been pierced. Even the blood disappeared. However, the brief healing time Shorana spoke of seemed to stretch to a small eternity while Aydon lay, looking quite dead. Finally, with a mighty gasp his lungs filled with air and Aydon was back among the living.
“Now you will believe it,” Shorana stated plainly. “How about you, Danior?” She eyed the blade of her sword, running her fingertip down its flaming length. “Do you believe?”
“Yes!” Swallowing hard, Danior held up one hand in a halting motion while clutching the other to his chest. “Yes, absolutely, great Shorana. I wholeheartedly believe. There is no need for further demonstration, I promise you.” He gave an audible sigh of relief when the sword vanished from Shorana’s grip.
Jia-Nian would have chuckled if she’d been able to swallow her heart and set it back in place after the terrible fright.
“My children,” Ko’Loran said, “your road to triumph, although certain, will often be grueling. With Shorana’s gift of long life and healing, you will need ample vigor, energy, stamina, hope, good cheer and abundant strength. These are my gifts to you. So that you make the most of them, I also bestow wisdom.”
Jia-Nian, Aydon and Danior had just begun to express their thanks when Ivarus interrupted. “Time grows short. You may offer thanks and give praise later. My gifts are separate and individualized. She gazed at Danior. “I believe I’ll start with you, Danior. Go to the window and tell me what you see.”
Drawing a garment about his waist as he rose, Danior went to the chest-high opening in the mudbrick. He bent to look out, his breath catching as he spied the exchange of night for day. Awaiting the familiar shift from man to animal, he steeled himself for the pain and discomfort brought by the daily distortion of flesh and bone.
Nothing. No pain. No shapeshifting.
Only the first soft shafts of sunlight creeping over the landscape.
“I am still me!” he shouted, dropping the garment to the floor as he got caught up in the amazement and excitement of grasping his skin and examining his human form. He clapped his thighs, pinched his skin and glanced back at the group. “Look!” he cried, clearly too astonished even to shed tears. “I stand before you a man with two legs by day!”
Jia-Nian and Aydon leapt from the bed and to Danior’s side, grabbing him into a mighty three-way hug and shouting for joy. Tears of happiness streamed down Jia-Nian’s cheeks and she spotted tears glistening in Aydon’s eyes as well.
“Human life by day as well as night. My first gift to you,” Ivarus said. “For my second gift, you will understand the thoughts and utterances of every species of animal and they, in turn, will understand you. That includes all shapeshifters under Shivrane’s malevolent spell so crucial messages can be relayed with speed.”
“I could communicate with my brother, D’Akola,” Danior muttered absently.
“Yes, the dragon shifter,” Ivarus said before turning to Aydon. “I grant you the gift of heightened senses and awareness, Aydon. Hearing, sight, smell, touch and taste. You will save lives by detecting poison by taste or smell, yet not die due to Shorana’s gift of healing. You have the ability to hear distant horse hooves or the bellow of qubuji as they approach. You see traps that have been set, enemies crouching in wait. Even the stealthiest footfall stirs your attention. But I caution you, you must remain focused and alert for these gifts to work properly.”
Jia-Nian wondered what Ivarus had in store for her. She’d already been given so much, she felt almost greedy as she stood there anticipating.
“You were born with a host of extraordinary gifts that will continue to unfold as you travel destiny’s path, Jia-Nian,” Ivarus told her. “As they are needed you will discover each gift and understand how to use it. My gift for you is the power to heal others, to relieve the suffering of those maimed in battle, to ease the burden of a lame child, to eliminate most any affliction.”
Jia-Nian’s heart leapt at the news, for she’d always believed she was a healer at heart.
“Henceforth,” Ko’Loran said, “you have the ability to walk between worlds to seek counsel with the gods whenever necessary. The rare gifts we confer bring you three closer to immortality than any other mortals now walking the earth.”
“As long as your hearts and souls remain pure and untainted,” Shorana added, “these gifts will remain with you until the day you die. There will be great celebration when you join me in Niranjan.”
“If I may ask, great Shorana,” Jia-Nian wondered, “when will that be?”
Shorana smiled. “It will be when it will be, child. Be it a hundred years or a thousand, you three will live until your work is done. When the time comes you will know and be ready. Your passing from the world of the living will be swift and painless. You three will come to me together, looking not a day older than you do this very moment.”
Jia-Nian’s vanity nearly had her leaping with joy. The disagreeable thought of what she might look like as a thousand year old woman had given her great pause.
“Lobaniah,” Ivarus gestured to Jia-Nian’s grandfather, “will be your spirit guide and your direct contact with the gods.”
“Call on me at any time and I will answer,” Lobaniah told them.
“On your knees, children, hands joined,” Ko’Loran said and the three swiftly obeyed. He held one hand aloft. His palm radiated sunlight and Jia-Nian gazed at the symbol of wisdom and omnipotence there. Soon the room was infused with the joyous light of life.
“In my name and with my blessing,” he said, “I marry you, one to another. Now and forevermore you are known and recognized as the foretold rulers of Zalvanus who restore peace and harmony to all lands. Rise, Jia-Nian, Queen of Zalvanus, Prince Aydon the Bold, Prince Danior the True and bring the sacred prophecy to life.”
Jia-Nian gasped as she rose, seeing that she was dressed in finery bef
itting royalty. Though brief and comfortable enough to wear while riding a horse or when wielding her sword, the shimmering green and gold tunic was beyond what anyone lacking stature and position would wear.
She glanced at her princes and saw that they too, were garbed in rich attire, Aydon in dark blue laced with silver and Danior wearing rich deep purple with silver embellishment. The cut of their garments also would allow freedom to ride or to brandish their weapons during battle.
“You will find three elegantly saddled horses tethered outside,” Shorana said. “One white and two black. These noble animals will remain with you, serving you for all your days.”
“With thanks to the gods,” Lobaniah said, gesturing to the deities, “I have been allowed to provide you with a special wedding gift. At midday today, you will come upon an oasis stocked with provisions, comfortable accommodations and a small lake. Only you will be able to see this place of safety and respite, it is invisible to all others. Wherever you journey, all you need do is ask for the oasis to appear and it will be there for you.”
“It’s a wonderful gift,” Jia-Nian said. “Thank you, Grandfather.” The princes chorused their thanks as well.
“As you have no doubt surmised,” Ivarus said, “life as you know it will never be the same. Upon your arrival in Zalvanus there will be untold merriment and acclaim. You will also meet with treachery and deceit, so be wary always.”
“Know that once word has spread of the appearance of the prophesized queen,” Shorana warned them, “Tordanuk and Shivrane will rage. They will stop at nothing to prevent you from usurping their power by bringing Zalvanus to victory.”
In unison, the deities and Jia-Nian’s grandfather each raised one hand, smiling at the new queen and princes. “Our blessings upon you,” they said. And in the blink of an eye they were gone.
Her eyes wide, Jia-Nian said, “They didn’t allow us time to give thanks or praise.”
“We already know what is in your hearts, children,” came Ko’Loran’s voice. “Go now and make acquaintance with your fate.”
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