by P. S. Power
No this was his own deep mind talking to him. What it was telling him was probably complicated and troubling.
Had he loved Karen?
They'd only been friends, she'd help him train in fighting, and was nice to him, which counted for a lot, but they hadn't been that close, had they? Had he wanted to be? Honestly, on the conscious level Tor had always been more afraid that she'd beat him than anything else. He'd kept missing her lessons, and really, deserved the beatings, but she never did it. That was the nice part of working with her. She pushed him, but she didn't punish him for being lazy or late. If he had been harboring some secret crush there, it would have made sense. It certainly wasn't off-putting in the dream. He'd been more than willing to keep going when she turned out to be Karen, hadn't he?
Trice snuggled and felt him behind her, erect, which asleep or not got her to wiggle her behind into him even more. It was nice, and frustrating, at the same time. He didn't want to wake her, but it would have been really nice to not been laying there awake and wanting her while she was literally touching him.
Well, when in doubt, meditate. Tor focused on nothing and waited. It wasn't sleep, but it passed time and kept the mind sharp. Hours later he got up and made his way to the showers fuzzily, and was standing under the warm water with his eye closed, just sensing the space quietly when he felt her next to him.
Again.
Karen.
Eye's still closed he turned. He expected to find the room empty when he opened them, but she was there… not Karen, but Dara.
“Oh! Hey Tor. Didn't see you there. Um, is it OK if I shower too? I don't want to bother you, but I was just having a late night work out.” She didn't wait for him to talk, taking his wave and nod as good enough at this hour of day. He stared a little the double feeling still strong. Dara noticed and made a raspberry with her tongue. She smiled though.
“Not that kind of work out. A real one, I like to go and work out at night, get a bit extra done. You can't slack off too much, because you never know when the attack is coming. I always say that at least.”
Tor, subdued, nodded and went back to washing, then stood under the spray to rinse his hair, the curtain of water spread and splashed softly. He heard the girl, woman really, about twenty-five based on her looks, washing next to him. He reached out to her again mentally, wondering if he was just reliving part of the weird dream, or projecting things on to the giant woman next to him.
Nope, she was Karen. No doubt at all. Around her neck were a bunch of his amulets, he could feel that, mostly his work, and one that wasn't at all. A disguise?
That or he was losing it.
Well, both were actually possible. He grinned and looked at her, seeking her eyes. Brown. He couldn't remember what color Karen's had been. Ali's were blue though. Davie too, he thought. The face wasn't pretty, ugly was more the case, but he searched it looking for a hint of his friend anyway.
“Um… you're staring Tor.” She said softly. The woman didn't cover herself or anything she just looked back, her eyes going to his stomach, then lower.
Well, staring at a naked girl could do that, he thought, his mind still deep enough that it was an abstract thing. Now he could either act like it was a big deal or play the erection off. He chuckled.
“Early mornings. Sorry. Not exactly polite of me. Um… if you’re not seeing anyone in particular, this afternoon, late, say after dinner, would you like to practice with me?” Looking down Tor tried to act like he was as awkward and shy as he used to be. Since he really did feel pretty awkward, all things considered, it worked pretty well.
“I mean weapons practice. Um, other stuff too, if you want? That's OK if you don't want to though. Um…” He tried to give her a way out, as was polite.
“I'd love too!” she looked down at him again and smiled.
“Do you want to do some of that other stuff now?” She looked around mischievously.
“Here? No… later will do fine, thank you for the offer though, right now I need to get dressed and actually get to work. The food won't make itself and people will whine if they have to wait too long. Find me after dinner?”
“Sure. Sounds fun. I always liked chasing you around with a sword Tor, you know that.”
Tor made himself blush and look down, then get going on his day. He needed to get her alone and make sure he wasn't just losing it, missing his friend too much.
Tor worked the whole day, not leaving the kitchen except to eat. Well and plot out the birthday cake for Ali. Two days. It hit him that they were going to get married the day after, and he didn't even have a gift for her. What would she like? A house? Maybe her own magic carriage? A doll?
The last thought was unkind. She was very mature for her age. Probably more than he was in some ways. Tor still felt a little guilty when the topic of sex came up for instance. He really doubted she did. For instance he kind of thought she'd managed to “entertain” at least a few of the other men on the ship, legal or not. Sure, it was a technical thing, a few weeks, but it was where the line was drawn. Then, not everyone cared about things like that, did they?
So a cake for her birthday and…
He had nothing. Not a single clue what women wanted. Flowers, but they were at sea right now. If he tried for poems she'd probably refuse to marry him, with cause too. Not a skill of his at all. He decided to go with a set of amulets. A shield, a flight rig, a weapon? Force lance and air choke. That and a house. One of the new ones like the palace. Maybe some gold to go with it, so she could purchase what she wanted?
What he really needed was some female advice, but who did he have to ask? When it came to house holding he was the only one on the ship that knew anything at all. For clothing he had Petra, but that didn't make much of a gift now, not with the device for it so easy to use. He'd have to think about it, or put it off and pretend that what he was doing was normal, and that gifts weren't expected, being at sea and all that.
The haze lasted for the rest of the day, badly enough that no one really talked to him overly. At dinner “Dara” came to see if he still wanted to practice with her, which he really did. Not just for the exercise, which he needed, but because he had a plan, sort of.
Karen had always fought with a specific style. She used bold strikes, aimed without much precision. Tor had been trained to look for the gaps in armor or a defense, and to strike into them. Davie, who had probably learned from the same teachers, if not from his sister, fought nearly identically to her.
In a way Tor was lucky he was imagining Dara to be Karen, because if it was anyone else in the world he'd have no clue how they fought at all. She and David were the only people he'd ever analyzed that closely.
They started with practice swords, no armor and not making contact.
Tor couldn't tell at first, were the blows like he thought they would be or not? They might be, but short of getting Davie out to practice with her so he could watch, it was no use guessing.
Darn.
Well, so much for that part of the plan, he thought a bit bitterly.
After a few minutes Tor stumbled and she checked him with a shoulder, which took him of his feet so easily it was almost laughable.
“Get up! Don't just lay there. You have to be ready for that, you lack the size to not be ready for-”
Tor had already rolled under where her blade went and came up stabbing toward her midsection then heart. It was Karen. She used to love to use that move on him then berate Tor for not getting up fast enough. They kept going, but he was sure now. Interesting. Exciting.
Karen wasn't dead?
How? Why? After about an hour of work, trying not to give everything away, he walked with her to his room, bodies coated with sweat, but it was clean and fresh, the deck not collecting dust or dirt on the ocean. At the room Sara and Trice worked at little projects, Trice had vials of glass with her, poisons or possibly scents, or a combination of both, the glass was clear and stopped with cork and the little case she had open on the table had abou
t forty places for them, but a third stood empty.
Sara worked on a beading project, it was complex and good, a bag of some kind? He couldn't tell. She always did bead work, but he never saw her with any. They both looked up when they walked in.
“Um, not to interrupt, but you said if I needed the room?” He tilted his head.
They both scurried to put their things away, and he didn't hurry them, not really knowing what he should do next anyway. Get close to her so he could feel her field? It seemed like a plan to him. He'd already invited her for that anyway, the getting close part. How did he do that though? Sex was fun, but Karen and he had never had that kind of relationship, and even if they had, Dara and he hadn't.
It's what she'd come for though. Besides, the idea of getting her to have sex with him felt a bit naughty. Especially since “Dara” didn't really know him very well. The idea that she might actually be willing too was strange to him, but really flattering too.
As soon as the door shut Tor gestured to the bed.
“Here, lie down on your stomach-” Before he got the words out she had her clothes off and dove flat on the bed. The move could have been playful or even sexy but it seemed slightly panicked instead. Frightened suddenly.
“Um. I… was going to give you a back rub first, since we don't know each other that well, is that OK?” He made his voice soft and friendly hoping it was the right thing to do, she seemed really nervous, more than Bonita had been the first time even.
Small tremors played under his hands as he touched her. Soft and gentle, but her skin tried to move away from his hands. Like he was revolting to her. He almost stopped, but reminded himself he was actually doing something here, popular with the girl or not, so started a simple pattern of movement and found the fields around her neck with his mind, separating them as he ran his hand gently down her back. The good news was that she was excited and wanted him to keep touching her. The bad news was that the idea also terrified her and made her think of unbearable pain.
It was clearly Karen.
Her breath came faster, turned on, wet, and still desperately dreading the whole thing. Gods. What the hell had been done to her? Worse things than he wanted to know, Tor was sure. The amulet for the disguise was elegant, very much so, probably a Maris work, which meant expensive. She only did work for specific clients, normally beauty and healing devices. The field was delicate, intricate and fresh. If this device was over a year old Tor would have to find Maris and take lessons from her, because it felt very sharp still. Clean. There was no way Karen could have ever gotten the money for something like this. Tor could, in a few days worth of work, but it would cost about the same as two days of the King’s week festival had for him. Forty thousand gold?
Working down her body he noticed something odd, when he got to her behind her tension decreased. Tor had expected panic as he ran his hands over her, but it just didn't come at all. She relaxed a lot and when he let his hand brush the soft curls between her lean thighs she positively melted. She'd been worried that Tor would reject her then? Why?
Her body was good, lighter than as Karen, in both color and build, her skin even, except a few moles, which were fake, he found. It was an excellent piece of work. Brilliant in fact.
Tor could smell the heat rising from her, how aroused she gotten from a few tentative brushes. She looked back over his shoulder and smiled, still looking uncertain.
“Um… which hole do you want?”
The question wasn't anything he'd been ready for.
Girls could do that, Ursala had said so. Tor just couldn't imagine them wanting their other hole used, or a woman being that blunt about it for that matter. Of course being willing was different than wanting it. Tor kissed her lower back, stalling for time. How did you answer that? He decided not to and asked her to get on all fours, entering her from behind, in the proper fashion, without warning. She seemed happy enough about it, enthused even, now that they were into the act itself. She had to lean her upper body down and he needed to kneel on a thick pillow, a beige one from the top of the bed, to make things line up right, but once that was done she tightened almost instantly, her body responding after only a few gentle thrusts.
Tor wasn't ready yet, so carefully kept going, only to find her reaching her own peak again and again as he did. Finally, looking for an excuse to touch her close to the neck he reached up and grabbed her hair with his right hand, feeling it splay between his fingers, pulling her head back. She gasped, at first he thought that it was in pain, but he felt her tighten on him so powerfully he had to stop moving or risk injuring himself. During that moment he focused his intent and turned off the disguise.
Instantly her skin darkened, about half way between Rolph and Petra in tone, about like her brothers or Ali really. Her hair was the same, but slightly lighter, a soft brown instead of the darker color. Her face was large and a little rugged for a woman, but when she looked back he recognized the eyes. The color a blue green with a tiny bit of gray. He started thrusting again, then after a bit asked her to roll over so he could look at her. Every minute or so she was wracked with intense spasms of pleasure, Tor knew he wasn't doing anything special, so it had to be her. Something in her make-up? But if sex was always like this for her, why did she dread it and want it at the same time? Well the wanting part made sense, but the rest…
Reentering her again, the slick moistness of her hugging him, he kissed her gently, then kissed her breasts one at a time, the nipples tightened with pleasure and excitement, her lips more red than he remembered them, she chewed the lower one lightly, sweat covering her brow slightly, even though the cabin wasn't warm.
When he let himself go she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him gently.
“I love you.” Her words sounded young and gentle. After a few moments her eyes popped open in horror at what she'd just said.
“Don't worry Karen, I love you too. I can't marry you or anything, and that love is more of a friendship thing, but you're definitely fun in bed. We should do it again sometime.”
She nodded and then her hand went to her neck quickly.
“Crud.”
“Well, it could be worse. I'd already figured it out before, if it had turned off in the middle of that and I didn't have a clue, I probably would have freaked. I thought you were dead. Can you… Tell me why and… how? I think we can milk the sex excuse for another hour, but I have to get to bed soon anyway… Work in the morning, you understand. So hurry if it's possible?”
She nodded. Took a deep breath and dove in.
“Davie and I faked my death. We knew the wine had been poisoned, we had the detectors you'd given us at school, and used them on everything. After you got poisoned for not doing that, it only made sense, didn't it? The idea was that I'd wait and train and then sneak back when everyone had an alibi and kill the beast. Um… the Count… my father. I know, it's totally illegal to do. That's why I couldn't afford to hire it done. The guild would have handled it, but they wanted nearly nine thousand gold for it, a sitting Count isn't an easy target. It's dangerous and if anyone suspects, a lot of innocent people can die in the mess. So it had to be me. My older sister…” Karen took a deep wracking breath but didn't sob or cry.
“What happened with me there, in bed just now? He… conditioned us all to be like that. Mom too I think, but I've never been certain of that. He never forced her to watch or us to watch with her. But I got away, kind of. Got lucky and was made a Knight. He may be my father, but a Knight serves the Kingdom. He couldn't touch me then. Heidi is better looking though, so he wasn't going to miss out on using her. No one could help us, so… all this.” The gesture took in her naked form and spread as if trying to include everything.
It wouldn't have worked but she happened to be near where Maris lived when her body had supposedly gone into the waterfall. Davie had drunk a tiny bit of the poison, making himself sick and weak, but not enough to kill him. That was the hope at least. But he managed to fly away, desperately seeking �
��help” for her. In the female builder Glyn Maris, she found a better ally than Karen could have ever hoped. Literally just showing up on her doorstep to beg aid for the day.
“She didn't just help me a little, she gave me this amulet, for free, it took her months to make it, and she hid me away the whole time, since I was supposed to be dead anyway. I had to starve weight off and exercise more to keep it that way. I told her why I needed a disguise, but she gave it to me anyway. Dad… He raped her once. He's used his position to do that to a lot of women. When it's over no one can say much. It's like with Rodriguez? How you couldn't kill him because he was a Count, so you used those devices to make him give up? Only nothing would make dad give up. He's a monster, you have to believe me. I… I know that you're friends with the royal family and have to turn me in, but… but… I made them help me. Maris and Davie… It was all me. I… forced them too, I… I threatened them into it… They weren't really a part of it. They shouldn't be held to blame.” Her voice had grown increasingly panicked as she realized what could potentially go wrong.
Tor shook his head.
“Screw that, I paid ten thousand gold to have the man killed, if we want to start pointing fingers I don't think they actually move all the way over to you if he shows up dead now.”
“You what? Really? Why? Not that there aren't a thousand good reasons, probably one for each coin you spent, but it's dangerous to take on a Count like that.” Karen did not sound displeased. Happy was closer really.
Why had he? The answer was simple enough.
“Because no one else really could. He hurt people, hurt my friends. I can't make him pay for that, not really, but I can stop him now that I know. Look, I don't know if anything will even happen, so you have to keep being Dara, and I have to marry Ali, your sister Gretchen? So that he can't get at her. I can't protect the boys, but David is his own man now, and Jerral has an apprenticeship with Kolb lined up, which will get him away from home at least. It's the best I could come up with so far.”