by Tristan Vick
“It compels those who imbibe it to speak the truth and only the truth. It lasts but for a minute or two, yet it can prove to be a valuable interrogation aid.”
“Really?” Leif asks. He scratches his chin as he mulls it over. “That doesn’t seem so bad.”
Leif rubs his hands together like a stagecoach bandit and then announces, “I have a question.”
A large grin spreads across his face and suddenly it feels as though I have just stepped into an ambush. Sensing the worst is about to come, I place my hand over the pommel of my sword and warn him, “Be nice, or I’ll kick your ass clear to Mount Valoron.”
“So…” Leif begins, intentionally pausing to make me squirm in nervous anticipation of what he’s going to grill me with. “Are you a virgin or not?”
“Not,” I say without thinking. I gasp and cover my mouth. “Sorry,” I apologize profusely. “It just flew out.”
“It’s quite all right,” Alegra tells me. “The mystic water of El’Niar compels you.”
“One more thing…” Leif begins again.
“No, it’s fine,” I interrupt, shutting down his interrogation. “I’m rather quite fine without any more personal questions, thank you.”
Leif gives Lisette a pleading look and she caves in. “So, do you prefer the company of men or women? And by company I totally mean sex.”
“Women,” I answer through a clenched jaw.
“And what about Alegra?” Leif asks.
I shake my head vigorously, hoping he’ll desist, but Lisette, who’s having way too much fun with this, comes to her aid.
“Yeah, what about Alegra? Do you like her?”
“Of course, I like her,” I say as if it’s the most natural thing in the world for me to spill my innermost feelings. “She’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid my eyes upon.”
Suddenly I’m blushing and staring at Alegra who’s looking back at me with her amethyst gaze. Panic builds in my chest when I realize that I may never be able to hold back any secrets. And soon I find myself crying.
“You want to kiss her, don’t you?” Leif asks, hardly able to mask his snicker.
“Wait,” Lisette says, stopping him. She nods at me and he looks up to see the tears running down my face.
“Oh,” he says in a remorseful tone once he realizes that it’s no longer a game for me. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I guess we sort of got carried away.”
“That’s all right,” I say, wiping a tear from my face. “I know you guys didn’t mean any harm.”
“As educational as this has been, we still have to set up camp for the night,” Alegra says, changing the subject back to more important things. “The skirmish with Dathrium’s foot soldiers set us back considerably, and this grove is safe and the horses can drink.”
“How can you be sure more of Dathrium’s men won’t be after us?” Lisette asks with a worried expression on her face as she pats Merrium’s neck.
“We’re too deep into the forest now. If you don’t have a guide to get you through the mystic fog or avoid being hunted by the Shadow panther and the Sylek, the Dark Forest can prove to be extremely treacherous.”
Suddenly there is a rustling sound somewhere off in the distance. Everyone tenses up.
“What’s that?” Lisette asks in a startled voice.
“Probably just a warthog rustling around in the brush,” I say, doing my best to relieve her worries.
“What if it’s the Sylek?” Lisette squeaks, biting her knuckles nervously.
“I sure hope not,” Leif whispers under his own breath as he glances around his surroundings nervously. “I hate snakes.”
“Just to be on the safe side,” I inform them, “I’ll go take a look around. It’ll give me a chance to secure our surroundings and fetch some kindling and brushwood while I’m at it.”
“Excellent!” Leif says. “I’ll stay behind and get the camp set up.”
“I think I saw some wild mushrooms a few yards back,” Lisette informs us. “I think maybe I’ll go gather them up. They’d go good with the dried pheasant I nabbed from the guard’s earlier.”
“Why you little thief, you!” Leif says fondly, giving Lisette a big, warm hug, and picking her up off the ground. “I couldn’t be prouder of you!”
“It’s settled then, I’ll leave things in your capable hands.” Gathering my things, I head into the surrounding trees in search of dry branches and bark.
“Wait,” Alegra says unexpectedly, and follows after me. “I’ll help you.”
It’s a pleasant surprise. Of course, her company is more than welcome, and I find myself growing excited in anticipation of being able to spend some time alone with her. Maybe I’ll finally be able to have an actual conversation with her instead of just sharing sideways glances all day.
21
Sunlight pierces the green canopy of the trees above us and creates a patchwork of soft light on the ground. Everything around us is cast in an orange glow, signaling the last of the sun’s warmth just before the twilight hour brings with it the starry shroud of shivery night.
Once I’ve gathered up enough dry branches to fill both of my arms, from bent elbow to chin, I turn to head back to camp. But standing directly in my path is Alegra, watching me with sad eyes. She obviously has something on her mind. I wait for her to say something.
“I owe you an apology,” she says. “I didn’t know they’d grill you like that.” She holds the water flask in her hands, and fidgets nervously. She plucks the cork out of the leather canteen and takes a long swig of water. The water that glows blue, and has mystical truth-telling properties. “Go ahead,” she says, drying her mouth with the back of her hand. “Ask me anything you’d like.”
“As you already know, I have a bit of a crush on you. And I was sort of wondering, is there the slightest chance that you might like me too?”
“Yes,” she says without hesitation.
“Yes?” I squeak in a barely audible voice, finding myself growing anxious to hear what she has to say. “Why?”
“Ever since you stepped out into that clearing…the way you handled yourself…the way you fought off the guards. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I was impressed.”
“Thanks,” I say, blushing slightly. “I thought you were pretty impressive today too.”
She squints as though she’s thinking hard, and then shakes her head, as though she got something wrong, and tries again. “Sorry, I know I’m not making much sense. What I really wanted to say is…I think that we…you know…if we…we make a good team you and me. Right?”
Her stammering is cute. Although I’m still not entirely certain what she’s trying to do. But instead of waiting for her to figure it out, I drop the bundle of sticks, take her in my arms, and pull her firmly to me.
I feel her heart pounding in her chest as she looks into my eyes, uncertain as to what I’ll do next. I caress her cheek and watch as she closes her eyes and smiles as she lingers on my touch.
“Did you know,” I ask, breaking that lingering silence, “that the tips of your ears turn pink when you’re excited?”
She opens her violet eyes and looks right at me. “They do?” she asks in a self-conscious tone. Reaching up she covers her pointy ears. However, I grab her hands and then pull them back down.
“I think it’s adorable,” I say, hoping my words will console her enough to help ease her nerves.
Slowly, I run my hands up her soft arms until my fingers tips brush against her jaw. Taking her face in my hands, I find her eyes lingering on my lips, and we start to lean in.
Our lips come together, and I slowly apply more pressure. Her mouth opens slightly and I feel her sweet breath pass into me, which sparks my hunger for her even further. The passing of hot breath between our balmy lips titillates me and drives me wild. I desperately want more.
“Why do you taste so good?” I ask in a hushed whisper.
She looks at me as thoug
h she was thinking the same thing and replies, “I was about to ask the same thing. You taste like honey melon.”
“You taste like peaches,” I laugh, brushing my hair back away from my face.
We gaze at each other for a moment, taking a brief time out to catch our breath. The intermission only lasts a few seconds. Alegra grabs my wrists and wraps my hands around her waist.
I place my hands over her perfectly formed buttocks and we move closer together, our pelvises touching. Alegra wraps her hands around my waist so that our bodies press together as tightly as possible.
Our lips come together again, this time with a much stronger desire burning inside both of us. This time with a lot more wetness, hot breath, and to my pleasant surprise, tongue.
I let out a sultry moan as Alegra’s tongue slips into my mouth. It’s longer than a human tongue, and slightly more narrow, but not by much. Our tongues swirl playfully, tasting one another’s sweet breath, and lapping up all the balmy excess of each other’s passion.
Without warning, an unapologetic voice interrupts our private interlude.
“Hey, lovebirds, it’s getting dark out here and Lisette is going to freeze to death if you don’t hurry up with that firewood.”
Looking over my shoulder I catch Leif wink at me before disappearing back into the woods behind a couple of cedar trees.
Blushing, I look back at Alegra, who seems just as flustered as I am. Even her cheeks glow with a tinge of scarlet.
“Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag,” I say.
“What cat?” asks Alegra. She starts to look around for the escaped cat, but I stop her by placing my hands over her face and forcing her eyes to find their way back to mine.
“No, it’s just a figure of speech,” I tell her, laughing softly. “There’s no cat. It just means the secret is out and everyone knows now.”
“Oh,” she says, slightly embarrassed. But I find it enduring. It’s the first time she’s seemed completely vulnerable, the first time she’s let down her warrior’s mask and let me see the real woman underneath.
To ease her worries, I give her one more sultry kiss on the lips and then smile, beaming ear to ear, and trying not to let my dizzying level of giddiness get the best of me. For the first time in what seems like forever I feel comfortable being myself.
“Come on,” I say, gathering up the firewood I’d let fall to the ground in my bout of passion. “Let’s get this back to camp.”
I bend down to pick up all the sticks and dried branches I’d gathered, but before I can finish, Alegra tackles me and we tumble to the ground. Crashing down, Alegra lands on top of me, her body tense and alert. I’m about to ask what the matter is but she places her hand over my mouth and looks directly at the trees to the right of us.
Something else has caught her attention. And by the look on her face, whatever it is, it’s not good. I glance in the same direction, watching for signs of movement, and the moment she removes her hand from my mouth, I whisper, “What is it?”
Alegra leaps off of me, draws out her long, slightly curved sword and springs into the tree canopy. She disappears behind the thick covering of leaves, and I hear a loud hiss followed by violent thrashing.
Worried, I jump to my feet and reach for the Moon Blade, but by the time my hand touches the sword a large black mass crashes to the ground in front of me.
What lays before me resembles a knotted pile of black, slimy rope as thick as a mighty oak’s branch and at least three times as long. As I lean in to get a closer look, a scaly python’s head shoots up out of the coiled mass and hisses at me.
It’s a Sylek python! The most deadly serpent in all of Valandra.
22
Recoiling, I leap back a safe distance and draw my sword. I stand, every muscle frozen with fear, watching it carefully. I try to gauge what its next move will be. It stares back at me with its yellow serpentine eyes, likely doing the same, and its forked tongue flickers in the air—sensing my fear.
Just a single bite from a Sylek python is lethal. Its venom is fast-acting and there is no known cure. Not even a mage’s magic can heal one who has been bitten. Elves seem to have a natural immunity to the snake’s effects, but not humans. Which means not me.
Slowly, I slide my sword out and grip it tightly in both hands. I’ve never gone up against a Sylek python before, but I’m fairly certain that I can outmaneuver it. At least, I hope so. The alternative is, well, not a very pleasing thought.
Slowly the snake rises up in an attempt to intimidate me. It towers at least a couple heads taller than me. It looks down at me and hisses. Obviously, it’s letting me know who’s boss.
Making ready to evade its impending attack, I brace myself for the wind rush technique, but before either of us makes a move there is a blur and a flash of light.
Alegra crashes to the ground beside me, and I rush to protect her. Looking up, I see the Sylek’s head slide off its body, and it topples to the ground with a loud thud.
Pushing herself up, Alegra tries to stand, but she appears to be wounded and crashes back to the ground. Helping her up to her feet, I notice that her left arm is hanging at her side and drips with blue blood from two puncture wounds.
She kicks the Sylek python’s head away from us, and in a groggy voice, says, “Be careful, the head of a Sylek can still bite even when severed.”
It’s a lucky thing that Alegra is an elf, otherwise she surely would be dead right now. Something I can’t bear the thought of. But even with her natural immunity to the venom, she seems to be affected by the python’s sting.
As she totters like a drunk on wobbly legs, nursing an injured arm, I ask her, “What’s wrong?”
Suddenly Alegra falls forward into my arms.
“Apologies,” she says in a faint voice.
Holding her there, her face pressed against my chest, I can’t help but feel myself falling for her. Even though we just met, it feels right somehow. It’s like the stars have aligned and everything makes sense. “You do realize this is the second time today that you’ve ended up in my arms, right?”
Alegra smiles and tries to get up but falls into me again.
“Take it easy,” I tell her. “We’re not in any hurry.”
“Please, don’t worry,” she says, finally standing up of her own volition. “The effects of the venom will wear off soon enough.”
“What’s it feel like?” I ask, brushing a cluster of my hair away from my face and tucking it behind my ear.
“Painful,” she answers. “It feels like food poisoning or a painful flu. First your entire body aches, every bone throbs, ever muscle fiber twinges with the burning pain of the venom. It surges through your system causing what feels like burning and freezing pain all at the same time. Then, if you don’t puke your guts out, you have a crushing headache for at least a day, maybe two, afterward.”
“Sounds fun,” I quip.
Alegra shoots me an astonished look. “It’s not fun,” she reassures me. “I would not wish this on anybody. Least of all you.”
I take her face in my hands again and kiss her on the lips. Again, I taste a sweetness that I cannot explain. Then, staring into her eyes, I say, “Let’s get you back to camp and cleaned up.”
A half hour later we return to camp with the firewood, and I see Lisette huddled next to a rock with some mushrooms and wild onions spread out before her. A nice bounty for such a short time’s work. Leif, on the other hand, is hunched over a small fire he has kindled using some dry bark and pine needles and a few twigs he rummaged up. With cupped hands, he is puffing desperately on the small flame to keep it alive.
“Who’s hungry?” I say triumphantly as we enter the camp. Alegra tosses the meaty body of the Sylek onto the ground for all to marvel at.
“I sure hope that thing is dead,” Lisette says, keeping her distance.
“I can assure you,” Alegra answers, “it is.”
“It’s about time!” Leif blurts out, hastily snatching the brushwood fr
om me and placing it onto his small fire. Soon he has a proper blaze going. Lisette pulls out the knife I gave her in Igthia and begins to skin the snake.
As she peels the scaly layer of its elastic skin back, she shares with us an anecdote from her past. “I love roasted snake. My father used to cook snake over the fire when we were children. He’d often make a spicy sauce from mashed prunes, spices, and goat’s milk that he’d glaze over the meat while cooking.”
Drool drips from the edges of Leif’s mouth as he stares at her, imagining the wonderful sauce her farther made, and suddenly his stomach growls and we all laugh.
Cooking the snake meat en brochette, along with the bounty of sliced wild onions and mushrooms for added flavor, makes excellent kebabs. Although there’s none of Lisette’s father’s miracle sauce to impress our taste buds with, we have more than enough food to fill our stomachs.
As we sit around the campfire, Leif tells stories about the time he courted the Duke of Canterbury’s daughter, in Wexton, and got caught seducing the Duchess instead, only to be hunted like the rufous-coated Reynard by a fervidly angry duke, his scorned daughter, and a housewife desperate for affection. After a couple of weeks they finally gave up their pursuit, he tells us. Yet just as he comes to the close of his evocative tale, and before taking even a single breath, he launches into another yarn about yet another one of his many indelicate escapades.
Of course, Lisette listens to each of his stories intently, her arms on her knees and her chin planted firmly in her palms. She eats up everything Leif says and laughs at all his bad jokes as she gazes dreamily up at him. In this moment Leif can do no wrong, as far as Lisette is concerned. Evidence of her infatuation is that amid his mouthfuls of snake meat, with flecks of food flying from his yapping mouth, not to forget to mention his belching more than a Syrakkian dragon, she seems completely unfazed by his shocking display of boorishness.
Tuning out Leif’s inane stories of risqué dalliances with big-breasted women and jealous husbands, I turn my attention to Alegra. She is focused on roasting some pieces of snake on the end of her stick, twiddling it in the fire. She seems to have zoned Leif out too, also bored by his droning on about each of his many venereal exploits. I can’t help but wonder what she is thinking.