by Lori Aisling
“Ristan! Bror!” She screamed in her head. “It’s Fear. Oh God, it’s him and he has me. I can’t move. I am terrified and I can’t fight him. Help!”
“Bristol!” She heard both of them scream at once. “Bristol, don’t let him know who you are, honey. He’ll kill you.” Bror said.
“I’m coming for you, Bristol. Act like you don’t know me and just follow my lead. Bror, saddle the horses, get everyone out of here and ready to go. If this is Fear, he can’t know she has awoken and has two of her Others. He can’t see you. We need more time,” Ristan growled. Bristol could feel his rage as he projected and it stabilized her nerves.
Instantly, Ristan was on the barstool next to her. His closeness called to her and she fought the urge to grab onto him, to take comfort in his strength.
“Fear,” he growled.
Looking over at Ristan, Fear chuckled. “Ah. If it isn’t Death. Or shall I call you Ristan? Which do you prefer?”
“Since we are talking about yours, I think I prefer Death tonight,” Ristan stated calmly, palming Bristol’s mug and taking a drink of ale. “Why don’t you lose your snack and let’s take a walk.”
“Why would I do that, old friend? The fear we could incite in this building will feed me and my master for a week.”
“What are you doing here alone, Fear. Doesn’t that seem dangerous for you? Losing an Other would surely be an inconvenience to Chaos. I have never thought of her as fool-hardy.”
“We have nothing to worry about. From what we have gathered from our hordes of chayn, The Balance may not have yet even awoken. If she has, she obviously has not found her Others, or you would not be here. Chaos has the upper hand this time, Death. She is already wreaking havoc and this realm will belong to her. We will find and kill your precious Balance and this time, we will kill all four of her Others as well. You can’t stop us, we are too strong. Chaos is manifesting pawns from numerous gods daily. We will end you, Death. End you all. Your centuries of riding around on your pretty horses, chasing your never-ending tails will be over. Chaos will reign, it is her time.”
“Come on, Fear. What’s the matter? You afraid?” Ristan sneered at him. “Who’s the juice box you got here? A new toy?”
“A pretty little shifter with the yummiest fear. Took a bit to get her juices flowing, but once I got her goin’, I think she is going to be a tasty dish.” He smacked his lips and grabbed Bristol’s braid, jerking her head back. Bristol felt the fear stab her hard again, but her power was there, fighting back, pushing against the intrusion. From the corner of her eye, she saw Jayson with his arm around Jessie, pushing her out the door. She knew her friends were safe, so now she just needed to figure out how to fight Fear- literally and figuratively.
“Umm. I hate to interrupt this reunion, but I just want to go. I don’t want any trouble, I just want to be left alone,” she said, her voice trembling.
“Shut up, cunt.” Fear jerked her braid again causing her to wince.
She heard Ristan growl. “It must suck being you. Having to prey on people’s fears because you aren’t strong enough to create any of your own. You are a pathetic excuse for a manifestation. The gods really sucked it up when they made your sorry ass,” Ristan snarled, staring Fear in the eyes. “I have no desire to feed you or your master, but I am still going to kill you.”
Bristol felt Ristan tap her left hand where she was gripping the bar stool. She released the stool and felt a thin blade slip into her hand. “Listen carefully. I am going to make a sudden move that will cause him to twist toward me. I will push you back. Get that blade into him and then run, Bristol. Run as fast and as hard as you can. Call to Bror. He will be waiting for you.”
“You can’t die, Ristan. I can’t leave you to die, I won’t!”
“Didn’t you hear him, Bristol? I am Death. But I have no intention of dying tonight. I just found you and I will not leave you so soon. But do not wait for me. Just go.”
That instant, Ristan grabbed the pitcher of beer and slung it at Fear’s head. The man twisted sideways and leaned back to avoid the impact and released Bristol. Ristan shoved her bar stool backward and she felt herself falling. She spun her left hand and felt the blade enter the soft belly of the manifestation named Fear. She sliced deep and hard across his stomach as the weight of her body falling buried the short blade deep into his guts. He screamed in pain as her stool hit the ground and she slid on her back across the slick, wooden floor. Crab crawling backward, she watched as Ristan threw his body across Fear’s and they too crashed to the floor. She watched a fury of fists smashing into each other as the two ancient enemies battled. Scrambling to her feet, she reached for her whip, determined to help Ristan.
“No, Bristol! He can’t know you are The Balance! You have to run!” Ristan said.
“Bristol, you have ta leave him! We have to get you ta safety!” Bror interjected.
Around her, the other restaurant patrons were scrambling to the door, the calm environment suddenly mass pandemonium. As she headed for the exit, her instincts screamed at her to stop, to help her friend. He’s mine. She thought. I can’t abandon him.
Turning back around, she saw Fear take a huge breath, mouth unnaturally agape, arms fanned to the sides as the fear of the other customers fed him the emotion he craved. “Yes!” He bellowed. “Feed me!” Throwing his arms towards Ristan, a black, inky stream left his fingers and began wrapping itself around Ristan's hands, wrists and torso. Ristan grimaced in pain, then his runes began to glow. Throbbing, the runes fed his power and he rushed Fear, both of them landing on the hardwood floor yet again, matching each other punch for punch as they fought.
Ristan’s eyes blazed amber and she saw his fangs emerge. His body seemed to morph, becoming even larger. His hands ended in sharp, black claws that shredded one side of Fear’s face. “You must run, Bristol! This is the only chance we have to save you and the realm.” The thought came at her as a snarl and Bristol scrambled to her feet, running out the door and down the street, heading the opposite direction that they had come when they entered the town. She ran hard, pumping her legs, her lungs screaming for more air. Tears streamed down her face, leaving Ristan filling her with dread. As she approached the outskirts of town, in the thick darkness she saw movement headed at her at a breakneck speed. Phase was running straight at her, his eyes glowing the same amber as the man for whom he was created. Seeing the giant warhorse filled her with resolve. If he would run headlong into the battle, she would not run from it. “Wait for me, Bror. I cannot leave him,” she said, resolved.
“Bristol, NO!” Bror screamed in her head. “Fear will kill you! If you die, all is lost!” The anguish was apparent in his thoughts, yet she could not walk away from this. As the horse neared her, Bristol braced herself and softened her knees. Right as he was about to pass her, Bristol reached up and grabbed the saddle horn, swinging her right leg into the air. Flinging herself onto his back Bristol leaned into the horse's mane. “Go to him,” she commanded the steed. The horse laid his ears back as his neck stretched forward and he raced across the gravel street back in the direction she had just fled. Coming up fast to the bar, she saw Ristan stumble out the door. Blood marred his features and he leaned into the doorframe for balance. Black tendrils of inky ooze were sliding through the windows, and following him out the door, trying to surround him. Phase let out a snort and a whinny and Ristan looked up. “Grab onto me, Ristan. I will not leave you here. If you die, I die. Leaving you is not balance. You are mine.” She heard Bror screaming in her mind, his fear for her apparent as she projected to both of them. Approaching at breakneck speed, she leaned off to the side of the horse, extending herself, crooking her elbow. Ristan hooked her arm in his and swung up behind her. Never breaking stride, Phase continued to run at top speed, Bristol leaned over his neck, Ristan wrapped around her back.
“Gods, Bristol! Where are ya, girl! Ristan!” Bror was frantic in his thoughts.
“I have him, Bror. We will find you soon. Keep ridi
ng. Keep yourself and my friends safe, we will catch up soon. None of us can risk getting captured. I will never leave either of you behind. You will not sacrifice yourselves for me. You are my Others, not my lambs to be slaughtered.”
Riding at a full run around the outskirts of the town, Phase dodged obstacles, cleared fallen trees and kept his footing as they raced from the settlement in the direction the rest of the team was headed. Leaving the mayhem behind them in a cloud of dust, Phase carried them into the safety of night.
Bristol
As they rode on, Bror kept in constant contact, noting landmarks for the duo to follow as they closed the gap between them and their friends. Coming up to a river, they banked and followed it, the riding much easier with the light of the full moon reflecting off the water.
“We need to stop for a few minutes and rest. Jessie is struggling ta keep up. We don’t need ta stay separated any longer,” Bror said..
“That’s fine. We’ll stop to let Phase get a drink and then we will catch up to you. Just wait for us. I think we are in the clear for a little bit,” Bristol responded.
Stopping at a section of river with a gentle slope leading into the water, Bristol swung her leg in front of her and dismounted.
“ Are you ok? Are you injured? You haven’t said a word since we left town,” she said as Ristan glared at her from atop his steed. He slid off the horse and closed the gap between them.
“You don’t listen, Bristol. You put yourself in danger and just fucking refuse to follow direction of any kind. It’s goddamn dangerous! What part of this are you failing to understand?” He growled. “If you fucking die, all this dies! Every person, every innocent creature, your damn friends, Bristol. Everyone! Now please tell me how the hell that is balance?” As he yelled at her, Phase let out a snort and pushed his nose into Ristan’s back, shoving him forward before walking around his master and placing his giant head between the two of them. Ristan stared at him in disbelief. “What the hell? Now my fucking horse is taking your side, too?”
“I told you from the beginning I didn’t think I was the right person for this fucking job!” She yelled back, pointing a finger at his chest as she leaned around Phase. “If you think that barking orders at me, bossing me around and trying to get yourself killed is going to make me into this person you want me to be, you are dead wrong, Ristan. I am not here to stand back and watch you fucking die for me!” Tears threatened, but she held them back. “I don’t know how I handled this shit in the other realms, but I am telling you right now, I refuse to use my friends and my Others as tools to save myself. It’s wrong, I won’t do it and this whole world can be damned if that is what it takes to make you respect my decisions. Fuck you, Ristan, for thinking that I could just run away while you were torn apart by some demon reanimation of fucking fear!” A solitary tear slid down her cheek and she angrily wiped it away. She spun around and stalked angrily towards the river, ready to wash the dust off her face and swallow the lump in her throat.
“Bristol. Stop,” Ristan demanded.
Turning back to face him for another tirade, she found Ristan striding towards her, anger etched deep into his face, highlighted by the light of the moon. Cuts, bruises and dried blood marred his features as he approached. He walked into her, pushing her backward until her back hit a tree on the river bank. As his body slammed against hers, his mouth crashing down against her lips. Ferverently, he kissed her, his tongue demanding access to mingle with hers. She kissed him back, her arms wrapping around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair. Pulling her head back, he grasped her chin firmly with his other hand.
“You are exactly who I want you to be, woman. I don’t want to change you, but I won’t back down to you. I won’t let you decide you want to give up. I won’t coddle you or baby you. I will piss you off and I plan on doing it often. Then I’ll make it up to you and you’ll let me. You will listen to me when I am trying to save your ass and you won’t argue with me at every turn. Does that make our relationship a little more clear?” He asked.
“Yes, boss,” she replied, sarcasm lacing her tone.
“I could get used to that response leaving those lips,” he chuckled as his eyes blazed amber. Her mind scrambled for a clever retort, but all rational thought left her as his eyes devoured her and his mouth claimed hers again. Kissing her breathless, Bristol moaned as his lips moved down her neck. She pushed her head back against the tree and let her eyes close as he left a tingling trail of fire from one side, up to her ear on the other. He nipped her lobe and she heard a growl in his chest as he pushed himself against her stomach. Cupping her ass in his hands, he pulled her closer, melding her body to his. Capturing her mouth again, he kissed her hard, nipping at her lips before running his tongue along the tender flesh. Sliding his hands up her ribcage, he pushed her t-shirt above her breasts, baring them to the moonlight. Pinching her nipples between his fingers until she gasped, he released her long enough to pull her shirt over her head and toss it on the ground. Dropping to his knees, he pulled a nipple into his mouth, teasing it with his teeth before running his tongue over the tip. He worked the button and fly on her jeans, pushing them over her hips as she kicked off her boots. Lowering her to the forest floor, he caught her gaze and the heat she felt as he looked at her caused her blood to race hot. Moisture pooled between her legs and she reached for him again, to pull him down to her. Grabbing her wrists between his hand, he stretched them over her head, pinning her to the ground. His eyes searched hers before closing the space to rest his forehead against hers. His palm skimmed down her waist to her heated core. His fingers slid through her sex, slick with need for him. Teasing her clit with the pad of his thumb, she writhed against him, whispering his name. He rumbled deep in his chest, slipping his finger deep inside her. Arching her back, she pushed against him, wanting more, crying out when the digit left her body. Pulling her hands from his grasp, she sunk her fingers in his hair as he slid down, nipping a trail from her collarbone to her breasts, then lower, his tongue circling her belly button. Pushing her legs apart with his hands, he palmed her ass and opened her to his hungry stare. Dipping his head, his tongue teased her entrance before circling her clit, flicking the tip before sucking it into his mouth. He entered her with his middle and index finger and she felt the vibration in her belly from the growl in his throat as her pussy squeezed down on the welcome intrusion. She gasped as she felt her core tighten and Ristan increased the speed of his thrusts.
“You are mine, Bristol. You will always be mine.”
His words, spoken with such passion in her mind, pushed her over the edge and her orgasm crashed down upon her in waves. She screamed his name as his fingers continued to work her body while his mouth pressed kisses along the inside of her thigh. Pulling away from her, he jerked his shirt over his head, stood, and removed the rest of his clothes. Coming up on her knees, Bristol grasped his thick length in her fist and licked the tip. Wrapping her lips around the head, she pulled him into her mouth. Twisting her thick braid around his hand, he pushed until she felt him against her throat. Cupping his balls in her palm, she gently squeezed as he slowly thrust his hips against her. Grabbing his ass with her hands, she found a steady rhythm as she took him to his base. Letting out a feral moan, Ristan pulled away from her and brought her to her feet. Picking her up, her legs circling his waist, he settled her over his girth and she slid down onto his hard shaft. Crying out, she breathed deeply and he stilled, allowing her body to relax and accommodate him. Soon, her body burning for more, he eased her up his length and let her body weight impale her to the hilt. Wrapping her arms around him, Bristol buried her face in his neck, breathing in his scent, letting him establish a steady rhythm as he filled her. Riding the wave of ecstasy he was creating, she began to experience flash-back visions of him with her. The look in his eyes as he filled her with his seed on a large bed with extravagant bedding. Another vision of her looking down on him as they pleasured each other under the stars in a large grove of unfamiliar-look
ing trees. A slideshow of visions filled her mind, overwhelming her with emotions of lust, passion, fulfillment, and love. Her eyes filled with tears as Ristan once again lowered her to the soft grass of the river bank, tilting her hips with his hands, finding that sweet spot that pushed her into another climax. She cried out to him as the pleasure he created surrounded her, flooding her body and mind, making every nerve ending tingle. Feeling him grow even larger inside her, his chest rumbled as he growled her name, finding his own release. Looking into his eyes, she felt the tears escape and slide down her temples into her hair. Ristan reached down and wiped one away with the pad of his thumb.
“By the gods, why do you cry?” He asked softly, concern etched on his face.
“I remember, Ristan. I remember us together. In other times, other places. I could feel you, us, together. I know you, Ristan. I loved you so very much. And you loved me,” she cried. “How could the gods do this? How could they take me away from you? Take away all my memories?” she asked.
Emotions crashed across his face and his voice was thick. “You have never remembered me, woman. Hell, you have never remembered anything about any of us. Ever.” He rolled onto his back, pulling her with him, enveloping her in his arms. “I don’t know why things are so different this time. You can remember, you shift, you were already coming into your true powers before Bror and I found you. Even Phase protects you, and he has never been loyal to anyone except me in all these years. Yes, Bristol, I loved you in all those memories of yours. I love you still. I have loved you for centuries.”