by Bethan Johns
Those first few months we got no sleep. After a time, it became harder for her to rift to me as neither of us were in private tents anymore, but when she could she would come to me and then rift us both away. We still spoke daily through our psychic link. As the day neared that we would be graduating we couldn’t wait to take some time off and travel through a few Howelltie areas we had yet to see.
Laying there, on the bed we had shared the week before, I silently cursed myself for ever bringing up the idea of her going to Faery.
I told myself there was no way she would have gone forever without going. It would have been likely she would be hired to travel through Faery on a mission once we entered the Mercenary camps.
I needed to move forward, it was hard. It was almost as if I just stayed here, where we were last together, we could be happy again. She would appear in front of me.
She didn’t.
I steeled myself after a few more days, I left all of her things behind, save for her sword and I left. I left to continue our dream and I went to the mercenary camps.
I went to finally let loose that passion and bloodlust I had so long kept quiet. They would not know what hit them.
✽✽✽
Sierade
I let myself fall into the magic that was the Tundra, I let it absorb me as I absorbed it.
We twined together and tasted each other and began to shape planes, universes, and worlds together.
We created new creatures, entirely brand-new species.
We were chaos, we were bliss.
Chapter 3 – Meetings and Greetings
Year 10,158 AC
Sylek
I walked into my tent and let the warmth of my small hearth soak in. I was in a mid-ranking mercenary camp in the high ranges of the Elter Mountain Range. I shivered with the cold.
The camp was perched on a crest of the range so high that breathing was difficult. The tent and the hearth worked hard to keep out the bitter cold and vicious winds.
Moving across the small space I congratulated myself on the victory.
I had demolished him; my last battle, I was not even sure if he would get up again I had so thoroughly broken his mind.
Hearing the tent flap rustle, I turned to see Rislin enter, her long silver locks braided tightly against her skull.
I shuddered at the thought of wearing my hair in such a manner, many of the females did as it was the current fashion, but Howelltie hair is living and breathing and to constrict in such a way made me imagine nothing but discomfort.
I watched her as she crossed the room to me, her large, red-lashed crimson eyes freely roaming over my body. Rislin was a mercenary working her way up through the physical fighting units.
She had no desire to lead, only to make her way to the top and receive an offer to join the Rustlavayne army – the largest, most wealthy and highly-sought after mercenary army. She wasn’t far from her goal now.
“You did well Sylek.” She said when she stood about a foot from me.
She was tall and slender like most Howelltie females, her facial features were especially fine, delicate, with full lips.
“Thank you Rislin” I said turning away.
“Keep going at this rate you could command your own army in fifty years, maybe less.” She continued.
I shook my head.
“I don’t want an army, I want independent contracts.” I stated simply.
I had no desire for leadership, that was not where my talents lay, and I knew it.
I was quiet, I was stealthy. I did not burn so brightly.
Rislin was silent.
I felt her hands on my shoulders then, turning me. When she had spun me around, she pulled my hands up and placed them on her breasts. Though slim, Rislin had full, large breasts. Among the Howelltie she was a great beauty. I looked into her eyes and saw them change from crimson blood to molten heat. I squeezed pressure onto her right breast and lightly grazed her nipple with my thumb.
She gasped, and I felt myself grow hard. I quickly ripped the clothing from her body and gripping her bottom, pulled her legs around me.
Her mouth found mine and we were biting and kissing ferociously. I spun her and pushed her into the wooden post in the centre of my tent causing the structure to shudder around us.
Gripping her waist, I slammed my body into hers. She cried out loudly and I felt my fire magic roar up inside me in response.
Pumping into her I let my magic pulse heat around us and sent tiny embers across the sensitive parts of her body, causing her to blossom open for me further. She became molten metal in my arms. I drove into her until I heard her scream and felt her release before I found mine.
Laying on the hard-packed floor of the tent with her warm body sprawled over mine, I realised that had been the first time I had been with a female since Sierade had left over fifty years ago.
I stood up, letting Rislin roll from me into a heap on the floor. Ignoring her sounds of protest, I retied my pants, threw on a light shirt and walked out into the cold mountains.
I was not done with her yet, but I needed a moment to myself.
A moment to touch that now surreal-feeling link where I could still feel Sierade. She was out there somewhere, whatever was left of her at least.
I had mourned her. I had tried to forget, I knew I never would. I called out her name gently into the antechamber that was once well used and now seemed a cobwebbed, dank hallway.
Hearing Rislin’s voice on the wind calling my name I turned away from the blowing mountain winds and my own tempestuous thoughts back to the warmth of my tent and the female waiting for me.
✽✽✽
Gaelen
As I walked through the halls of the Faery court I remembered why I hated it so much. Save for the servants, I didn’t think I saw one creature without a political, selfish mask on their face.
I looked over at Elliot where he walked beside me, he did not look much more impressed. He let the people bow to him, and fawn over him, but we had left this place millennia ago, opting to live in the much more casual atmosphere of his private home, on his private planet.
Chuckling to myself, I wondered how stupid these people would feel if they knew that there, in our home, our safe place, not even the lowliest servants were required to bow to their prince.
I watched his sapphire eyes flashing in anger as a particularly voluptuous young Fae female with raven hair and violet eyes stood in his way. She was reaching her hand up to run her fingers through his golden hair.
I walked over and grabbed her wrist before her fingertips could so much as brush the ends. “Do not touch him.” I said quietly.
As I caught the female’s violet eyes she quailed no small amount, it seemed like it might be an effort not to run from me.
“Gaelen.” Elliot muttered quietly. He knew I was on edge here. Like an attack dog he couldn’t ever quite tame to perfection. I was the opposite of his charming court appearance.
The dark to his light.
I let her go, throwing her arm away in the process nearly dislocating it, she blew out a pained breath.
I put my hand on his elbow and pulled him away to continue our walk to the council chambers where the Queen would be waiting, having just finished a meeting.
I had a reputation, I liked it. There were few who did the sort of court posturing around me that they did for Elliot. He couldn’t just hit people and get away with calling it an act of security the way I could though.
The hall we walked was gilded in shining silver and gold, everything showed a reflection, making the space seem much larger than it truly was.
We were underground and faelights floated among and above the many people going in and out of different meeting rooms and small shops.
Many said that when they came to the Faery Court they could feel the ancient history lining its walls. Dripping from the very faelight orbs that had lit this place for eons.
I felt no such attachment to it. When I had first come here
I had thought it was beautiful, but it quickly lost its appeal. As did the people who resided here.
Including the queen.
The throne room was up ahead on our right, and as always there was a large rabble of Fae and other Sidhe there waiting for a chance to see the queen, to meet her.
Turning left quickly down a side hall we took the long way around through the servant’s hallways to the council chambers.
I pushed open the door and we found ourselves in an emptying room. It had a large table running down the centre and seats rising up all around it amphitheatre-style.
At the head of the table sat Queen Aubliette, her golden hair floating neatly to the floor in curling waves. Her violet coloured dress thin enough to show nearly everything that lay beneath.
There were still a few constituents lagging behind, one whom I noted was Olephia Trast. I knew she was vying for a council seat within the next fifty years or so. She caught the Princes eye and gave him a pretty smile. When she turned to me her smile did not falter “Gaelen” she acknowledged pleasantly. “Lady Olephia” I returned with a wink.
She blushed crimson and took off out of the room. I laughed, that was not usually the reaction I got from females.
Elliot: Always.
Me: Most females feared Gaelen the Stormcleaver, most males did as well for that matter.
I saw Elliot shake his head and smile at me.
Watching him walk over to his mother I admired the way he held himself; proud, intelligent, loyal. Elliot was a good male, through and through.
That was hard to find in royalty. Especially as the son of one as questionable as Aubliette sometimes became.
My eyes moved to Queen Aubliette to find hers already on me, narrowing.
I sighed and moved over to the table in time to hear Elliot say as he sat “What news?”
She tore her blue eyes, a shade lighter than Elliot’s sapphire ones, away from me and looked at him with annoyance.
“If you bothered to show up to the council meetings instead of five minutes after you would know already.”
He leaned back in his chair, his long frame stretching out casually. “Ah, but you know I don’t go anywhere without my personal guard” he said gesturing to me. “And he gets so cranky sitting through those long, dull meetings.”
I scoffed as I sat down, and the Queen rolled her eyes at him.
“Fine. It appears there is unrest because the new queen has yet to show herself. I don’t quite understand why this is such an issue, it is not the first time that it has taken a few hundred years over the ten thousand marker for a queen to arise simply because of circumstance.”
“Yes.” I agreed, “However; those other times, there was war, there was unrest. I think we should be looking to set an example for the future rather than follow in the footsteps of the past your Majesty.”
Her eyes sparkled at me “Call me Aubliette, Gaelen.”
I inclined my head to her as Elliot began speaking,
“I agree, why now are you trying to pass these bills and movements that would cause turbulent waters in the best of times? You know that the queen who steps down has much sway with the newly crowned one, why not wait to pass difficult charters when the people are pleased by their new queen and are less likely to revolt?”
The Queen stood and started pacing angrily. “It has only been one hundred and fifty years since a new queen was to arise and already the Howelltie and the Elfin mistrust me, they think me responsible. Where is their loyalty?”
He nodded “All the more reason to appease them, show them some sort of faith, give them more, be generous. They already mistrust you, why now do you try to pass laws to take things away from them?”
I had been scanning the papers on the table in front of us as he spoke.
“Aubliette, this is a motion to seize assets of the Elfin, signatured creatures and vegetation that have been a large source of their trade income for millennia, you are practically asking for war.”
She spun to me angrily. “Why should I appease them? They immediately accuse me of high treason. After I have served as queen faithfully for ten thousand years. How dare they? I will pass this motion. I will pass many others in the works. If they want war, they can have it.”
Elliot stood up angrily. “This is madness, you are acting out of bitterness towards your people, these are your people Aubliette. Act like a queen and not a spurned child.”
She turned to him and said quietly. “That’s right, I am still queen. I will be treated like one.”
Looking between us, she growled, frustrated.
“Get out, the both of you. Go!”
She roared the last word.
Elliot looked stunned. I moved over to stand with him, turned him with my hand on his back and moved us toward the door. Running my thumb lightly down his spine I looked over my shoulder at the queen. Deliberately drawing her attention to my fingers on Elliot’s back.
I made my golden eyes darken to near-black, catching her eyes narrow in anger before I turned around, snapped out my wings, and rifted us away.
Back in Elliot’s study, he turned to me narrowing his eyes at my darkened ones and my black feathered wings spread wide.
“You didn’t need to go and piss her off more Gaelen.” he said.
I shrugged, throwing myself into a chair before his desk letting my eyes bleed back to gold.
“Yes. I did.” I said simply.
He stared at me a moment. “By the Tundra, what the hell is she thinking?”
I ran my fingers through my hair and let out a sigh. “She is asking for war. I can’t help but wonder if there’s more to this. This seems like a long way to go just over some unrest about the new queen not showing yet.”
Elliot sank down into the chair in front of me, slipping off his loafers he raised his legs and set his feet in my lap.
I raised my brows at him and he pouted at me. It was a nice pout, I chuckled and obligingly started rubbing.
We stayed there in amicable silence for a time.
“Maybe it’s time we start speaking to other council members, see where their thoughts are. It takes a certain number of votes to see these things through.” He said thoughtfully.
I nodded.
He continued.
“I am sure that the Howelltie would not agree with taking from the Elfin, they would see themselves as next. The other Fae could go either way depending on who is willing to vote against Aubliette. The Nephilim are hard to judge.”
I watched him as his brows furrowed. I could tell he was thinking of all the members of the council and how he might approach them to speak on behalf of peace.
He looked older, more tired when he was stressed. I put down his feet and he started to groan his complaint but silenced when I slid to the floor in front of him running my hands up his thighs to rest on his hips.
He smiled down at me as I gripped him harder. Suddenly I stood, pulling him upwards with me and I kissed him hungrily. He ran his fingers lightly over my wings and when I dug my fingers into his back and bit down hard on his shoulder, he threw his head back and cried out crushing feathers of my wings in his fists.
I smiled at him. I knew my canines had sharpened and my eyes had darkened. I let him lean forward with his hands on my chest delicately licking his way along those razor-sharp teeth. When I gripped his hips hard pulling him to grind against me, I tasted the blood telling me that his tongue had split, and his fingernails cut into the skin where his hands convulsed on my chest.
“Take me somewhere.” He breathed into my mouth huskily.
“Where do you want to go?” I asked quietly.
“Everywhere.” He responded.
I smiled, and we rifted.
…
I awoke to sunshine streaming into my face, my body was sore. I smiled to myself laying with my eyes closed still. I could feel the warm sand beneath me and the soft muscle of Elliot’s limbs tangled with mine. I lay there for a few moments soaking up the warmth of the
sun and listening to the sound of the waves.
We were on a beach in Faery, we had come here many times over the ages. We would come here to let out our passions, sometimes just to swim in the waters, or have a bonfire on the long sandy shore.
I opened my eyes to the blaze of two suns in the sky, it looked like the third and smallest had not yet risen.