The Aspect: The Cessation's Harbinger

by Ajax Lygan

  “Your Eminence, if I may be so confident, I would never pass up an opportunity to see your private hot spring. I’d be willing to pay any price.”

  “Yeah, I’m definitely intrigued as well,” Queen Alyndra said, slipping her arm around Tempest’s. “What do you say, your Eminence?” Tempest looked over at Saïgra, who’s eyes had a special sparkle and gleam. She folded her lip as she gave a quick nod.

  “Sounds like the decision has been made for me,” Tempest said, reaching out to the acolyte, raising his eyes to meet his own. “Please, lead the way.” The acolyte turned and pointed to two side doors.

  “The left is for the women, and the right is for the men. There are fresh towels to use, should you wish. You can leave your clothing on the floor and one of the brothers or sisters will fold them and store them until you’re finished. Once you are done undressing, there is another set of doors opposite of these. I will meet you there and take you to the private area.”

  “We’ll see you on the other side,” Tempest said, waving to the girls as they entered the room. The room was large to accommodate the size of the various species; however, it was rather empty save for a wooden bench that was nearly as long as the room. Square cubbies stacked along the western wall.

  When they slid open the door, they startled an acolyte awake, who was leaning in one of the nearby corners. Tempest couldn’t help but chuckle at the acolyte’s enormous eyes and heavy panting as they bowed. Alfonso sucked in between his teeth before letting out a whistle.

  “Oof, bad move, kid. First day of his Eminence’s arrival and you’re caught asleep at your post.”

  “Don’t tell him that,” Tempest said, laughing. “You’re going to give him a heart attack.” Tempest approached the young bearin and placed his hand on his back. “What’s your name?”

  “T-Theodore Brightpaw, your Eminence,” he said, staying hunched over, his teeth chattering as he spoke.

  “Stand, Theodore, I like to look into the eyes of the person I am speaking to.” The young bearin stood. His large brown eyes darted from the floor to Tempest as he began panting. “Has it been a long day for you, Theodore?”

  “Y-yes, your Eminence, I’ve been up since before sunrise.”

  “That’s a long day for someone so young. How old are you?”

  “Three, your Eminence.”

  Tempest smiled and leaned in front of the boy. “I think you’ve earned a rest,” Tempest whispered. “Why don’t you go get some rest, and if anyone asks you about it, tell them to come speak to me.”

  “U-uh, you sure?” Theodore said with a big smile.

  “Absolutely. I think Sir de Manzanedo and I can take care of ourselves.”

  “Oh please, your Eminence, call me Alfonso.”

  Tempest and Theodore shared one final smile before the boy scurried over to the door.

  “Sleep well, Theodore,” Tempest called out, before the boy smiled, bowed, and slid the door closed.

  “Oh no,” Alfonso said, placing his hand up to his mouth.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Your Eminence, I think you may be too kind for this world.”

  Tempest smirked as the two men undressed. Tempest was rather quick, given his two pieces of clothing, while Alfonso sat on the nearby bench. The wood creaked under the weight of the large reptikin, his tail hitting the ground with a thwack like a fallen tree. Tempest grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around his waist. He grabbed a second one and handed it to Alfonso, who thanked him and wrapped it around his neck. The pair exited the room and hot steam immediately assaulted their faces.

  The back of the building opened to varying sized pools separated by fist-sized rocks. In the middle was one large pool where the majority of the crowd lounged in the nude and socialized, surrounded by smaller pools allowing for more personal conversations. The water was a murky bright blue, completely concealing the bottom. If it wasn’t for the dwarves sitting in the middle, there would be no telling how deep they were. As Tempest scanned the pools, he realized that most of their visitors were the guards and guests brought by the members of the IRC.

  “Mm-hm…this is going to be a night to remember,” Alfonso said, rubbing his hands together. “And you, Your Eminence, might I say you have some of the best taste.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Lady Saïgra and Queen Alyndra, dioses míos, two of the most beautiful women on all of Iðna.” Alfonso leaned in with the back of his hand near the side of his mouth, his tone dropping to a whisper. “And don’t you worry, your Eminence, I’ll be there in your corner all the way.” He leaned up and laughed. “Though I’d doubt you need my help at all.” Tempest couldn’t help but laugh with the man; his laughter, much like Bram’s, was contagious.

  “I still don’t know what you’re getting at.”

  Alfonso stopped laughing and turned toward Tempest. He stared at him, opening and then closing his mouth as if he was trying to find the right words to say. “You do know what they call the first day of these meetings, and what they are about?”

  Tempest shook his head, causing Alfonso to let out a long whistle. Alyndra, Saïgra, and the acolyte approached from behind, interrupting their conversation. Tempest turned to find the acolyte holding several towels next to the two women who were holding onto each other’s arms wrapped in plush bath robes.

  “If you all follow me, I’ll take you just beyond that wall.”

  “You two go on ahead,” Alfonso said, holding his arm out across Tempest’s chest. “We’ll follow.” The two women shrugged as they followed the acolyte down the slate stone walkway that led off to the right. Alfonso waited until the women were more than speaking distance, before he waved Tempest to follow him. “The night of the first day of these meetings is called Celestra’s Bloom,” he whispered.

  “Why? What does the fertility goddess have anything to do with this?”

  Alfonso stopped walking, placed both hands over his eyes and then slid them down the top of his elongated mouth. He let out a sigh, and he looked around them. Grabbing Tempest’s shoulders, he turned his back toward the public pools, pointing his finger at them. “Take another look out there. What do you see?”

  Tempest’s eyes jumped to each of the individuals. The first thing that stood out to him was that King Khenba and the vervean Queens were now occupying their own private pool. The women continued their feeble ploy, distracting the King with every tool in their arsenal. If it wasn’t for the preconceived feelings he had for the man, based on the input provided by Alyndra, he may have felt sorry for him. The importance of seeing the King and Queens first, was that it led to Tempest seeing the same pattern throughout the remaining guests as he looked around the pools. Couple’s and groups paired off with each other. What Tempest initially saw as playful banter and fun, turned out to be a lot more physical.

  “This isn’t what I think it is, is it?”

  “Oh yes,” Alfonso said with a wide smile. “Each member of the IRC brings their best. Some, like Halairim, bring their royal guard as a reward for their service. Others, like Belaphama and Verve, bring their best offerings.”

  “And from the looks of King Khenba and the vervean Queens, the IRC takes part as well?”

  “Well, of course. What’s the point of bringing a dish to a party if you’re not going to eat?” After he finished laughing, Alfonso leaned, wrapped his arm around Tempest, and brought him in close. “And you, your Eminence, well, you’re the guest of honor. You don’t even need to bring a dish and can have as much dessert as you desire.”

  “Wait, so that’s why Alyndra suggested this? I mean, there was the night of the award ceremony…”

  Alfonso raised his hand in the air and placed the other on his heart. “I would never be a man to speak for her royal majesty, but on the other hand,” he said, leaning back toward Tempest, “the way that she has been looking at you and been all over you this evening is…uncharacteristic of her.”

  “In what way?”

  “Let’s
just say that Queen Alyndra is typically viewed as a goody-two-shoes. I’ve never seen her participate in the first night’s revelries. The rumor was that after the attack on Ashwreath and the passing of her father, Alyndra has grown much more independent. It’s honestly refreshing to see.” The two men turned down the stone path as Queen Alyndra shouted.

  “Are you two coming?!”

  Alfonso winked at Tempest before the two men continued down the path, passing beautiful circular patterns raked in the nearby pebble stones. The path stopped at a tall wooden gate, flanked by even higher bushes limiting the view beyond. The acolyte stood there holding the door open as the two men entered. The pool was modern and hand crafted. Small trees and flora sprouted throughout the design, giving it a more natural aesthetic.

  In the far corner, Saïgra and Sophia gripped along the edge, overlooking the waterfall descending into the open valley below. Tempest took in a deep breath as he saw the backsides of the women bob above the water. But it was Alfonso who said it best.

  “Jo eh…” He quickly placed his hand over his mouth and turned to Tempest who started laughing.

  “Don’t worry, I was thinking the same thing too,” Tempest said. Tempest slipped off the towel and set it to the side as the two men entered the hot spring. The boiling water took a moment to get used to but was quite the reprieve from the chilly night air.

  The sound of the splashing water alerted the women of the men’s arrival, giving Tempest and Alfonso a tantalizing taste of their beauty as they rolled to their backs before sliding lower into the water. Tempest was surprised to find that Saïgra no longer covered herself with her natural bark.

  Seeing both women completely exposed sparked a sudden worry into his mind as Tempest contemplated how he was going to get through this situation without activating his pheromones. Both sets of breasts blazed across his mind like flashes of lightning. His heart raced as he knew he had to try to keep his mind off of them, at least for the time being. He slid further into the middle of the hot spring where he bobbed underwater, letting the flash hit of heat on his face distract him for the moment. He held there, trying to get his thoughts in order.

  When his head crested the water, Tempest opened his eyes to find Saïgra and Alyndra lounging on the nearby decline where Tempest had entered the water. Alfonso was pulling cups off of a nearby platter, showing signs of a recent delivery in the moments Tempest was underwater. He handed everyone their own before raising his glass.

  “To old friends and new,” he smirked, waving the glass. “May Celestra bless us in the coming days, and may our wildest dreams come true, salud!”

  “Salud!” everyone repeated before downing the contents of the glass. An eruption of coughing and laughter rolled through the group as everyone handed the reptikin back their drinks.

  “Gods, Alfonso, what was that?” Alyndra asked. “It tasted like alcohol mixed in fermented fish guts.”

  “Close!” he said, gripping his stomach. “It’s a sample brew our brew master made back in Twin’s Crossing. The anglers can’t get enough of the stuff. We’ll be planning on opening a distillery soon and exporting it.”

  “Remind me never to take another glass from Alfonso again,” Saïgra added. “I need a palate cleanser.” Alfonso turned to one of the nearby acolytes who was standing at attention.

  “Excuse me, young master? Can you please bring us some fresh glasses, your best wine, and a sampling of tonight’s menu?”

  “Yes, your majesty,” the acolyte said, bowing and exiting the wooden doors.

  “Your majesty? Well, that’s quite the good omen, don’t you think?”

  “Be careful not to get your hopes up,” Alyndra said, running her hand through the water. “King Khenba could still change his mind at the last minute, and even if he doesn’t, you’re going to have to get majority approval.”

  “Let us not ruin a wonderful evening with talks of work. I’d much rather do it enjoying the company of you beautiful people.” Alfonso reached his hand out and brought it under Alyndra’s, placing a soft kiss on the back of it.

  “Always the charmer,” she joked, rolling her eyes and flinging water at him. Alfonso placed both hands over his heart and made a fake dying noise as he slid underneath the water. He resurfaced in a typical reptikin fashion with just the top of his head protruding out of the water. With a playful roar, Alfonso jumped out of the water, grabbed the two women around the waist, and pulled them further into the water with him. Both comically screamed as their tones took that of damsels in distress.

  “Help us, your Eminence!” Saïgra yelled.

  “Save us from the evil clutches of the Maniacal de Manzanedo,” Alyndra added.

  “It’s over your Eminence, you are out of your element while I am in mine,” Alfonso bellowed. “The beautiful women are mine, forever trapped to do my bidding.”

  “Oh, no!” Alyndra shouted as she pretended to faint, to which Saïgra followed suit.

  Tempest couldn’t help but smile as Alfonso gave him a wink. He moved himself up the rocky incline, bringing his upper body out of the water. After placing his fists on his hips, Tempest played along.

  “De Manzanedo, you’ve made a grave error against me,” he said in a heroic tone. “You’ve taken that which means the most to me in this world, and for that you must pay.”

  “You’ll never catch me!” Alfonso shouted. What proceeded was a silly game of cat and mouse. Alfonso, with the two women on his shoulder, slowly swam in circles around the hot spring with Tempest close behind. Alyndra and Saïgra shouted cries for help, reaching out for Tempest’s hands, purposefully missing them as they laughed in place.

  Although, some of the misses were due to no fault of his own as both women’s large breasts hung over Alfonso’s back, swinging with every motion and laugh the women made. The two women giggled as they caught Tempest’s persistent glares. When several acolytes returned with new food and drink, Tempest decided it was best to end the game before he got himself in trouble. With new found energy, he pulled the girls through Alfonso’s grip with his force magic and slowly lowered them into the pool.

  “My hero,” Alyndra said, placing a small kiss on Tempest’s cheek.

  “Thank you for saving me,” Saïgra followed, kissing his other cheek. As both women stepped away, they each draped their fingers down Tempest’s body, sending shivers down his spine. The two giggled as they floated away toward the nearby plates of the night’s meals. Tempest sunk back into the tub, repeating alchemical formulas that Ella had taught him in an effort to busy his mind. The subtle touch of the two vixens floating in front of him was tearing down any mental fortitude he had left.

  The late-night snack brought a second wind into the night’s festivities as the group feasted on after-dinner sweets and the herald’s mead. Alfonso offered the group some more of his concoction, only to receive firm declines and signs of disgust. With a laugh, the reptikin grabbed a bottle of mead and topped everyone’s glasses.

  “Let’s spice things up, shall we?” Alfonso proposed. “How about we play a drinking game?”

  “Why do I have a feeling I am going to regret this,” Alyndra said, taking a sip.

  “It will be fun, trust me. We get to drink and get to know each other a bit better.”

  “How do we play?” Saïgra asked.

  “It’s quite simple, really, I’ll start. When it’s your turn, you’ll say something you’ve never done, usually something crude, and everyone else has to drink if they have done it.”

  “This sounds fun,” Alyndra said, rubbing her shoulder against Saïgra.

  “All right, I’ll go first. I’ve never slept with someone the first night I have met them.”

  “You’re such a liar!” Alyndra shouted.

  “I swear to the gods as my witness, it’s never been the same day.”

  “What about the lamia from Verve two years back?”

  “To be honest, we were so gone by the time we got back to my room, that we just passed out. It di
dn’t happen until the morning.” Alyndra crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks before she took a drink, glaring at Alfonso.

  “Aha, Queen Alyndra, you sultry succubus. Here everyone thinks you’re a prude but look at you.”

  “They think I’m a prude? Well, I guess it’s better than the opposite.”

  “And?” Alfonso said, waving his arms around.

  “And what?”

  “Ay por los dioses, are you going to tell us what happened?”

  “Oh, well, you didn’t tell me that was part of the game!” Alyndra sat there with the cup at her lips looking at each of the individuals before taking in a deep breath.

  “I was in the midland plains meeting with Chief Razerhorn’s tribe. They wanted to establish trade with Ashwreath directly without having to go through the approval from the other eight tribes.”

  “Wow, that’s a big no-no,” Saïgra said.

  “Exactly, which ultimately led to us telling them no, as we didn’t want to damage our other relations with the other eight tribes.”

  “Why go all the way there then? That could have easily been handled by correspondence.”

  “If I have bad news to tell, I typically enjoy delivering it in person. Not to mention it was in a period of time I had been in the Ashwreath spire for weeks. I was itching to travel.”

  “Okay…but what happened while you were there.”

  “Oh, you know, the smoke pipe was passed around, and the Minotaur clans harvest the wild midland strains that grow through there. One hit of that, and your desires completely take control.”

  “That was an excellent start,” Alfonso said, lightly clapping his hands. “Okay, your majesty, your turn.” Alyndra rubbed the cup in between her hands with a sly smile.

  “I’ve never slept with multiple partners at the same time before.” Saïgra and Tempest both slowly raised their glasses.

  “Oh ho, now we’re getting somewhere!” Alfonso said, splashing as he sat up straight. “Lady Saïgra, you first and then your Eminence.”

  “Well, the entire grove is connected mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, so if you think about it, it’s just another form of self-masturbation…” Everyone went quiet as they finagled the concept of an interconnected being. They wondered what counted, what didn’t count, and how pedantic you would need to be. They sat in silence until Saïgra started giggling.