The Third
They left their clothes and equipment with the sleeping Eolf, covering him with his shirt to protect him somewhat from the sun. Lirielle picked up the amulet and wedged it into a crevice in the wall and they set off down the slope to the stream. "All we have to worry about for the moment are some randy spiders." She said.
The stream was bedded with perfect round pebbles, gathered up and polished by the waters flow. Low bushes and trees kept the topsoil in place so the water was clean and clear. The two girls did not hesitate in getting in and laying down to immerse themselves in the shallow water. When they were satisfied they were clean they stepped out and found a sunny patch of grass in which they could lay down to dry out.
Lirielle stretched out her arms behind her and closed her eyes against the bright sun. "Tell me about your village then, why did you leave?"
"I told you before I needed supplies for my summoning spell."
"Yes but you didn't explain why you wanted to do a summoning spell in the first place, not much call for demons in your standard village trades unless you're a blacksmith I suppose but then you'd be after a fire demon."
"You talk a lot."
"And you don't talk enough, go on." Lirielle rolled on her side and propped herself on one elbow to look at her companion. She was well muscled, a little on the thin side with no breasts to speak of and the wild red hair on her head accompanied another wild patch of dark red between her legs. Asteraven stared off into the sky and then began to speak.
"My uncle ran an Inn about a days ride from the city, my family are farmers and they sent me to work with my uncle. We would get all sorts staying: nobles, merchants, wizards and common folk. For the most part I didn't have any contact with them but the others would always gossip and tell stories about the fancy folk. I didn't pay much attention because mostly their heads were full of foolish dreams and romance. One day I was cleaning one of the estate rooms when I came across that amulet." She paused a moment, apparently in thought. "Tell me, what did it look like when you first saw it." Lirielle was surprised at the question.
"Well it's kind of a wreath of gold, all twisted around, with a ruby in the centre."
"And how much do you think it's worth?"
"Well magical properties aside and just as a piece of jewelery I'd say 1000 or so gold pieces, that's a pretty big ruby."
"That's what I saw too. When I picked it up a million thoughts rushed through my head, maybe I could sell it or keep it. If I returned it to it's owner maybe he'd reward me or punish me. Maybe someone would even accuse me of stealing it. I could see I had a chance, a dangerous one, but a chance none-the-less to change my life. I came out of that room with it clasped in my hand just as my uncle came by. He asked to see what I was holding and he wouldn't be put off. Eventually he snatched it from me and I thought I was sure to be punished but instead he just laughed and told me I should keep it. I was shocked, it's worth more than I would earn in ten years. I hid it in my bed after that.
"I decided to find out who had been in that room to see what my chances of reward or punishment would be so I asked around and discovered that the Countess Rosetta had spent the night on her way to the city. It was then that I began listening to the gossip in the back room.
"I heard the most fanciful tales about the countess; that she had murdered her husband, that she was really a vampire, that she was famed for her charity work and that she was going to the city to seek out an heir to her massive estate. I decided that a reward was unlikely and since no-one had come searching for it that it would not be missed. I told my uncle that I wanted to visit my family and he gave me permission to leave. Instead of going to my family I went into the city and sought out jewelers. The first place I visited offered me a copper for it, the second wouldn't offer even that. I was baffled, even if it was fake it was worth at least five silver as a pretty bauble. I tried every jeweler I could find but none would offer me more than a few copper. I had expected to make a quick sale and then find somewhere to stay, instead I was alone and poor in a strange place.
"Naturally a pair of ruffians targeted me for robbery and I think you can guess what else. They chased me into a blind alley so I drew out my knife and looked for some way of escape. I remember thinking if only I could get behind them I could stick them and run. The next thing I knew one of them had dropped to the ground, his friend spun to see what was wrong and I took my chance. I ran at his exposed back with my knife outstretched and stabbed him under the ribs, he dropped across his friend. They both appeared to be dead, so I took a closer look at what had killed the first one. There was a stab wound in his back, identical to the one I had inflicted on his friend. I don't know why but I wasn't afraid that some invisible ally was stabbing people on my behalf. I searched the corpses and took their money pouches and daggers then went to find an Inn. The innkeeper told me where I could find some more jewelers in the rich part of town. That day was even worse some places wouldn't even let me in the door and I was laughed out of the rest. I had no choice but to go back to my uncle.
"A week later the rumor in the kitchen was that the countess would stay again on her way back to her estate. With no real choice other than to give up I decided to offer it back to her and hope for a reward.
"When the countess returned it was in a huge black coach drawn by white horses, I was prepared to believe at that moment that she really was a vampire. There was no way I could get near her with all the bustling of guards, stable boys and footmen so I waited and bode my time waiting for my chance. I was lucky that evening, a young knight was also staying at the inn and he had invited her to dine with him, rather than cause a scandal by meeting in his or her rooms she had decided to eat in the common room albeit at the balcony table above the mob. I called in some favours from the other waiting girls to serve at their table.
"I watched them carefully as they ate their meal, the knight was trying to press his suit but she was having none of it. She would smile at his jokes but she seemed to regard him patronisingly as if she were a teacher dealing with a dense but keen pupil. When they finished eating and called for more wine I presented the amulet and explained how I came to find it. Just like my uncle the young knight just laughed at me the countess merely smiled and then she said to me the strangest thing. 'You insult me to suggest I would wear such a cheap brass button, one of you servants must have dropped it.' I looked down stunned at the amulet in my hand which lay there, a brass button to fasten the stable boy's britches. I turned my face again to the smiling Countess and saw her wink at me with her shining dark eyes. I apologised and stumbled away, I didn't serve them again."
"What about the amulet?" Lirielle asked.
"Well, of course, when I left I looked at it again and it was just the same as when I found it with that huge shining ruby. Despite my embarrassment there was work to do so I stashed it in my apron pocket and went about my duties. Later that evening when I was helping in the kitchen my uncle came rushing in and told me I must see the countess in her rooms immediately, she had asked for me by name although I'm sure I never told it her.
I climbed the stairs and knocked on her door, more curious than afraid. The room was bright with candles and an oil lamp burning beside her on a writing desk. The desk was not one of ours, it was a traveling one which folded away on her coach. She was a very tall woman in her early thirties with fair skin and black hair pulled back behind her head and knotted through an elaborate ornament of silver dripping black opals. 'Come in and sit down, please.' Her voice was smooth, welcoming and friendly very different to the tones she had used with the knight. There was no sign of any one else in the room so I moved to sit on the edge of the chair she indicated. 'Now, there's no need to be afraid, you can keep that amulet and I'm sure it will be very useful for you. You will just need some instruction on how to get best use from it.' She drew a slim volume from the desk and handed it to me. I took it carefully.
'Thank you, Countess.'
'Come now, let's not be so formal, tell me about yourself.' She came over and raised me from my chair then led me over to the lounge by the window. She kept asking me questions about my family and my life, she told me I was unusual for seeing the true nature of the amulet, that it meant I had the potential for magic. The book explained some simple spells and how to harness a demon power to the amulet so that I could channel its energy into my spells. She explained all this to me as if she were the cook explaining a recipe for soup."
"So you decided that magic was a better life than chores." Lirielle was watching her intently but Asteraven merely shrugged."
"I'd known that since the city when I killed those two thugs. The spell came so naturally to me, it's like I was finding my home. Like the countess said, I had the magical potential it wasn't chance that brought the amulet to me."
"It certainly seems that way," she muttered.
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing. So, did you sleep with the knight? He was obviously gagging for it."
"No!"
"Don't get touchy, I would have."
"I slept with the countess...
It happened so easily, as she talked to me the room grew warmer even as the fire shrank back. She offered me wine and we drank it together. She slipped her hand into my lap and I didn't even glance down I was entranced by the movement of her lips. Gradually I came to realise her fingers were rubbing me through my skirts, I reached out and placed my hand over her breast. The front of her dress was stiff with embroidery but the white skin of her bust was soft and moved under my touch. She stood and my hand fell away but she only turned and began to work at the lacing of her bodice. I rose to help her and the stiff corsetry fell away in an instant and her hair and the black opals sat in stark contrast to her white back.
I replaced my hand on her bosom and began to rub it gently as we leaned in to kiss. Her lips were sticky but warm at first touch, they parted and she tilted her head as the kiss grew deeper. Her hands were dealing with the bindings of my humble attire so I set about removing her skirts. We managed to separate ourselves from our clothing and I felt myself emboldened. I placed my arm around her delicate waist and directed her to the bed. All she was wearing was the elaborate head dress and I wore even less. She sat on the edge of the bed and I knelt behind her to remove the fragile ornament. With it gone I pulled her bodily onto the bed and pushed her down onto her back.
"She didn't protest as I used my tongue between her legs. After I brought her to orgasm I crawled up between her legs to lie over her as a man would. I pushed myself against her and we kissed deeply some more. The invitation of her lips was more than I could stand so I climbed up her body until I straddled her face. She seemed only too happy to use her tongue as I ground myself against her mouth. Suddenly I heard a noise and I turned my head to see if we had been discovered. A slim black object was hovering in the air by her writing desk. She gestured with her hand and it came towards us. As it got closer I could see it was formed in the shape of a penis. I slid back off her face and she grinned at me through a mask of my juices. I felt a firm warm touch to the skin of my lower back, the device slid down my spine. The countess reached up and pulled my face down to hers causing my arse to stick up into the air. The device began to ooze a slick liquid as it pushed on and entered my anus, the countess released my face and pushed me over onto my side. I let out a deep moan as the device twisted with me. She took my ankle in her hand and pushed it up away from the bed then leaned in and continued pleasuring my cunt. The device began to move again, it slid in and out of my butt. I was orgasming continuously, she kept this up for what seemed like an hour. Occasionally she would reposition my legs or approach me from a different angle. Eventually I felt the device slip out and fall to the bed, she continued to use her tongue but grew gentler and finally stopped. I crept out of her room just before dawn and began my chores for the day."
Continued in Chapter 4
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