Micah The Wanderer - Book 3: Training - Part 3

Part 3

There were of course repercussions from that event; the punch not the combination combat/striptease. There are strict rules prohibiting cadets from fighting and the nobles wanted Tamos expelled. The rest of us told the investigators that Darus had fallen from a top bunk on his face and the nobles were using the incident to try to get rid of somebody they didn't like. Nobody really believed us but nobody really liked the nobles enough to press the issue. Tamos was cautioned on the sly to watch his step for the rest of his training but other than that not much happened. The nobles were of course furious and began avoiding the rest of us as much as it was possible for people training in the same classes and sleeping within feet of each could. It made the last two years of training an interesting experience.

The final event of my time when I was training that I want to relay took place at our graduation. I had completed my training and passed my courses with flying colors. Everyone in our ten passed with high marks except for Darus. Since the punch, I mean since he fell out off that bunk he had trouble focusing on his work. His eyesight wasn't as good as it used to be and he had a tendency to forget things. His balance was also a little off and he sometimes suddenly dropped his sword. Whenever something like that would happen Prince Thon and Harcourt would glare at Tamos and I and mutter under their breath what I am sure were dire threats. Tamos wasn't worried because he wasn't leaving Imperial house. He had been offered the position to apprentice to his father as the weapons master and the nobles could not and would not dare try anything against the house. Tamos however told me on more than one occasion that I had to be careful especially if I ever traveled through Paydor or Farum.

There is a small ceremony upon graduation and each of us is presented with a small pin that represents the imperial shield. This symbolizes that we have completed our training. Commander Thomas Canterbury presented our pins to us. We learned that this was a unique experience when he stood before us to make a speech. He stated that to have an elf or a dwarf, an amazon or even a Nubian in one of our tens was not that unusual. For us to have had all those elements in one ten was the most unusual occurrence in the history of Imperial house. They had checked their records going back to imperial times and such an occurrence had never taken place before. He thought that this indicated that there were diverse and unusual roads ahead for all of us and wished us all luck. He then greeted each of us according to our race or homeland and then saluted us all as imperials. We all returned the salute and he dismissed us to go eat the special dinner Jado had prepared for us. This was also an unusual occurrence as Jado had never put herself out for a departing ten before but we had apparently made a good impression on her.

We went to the dining hall but were then directed to the officer's mess for our last official meal at Imperial house. When we entered all the tables had been cleared away except for one which had exactly eleven places set. Each place had a small plaque that represented where we came from. Tamos had a small Imperial shield before his place. My place had the crest of Samisand before it. Jayce and Elura each had a carved figure depicting their clan symbol before their places and so on and so on. We all sat in our places and Jado entered carrying a large tureen which she placed on a small wheeled cart next to the table. When she straightened up we could all see she was topless as when she usually worked in the kitchens. She looked over at me where I sat staring at her large breast and grinned. After all these years they still had a profound effect on me.

When she spoke it was directly to me. "Since you leave tomorrow I thought I would give you one last thrill."

Saying that she stepped behind my chair while pulling the soup bearing cart with her. I had wondered about the short backed chair that was in my place when I sat down but when she started serving my food I didn't wonder any more. While she was behind me she reached past me to pick up my soup dish. As she did so her massive breasts rubbed against the back of my head and then spread out to encircle my head as she leaned forward. The light came back and I could see my bowl was gone and Tamos was sitting across from me grinning as her hand reappeared with the filled bowl and the lights went out again as her breasts surrounded my head again. She stepped back and moved on to the next person, serving them from the side as all the others had chairs with high backs on them. I looked to my right where Jayce sat with a smug look on her face sipping her soup as Jado moved on around the table.

I asked. "You knew about this?"

She just kept eating with a slight smirk on her face. I looked around the table and all of them were grinning at me.

I glared at Tamos. "You all knew about this."

He grinned at me again but before he could speak Jado spoke up from where she stood next to Du-nay with his bowl in her hand. "You have to finish all your soup before I will serve you your next course."

I looked over at her and she twitched her shoulders causing her breasts to sway and jump. Everyone laughed as I dug into my soup with a vengeance despite the fact that it was still hot.

Tamos finally spoke when I stopped to blow on my soup to keep from melting my tongue. "After all these years of your plots and schemes we decided it was time for someone to put something over on you. Jado thought it was a great idea."

I didn't make any comment as I was concentrating on getting rid of my soup as quickly as possible. By the time Jado had served Ohmlee who was on my left I had scraped the bottom of my dish and sat back to look at her. She grabbed my bowl and held it up on end and nothing dripped out of it.

Everyone laughed and she set the bowl aside. "I guess you're ready for the next course."

She leaned forward and picked up my plate, shutting out the light again and then set it back filled with a portion of roast beef and some steamed vegetables. I of course couldn't see what she was setting out in front of me because her breasts surrounded my head each time she leaned forward but I would have eaten dried brush and mud to get that feeling again and again.

As you may have figured out after five years of enforced abstinence sex was very much on my mind. I had only had a few sexual experiences when I came to Imperial house but I was a healthy twenty year old who had a serious backlog of bodily fluids that I was willing to share with the first female of any species that showed an interest. The women of my ten were all lovely and all of them had nice figures but over the last five years I had come to view them in more of a brotherly fashion than any other way. I had watched as they matured in both mind and body and had also seen them become more proficient in ways to kill and injure people.

This combination did not make them romantic targets in my mind. Not that I have anything against women fighting it's just I have seen what they have done to men who interfere with them on a physical level. It's not something you're liable to forget once you have seen it and it often re-emerged in my mind, usually at about three o'clock in the morning when I was jerked from sleep in a cold sweat.

Needless to say I was thoroughly enjoying Jado's treatment of me as she served one course after the other. Each time I was served my head was cradled and surrounded by her massive breasts and I went through my courses much faster than anyone else at the table. I actually finished my dessert before anyone else finished the main course and they all got a good laugh out of that. I didn't care I was actually wishing the meal had more courses so she could keep serving me. I sat and talked to the others as they worked their way through the rest of their meal discussing what they were going to do when they left Imperial house, if they were going to start a family that kind of thing. When they finished eating we all turned to Jado where she stood still topless and told her that was the finest meal we had ever eaten.

Tamos commented, "Finest and fastest for Micah."

We all laughed as we rose from the table. As we all turned to leave Jado stepped over to me and hugged me to her chest telling me not to be a stranger and come back and see them. I had grown a few inches in the last five years but she still towered over me and when she hugged me my head slid in between her bare breast and I could hear her slow loud heartbeat. I stepped back and took her hands in mine. These too were huge compared to mine but I drew them to my lips and kissed the back of each one before swearing to her that I would be back if only to let her serve me another meal like tonight. She blushed, which was very odd looking with her greenish complexion, and shooed us out so she could clean up this mess.

We all made our way back to our barracks to pack our belongings to be ready to leave in the morning. When we arrived at our barracks we were each greeted by the sight of our weapons. My Hawk-wings, along with my bow and arrows and short sword were on my bunk. Jayce's broadsword and Elura's saber were on theirs as well. Du-nuy and Du-nay's spears were propped against the wall between their bunks. Delwyn's bow and his elvish double blades were on his and Ohmlee's axe sat on the floor with the handle propped on the wall. This was the next to last thing to show we were no longer cadets. The last thing would be our vests. When we left in the morning we were supposed to leave our red vests behind on our bunks. I think that was the hardest part for most of us. For five years those had been the symbol of us belonging to something larger and to each other. That was hard to give up.

I must state that before all this took place that Sgt. Margate had taken me to the commander's office and he had offered me a position at Imperial house. He told me that he thought I would be a great asset to the house. I was very respectful but refused anyway. I told him I was flattered but that I felt that my wanderlust would drag me away from my duties if I decided to stay. He told me he understood but felt he should make the offer. We parted as friends and I stopped by to see the folks there upon occasion when my wanderings took me into that area.

---

The next morning we rolled out of our bunks at the usual time despite the fact that no trainer was banging on our bunks to get us up. There was much stretching and complaining as people stood up and slipped on clothes in preparation to leave. A couple actually started to don their vests until someone reminded them that they weren't supposed to wear them anymore. That thought caused me to look over at where Du-nuy and Du-nay's bunks were. Du-nay had already removed his vest and stood there in just his loincloth and sandals.

At eighteen he was very close to full maturity and his chest had filled out as he had added inches in height. He was now right at six feet tall and well formed. I looked at Du-nuy where she still sat on her bunk twisting the buttons of the vest she still wore. She sensed my gaze and looked up at me. The smile was slightly forced and she looked nervous. She hadn't got as tall as Du-nay but her chest had filled in more and the vest she wore was strained to hold her in. She smiled again before she spoke.

"Five years ago when I entered this building I thought nothing of walking in with nothing on but my loincloth and sandals. Only older, wealthy women in our country cover their breasts all the time and young women actually paint their breast with different colors to get men to look at them. All this I know in my head but after five years I am nervous of taking this covering off and going into public."

I smiled back at her and sat on the opposite side of the bunk. I could sense Du-nay watching me, waiting to see what I would say. He had come to respect his sister as a warrior but the accepting her as a woman was coming harder. "Five years ago you had nothing to look at if anybody bothered. You have spent those five years around people who see exposed breasts as an invitation to unwanted action. Just remember what Castille said. Use this to your advantage. Make them misjudge you for how you look while you spread their head open with the butt of your spear. Teach them they have to look in your eyes to see what you're thinking not your nipples."

She giggled at the last part of that statement and I heard Du-nay chuckle as well. She nodded her head and reached to unbutton her vest. I didn't want to seem like a hypocrite so I stood and returned to my bunk busying myself with checking my pack. After a moment however something hit me in the back of the head and draped over it blocking my vision. I reached up and snatched it away and realized it was a vest. I turned to see Du-nuy standing next to her bunk in just her loincloth and sandals, her breasts exposed in all their naked glory. She had certainly filled in and her slender figure made them appear even larger. Du-nuy's giggle made me realize that I had been staring and I looked up into her grinning face for a moment.

I threw her vest back at her. "You're supposed to leave that on your bunk not mine."

"Thank you for returning it. You could have stepped over here and handed it to me." She clasped her hands behind her back which caused her chest to thrust out even farther. She twisted from side to side as she did this causing the fleshy globes to sway back and forth.

I had to clear my throat before I could speak. "I merely returned it in the fashion it was given to me."

She giggled again and threw her hands up in a symbol of surrender before turning to gather the few things she had and put them in her backpack. I let the breath I had been holding out slowly so she wouldn't hear and wiped my forehead where I was suddenly sweating. Du-nay saw me and grinned nodding his head in my direction.

I was about to say something to him when Tamos clapped me on the shoulder and spoke in my ear while looking at Du-nuy get her things together. "Yep, I'm really going to miss all of you. You make life so interesting."

I turned towards him and he grinned at me before raising both his hands to my shoulders. "It's going to be too damn quiet around here without you Micah. My father says now that he has taught someone the Hawk-wings that he's ready to retire and Margate says that after this group he wanted a frontier assignment where it would be quieter. Chain says that he is going to have to rewrite several sections on the Root wars in the library since he had to do all that research to answer the questions you asked Delwyn and Ohmlee and then in turn asked him. Master Erlich said that if he ever saw you again you had better have that herb you said would cure the runs you gave the nobles because several of the tens behind us found out what you used and are using it on their opponent's breakfast portions and their running out of clean linen."

I laughed and turned back to my pack. Digging down to the bottom I found a small wad of paper and drew it out.

I handed this to Tamos. "Do me a favor and give this to Master Erlich after I leave today. He'd kill me if he knew I had this the whole time."

Tamos opened the paper to see the fine green powder. He looked up at me then threw his head back and laughed. "Not to mention what Margate would do to your corpse."

I shuddered when he said that. Margate had been a good trainer and fairly tolerant when it had come to some of the antics we had gotten up to; however there had been a few times that I thought I had pushed him passed his limit. When that had happened he had sworn dire consequences if he ever caught me alone somewhere. Most of the time we had laughed it off and he with us but a few times something had glittered in his eyes as his control slipped a little more. I wasn't worried that he would hunt me down or anything like that but anyone should be nervous when a seasoned veteran with ten years experience of removing life from undeserving, at least in his eyes undeserving, individuals. I shook myself and looked over at Tamos.

He stood with his ever present grin on his face. "You be sure to give him my love too after I've gone."

Tamos and I both chuckled at that and I turned to gather up my things. I reached down and for the first time in life, outside of on the practice field, strapped on the sheaths of my Hawk-wings. It may have been my imagination but they felt different today. I guess maybe it was me that was different. I felt more ready, more prepared than I had been when I left my home five years ago. It hadn't been just the training. It had been the companionship, the meeting other people with other ways about them. I had met different kinds of people when I lived at the crossroads but now I had lived with them, spent time with them.

I looked around the barracks. Everybody but Jayce and Elura had already gone outside taking their things with them and as I watched they both lifted their packs and headed for the door. I grabbed my pack and followed behind and out into the courtyard. When we emerged the others were standing around facing Sgt. Margate who was figuratively and literally between them and the gate. His final dismissal was required before we could officially leave.

I realize at this point that I have not described the good sergeant even though I have mentioned him several times. That is probably because he is the least memorable character I had ever met. The man would have made an incredible spy. He was of average height and build. His eyes were a pale blue that darkened to greenish grey when he was angry. These were set in a face that can only be described as average. Fairly bland features with a fairly nom-descript appearance. His white Imperial uniform tended to look grey and shapeless on his grey and shapeless body. The only time he took on any semblance of life and animation was when he was angry which happened fairly often with me and Tamos.

The thing that was truly disconcerting about this man was that he had been a soldier in some of the bloodiest jobs Imperial house had undertaken in the last hundred years and had come out unmarked. Not so much as a dueling scar marked the smooth cheeks or arms of this average man. I can only think that he was so patently unnoticeable that people didn't realize he was there until they started dieing at his hands.

His voice when he spoke was needless to say a dull monotone. "Alright you 'inheritors of the earth', get into line."

We lined up as we had the last five years. The nickname, 'inheritors of the earth', had been dropped on my squad because not only did we have three sons of kings with Thon, Ohmlee and Du-nay, we also had the son of and Elfish sorceress which some people see as the same thing. This also worked because there were representatives of the three major races, human, elf and dwarf, along with representatives of the amazons and one representative of Imperial house in Tamos. A fourth year student had meant it as a disparaging remark when we first appeared as a group on the practice ground but it had stuck and actually come to be respected. Our group was often referred to as "the inheritors" by those outside our squad.

Now we stood waiting for the final dismissal of Sgt. Margate. Symbolically we would not be officially graduated until he dismissed us. We had to line up in the order we arrived which went; Tamos, Prince Thon, Darus, Harcourt, Jayce, Elura, me, Delwyn, Ohmlee and finally Du-nay and Du-nuy.

Margate looked us over and then stepped up to Tamos. "Tamos, I have watched you working with the blades. You are very skilled but unseasoned. In time you will be as fine a weapons master as your father."

Saying that he shook Tamos hand and moved on to Prince Thon. "Prince, you have excelled at your training. Your father has much to be proud of."

He bowed slightly and moved on to Darus. "Congratulations sir."

He bowed even more slightly and moved on. No one was really surprised when he moved on from Darus rather quickly. Since his…accident, he had not been the best pupil. In fact he had barely graduated at all.

Margate stood in front of Harcourt for a moment before speaking. "Harcourt, the commander has sent a personal letter with my own recommendations enclosed to your father. We both recommend that you apply for service in the courts of Samisand, Matos or Esses. Your skill in strategy and planning would make you a valuable commodity for any kingdoms army."

None of us were surprised at this. Harcourt had outstripped us all in strategy and when he wasn't around Thon and Darus he was a decent sort. What surprised everyone, especially Thon was the lack of mention of his applying to the court of either Paydor or Farum.

"Jayce and Elura, I have been informed that your two clans have joined under one banner. You are now both of the griffin clan. You are now both clan sisters and your mothers share rule as war-mistress'. Congratulations and I know both of you will be credits to your clan."

He stepped over in front of me. I could see he was debating what to say and finally came up with something. "Well at least you didn't get expelled. The commander did want me to ask how you got that flask of brandy out of his office. You were in plain view the whole time and he's worried that there is a secret passage into his office he doesn't know about."

I hesitated a moment then looked over at Delwyn. He nodded slightly and I turned back to the sergeant. "I didn't do it Sarge. Delwyn did."

The sergeant looked surprised. That wasn't a surprising reaction as elves are notoriously honest. "Delwyn!! You stole the commander's flask!"

"Well technically I didn't steal it. I merely moved it from one location to another where it was later stolen by someone else."

"Is that how you got around your legendary elvish honesty? Well who really stole it then?"

"I don't know that sergeant. I performed a service for a friend and that was where my part ended."

He looked at me and asked, "And you were the friend?"

"Yes sir."

He turned back to Delwyn. "How did you get past the guard in the hall? He wasn't asleep was he?"

"No sergeant. I used a flying charm I had been working on for a while. It wasn't perfected yet but it made me light enough to climb the ivy undetected."

"Magic huh? Well the commander will sleep a little easier knowing there's not a hole in his office that he can't see. What did you do with it?"

The last was directed at me and I had to think hard before I answered the question. I didn't want to lie to Margate at this point but I didn't want to hurt a good mans career. The incident we were discussing happened a little over a year ago. The reason I had the brandy purloined was that Master Erlich our herbologist and healer had suddenly lost his wife after twenty years of marriage. How isn't really important but lets just say she was traveling back to Imperial house when it happened. Erlich took it extremely hard and didn't eat or sleep for nearly two weeks.

We were all worried he would work himself to death in his grief. Since he was a herbologist there was very little chance of slipping him something without his knowledge. We sat down and discussed what to do and it came out that he was a teetotaler. He had never had anything to drink of an alcoholic nature. We procured the brandy and sat him down for a discussion on poison cures. We presented the brandy as a slightly fermented cider and he sampled it unknowingly. Poison cures were one of his favorite subjects and he talked as we kept his mug filled and after twenty minutes he drifted off to sleep on the wings of alcohol. When he woke up the next day with a hangover and couldn't get out of the bed he was angry. When someone was brought in injured and he couldn't get up to help them he was frustrated. When someone else treated the man he was relieved. The next day when he was able to get up he was better. He told us that if we cared enough to drug him in some way then the least he could do was make our efforts worthwhile and live.

I looked at the sergeant and made my decision. "Would you accept that it was for a good cause and that none of us actually drank any of it?"

He looked at me a moment and then nodded his head. "Alright, if you say so, I know you have conned, tricked, obscured, obfuscated and evaded while you were here but I know you have never flat out lied to me."

He moved on to stand in front of Delwyn. "Your mother will be pleased that you continued to study your magic while you were here. She will also be pleased with your skill with the bow and your blades have improved while you were here."

He approached Ohmlee. "You can tell your father that not only I but Castille feel you have earned the right to bear that axe. Your ancestors will welcome your wielding the blade."

This was a high compliment for a dwarf. They believe that each person who uses a weapon leaves a bit of themselves attached to it. To say he could use it was to say they believed he would earn a spot in posterity and would bring honor to his family and tribe. Ohmlee nodded solemnly as any dwarf would and Margate moved on to Du-nuy and Du-nay.

He looked Du-nuy up and down in all her bare-chested glory and grunted. "Nice uniform Du-nuy."

"I have worn the vest with honor and pride for the last five years. Now it is time to honor the customs and traditions of my homeland."

Margate grunted again and nodded his head. A slight smile cracked his lips before he began to speak again. "I want you to know that the commander let me include a note of my own in the last progress report he sent to your father. I told him that if he didn't appoint you as captain of the guard just because you were a girl that he was an idiot."

Both Du-nuy and Du-nay got pale upon hearing that and looked nervously at each other.

"At least that's what I wrote before the commander made me change it to say I thought he would be ill advised not to consider you for the position despite your gender."

They both visibly relaxed and Du-nuy spoke up. "I thank you sergeant for your recommendation but my father will keep his own counsel."

"All the same I had to make the effort, as for you Du-nay; you will make a fine king in due course when your father passes."

He stepped back where he could see all of us and looked us over one more time. "Very well, the ten that was also known as 'the inheritors' is dismissed from class for the final time. Good luck to all of you and check in from time to time so we can know how you are faring."

He snapped to attention and saluted us in the Imperial manner. We all responded in kind and he turned on his heel and marched away without looking back. We watched for a moment and then we all started drifting towards the small gate. Tamos walked with us as far as the entrance of the tunnel where he embraced us all save the nobles who had already entered the tunnel. A pall of silence hung over the group as we traversed the tunnel and emerged into the sunlight. When we emerged it was to see an armed escort of two hundred men surrounding a coach which bore the royal crest of Farum. Prince Thon, Darus and Harcourt had climbed into the coach and it had wheeled to depart with the mounted escort falling in behind.

It was an impressive sight but not as impressive as the group of fifty Molambasa spear warriors running past them and approaching the gate where we stood. As they had before they approached at a dead run and stopped without a sound. The two warriors in the lead handed their spears to the ones behind them and reached behind them to remove their packs. Du-nay and Du-nuy stood rooted to the spot, their own spears held close to their bodies as they stared straight ahead. The first warrior removed what appeared to be a copper helmet.

He approached Du-nuy and held it out to her. "Your father has asked me to present this to you as is the tradition of our people for the second born of twins."

Du-nuy stretched out her hand and took the helmet. She handed her spear to the warrior and used both hands to seat the helmet on her head. She retrieved her spear and turned to face the remainder of us where we stood off to one side. The helmet fit snuggly to her head outlined her face with the bright copper finish. Her eyes were wet with unshed tears and her smile shined like a star. I knew then that she had achieved her goal to become captain of the guards. The others in our little group came to the same conclusion and suddenly we were all cheering and clapping as she smiled even wider.

When the tumult had died down the other warrior reached into his pack and drew out a thin gold circlet. "Your father has asked me to present you with this as befits the rank of the first born." He reached up and placed the circlet on Du-nay's head and stepped back.

He turned towards the rest of the warriors. "All hail Prince Du-nay, heir to the throne of Molambasa."

He spun back towards the prince and clapped his hands to his forehead before sinking to one knee. All the warriors including Du-nuy followed suit.

When Du-nay signaled for them to rise the warrior turned once again to the group. "Hail Princess Du-nuy, captain of the guards."

He turned towards Du-nuy and thumped his spear butt on the ground three times and shouted some word I didn't understand. I later found out it meant "honor". The whole group of warriors did this in unison and it was a little overwhelming.

When they were finished they turned towards Du-nay and the same warrior spoke again. "If your highnesses are ready we can depart immediately. Your father is anxious to see you after all these years."

Du-nay nodded and the group opened up to allow him to enter the middle of the group. He nodded at us in passing, no longer able to address us directly because of protocol. When the group had closed around him the same warrior turned to Du-nuy where she stood. She looked our way again and nodded before turning back towards "her" warriors. She raised her spear and moved off at a run with the group falling in behind her. We stood and watched until the group disappeared from sight.

Jayce said, "She could have at least said good bye."

I could see she didn't recall what had happened when those two had first arrived. "Jayce, don't you remember, they can't talk to someone who is not of minister rank or above."

"Huh, oh yeah, I had forgotten that. Oh well, at least she got what she wanted and she's on her way home."

Delwyn was staring into the distance, "Speaking of going home, I think your ride is here."

I looked in the direction he was but could only see a faint cloud of dust. We stood around and talked as the dust cloud grew larger and then resolved into a group of horsemen, or should I say horsewomen. What must have been about thirty amazons leading two other horses thundered up to the fortress and skidded to a stop not ten feet from our little group. Two women bounded from their horses before they stopped moving and threw their reigns to women next to them. The huge blond woman had to be Jayce's mother Mur as she swept her up in a bear hug while calling her name. The shorter redhead also had to be Elura's mother Tye. She was more restrained than Mur but you could tell she was going to squeeze that girl for all she was worth the first time they were alone somewhere. The four women chattered together at an alarming pace for several minutes.

Jayce broke up the torrent of sound by raising a hand in my direction and stating in a loud voice that carried over the din. "And this is Micah, the fellow I wrote you about."

Mur's flinty blue eyes swiveled in my direction along with Tye's softer brown ones. I felt myself gulp at the attention that I was suddenly under. I didn't dare let my eyes wander beyond these women's faces. These weren't just amazons but war-mistresses. These were experienced warriors who had been through many battles. To offend either of them would be a painful if not fatal mistake. I stood there trying to get my heart to slow down or at least beat more quietly. I was certain that everybody around me could hear it because I could hear it so well. Mur turned towards me and started walking my way.

A small voice in my head kept saying to calm down that they could smell fear but my common sense overruled that as being true about wild animals. Mur stopped about five feet from me but I still had to tilt my head to keep eye contact. Jayce was at least six inches taller than me; this woman was another six inches taller than that at least. I willed my feet to be still as I felt them trying to fidget or run. I'm not sure which.

When Mur spoke it was with a surprisingly mellow voice compared to the bellowing she had been doing while she and Jayce pummeled each other on the back. "So you're the man that kept Jayce in trouble for the last five years?"

I opened my mouth to respond but nothing came out as the words cowered in my throat afraid to be forced out into the open.

Before I could shove anything out she continued. "I want to ask you something."

Mur had been fiddling with her iron breastplate while we were talking or should I say while she was talking and I was gaping like a fish. As I watched, she grabbed one side and pulled it away from her body revealing her shift. Before I could react to that she grabbed the hem of that and pulled it off over her head exposing the second largest breasts I had ever seen in my life. My brain seized up and I barely heard her next words.

Mur grinned, "How do these compare with my daughter? Not bad for a forty-five year old huh?"

I was back in gaping fish mode until someone snapped their fingers under my nose and I looked up at Jayce as she grinned down at me.

Jayce said, "See mom, you could gut him and he wouldn't notice as long as you waggle those in front of him."

At this point I noticed there was a lot of feminine laughter going on and I looked to see all the amazons hunkered down on their saddle bows with their shoulders shaking in mirth. I looked back at Mur.

She was re-dressed and smiled at me while shaking her head. "Let's hope that you never have a well endowed opponent. I want to thank you for keeping an eye on Jayce and Elura. They've told us about all the help you have been over the years. You will always be welcome in our village."

She clasped my forearm and turned to mount her horse. I realized that Jayce, Elura and Tye had already mounted and when Mur mounted they all wheeled and with a final nod of their heads thundered away. It wasn't until they rode out of sight that I realized I had not spoken the whole time they had been there. I turned to Delwyn and Ohmlee to see both of them smirking at me. I raised my fist towards them and opened my mouth and then realized I still couldn't think of anything to say. After a moment I lowered my hand shook my head and turned to head down the east bound road.

A few moments later I heard Ohmlee's footsteps to my left and looked to my right to see Delwyn moving silently next to me. Since we all lived in the same general direction we had agreed to travel together a ways.

After a few minutes Delwyn spoke up. "Beautiful day, a perfect day to start out with your head back and your chest thrust out. A day to make a clean breast of things, you might say."

I quit trying to catch him after ten minutes and continued on the way to the snorting laugh of the dwarf.

End of Book 3

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