The Chaos Blade - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Yamara found Alesha in a grotto that the two of them had visited many times when Yamara had first arrived on the prison world. Alesha was swimming in the warm and briny water of a grotto that seemed to lead out much further into an endless sea.

Yamara sat upon a rocky outcropping and looked down on the supple form of Alesha as she swam through the gentle waves. She studied her for several minutes as Alesha swam about, lost in thought. Finally Alesha looked up and saw her. As always, Alesha's mind was closed to her. It was rare that Yamara tried to exercise her mental powers, but every time she attempted it with Alesha her mind met an impenetrable wall. Eric had been fairly easy to establish contact with back in the bar she had met him in, and Bill had been even easier. It offered her little opportunity in Bill's case, for she had no desire to make him attracted to her, but it had come in handy in seducing Eric initially.

She had also discovered that only through repeated contact and intimacy was she able to share any of her emotions. Ever since the brief time she spent mentally battling Keeden she had never again been able to share her thoughts with anyone or read anyone else's mind. That was a pity, she thought, for having that information would help her make a great many decisions.

Alesha stopped and treaded water, staring up at Yamara. She smiled genuinely for a brief moment, but when Yamara returned only a troubled expression, Alesha sighed and swam in place.

"What do you think, Yamara?" She asked.

"I find myself more and more unsure," Yamara admitted after a minute. "I used to trust myself, you know. I used to always know what had to be done and was willing to do it, regardless of the cost."

"Now I find that sometimes the cost is too high," Yamara finished.

Alesha nodded her head, nearly snorting seawater in the process. She frowned and swam close to sure where her feet could touch the bottom. She stood up then, the top of the water lapping just above her breasts. With only the torches on the shore providing light, the sight of her was mesmerizing.

"I really want to do the right thing," Alesha said, walking towards the shore now and letting the water drip off her artful curves. "I want to never have to worry again about what happened before. I want to forget all about it!"

"To forget about it is to invite it to happen again," Yamara said. She stood up and moved down from the rock she was on towards the sandy beach Alesha was nearing.

"I know," she admitted, stepping out of the water now. A gentle breeze blew around her, conjured up from seemingly nowhere. It brought a swirl of arm air around her, lifting her long dark hair, the only hair on her body, and quickly drying the water from her skin. In moments she was left standing there dry but with hard nipples.

Yamara caught herself staring at her nipples and quickly glanced away. She looked back at Alesha's face and offered a weak smile. "I was ready before I went to your world to get you that sword and stand beside you. But then I saw what your brother did. I saw what he did for you. Not only for you, but because it was what you taught him to do. I saw that and I began to doubt."

Alesha nodded and walked closer to Yamara. She put her hand on her shoulder softly. "I am responsible for the ruining of the lives of more people then I can possibly count. My armies killed thousands in Viconia, though they were mine no longer at that point, I made it all possible. Then on Earth I directly corrupted, coerced, and murdered more people then you could probably imagine, Yamara. I deserved to die. I still do, actually."

"Why Kelnozz spared me I do not know," she whispered, turning away.

"Yes you do," Yamara said, experiencing an odd moment of warmth. She reached out and put her own hand on the soft and smooth skin of Alesha's shoulder. It reminded her of Brina, though Alesha was several inches taller.

"Yes, I do know," Alesha said bitterly. "He knew it was a more fitting torture for me to live knowing what I did then for me to find the sweet release of death."

"No," Yamara said firmly. "I do not know who this Kelnozz is, beyond your words, but I know enough about you to know that he wanted you to live because you are not the person you had become. Bavorish twisted you and made you into someone you are not. So you have pain now, tough shit! We all have pain, Alesha. All of us that deserve the most to live know what it is to lose. The problem I find myself facing as much as you is how to behave once we have reached that point."

"Tough shit?" Alesha asked after she reeled from the verbal slap Yamara had given her. She realized she was feeling sorry for herself and knew it would get her nowhere.

"I learned a few things on your world," Yamara admitted with a wicked grin. "Not sure I understand it yet, but it seemed to fit."

"Aye, it fit very well," she admitted. Then she chuckled. "Okay girl, I am ready for this I think. Gods, I missed you though."

Yamara laughed as well. She found herself face to face and very close to Alesha. She was overpowered by the intoxicating scent of her skin and the mere proximity of her. Their arms went around one another and their lips touched hungrily. They clutched one another firmly, trying to pull the other into them and pushing only with their mouths and tongues against one another.

Then they pulled away from each other. Yamara took a deep shuddering breath. "I'm sorry," whispered, her face flushed.

Alesha looked at her in surprise. "I understand," she said, smiling. "I've seen enough of him to know he's quite a guy."

Yamara looked at her, equally surprised. "No," she stammered. The she laughed. "There's nothing between me and Eric. The problem is Brina... I, um, I realized that you remind me of her. So very different, but somehow you remind me of her."

Alesha raised an eyebrow but smiled encouragingly despite that. "I am sorry, I did not know. That must be painful."

Yamara shrugged and looked away, sniffing once and blinking repeatedly before she looked back. "No, I'm okay. I just have to be sure, you know? Not for fear of corrupting you, that would be impossible if I even bothered caring about! No, I need to be sure for myself because I have a lot to figure out. One of those things is why I am telling you all this! I always keep my problems to myself."

Alesha smirked. "Then maybe it's time you opened up a little. You remind me of a guy. You know, the strong silent type. That's great if you're really trying for the bull-dyke thing though, I guess."

"Bull-dyke?"

Alesha laughed. "Earth expression, sorry. Um, the dominant women in a lesbian relationship."

Yamara nodded. "Okay. That's not me, really. I mean, I have to be in control of myself, that much is certain, but relationships are too damned confusing to bother with, I think. And as for women... if I need comfort late at night I have no preference for one or the other sex, as long as I can stand the person."

Alesha smiled. Yamara was pretty confused, but she deserved the time to figure herself out on her own. She walked over to Yamara and turned her around to head back towards the common room. With a start Yamara realized that Alesha's dress was back on.

Yamara turned her head towards Alesha and opened her mouth to ask about it when Alesha's hand slapped her lightly on her ass. Yamara yelped in surprise and laughed. The two girls, acting like the old friends that they pretended they were, walked back along the beach towards the two men.

---

Jason was relaxing on the beach with his shirt off while Bill was skipping stones into the water whenever he could find one. Bill stopped and held one in his hands experimentally, weighing it thoughtfully. "Man she's beautiful!"

Alesha smiled and hid a polite chuckle behind her hand. Yamara's eyes widened at how inept the two of them could be to not realize they were walking up behind them. Eric glanced over and saw them. He chuckled and glanced back at Bill.

"We leave tomorrow," Alesha said loud enough to be heard clearly. Bill spun around quickly, dropping his forgotten stone in the process. He blushed a bright red when he saw how close they were. He looked to Eric, who nodded confirmation, and then grinned sheepishly at Alesha.

"And just where are we going tomorrow?" Eric asked, standing up and putting his shirt back on.

Alesha shrugged in the background. Yamara opened her mouth to respond but Eric held up his hand. "I presume this means you made up your mind about yourself then?"

Alesha nodded, biting at her lip for a pensive moment. "Yes, I am willing to take the risk. I want to get out of here and if I have to fight off His influence for the rest of my life, so be it. This is a great place to visit, but living here is not for me."

"What about us?" Eric asked, the alcohol giving him the courage, or the stupidity, to say things he might have normally kept to himself. "What about the hundreds and thousands and millions of innocent people who's lives you could end or change if you do become His creature again? Did you think of that?"

Alesha lowered her head shamefully for a moment. Yamara glared at Eric. She was about to put an end to his ravings and possibly even leave them stranded on the forgotten world while the girls went their separate ways. Yamara stopped when she realized she was more irritated at him then she should be. Then she had any right to be, really.

"You are right, that is something I must consider," Alesha said, raising her head back up and staring into each of their eyes alternately. "Free from any influence here I can only say that I would die sooner then let that happen again."

"Yet that is here where I am safe and unaffected. Anywhere else I am mostly unaffected as well, save for Viconia. And also He can do far worse things then kill me. I think He already has, in fact."

"And you still wish to risk it?" Eric asked, judging her carefully.

She nodded. "Aye, I do."

Eric shrugged. "So be it, I will accompany you to determine your parole, but I have no intention of turning your sword back over to you yet."

Alesha looked at her blade hanging from his belt for the first time. She shivered briefly and nodded. "That is, I think, for the best. Let us see how I am outside of here before I am tempted fully."

The girls led them off into the forest to the shelter Alesha had built out of the wilderness. Having many decades with nothing to do and no fear of aging or being attacked she had done a considerable amount of work in building the place. Bill and Eric were shown into a guest room hollowed out of a giant tree that none of them could identify while Yamara went off to one on her own. Alesha had her own room in the large area she had claimed as her home, a room she hoped to spend one last night in then never return.

---

In her room and stewing silently, Yamara threw her clothes onto the floor beside her bed. It was a rarity that she allowed herself the luxury of sleeping completely nude, but this prison of Alesha's she knew to be the safest place she had ever been in.

What bothered Yamara the most was wondering why it was that Eric had started to get under her skin. They had gotten along fine on his world, had even shared a few moments she would never have believed possible for her to share before her times with Evart.

She sighed. Evart. A finer man she did not expect to find. She felt no particular urge or need to be with a man. Nor with a woman, she thought, remembering Alesha's mild accusation that Yamara might be a 'bull-dyke'. But she had felt that she could trust Evart. She stopped herself. She knew better then that, she knew she could trust Evart, to say less was a dishonor to herself and to him.

That must be it then, she reasoned. She had opened up a little to Eric a few times and he to her. He had treated her no less fairly or honestly then she could expect. Possibly more fairly then she would have treated him, had the roles been reversed. Eric reminded her of Evart in some small ways. He had done so before, and she feared he would continue to do so again.

So what annoyed her about it, she wondered. Loyal and decent men - people - were hard to find. Confused and more annoyed at herself, Yamara ground her teeth in frustration and slipped into the bed. She thought about trying to contact Eric's mind with hers and try to see if she could resurrect some of her psionic powers that had not worked since she had been joined with Keeden. Then she discarded the idea. Even if it worked she would know his mind better, perhaps, but that would not help her know her own mind any better.

Yamara let out a small cry of disgust and focused on trying to sleep instead. It was a long time in coming and involved a lot of tossing and turning.

Beside her bed, though supposedly a safe place where she need not care, her daggers and sword lay within easy reach and just slightly loosened in their sheaths to aid in a quick release if necessary.

Continued in Chapter 17

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