The World of Alderest - VI - An Unexpected Journey - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Matthieu staggered down the river bank clutching at what remained of his left arm. His armor had fused to the charred mess of his arm, turning it into a nearly unrecognizable mass of metal and blackened flesh. "Did you kill them?" Matthieu snarled, feeling the skin on the left side of his face cracking as he spoke.

"No," Loradros said, his voice flat. "You didn't do your job."

"I did my job!" Matthieu said, ignoring the pain speaking caused. "I killed that shit-eating pox, you were supposed to finish the job!"

"You didn't kill him," Loradros said as he turned to face Matthieu. His fine clothes dripped water and bore scorch marks on their front. "You wounded him and ran when he destroyed himself. That gave them time to get to the far side of the river."

Matthieu looked out at the river where water still ran red from the corpses of dozens of assassins killed by magic and blade. Their bodies clogged the river like some obscene dam. He had heard the sound of magics being hurled back and forth in the night, the noise drowning out the roar of the waterfall nearby.

"I'll finish the job," Matthieu said. "Where did they run to?"

"They're still there," Loradros said as he waved to the far side of the river. "I can sense them in the woods.

...

"C'mon, sis, wait up! Sis! Wait up! C'mon!" Solyma panted as she scrambled up the trail towards her sister and Greize. "You said you'd take me when you went to pick apples!"

"Will you go away?" Asalya snapped as she turned towards her younger sister. "You're such a pest!"

"You promised!" Solyma yelled. "You promised, you promised, you promised!"

"Asalya, don't be so tough on her, she's just a kid," Greize said as he touched Asalya's shoulder. "We can let her pick the apples and sneak off..." he said in whisper.

"No! I don't want her tagging along!" Asalya said as she shook off his hand and tossed her head. Her brilliantly red hair, darker than Solyma's short cropped hair, flashed in the late afternoon sun. "Go home now, you little brat!"

"I hate you! I hate you, I hate you!" Solyma screamed as she stomped the ground in frustration and burst into tears before running back down the trail towards the village.

"That was mean, Asalya," Greize said. "She's your sister."

"She's a pest," Asalya said as she watched her gawky little sister run back home. The sun was starting its slow descent towards the western horizon on the far side of the valley. Shadows cast by the modest collection of buildings in the valley were growing slowly longer. Further to the north and up the side of the mountains, the great bell of the nunnery clanged out afternoon prayers. "Besides, I don't want her seeing what we're going to do," she said with smile.

"Oh really?" Greize said as he wrapped his arms around Asalya's waist and pulled her closer.

"Yes," Asalya said as she leaned forward and kissed him. After a long kiss she slowly pulled away and smiled again. "Let's go pick some apples."

...

Kerrith felt the water numb his feet as he stood in the shallows of the river. He could barely feel the weight of his sword in his hand as he watched Mathieu step out of the trees across the river.

"Surrender and you'll be granted a quick death," Kerrith said as he raised his sword and shield and stepped deeper into the icy water.

"I was going to say the same thing," Mathieu smirked back. His face was a ruin and even the slight motion of speaking broke the crusted and charred skin. "I'd be lying, of course."

"As if anyone would ever trust one such as you," Kerrith said as he and Mathieu moved towards the thigh deep water at the center of the river. "I see you've cast away your shield, I thank you. Now I won't have to strip it from your bloodied corpse."

"What need have I of some trinket bestowed on a mass of fools?" Mathieu said as he lifted his sword higher, letting Kerrith see the black shine of the metal in the moonlight. "This blade is a true weapon, not some silly piece of armor." Mathieu slashed the blade through the water and grinned at Kerrith with his scarred face as the water blackened and thickened into sludge around the sword. "Forged with death, tempered with corruption," he continued as he lifted the blade. Slime dripped down the length of the sword as Mathieu took a grip with both hands and faced Kerrith. "A weapon not seen for ages. A weapon which is more than enough to kill vermin such as yourself."

"You dare make pacts with the dark powers?" Kerrith said as he shifted his grip on his sword. "I look forward to the day when they claim your soul for their larder."

"A day which you will never see," Mathieu said. They stood still for a moment, the only sounds the rushing of the river and the crashing of the waterfall. Moonlight gleamed silver from Kerrith's armor and a dull black from Mathieu's burned face and corrupt blade. For a moment there was peace, then blade clashed against blade.

...

"That's it, that's it," Asalya breathed softly as Greize rubbed her quim lightly, his hand up her skirt. "Keep doing that-" she broke off as an apple bounced off her head.

"Hahah!" Solyma yelled from behind a nearby apple tree. "Asalya and Greize were kissing! Asalya and Greize were kissing!" she said in a sing song voice.

"You brat! I'm going to kill you!" Asalya yelled as she struggled up onto her feet, nearly tearing her skirt as Greize tried to pull his hand out from under it. Another apple bounced off her head while Solyma laughed again.

"Nyah! You can't catch me!" Solyma yelled as she threw one more apple at Asalya before turning and scrambling away through the orchard. "You're going to be in trouble when mother finds out!"

...

"Keep breathing for her," Amadrin said as Tancred filled his lungs with air and breathed into Solyma's mouth. "Not too fast or hard."

Jaric looked around at the faces of the others while he pressed down rhythmically on Solyma's chest. He'd seen the same technique used to save other drowning victims, but all his healing classes had been on battlefield patching, not resuscitation.

"Is she dead?" Penelope said softly. Try as she might, she couldn't discern much more than a glimmer of life in Solyma's body, no more than the plants that grew along the waterfall pool.

"No," Tancred said as he took another breath and breathed it into Solyma. "She isn't. Not yet. Damn you, why wouldn't you let me change you?"

...

Solyma met Greize's eyes over the urn that held Asalya's ashes and felt more tears welling up in her eyes. Greize looked lost as he fiddled with the wedding ring on his right middle finger. He and Asalya had only been married for a few years before she had taken ill.

"-may the gods take this soul to their bosom, to fly free above, and to know no more sorrow or suffering," the Headmistress of the nunnery said. "Liatha take this soul and grant her peace, Liaya look down on those who live and grant us peace." The Headmistress nodded to Greize and stepped away from the urn.

Greize took the urn in his trembling hands and stepped out to the edge of the cliff. Far below them, the village could be seen in the fading light. In the west, the sun was a sliver above the mountains, it's last rays shining from the tears coursing down Greize's cheeks.

"Liatha take this soul," he said in a halting voice as he raised the urn. "Asalya, I love you." With that, he opened the lid and swung the urn in a wide arc, scattering Asalya's ashes to the wind.

Solyma sobbed and scrubbed at her eyes with her sleeve, feeling her mother and father crying behind her as well. Through a veil of tears she saw Asalya's ashes flying away on the wind, higher and higher until they disappeared into the sky.

"Goodbye, Asalya," Solyma said between sobs.

"Be careful, Solyma," her father said as he patted her on the shoulder and watched her climb onto the coach. "Your uncle will be able to look out for you, you remember his address?"

"Yes, father," Solyma said as she fiddled with the hem of her traveling cloak.

"Write often," her mother said.

"I will."

"Everyone ready?" the coach driver asked as he climbed aboard and took up the reins.

"Y-yes," Solyma said as she leaned back in her seat and watched her father close the door after her. "I'll miss you."

"We'll miss you too," her mother said, fighting to hold back tears. "Dress warmly and don't associate with those bad elements."

"I won't, mother," Solyma said with the best smile she could muster. "I love you!" she called out to them as the coach started to move.

"We love you too!" her father called out as the coach picked up speed and began to move down the road. "Take care!"

"Goodbye!" Solyma yelled, leaning out the window and waving until the coach crossed the small stone bridge and the village sunk out of sight behind the rolling hills.

Solyma stared upward at the massive structure of the Citadel towering high above the city of Vorchrest, her mouth hanging open in wonder.

"It's so big," she breathed to herself as she slowly walked through the crowded marketplace. It seemed as if everyone in the city was shopping today. She had seen types of demons that she had never seen before. Shadow demons, their forms constantly shifting as they walked through the crowds, a giant mantis carefully picking his, or her, way through the throng with a basket hanging from one arm.

"I'll show you something else that's big, girlie," a voice said from nearby. Solyma stopped and turned, clutching her cloak around her.

"W-what do you mean?" she said in the firmest voice she could muster. A rough looking man and his friends were leaning against a wall with a dice game in front of them.

"I got something big for you, right here," the man said while he grabbed his crotch and jerked his hips at Solyma. As she backed away in horror, her hand over her mouth, another grabbed her shoulders from behind and reached down to pull up her skirt.

"Show us what's under there, lass," he said into her ear as he kissed her neck and pulled her skirt up higher. Solyma shrieked and elbowed the man behind her before breaking free and running out of the market, her cheeks flushed and burning, the ruffians' laughter ringing in her ears.

Were all city-dwellers like those horrible men? she thought to herself as she reached the end of the mile long marketplace. She could still feel herself blushing as she walked down a quieter street lined with pleasant looking townhouses, the piece of paper with her uncle's address clutched in her hand.

"Here, here it is," she said to herself as she stopped in front of a palatial house, easily twice the size of the mayor's house back home. She sniffed and scrubbed the beginnings of tears from her face as she tried to regain her composure.

"Excuse me, miss," a man's voice said from her side. Solyma yelped and jumped back into the street, her heart pounding.

"What do you want? Don't touch me!" Solyma shouted as she fumbled in her bag for the small pocket knife she kept to peel her apples. "I'll, I'll call the constables!"

"I am the constables," the confused looking man standing in the middle of the sidewalk said after looking around the empty street. "At least, I will be. Why, miss? Is there something wrong?" His pointed ears and high cheekbones along with a reddish tint to his skin marked him as a Kass. The seemed to stand even straighter as he looked around the street. "Have ruffians been bothering you?"

"Well, yes," Solyma said as she slowly let go of her pocket knife. "I-I was in the market and these horrible men said these horrible, horrible things to me." She felt herself shivering at the memory and clutched her cloak more tightly around her. "They- they tried to look up my dress."

"Those animals," the man said as he turned towards the market. "Such behavior cannot be tolerated in this city! I will not tolerate it! As a provisionary-constable-in-training I'll make sure that they cease their loutish activities!"

"Wait, it wasn't so bad, I mean they left me alone after I-" Solyma started to say as he trotted off down the street, truncheon in hand. "You never told me your name!" she called out after him. "And I never told you mine," she said softly.

"I'm glad that you decided to stay with me, Solyma," Leceres of Takrask said as he poured himself a drink. The aging shadow demon sighed, the edges of his humanoid form rippling as he did so. "I'm terribly sorry about Asalya, I'll miss her. Would you care for a drink?"

"So will I," Solyma said. "Um, no, I don't...I don't drink."

"Well, more for me then," Leceres said as he tossed back his drink and poured another. "I had the servants set up the upstairs guest room, it's quite nice, I'm sure you'll like it. Have you thought about what you're going to do here?"

"I," Solyma started to say and then shook her head. "I just wanted to get away from Merersburg. Too many memories."

"Well, there's no shortage of work for a smart young lady like yourself," Leceres said. "I'm sure I can find you a job working as a clerk or secretary somewhere. Have you done any clerical work before?"

"I helped out at the monastery for a while," Solyma said. "I know some herbs and I can cook very well."

"Well, I know that the constable's station needs another cook for the dining hall," Leceres said. "How would you like to work there?" He frowned, though Solyma couldn't really see any change in his expression, she could feel the difference in his face. "Too many men about though," he said to himself. "Have to do something about that..." He shook his head and looked at Solyma. "Well, I'm sure it will work out."

"I'd be happy to work there, uncle," Solyma said. "When would I start working?"

"I'll get you started on Liayasday," Leceres said as he walked across the study and flipped a page in a book. "Yes, yes, that will work splendidly."

"Sir?" a servant said as he poked his head into the room. "There's a rather dirty young man here to see you. He ‘says' that he is a constable in training."

"What? Well, very well, send him in," Leceres said. "Solyma, this may take a while, why don't you head up to your room? If you need anything the servants can help you."

"Thank you, uncle," Solyma said as she stood and turned to leave.

"Hello, miss," the man from outside said to her as he was escorted in by the servant. His face was bloody and his lower lip cut. His right eye was circled by a nasty looking bruise and his knuckles were still bleeding slightly. "Have no fear, those ruffians won't be bothering anyone anymore."

"Oh," Solyma said as she looked at him in horror. "Thank you...but you're hurt. Did they do this to you?"

"It's a price of duty, miss," the man said with a smile on his battered face. "They took the worst of it, I'm glad to say."

"Corporal Rahem Tadek?" Leceres said.

"Yes, sir! Corporal Rahem Tadek reporting as ordered, sir!" the man said as he snapped off a salute and managed to only groan slightly from the pain.

"I take it you two have met?" Leceres asked.

"Yes, uncle," Solyma said as she turned to look at Leceres. "He was very helpful and kind when I met him outside."

"Yes, I'm sure," Leceres said in a flat voice. "Corporal, why are you in such a state?"

"I disciplined a group of ruffians harassing young women in the market, sir," Rahem said. "They attempted to resist arrest so I was forced to use force on them."

"Sir," the servant said, "there are several rather unseemly looking men tied to the front gate. Should I cut them free?"

"Those are the ruffians, sir," Rahem said with a broad smile.

Leceres sighed as he walked over to the window and stared down at the group of bloodied men tied to his gate. "Those are the men who harassed me, uncle," Solyma said as she looked at them. "They said some awful things."

"Very well, corporal," Leceres said. "Go get cleaned up, Malit, show him to the washroom." Rahem saluted once again and turned to follow the servant. "And corporal, welcome to the Vorchrest Constabulary."

"Thank you, sir! I'm sure I will enjoy my work here!" Rahem said as he gave yet another sharp salute and turned to go, but not before Solyma smiled at him. He nodded to her on the way out and gave her a short bow before he turned to leave.

"He'll be stationed in the constable's station, Solyma," Leceres said. "You'll be seeing him everyday, do you still want to work there?"

"Oh, yes, I would," Solyma said, trying to hide the eagerness in her voice and failing utterly.

...

Kerrith snarled as he whipped his sword around in a cut at Mathieu's knees then slammed his shield into the fallen knight's face. Mathieu screamed as the cracked and burned flesh on the left side of his face split open, blood trickling down his neck.

"Murderer, betrayer," Kerrith hissed as he stalked Mathieu back towards the rushing waterfall. Thigh high water splashed past their legs, the current swift enough to carry them over the edge if they lost their balance. The bloody water ran around their legs, the coppery stench of it filling the night.

"Weakling," Mathieu snarled back as he spun his blade into an overhand strike that glanced off Kerrith's shield with a spray of blue sparks. "You've chosen the wrong side." He ducked to the side as he parried Kerrith's sword and slashed back, trying to gut the knight. His blade caught the hanging links of Kerrith's chain shirt and tore through them like wet paper, barely missing flesh.

...

Solyma blushed and giggled as she hesitantly leaned forward to kiss Rahem. She flushed an even deeper red as his hand clumsily squeezed her bottom and smiled nervously at her.

"You, you look really beautiful tonight," he stammered as their faces hovered barely an inch apart. His golden eyes darted around before looking into her's and then looking away again. "Your, um, your hair...it's really, um, pretty."

"T-thank you," Solyma said as she slid a bit closer to him on the sofa. Their thighs touched as the fire in the hearth snapped and hissed. Solyma bit her lip and closed her eyes, her hands shaking as she reached out and held Rahem's shoulders. She could feel him shaking too as he leaned forward. She gasped as her breasts pressed against his chest and his hesitant breath warmed her lips. She moaned in a high pitched voice as Rahem kissed her more insistently and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Are...are you going to take me?" Solyma said in a quiet voice when their kiss finally broke. She laid her head on Rahem's firmly muscled shoulder and nuzzled his neck with her lips. "I don't think I'd mind," she finally said in a shaky voice.

"But..." Rahem said into her ear as he held her close. "We're not married, we've only known each other for a few months now."

"I know," Solyma said as she buried her face in his shoulder and squeezed her thighs together. She wanted him so badly that her hands were trembling as she leaned back to look him in the face. "I mean, if you..." she trailed off and felt herself blush. "I'm, I'm sorry," she blurted out as she tugged away from him and slid off the couch, her hands smoothing down her dress. "I should go home, my uncle will be worried."

"But Solyma," Rahem said as he stood and adjusted his breeches before following her towards the front door of his modest two-story house. He reached out and grabbed her shoulder as she opened the door, spinning her around to face him. "Solyma, I," he said and then leaned forward to kiss her again.

Solyma moaned into him, her body pressing against his and her hands clutching his waist. She wanted to give in, wanted to behave like the women in the books, not like the women in her village. Why should she wait until they were married? Why should she ignore the want she felt?

"I'm sorry!" she cried out as she pulled away and covered her face with her hands. "I just can't, not now! Not yet!"

"I'm sorry, Solyma," Rahem said as he gently moved her hands from her face and kissed her forehead. "I love you and I'll wait as long as you want me to."

"Thank you," she said as she sniffed and hugged him again, her head resting against his shoulder. "Thank you. I love you too, Rahem," she said.

"Just promise me we'll see each other soon," he said to her as she walked down the front path towards the garden gate.

"I promise," Solyma said as she backed towards the gate, a broad smile on her face. "I promise."

...

Kerrith blocked Mathieu's slash with his shield and slammed the pommel of his sword into the fallen knight's head. Mathieu staggered, barely managing to parry Kerrith's slashes and stabs.

He snarled to himself as the jolt of Kerrith's strikes lanced up his arm and threatened to shake his blade from his hand. Seizing it again with both hands, he lunged forward, forcing Kerrith back. As Kerrith floundered in the water, Mathieu chopped down, shattering Kerrith's sword.

"You're dead now," Mathieu grinned as he advanced on Kerrith, his point in line with Kerrith's stomach. "And I'll make it slow."

Just as Mathieu slashed again, Kerrith whipped his arm around and hurled the pommel of his sword at Mathieu, catching him just above the eye. As Mathieu staggered back, Kerrith roared and lunged forward with his shield, slamming into Mathieu's stomach and shoving him back.

Mathieu stared in disbelief at Kerrith as he windmilled his arms in a desperate effort to keep from being swept over the lip of the waterfall. He still held his corrupt blade in his hand as he tilted slowly back before finally disappearing over the edge.

...

Solyma leaned back on the bed like the woman in the book, her face flushed a bright red as she looked up at Rahem. She swallowed nervously and gave him a nervous smile as she slowly parted her thighs. She flushed a deeper red when she realized that he was the first person to ever see her quim like this.

"Are we doing this right?" she said in a quiet voice as she looked over at the picture again. She had bought the book at a small store tucked behind a restaurant down by the docks. The woman behind the counter had said nothing as she had counted out Solyma's change, but the smile on her face had been enough to send her scurrying back to the small house she shared with Rahem.

"I hope so," Rahem said as he moved between her legs and bent over her. Solyma gasped as she felt the tip of his cock brush against her thigh. She still wasn't quite sure that she could ever take anything that big inside her, all she had ever used were her fingers, and even then only rarely. "I love you," he said as he looked into her eyes. Solyma smiled up at him and propped herself up on her elbows to kiss him.

"I love you too, husband," she said with a giggle. Three hours since the wedding had ended and she still hadn't gotten used to calling him that. "Do you think it will be like in the stories?" she asked as she slowly lay back down and looked up at him.

"I hope not," Rahem said as he leaned down on his elbows and kissed her throat gently. "I don't want the neighbors to hear us. And you're not married to another man, are you?"

"What? No, of course not, Rahem," Solyma said indignantly. "Oh, you mean how the husband always walks in afterwardsssss..." she trailed off, her mouth wide as she felt Rahem's cock pressing against her quim. "Oh, please, put it in," she gasped as she reached up and grabbed his shoulders. She spread her legs wider, glancing over at the book to see how the woman in the pictures positioned herself. Maybe I should do that, she thought as she saw how the woman had her leg up over the man's waist. But then Rahem began to push himself into her and she lost all ability to think.

---

Loradros stared at the bloody wreckage of his mercenaries. Dozens of them had been killed by only a few. And the queen and the princess had slipped out of his grasp. He ground his teeth together as he turned away from the bodies. He would use his contingency plans, he always had contingency plans. But his plan had been so perfect, how could have a few muscle headed thugs and a slut sorcerer fouled them so much?

With a low hiss between his teeth, Loradros finished the spell and stepped through to the portal into the ballroom. Behind him, the bodies began to decay and putrefy at an incredible pace, their flesh liquefying and staining the ground as their bones softened and oozed into the muck. Within minutes, all that was left of them were stinking patches of blackened grass and stained earth.

...

Solyma hummed softly to herself as she sliced the tomatoes for dinner. Rain pattered gently on the window over the kitchen sink as she carefully slid the tomatoes into a pot already half-full of onions and chunks of beef.

The rich, heady smell of the sauce filled the small kitchen and floated out into the front hall as Rahem opened the door and took a deep breath. He smiled as he undid his weaponbelt and hung it and his truncheon from a peg by the door before setting his coat and hat aside.

"It smells delicious, love," he said as he wrapped his hands around Solyma's waist and hugged her. She seemed so delicate sometimes, he thought to himself as she laughed and continued to knead the dough for the pasta.

"You always say that," Solyma said with a smile as she turned her head to kiss him.

"Well, it always smells delicious," Rahem said as he began to undo the knot of her apron. "They say that the longer you let a sauce simmer, the better it tastes."

"Oh really?" Solyma said as she left the dough on the cutting board and turned within Rahem's arms. Her hands left trails of flour on his shirt as she rose on her tiptoes and kissed him again. "Didn't I say that?"

"Maybe," Rahem said as he slid her apron off over her head and let it drop on the kitchen table. His hands were already pulling up her dress as she pulled his shirt out of his breeches and slid her hand under it to slide across his chest. Solyma smiled as she felt Rahem pulling her underwear down her hips and stepped out of it as it tangled around her ankles.

Solyma gasped softly as she felt Rahem's hands cupping her bottom and lifting her onto the kitchen counter. She jerked as the cold tile pressed against her bottom and moaned as Rahem knelt between her spread thighs. I'm so glad we bought that book, she thought inanely as Rahem's breath washed over her quim. She tightened her grip on the counter as he pushed her housedress further up her legs until she was bare from the waist down. Her legs rested on his shoulders as she leaned back, her shoulders pressing against the wall, and looked down at him.

Solyma gasped again and tightened her thighs around Rahem's head as his tongue gently pressed against her quim. His hands held her thighs steady, his fingers gently squeezing, as he ran his tongue along her quim, lightly teasing her clit with each stroke.

"I love how you taste," he said as he gently spread open her outer lips and ran his tongue along her. His fingers lightly trailed over the inside of her thighs as Solyma bit her lower lip and squeezed the edge of the counter even more tightly.

She moaned as she felt him nuzzle her quim and kiss her inner thigh before slowly licking his way back to her quim. She jerked her hips up at him, whimpering as she wrapped her thighs around his head and tried to pull him even closer. His lips were teasing her, his tongue dancing across her quim, but not going any further no matter how much she tried to make him.

"Please," she moaned as she let her head fall forward, her golden-red hair falling down across her thighs and his head. "Please..."

Solyma shuddered in pleasure as his tongue finally touched her clit and began to slowly lap at it. He kissed her quim, spreading her lips with his tongue and slowly worked his way up to her clit before lightly rubbing it with his lips. He slowly moved back and forth from pleasuring her clit to sliding his tongue deep into her quim while his fingers gently stroked around it. Solyma felt her legs jerk and tighten against his back as he slowly pressed his tongue against her clit, making her feel as if her body would explode from the pleasure. She was gasping for breath now as he began to work his tongue across her clit while his fingers pushed deep into her. Each touch of his tongue and fingers sent jolts of pleasure through her body and made her gasp with pleasure.

Solyma looked down at Rahem and watched as his head moved between her thighs. She could feel the sweat dripping down her face as she panted for breath and bucked her hips against his face. She let her head fall back and arched her back as she felt herself moving closer and closer to climax. His tongue moved hot and insistent against her, pushing her closer to the edge with each long stroke until finally she screamed with wild abandon and jerked her hips against him, her legs pulling him tight against her as she shuddered and twisted on the counter.

Solyma panted softly, her hair in disarray as she let go of the counter with trembling hands and let her legs slide off of Rahem's shoulders. She grinned weakly at him and placed her hands on his cheeks as he stood up grinned back at her. She leaned forward to kiss him and hesitated when she saw her juices covering his lips and cheeks.

"Sorry," he said with a sheepish grin, "let me wash my face-"

"No," Solyma said as she pulled him closer and wrapped her legs around his waist, "it's fine." Rahem stared at her with wide eyes as she leaned forward and kissed him, tasting herself on his mouth. But in a second he didn't care and was kissing her back, his arms holding her close to him while the sauce continued to simmer. "Ooo...I taste good," she said with a wicked little grin that made Rahem gape in wonder. "I'm sorry," she said with a blush. "I'm being awful, aren't I?"

"Well," Rahem said as he smiled at Solyma and kissed her again. "I, I think I can handle you."

"Oh no!" Solyma said as she slid off the counter and ducked under Rahem's arms. "I hope it hasn't burnt," she said as she started to stir the sauce with a long-handled wooden spoon.

"Hmm...then we could order in," Rahem said as he stood behind Solyma and rested his chin on the top of her head. He laughed as Solyma swatted him in the chest. She had never let him order in while she was capable of cooking.

"Here, taste this," she said as she pushed the spoon towards his mouth.

"Mmmph, good," he said as she wiped a bit of extra sauce from his chin. "As always."

"Then let me put the dough through the cutter and we can start the pasta," she said as she hurried over to the dough and began to push it through the wire slicer into long strips of pasta. "And go get cleaned up," she called over her shoulder with a smile, "I don't want to sleep with someone dirty."

...

"Delicious," Rahem said as he spooned up the last of the sauce left on his plate. "Absolutely delicious." He smiled at Solyma across the table and reached out to hold her hand in his. "Good news," he said.

"Really?" Solyma said. "Oh, did you get the promotion?"

"Yes," Rahem said with a broad smile. "I've been promoted to Lieutenant. They're assigning me my own squad of recruits."

"I'm so happy for you!" Solyma said as she jumped up and leaned across the table to kiss him. "I knew they'd see how dedicated you are."

"It's all thanks to you," Rahem said as he pulled Solyma closer to sit on his lap. "If you hadn't spent all that time in the library finding me those law texts, I don't know how I would have passed the examinations."

Solyma blushed as he pulled her closer and squeezed her waist. "I don't know what I'd do without you," he said in a quieter voice as he stroked her cheek with one hand. "It's like I've found a part of me that I never knew was missing. You make me, you make me feel more alive than I ever have."

Solyma wiped her eyes and kissed Rahem on the forehead as he held her. "I'm glad I came to the city," she whispered as he rested his head on her breast. "You opened the world up for me. There's so much that I want to do with you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you as my husband."

"What do you want to do, Solyma?" Rahem said as he looked up into her eyes. "I'll take you anywhere, do anything for you, just name it." Solyma paused and looked down at him as she shifted on his lap, deliberately rubbing her bottom against his cock. She smiled softly as she felt him hardening under her and kissed him again.

"I think," she said as she half-stood and swung her leg over to straddle him. "I think I'd like you to-" she trailed off and draped her arms over his shoulders.

"What?" he said quietly as he slowly ran his hands up and down the curve of her back. "Anything."

"I'd like you to do the dishes," she said with a grin as she kissed him again. Rahem laughed and kissed her back as he hugged her close to him.

"Ah, Solyma," he said as he looked into her eyes. "I love you more each day." He turned his head and coughed embarrassedly. "Well, I do," he finally said. He said no more as Solyma kissed him, her hands reaching down to untie his breeches.

Rahem's hands began to yank up Solyma's dress as she furiously worked at the knot tying his pants, finally growling and snapping the string before she yanked his breeches open. He gasped into her mouth at the touch of her hand on his swollen cock and groaned as she rubbed her quim against it.

"You didn't put your-" he managed to gasp before she raised herself up and slid down, impaling herself on his cock. They both panted for breath, furiously kissing as they yanked, pulled, and tore each other's clothes off.

Solyma tossed Rahem's shirt back over her head to land unnoticed on their dishes. She heard the fabric of her housedress ripping but couldn't bring herself to care as she helped Rahem tear her bodice open and let him yank it down to her waist, leaving her wearing only a shredded piece of cloth around her waist.

She groaned and wrapped her arms around his head as he leaned forward and began to to lightly suck on her breasts. She panted loudly and let herself slide further down his cock as his tongue slid around her stiff nipples and his teeth rubbed against them.

"Yes," she moaned as he ever so lightly bit down on her breasts, scraping his teeth against her pale skin before sucking furiously on her pink nipple. She could feel him groaning into her flesh with each motion of her hips against him. She began to ride him, her legs lifting her up and dropping her down onto his cock while she pressed his head against her. She could feel him sliding deep inside her, stretching her with each thrust and making her breath come even faster as he began to caress her other breast with his free hand.

His other hand moved down her bare back, his fingers tracing along her spine, to cup her bottom. He began to help her as she rode him, his strong arm helping to lift her and his fingers digging into her bottom as he helped to pull her down onto him.

"Like that, yes," she moaned as she covered his hand with her's and urged him to squeeze her breast even more strongly. "Yes, please, harder," she gasped as his hands tightened on her. Her breath began to come in a high-pitched gasps as he began to jerk his hips up in time with her, their bodies smacking together.

"Do you want," he managed to grunt out as their bodies rocked together, "do you want me to be rougher?"

"Yes!" Solyma cried out. "Yes, be rough!" She cried out in pleasure, her head tossed back and her long golden-red hair spilling down her arched back. She ground her hips against him, trying to get him as deep as possible with each of his thrusts. She began to scream with each thrust into her as she slammed herself against him and was thrust back against in turn. Sweat dripped down her body, making her skin shine in the candlelight.

Solyma writhed atop Rahem as she felt his hands clutching at her waist and helping her up and down his cock while he continued to suck and bite at her breasts. She could feel the reddened marks on her body from his fingers digging into her as she lifted her legs from the floor and wrapped them around his body and the back of the chair.

Her cries began a incoherent stream of moans and near-squeals as she held onto Rahem's shoulders. His cock was pounding up into her, its rhythm too fast for her to follow anymore. All she could do was hold on as she bounced up and down on his cock, her body arched forward to pressed herself against him.

She could feel the skin of her stomach rubbing against his chest and the feel of his faint stubble rasping against the sensitive skin between her breasts until finally she gave and gasping, choking cry and dug her fingernails into his shoulders as she slammed herself against him over and over, head spinning as she came furiously. She heard him gasping too, his hands sliding up from her waist to clutch at her shoulders as he pressed himself deep into her and gave a last few short thrusts, each time, gasping for breath.

Solyma couldn't speak in the aftermath of their frenzied lovemaking. All she could do was twine herself about his body, her cheek pressed against the top of his head as he continued to softly kiss and suck at her breasts while his hands stroked the sweaty skin of her back.

"Oh, that was wonderful," she managed to finally gasp out, still trying to regain her wind. Rahem could only nod in response as he leaned back and looked up into Solyma's green eyes.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" he said in a worried voice, the effect only slightly spoiled by his gasping for breath.

"Of course not," Solyma said as she leaned forward and kissed him. "I think, I think I like it when you're rough like-" she gasped as she felt the chair tilting backwards. "Oh, shi-" she managed to say while the chair tilted further back and slowly gained speed despite both of their flailing arms and legs.

"Ow," they both said in the wreckage of the chair.

---

"Rahem," Solyma said, her voice almost too faint to be heard. Jaric looked back at the woman he carried on his back and nearly tripped on one of the many rocks that littered the narrow animal trail switchbacking up the mountain.

"Eyes on the trail, meat," Tancred snarled from behind him. "You drop her and I'll drop you off this mountain." Jaric narrowed his eyes at the vampire but turned his head away from Solyma and continued to follow Amadrin up the trail.

"I should be carrying her," Tancred said as they turned around another switchback and started up an even rougher section of the trail.

"You're too cold," Amadrin said from up ahead. "She's going into hypothermia already, I can't use my magic on her until we find a sheltered place that I can ward. Otherwise any good mage would be able to track us. Body heat is the only thing we have left."

Tancred muttered something under his breath and tore off the sheath banging against his left leg. "Useless," he said as he stared at the simple blade and almost threw it off the trail, stopping at the last moment to sling the swordbelt over his shoulder. "I'll scout ahead," he said as he turned to the cracked rock face to their right and jumped up, his fingers finding purchase in cracks to small to see.

Amadrin watched him climb for a few seconds. He barely used his legs, instead just pulling himself up the rock face faster than a normal person on a ladder could have. She watched as he reached where the trail doubled back above them and disappeared over the edge, only to reappear further up the mountain, his arms still hauling him ever higher.

"I can't believe we're leaving," Penelope said from behind Jaric. "It looks...it looks so normal from here." Laros put his hand on her shoulder and she rested her hand on his. They were looking south over the forest towards the palace. It was still lit for the celebration, white and golden lights burning like stars. But she could see the blasted crater in the forest where Dravon had given his life to buy them a few minutes of time to escape. And the river that wound towards the waterfall where Solyma had nearly been killed.

"We'll return soon, Penelope," Laros said. "A coup is dependent on removing the rulers permanently. The longer we are free, the harder it will be for Loradros to remain in power. I'm sure that the generals are already moving to keep him from consolidating his power."

"But why can't we just go back now?" Penelope asked. Her words were punctuated by pants as they continued to climb. "Mother could transport us back into the throne room, I'm sure."

"We don't know the situation, dear," Amadrin said. "I'm sure Loradros must have had more of a plan than just hoping to kill us and seize the throne for himself." She paused and smiled at her daughter. "Don't worry, the generals know to keep their troops in the barracks. Loradros will not be able to use the military against us."

"Unless he has allies there," Kerrith said in a low voice. "How sure of your general's loyalty are you, your majesty?"

"I have no doubts in their loyalty to me and the kingdom," Amadrin said. "They have nothing to gain from having a madman like Loradros on the throne." Her head snapped up as a few pebbles bounced down the cliffside. In an instant, weapons were drawn and the beginnings of a magic gathered.

"There's a cave at the end of this trail," Tancred said as he crouched on the trail above them. "Then things start to level out, it'll be pretty flat from here until we start hitting the Bones. But by then we'll be able to get on a highway, we could be in Alathan in a month."

Continued in Chapter 8

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