Chapter 2
It was a beautiful summer, no, late spring, Solyma corrected herself, night. It wasn't summer until after the Festival was through. The stars were shining brightly, each like a shard of diamond scattered across the sky. There was Adramas, patron god of Krisephyr and the Knights of the Shield. To his far right was Aeleon, god of magic and patron of the College. Over towards the south was the solitary figure of Leathia, goddess of death and bringer of peace.
"Which house is yours?" Jaric asked as they walked slowly down the street towards her townhouse. Her house was located in an upscale residential district near the base of the hill and not too far from the ocean. Her neighbors were mostly rich merchants although there was a family of adventurers who lived down the block.
"That one," Solyma said quietly and pointed out her house. Hector had left the lamp burning on the porch for her. He'd probably be waiting up for her in the living room with one of those models of his. Or maybe a painting. He had started doing landscapes from memory and imagination after they had gotten back from Merglise.
"Thank you for letting me escort you home," Jaric said as they reached her porch.
"The pleasure was mine," Solyma whispered as she leaned closer to him. "Would you like to come in for a nightcap?" Jaric flushed and shifted nervously on his feet. "I'm sorry, I'd like to but-," he began.
"But it would not be the gentlemanly sort of thing to do," Solyma finished with a small sigh. "I should have known."
"Ah, yes," Jaric said feeling the urge to go in regardless of his code of conduct. "I suppose I'll be seeing you later."
"Yes, please visit any time you're near," Solyma said and watched as he bowed again and began to walk away. It figures, she thought, the first man to grab my attention in a long while and he's too damned honorable to take advantage of the situation. She was about to turn and go in when she heard Jaric call out to her and walk back towards her. "Yes?" she said, wondering if he had decided to come in.
"My la- Solyma, I have two tickets to the opera tomorrow. They're performing The Knight's Legend for the Festival. I was wondering, would you care to accompany me?" Jaric asked in a rush, immediately feeling the lout for being so forward. She's probably shocked, he though glumly.
"I'd be delighted to," Solyma said. Jaric's eyes widened slightly and he fought for composure.
"Oh, well. I can come pick you up at seven o'clock then?"
"That would be fine," Solyma said and smiled slightly. Jaric felt his heart leap into his throat at the sight and grinned like an idiot as she waved good night and went into her house. Solyma watched Jaric as he walked away with a spring in his step. She smiled again, this time more broadly as she watched the play of his muscles beneath his clothes.
"What are you doing, Solyma?" Hector asked tiredly from the living room.
"I'm watching a very handsome Knight walk away," Solyma said as she let the curtain fall back across the window and walked into the living room. Hector had one of his ships set up on a worktable in the corner of the room.
"You're late," Hector said without turning to look at her.
"I'm sorry-" Solyma began and then stopped in confusion. "Why am I apologizing to you?"
"You never let me know where you're going, you never send a note. Here I am, your familiar, and I don't know where you are most of the time. I'm supposed to be your constant companion, always at your side," Hector said, his back, or more precisely, lack of back, turned towards Solyma.
"I- I'm sorry, Hector. I thought you enjoyed not having to follow me around all the time," Solyma said. She realized she was twisting her skirts in her hands, just like when she was a child and the headmistress had summoned her for, well, for almost anything.
"Do you know what the other familiars say about me?" Hector said as he turned towards her. "They feel sorry for me, they think that I'm pathetic. Do you know how they looked at me when I said I didn't have to do much more than cook a meal occasionally and dust? It was humiliating. They all know that their mages couldn't live without them."
"But that's not true," Solyma said as she walked over to Hector. "You're very important to me. I mean, you cook and clean, and pay the bills and do all the chores. I couldn't live without you." Hector made a sniffing sound and turned back to his model ship. "I'll tell you what, I'm going to the opera tomorrow. Why don't you come along and grade the exams? You can run errands for me while you're there."
"I suppose I could do that," Hector said after a long pause. "How many exams?"
"Hundreds. It'll be horribly boring and tedious, the test is on the fundamentals of elementary magic. With essay questions."
"Well, that's alright then."
Tancred kicked at a pebble as he walked out of the restaurant. The part of the city near the Library square didn't have much of a night life past midnight or so. The area around the opera house was a lot busier although it was nothing compared to the docks. He sighed as he looked up at the bulk of the Library and glanced around the empty square. When he was sure no one was around, even going so far as to extend his senses for any passing ghosts or wraiths, he slipped from shadow to shadow towards the library entrance. Checking one last time and pulling the hood of his cloak over his head, he opened the door and slipped inside.
The library was open to the public all day and all night. Guard duties were assigned to a large group of golems and gargoyles that watched over the library. One or two librarians would be on hand to assist anyone should the need arise. Tancred nodded to the librarian sitting behind the main desk and hurried up the stairs to the second floor.
The second floor was huge, its ceilings stretched over forty feet high, every inch necessary to accommodate the massive shelves that composed the main stacks. Tancred paused at the entrance to the stacks, scanning the polished wood tables and chairs for any other late night visitors. There was one person, a student from the College by the looks of her, with her head pillowed on a stack of texts. She was snoring loudly enough to easily cover Tancred's feather light footsteps as he headed towards a certain section of the fiction department.
"Hector?" Solyma called out from the bathtub. "I've got something that you can do for me." She removed a steaming washcloth from her face and rested her head on her arms on the edge of the bathtub. She smiled coyly at Hector as his head peeked around the edge of the door.
"What is it?" Hector asked.
"Well," Solyma said as she let one arm dangle, idly tracing a finger over the tile, "why don't you go change into some leather gloves? Get rid of those gauntlets for a change."
"No, Solyma, absolutely not. I will not go through that again for you," he said and ducked back out of the door.
"What? You said you wanted to do things for me, this is a perfect example," Solyma yelled.
"No! That's just what I need, the other familiars finding out that I'm reduced to some sort of glorified sex toy for you. Why don't you just use your hands like everyone else does?"
"Glorified sex toy? What do you think some of those other familiars do? Have you seen what Icarii's familiar looks like?" Solyma listened. All she heard was the very loud silence of someone very pointedly ignoring her. "I knew I should've summoned an incubus," Solyma muttered to herself as she sank back in the tub.
Ismene sighed to herself as she walked down the aisles of the Library. She had been doing nothing but sitting around her room, moping about and watching the people walk by in the street outside her window. It was about time she got out of the inn. She glanced around to make sure that there was no one else in the empty library to see her and slipped into a row of shelves tucked away in the corner of the main room, walking straight into a man with his arms full of books.
"I'm sorry, I didn't see you," Tancred said as he helped Ismene to her feet and began scooping up his books.
"It's alright," Ismene said coldly as she looked at the man, snatching her hand back from his. "Oh, you were in Merglise, weren't you?"
"Yes, you're Ismene aren't you?"
"Yes," Ismene said, feeling pathetically glad to see someone she knew. "What books do you have?" she asked brightly.
"Nothing! Nothing, these aren't my books," Tancred said hurriedly. "I was, uh, just, um, stalking through the library in search of a victim." He stood quickly and did his best to kick the books scattered across the floor behind him.
"Really? Oh yes, you're a vampire," Ismene said as she bent to pick up one of the books. "Destiny's Flame," she read. "Have you read this one? It's one of my favorites."
"No! I'm a vampire, why would I read romance novels? I was just hoping some lonely woman would walk by."
"At half past midnight?"
Tancred opened and shut his mouth several times as he struggled for an excuse. Finally he said, "Well, you're here, aren't you?"
Ismene stood and drew back against a shelf, her free hand going to the long dagger tucked into her belt. "You're not going to-" Ismene said haltingly. She had liked and trusted the vampire since that day in Merglise when he had saved her from the incubus's raging lust. He had always been a gentleman around her and hadn't so much as looked at her with lust in his eyes.
Tancred raised his hands placatingly. "Virsir's blood, no, I'm not going to do anything to you," he said. "Oh, damn," he said, looking past Ismene at someone and then turning into a cloud of mist and floated towards the ceiling.
Ismene turned and saw a sleepy eyed librarian hurrying towards her. "Is there a problem?" he yawned. "I thought I heard someone dropping books." The librarian glanced up and saw the mist floating up in the corner of the ceiling. "Damn vampire," he muttered as he knelt and began to pick up the books. "He checks out ten of these books at a time and never returns them on time. Did you need help in finding something, miss?"
"No," answered Ismene, "I've found what I was looking for." Ismene glanced down at the cover of the book in her hand and then back to the cloud of mist that was trying to find a crack in the windows to slip through. "Thank you anyway."
Kerrith yelped and jerked away as Selene grabbed his ass and pinched hard. "Selene," he hissed. "Not in public."
"Pssh, no one cares," Selene said as she wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him. "It's two days before the Festival, it'd be unusual if we weren't acting like everyone else."
Kerrith had to give her that point. The streets were still busy around the College, filled with students celebrating the end of classes and other revelers out for a night of fun. "Still, there are certain rules of propriety we should-mmmph," he trailed off as Selene kissed him again.
"Let's go back to my apartment," she whispered into his ear.
Ismene paused and looked around the empty square before she slowly walked down the steps of the Library. She stopped for a moment and rearranged the books tucked in her arms. She had ended up checking out Destiny's Flame and a couple more romance novels. She had read all of them before but she was in the mood to be cheered up and she knew from past experience that they usually did the job.
Destiny woke on that momentous morning with her spirit soaring, she began to read as she started walking. Today would be the day when she ran away from her oppressive father and eloped with her one true love, the young soldier Arvvano. Ismene drifted back and forth across the empty street as she continued to read. Destiny's Flame was typical of most of the romance novels she read, a young heroine finds true love after a series of trials, usually involving a love triangle or two and there was always a jealous suitor.
She was wandering through the section of the city near the College on her way back to her inn when she felt someone grab her arm and yank her into an alley beside a raucously noisy tavern. Her books spilled onto the cobblestones as a knife glinted in the lamplight...
Kerrith smiled at Selene as she took his arm and they began to briskly walk towards the College when the high pitched scream of someone in distress rang out across the street. Heads turned and there was a rush as people ran towards the alley where someone was still screaming loudly. Selene lost track of Kerrith in the press as he pulled free of her grasp and sprinted towards the noise, his hand automatically going to the sword which wasn't there.
Kerrith elbowed his way through the crowd as they huddled around the entrance to an alley next to a tavern. "Make way for a Knight!" he shouted and the crowd cleared for him. He dashed into the alley expecting to see a the victim of a brawl or maybe a lover's quarrel. Instead he saw blood scattered across the alley and a young elf woman. "Miss Isalisos?" he said in astonishment when he recognized the shivering elf. "Are you alright?"
He couldn't see any blood or sign of injury on her. What happened? he wondered and then he saw the scruffy looking beggar huddling further down the alley with his hand pressed against his forehead.
"I want you to arrest her!" the beggar yelled when he saw Kerrith. "I was going about my business of seeking charity and she cuts me! She nearly took my eye out!" Kerrith saw a long and finely crafted elven dagger lying on the alley floor with its tip covered in blood. Apparently Ismene had slashed the beggar across the forehead, drawing a lot more blood than the size of the wound would indicate.
"He-he grabbed me," Ismene said as she fumbled for the books lying on the ground around her feet.
"Who screamed?" Kerrith asked.
"He did!" one of the onlookers shouted. "He'll scream at anything, I saw him holler bloody murder "cause he hit his shin on a door, the drunk."
"Away with you," Kerrith said to the beggar as he handed him a couple coins. "Get that cut seen to."
"Crazy elf," the beggar muttered as he pushed his way through the crowd, now dispersing once any sign of danger had passed.
"Miss Isalisos, what are you doing here? I thought you were heading home to Taladros," Kerrith said.
"I was, but the Princess's birthday is in only three weeks, I was going to go back with her. We're friends from when we were children."
"Where are you staying?" Kerrith asked. "I'll escort you back there." From the entrance to the alleyway Selene sighed. Any sign of trouble and Kerrith forgot about everything else. One time while they were on the way back to Corannon from Willowsrun Kerrith had run off just because her heard a man cursing loudly. It wouldn't have been so bad if they hadn't had been in the middle of some heavy...kissing.
"Everything alright?" Selene asked as Kerrith helped Ismene gather her books. Trashy romances from the looks of the covers. I would have thought that an elf would have better taste than that, Selene thought.
"I'll be fine," Ismene said. "Thank you for your help."
"Are you sure? Do you have anyone to talk to? Sometimes this type of thing can be traumatizing," Kerrith said. It will be for that beggar, he thought a moment later.
"No, I haven't gone by the embassy yet. I just got in today," Ismene said and seemed to remember something. "Oh, hold on." She dug into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a crumpled scrap of paper. "Your friend, Solyma gave me her address. I'll talk to her if I need to."
"Well, it's good that you have someone to talk to then," Kerrith said. "If you need anything drop by the barracks, I'll be there most days and someone will know how to find me if I'm not."
"Thank you, for everything. I never really had a chance to properly thank you after-" She paused and pain seemed to fill her eyes for a moment. "After what happened. Thank you again."
"You're welcome, Miss Isalisos. I hope the rest of your evening turns out better," Kerrith said as he followed her out of the alleyway and watched her walk down the street. "Poor girl," he murmured to himself as she turned a corner.
"What happened to her?" Selene asked as she put her arm through his.
"It's a long sad story, I'll tell you someday," he answered and they continued towards the College, their steps much slower than before.
Solyma was sitting at her dressing table brushing her hair in preparation for bed. She didn't really know why she did it, her hair was as soft as it possibly could be and it wasn't as if she needed to have a neat appearance before going to sleep. Still, it was apparently something that "proper' ladies did in Corannon so she had gotten into the habit of doing it. In any case, after counting the hundred or so brush strokes she was nearly asleep anyway.
"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine," she counted under her breath and stopped when she heard someone pull the doorbell. She wondered who would be calling so late when her heart suddenly skipped a beat. It must be him, she thought. I hope it's him. Solyma hurriedly arranged her nightgown into a more revealing position and dabbed a bit of perfume on her neck and in between her breasts as she turned down the lamp and slid into bed. She arranged herself for maximum seductive effect, one arm thrown over her head as she lay on her back with her legs turned to the side.
"Solyma, you have a visitor, should I-" Hector began from the doorway.
"Send him in," Solyma interrupted. Gods above, it's been too long since I've had a man, Solyma thought as she half-closed her eyes and tried to look as if she had been asleep. "My, I didn't expect to see you until tomorrow, Jar-" she began and stopped when she saw who walked into her bedroom. "Ismene?" she said as she sat up hurriedly and turned up the lamp.
"I'm sorry, I can come back later," Ismene said, already backing out of the room. She knew enough from her romance novels to recognize someone trying to seduce someone when she saw it.
"No, wait, I'm sorry. I thought you were someone else," Solyma said hurriedly as she hiked up the bodice of her nightgown and tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice. "You're Ismene, aren't you?"
"Yes," Ismene said as she hovered near the door. "I'm sorry I came by so late, it's just that you invited me over whenever I was in town and I've just arrived." She stopped and blushed, wondering if she sounded as pathetic as she felt.
"Have a seat," Solyma said as she patted the bed next to her. "Would you like something to drink?"
"No, thank you," Ismene said as she gratefully sat down next to Solyma. "Oh, this is nice," she said as she ran her hand over the comforter.
"Did you need a place to stay?" Solyma asked, still trying to figure out why the elf woman had shown up out of the blue.
"No, I've gotten a room at an inn. I wanted to-" She stopped and wiped her eyes. "I don't know. I'm lonely, I guess."
Solyma smiled comfortingly as she placed her hand on Ismene's. The elf had the same look that Penelope had a few months back when she had shown up out of the blue to talk because she was homesick. "Do you miss Taladros?" Solyma asked gently.
Ismene looked up at Solyma and blinked several times. "Yes, I suppose I do. I think it's just because so much has happened to me. I-" she stopped and felt her throat tighten. Soon she felt tears welling up in her eyes as she remembered Lord Volchim.
Solyma sighed and gently took Ismene in her arms, holding her and rocking her soothingly while the elf sobbed against her shoulder. "Shhh, everything will be fine," Solyma whispered into Ismene's ear. She wondered if she should just give the elf a glass of sherry and put her to bed. Thinking of that night with Penelope brought the image of the lovely elf princess to her mind and suddenly she couldn't stop thinking about how Ismene's warm body felt against her's. "Why don't you get some sleep? You can have the bed and I'll sleep downstairs."
"Oh, I don't want to be any trouble to you," Ismene said as she wiped her eyes again.
"It's no trouble at all," Solyma said and reached up to stroke Ismene's hair. "Get a good nights sleep and we can talk in the morning. Everything will seem better after some sleep," she said.
"Thank you," Ismene said and looked up at Solyma. Solyma was shocked when Ismene suddenly leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. She struggled with herself for a moment and then gave in as she wrapped her arms tightly around Ismene's back and kissed her back.
"Gods, I'm sorry," Solyma mumbled when they finally parted.
"Don't be," Ismene said softly. "I don't want to sleep alone tonight," she said, almost desperately.
"Right, right," Solyma said quietly, not quite believing what she was hearing. "Ah, have you been with a woman before?"
Ismene nodded. "Yes, once. Back in Taladros," she answered.
You're only doing this because she reminds you of Penelope, Solyma heard herself think. Yes? So? she answered herself and kissed Ismene again. She felt the elf woman's body tense for a moment and then relax as she let herself be lowered back onto the bed. They parted lips as Solyma kissed down Ismene's throat and began to undo the ties of her dress.
"Are you sure about this?" Solyma asked quietly. "You don't have to do this to pay me back for helping you out in Merglise, that kiss was payment enough."
"Yes," Ismene answered softly. "I want this."
Solyma felt the last bit of her restraint slip away as she yanked the covers back from the bed and lowered Ismene onto the sheets. The elf woman had her eyes closed and was already breathing heavily as Solyma began to undo the ties of her dress. Solyma shuddered in delight as she brushed her fingers across the delicate skin of Ismene's thigh, feeling desire surging through her as she undid the last tie and hurriedly pulled the dress over Ismene's head.
Ismene lay there in only a thin cotton shift that came down to mid-thigh. Her eyes opened and she bit her lip as Solyma kissed her throat and began to run her fingertips in ever narrowing circles around Ismene's nipples. She gasped when Solyma brushed her nipples through the fabric of the shift and kissed the upper slopes of her small and perfect breasts.
"Yes, yes," moaned Ismene as Solyma slid down her body and began to kiss her calf. Ismene sighed in pleasure as Solyma kissed up her leg, alternating from one to the other and nipping gently at her.
Solyma felt her nose fill with the sweet scent of Ismene as she slowly slid the hem of the shift up Ismene's trembling thighs. She kissed each bit of skin that she revealed, reveling in the sound of Ismene's gasps and moans. Solyma smiled when Ismene reached down and dug her hands into her coppery hair, already driven half-mad by Solyma's teasing.
"Gods above," Solyma whispered when she could stand it no longer and helped Ismene tear off her shift. The elf's slender body was incredible. Solyma stared at the delicate rise of Ismene's small breasts to the graceful curve of her stomach. She bit her lip at the sight of the small thatch of golden hair between the elf's thighs. I know why Volchim fell in love with her, Solyma thought as she half-stood and shucked her nightgown.
"Oh, Arcin," Ismene whispered as Solyma began to kiss her inner thighs. The elf's mind was full of the Lord of Merglise's face, the feel of his hands on her body. "Please," she moaned. Solyma paused for a moment, her heavy breaths blowing directly over Ismene's sopping quim. She wondered if all elves smelled so sweet as she bent her head almost reverentially to taste the elf. Solyma felt Ismene's entire body jerk as her tongue flicked over the elf's outer lips. Solyma reached out and grabbed Ismene's hips, pinning the elf's slender body to the bed as she began to slowly and deliberately work her way towards the woman's clit.
Ismene's cries were incomprehensible as she thrashed about on the bed, her hands clutching desperately at the sheets and then burying themselves in Solyma's hair. She felt her legs locking themselves around Solyma's back and arched her back as Solyma's tongue flicked over her clit at last. For a moment she tried to hold back, to keep from yelling so loudly but she felt Solyma's tongue dancing over her and it was as futile as trying to empty the ocean with a wine glass.
Solyma closed her eyes and blissfully worked her mouth and tongue over Ismene's clit. The elf was sweeter than any dessert she had tasted and she could feel her head spinning. As she felt Ismene's legs lock around her back she moved her right hand down between her own legs and began to rub at her own dripping quim. "Penelope," she mumbled as she took Ismene's clit into her mouth and began to flick at it with her tongue.
Ismene gasped for each breath, her breasts glistening with sweat in the dim lamplight. Her golden hair was plastered in sweaty tangles across her face and neck but she paid it no heed, her every thought focused on the pleasure that Solyma's mouth was bringing her. Her hands clutched desperately at Solyma's hair and she heard the red headed woman gasp in pain. The sudden sensation against her clit was too much and she threw her head back with a scream that she thought would rattle the windowpanes.
Hector set his model on the worktable with a disgusted sigh. The cries from Solyma's bedroom had become steadily louder and more frantic until he was halfway sure that the poor elf was dying in there. Even that level of noise could be considered normal from Solyma's bedroom, at least if she was having a good night. But that last cry followed by a long silence made him hurry up the stairs towards Solyma's room with visions of another dead lover in Solyma's bed. He sighed when he peeked into Solyma's open door and saw her lying on her back beside the elf woman.
"Do you mind, Solyma? You don't even have the door closed," he said peevishly.
Solyma raised her head slowly and brushed a lock of sweat drenched hair out of her face. "Whrrat?" she mumbled.
"Oh for the- Is she still alive?"
"Gods, Hector. Leave us alone, of course she is. Now go get us something to drink." Solyma huffed and rolled over onto her side as she looked at the calm face of Ismene. The elf seemed to have passed out. I've still got the magic touch, she thought with a smug smile and collapsed onto the bed.
Hector floated in a few minutes later with a pitcher of iced water on a tray with two glasses. He grunted when he saw the two women sprawled across the sheets. He had the feeling that he'd be doing an extra load of laundry in the near future. Despite himself he found himself surreptitiously eying the two naked women as he pulled the sheets over them and placed the water on the nightstand.
Later, Hector found himself staring at his model ship and totally unable to concentrate. His fingers drummed rapidly across the table top as he felt his mind constantly returning to the sweaty vision of the women. Especially the curve of Solyma's bottom as she sprawled across the sheets...
"Bah," he said to himself. The only thing he could think of was that the increased level of...tension in the city due to the upcoming festival was starting to effect him. Still...
Continued in Chapter 3
The World of Alderest - V - Festival - Chapter 2
Previous Story:The World of Alderest - V - Festival - Chapter 1
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