A Journey of Dreams

[FireAngel]

Ray'vn

The Oolie Nal flatlands began three days into the Wastelands and did not stop until the massive Al’gare mountain-range put an end to the Wastelands of Terra Genesis with an abrupt violent upheaval of land. The dry, blistering heat of the desert gave way minute drop by minute drop to the cooler air as yellow sand dunes and sun-scorched earth yielded to lush, fertile green mountain slopes as even the sky seemed to shift and alter from the sun-bleached, faded blue to a deeper, richer azure hue. Stars sparkled like diamonds in the sky, twinkling in a vast expanse of light around the twin moons hanging fat in the sky, the brilliant Lilac moon like a ripe, blooming flower while the deeper, crimson moon hung like a bloody teardrop in the sky.

Bands of nomads who roamed the fringes of the desert –nothing could live in the Wastelands and it was a test of amazing endurance to merely cross that extreme expanse- usually hailed from permanent ‘villages’ and tribes that were nestled in the Al’gare mountain range, fertile farmers and live-stock breeders found deep in the lush land of the mountain-range, while raiders and outcasts of society typically inhabited the more dangerous fringes of the mountains. The law of the Wastelands was to let those cross who could and if the harsh setting did not slay them, then those foolish enough to travel alone would swiftly find their maker at the flashing end of a blade or a whispered enchantment in a dark and cryptic, ancient tongue. Even rogues and raiders could be found in camp together, in the middle of the Wastelands, a truce enforced by the savage hostility of that land.

The small caravan they had joined was camped in the shelter of those mountains, their cooling shadow reaching long fingers over the small community of tents and campfires, people huddled in living clusters as cooking pots rang out and laughter was heard. They were the natives of the Al’gare mountains, a merchant returning to his homestead after embarking on trade of spices and precious, if not exotic, furs in the far away city of Illsaedrea, and had been quick to allow a pair of travelers to join for a small price. After all, he had said in a thick, rich accent that had been like honey to the ears, it was not safe to cross the Wastelands alone, and what host would he be if he allowed two from the Great City (as Terra Genesis City was often referred to by the exotic, almond-eyed people) to venture into his land and into harm? She had looked away almost demurely to hide the smile as the merchant’s eyes caressed svelte curves covered in white linen when they’d met up with the caravan at the small outpost. His small gaggle of concubines eyed the svelte beauty with varying degrees of envy.

Still, their journey across the vast desert had been quiet, she thought as she rose from the small fire before the tent Ray’vn shared with her lover and walked a small distance away to the tiny pool that seemed to burble happily from the very ground at her feet, crisp and clear from an underground spring in the mountains. Lilac and crimson moonlight laid a mottled blanket over the trim figure as she paused, leaning beside one of the great, palm-like tree’s that swayed to the soft, evening breeze, and wrapped her arms around her waist, shivering slightly at the crisp chill in the air. Her eyes closed and she tried to listen for…. What? More guidance? Another dream? Her sleep had been suspiciously quiet since she and Arrol had left the Obelisk.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as the eyes slowly opened and she looked up into the quiet night. Arrol would no doubt wonder where she’d gone off to, soon, she thought, and heard a soft snort just to her right, the silvery white mare she rode like a ghost in the night as she emerged, unfettered, from the shadows to nudge the slim beauty’s arm. Ray’vn pat the velvety nose softly, then turned back to the camp that she and Arrol had set a tiny distance from the rest of the caravan, her amber eyes seeking amongst the milling shapes for the form of her lover as she stood in the grip of shadows.


Arrol'Shek

Arrol'shek had not balked at the idea of crossing the wastelands, knowing that it was an inevitability, and that his energy would be better saved and put to other use. A use such as sharpening the edge of the longsword that he carried, and ensuring that the armor that he wore when he left the Obelisk was properly cared for, as well as his mount. When they set out, everything that he could take care of was well in order... though he knew that the things that happened on this journey he would hardly be able to prepare for. That... would be Ray'vn's job.

The added company of the small caravan on their journey had been a welcome one to Arrol, for the merchant had a way of passing the time that Arrol and Ray'vn on their own might not have happened along. He told stories. In a perfect storytelling voice, the old man told of adventures and misadventures that he had had, though Arrol was quite sure that no more than one or two of them could truly be attributed to the merchant himself. But it didn't seem to make a difference... each of the stories was his, with his own personal touches, and they were all highly amusing and quite capable of making one forget that they were traveling across the most deadly landscape upon the planet.

That night, when Ray'vn had slipped away from their small camp, Arrol had not worried, at first, knowing that his lover wouldn't have gone far... merely far enough to gain some sense of privacy away from the merchant who seemed to fancy her, and the concubines who all envied her. But when the merchant finished the tale that he'd been weaving, Arrol excused himself from the campfire, and went seeking Ray'vn. When he spied her heading back towards the camp, he moved to meet her halfway, drawing her into his arms and pulling her close to him, holding her and feeling the heat of her body against his bared chest in the cooler air.

"I wondered where you had disappeared to, love... is anything amiss...?" He sounded faintly concerned as he spoke, reaching up idly to brush his fingers through her hair.


Ray'vn

The flickering glow of yellow and orange flames cast leaping, dancing shadows over the low-rolling dunes, like black serpents hissing and spiraling in a seductive undulation, as graceful as the exotically dressed women, with their heavily kohl-lined almond-shaped eyes that were sultry and alluring and the silken veils that covered their heads, giving teasing glimpses of shimmering dark locks. Firelight played over the walls of the canvas tents, serving as backdrops to the shadow-games the small group of children played, a soft burst of feminine laughter came from the swiftly-assembled cooking area where the cooking slaves of the merchant began preparing the morning’s meal. The soft ring of a belled goat tinkled like a delicate melody over the desert breeze, its plaintive bleating receiving an answer as the beast ambled back into the shadows.

Rich, glowing amber eyes reflected in glints in the play of the flames when the broad-shouldered, tall form rose from the small cluster seated on the thick carpets around the merchant’s feet, her gaze caressing him as she saw the crimson glints of his orbs sparkle through the night as he seemed to find her sleek shadow with unerring ease. Instantly the unease she felt at the silence of that great, ancient soul held captive in the Obelisk vanished as her lover drew near, his long hair shimmering in the light, drawing a slight, upward curve in the pale rose-tinted lips as Arrol drew near. His arms around her were a welcome thing, and the svelte, lean figure of the delicate Keeper arched up to his hold, her graceful hands resting lightly on his shoulders as the lush curves were drawn up hard against him.

“No, nothing is wrong Arrol my love.”

Her voice was low, like a velvet caress while her head seemed to shift but faintly into that touch, the silken chestnut locks sliding through his fingers like a whisper. Her arms slowly curled around his neck as her head tilted back slightly, the bright lilac moon reflected in the amber eyes while the darker blood moon glittered like a ruby in her gaze. Tugging his head down, Ray’vn leaned up to him with lips pursed and slightly parted, pressing a warm kiss to his mouth that melded her body gently into his, the sheer ivory linen robe she wore with the head-scarf to protect her delicate skin from the blaze of the desert sun dangling from her shoulders like limp wings.

A pair of eyes watched the lovers in the shadows, their bodies pressed tightly together, jealousy burning in rich chocolate depths as the young concubine glared in hatred at the slim, petite beauty pressed against the mysterious, handsome man. Word of the Obelisk reached even here, in the Oolie Nal flatlands and the Al’gare mountains, that great force something that shook entire continents when it rumbled over the land, and it was that fear that had kept the young, dusky-skinned beauty from doing more than watching the Keepers, but it didn’t stop the envy glittering in her bright eyes as she gazed longingly on the tall, lean, pale man from the Great City with the long, silky hair. He was beautiful, she sighed softly, pulling her veil over the nose and letting it cover her lower face as she turned back to the small camp.

“There were just…. Too many people, too many… eyes… around tonight, watching.”

And he would know what she meant. Their merchant host, while holding himself to the lofty status of ‘gentleman’, had all but openly leered at Ray’vn enough times that she almost consciously kept Arrol physically between she and the man consistently when they were in the man’s company. Her bright amber eyes gazed up at his ruby orbs. The words were spoken softly, yet with a low echo to them that seemed to ripple from the very depths of her soul, and beyond, a fleeting glitter, a haze, covering her eyes, as if she looked not outward at him, but inward to speak a soft prophesy. And then in the next surging beat of her heart the tingling depth of sensation was gone from the slim woman and she was merely gazing into the eyes of the man she loved, her smile back in place.

“I’ll be glad when we reach Vishta. I can’t say I’ll miss our host’s company.”

A low laugh fell from her lips as she tilted her head back to look at him after slanting the rotund merchant dressed in rich, ruby silk and lounging like a lazy, fat, dangerous feline on a veritable mountain of silken cushion’s while making great show of selecting which morsel of fruit the delicate beauty crouched at his feet and holding up a golden tray would feed him next. An almost playful grin curled her lips as her arms tightened on his neck, holding her lithe body tightly to his.

“I’m not entirely sure you might not be able to make a tidy sum off me when we reach the city, though. I think he’s been measuring me for his harem veils in my sleep. Sending serving boy’s to do it”

It was a softly gentle, teasing jib at her lover. The thought of any slipping into their tent when Arrol slept at her side and held her in his arms, was absurd, as she well knew… He’d nearly skewered a servant boy one night who’d come to tell them that their horses were drifting off, the boy’s eyes huge when he poked his head into the tent and almost instantly found himself staring down a long, wicked silver length of blade while she was up with a gasp a second after Arrol had reacted. Still, Ray’vn knew she was safer with him than any armed caravan that could have been bought.

And in the depths of the shadows, eyes watched indeed, the pair of lovers entwined and held close to one another, and the caravan beyond. A cruel smile split sun-scorched lips. The eyes disappeared.


Arrol'Shek

With Ray'vn's body pressed against his, anything besides her that might have been on his mind was gone, the feel of her soft curves pressing against his hardened, lean body through the thin linen that she wore bringing his attention to focus sharply on her, and he allowed himself to become her lover now, instead of the constantly vigilant caravan guard that he took the role of while they were traveling, ensuring their protection even while the merchant's own guards looked down their nose at him. He knew that they did, they were not so subtle as to hide it from someone that they looked down upon.

They considered the studded, fitted black leather armor that that Arrol wore while they were traveling ugly, comparing it to their own garb, the colorful and loose-fitting, flowing clothing that swordsmen from the warmer areas preferred. Arrol was, however, not bothered by the way that they looked down at him, knowing that they would be no match for him should the need arise to neutralize them. The heavy, two-handed flashers that they wielded were formidable weapons, and no doubt they were well trained in the use of the weapon, but they would be unused to the style of swordplay that Arrol employed, while he had faced opponents across a practice ring several times that preferred the exotic feel of the heavy scimitar.

At the moment, however, he was blissfully free of concern for such matters, as his lover assured him that there was nothing wrong, and then he lowered his head into the pull of her arms, shadows falling deeply over his face as he watched the reflection of the moon in hers. As he felt the faint brush of her lips against his own, he let his eyes fall closed to savor the taste and feel of her kiss, until she pulled away, and once again eyelids lifted so that he could looked down at her again, reaching up to brush his thumb across the soft skin of her cheek, the corners of his lips lifting up into a faint smile.

"I thought that that might have been the case." He let his gaze travel over her face slowly, drinking in her beauty, before letting a slightly concerned look cross his face. "You know... we're close enough to the mountains that we could leave this caravan tomorrow. We would travel faster without them, and it would save both you and I the trouble of dealing with these people another day." As he spoke he watched her face, watching for her reaction to his suggestion.

Until she mentioned that the merchant might have been secretly measuring her up for the veils that those women in his harem wore, and Arrol's eyes widened in mock outrage at the suggestion.

"I'll see the end of him! Have you measured for harem veils indeed." He made a short, indignant sound, his voice raised only slightly, that it wouldn't carry to those in the camp. "I'm the only one with any right to see you in harem veils..." He managed to say it with a straight face, though shortly afterward he grinned at his own comment, and shook his head. Had he been paying attention to the area around him, he might have felt eyes upon them... but no. He missed them, so caught up was he in the eyes before him, and the soft, warm body pressed against his.


Ray'vn

The desert wind raced around the tree’s of the little oasis, fronds swaying in the touch over head and casting rippling striped shadows over the ground, the lush, fertile vegetation found near the small, crystal-clear pool thick and green from the abundant water of the underground-fed spring. It whipped around the lovers, unable to find a place through their close hold to come between them, stroking playful fingers through Ray’vn’s silky, chocolate locks, the heavy curls shimmering around her shoulders as her head tilted back to receive the touch of his hand. Here, away from the prying eyes of the rest of the caravan, the slim Keeper let out a soft sigh, her eyes glittering up at him with unbridled love. The stars burned like diamonds overhead, the desert was almost chilly with the absence of the brilliant sun, quiet, peaceful in a way that she had never known.

And his arms were the perfect place to enjoy the moment. As the bright amber eyes gazed up at his crimson orbs, his suggestion was given consideration, a smile curling her soft lips at him. Arrol never ceased to amaze her, his care for her welfare a steady, sure thing, his concern for her visible in his face, drawing her velvet-soft fingertips over the rugged line of his jaw in a touch as light as a butterfly’s wing, fitting the graceful body up into his lean, hard one.

“What? And miss the bal’cha Amire is making in the morning?”

Her soft, husky voice teased him gently. The head slave for the merchant was also the queen of his kitchens, and she’d taken a special liking to the slim, beautiful Keeper during their trip, the elder woman intent on feeding Ray’vn more, finding the beauty far to slender for her liking, while Amire’s own ample curves wiggled so she was nearly grotesque yet…. graceful… to watch. Ray’vn had instantly taken a liking back to the woman, amazingly enough, and was picking up the native language of the people with startling ease, her lush lips gracefully speaking the word of the sweet, nutty, fruity bread as naturally as if she had lived in the mountains her entire life.

Her laugh drew dark eyes to the shadows, the merchant ever watchful of the location and presence of the slim Keeper and her alert lover and fellow Keeper. Not so foolish as to lay actual threat to those two, the merchant was still foolish enough to harbor a yearning gnawing at his gut like a serpent for not only the slim beauty, but the power that came with such a prize. Frustration seethed through him, still unable to truly know how to achieve his ends, and he looked away, motioning for Sahri, the most lovely of his concubines, to come to him, drawing the young, voluptuous beauty to his lap almost roughly, as if she would slake the lust burning in his gut.

“Actually, Arrol, I was just thinking the same thing, truly, and was going to ask you tonight how you would feel if we left Samier and his… hospitality…. behind. We don’t owe him anything, our debt is paid already and tomorrow night could see us in a bed, with a bath. I’ll even wear harem veils to bed..”

There was enough of a pause on that word ‘hospitality’ to let her dubiousness be evident, and she shifted slightly, turning a bit so his back was to the merchant and she was hidden by her lover’s body, slim and petite against him. Her amber eyes burned brightly at him as she gave him a slow, sultry smile, lifting her lips to breathe that last, teasing addition to him as her lips pressed to his again, softly, holding her slim curves tightly to him as if he would need further provocation. Long lashes drifted closed over the sparkling eyes, her lips pressed warmly to his with a kiss that seemed to spark from the very depths of her heart to his, unable to resist fitting tightly into him again.

Shadows around the edges of the oasis rippled and moved, undulating with the wind’s caress as the night breathed cold, black steel that sparkled like deathly ribbons. Figures tiptoed forward, hidden by the dark, eyes burning like onyx’s as one by one, the darkness came to life around the oasis, spread out to circle the caravan, danger spilling around the lovers and their innocent companions.


Arrol'Shek

The night around the two lovers was quiet and peaceful; the smell of water and life on the desert breeze, the faint flicker of firelight from the campfire a small distance away, and the stars glittering brightly in the sky overhead all set a scene that would be perfect, Arrol thought, if only the merchant who wished to own his lover was not sitting only a small distance away, with his harem of jealous women. But their closeness was something that would, hopefully, no longer be required, if Ray'vn felt safe enough in traveling alone from here to the nearest city. When she mentioned the sweet bread that the larger woman made for breakfast every morning, Arrol shrugged lightly.

"Well... since we've already set up camp for tonight, it couldn't hurt to stick around till breakfast, at least..." He had, in the time that they'd been traveling with the caravan, come to look forward to Amire's breakfast, even if he disliked almost everything else about the merchant and his harem. . "And you know that a good breakfast makes traveling so much more bearable..." He gave a sage nod as he let the sentence trail off into the night air, as Ray'vn admitted that she'd been about to suggest leaving the caravan herself, and smiled faintly; it was good to know that they were thinking along the same lines about this.

She would find no resistance from him as she shifted around him, turning his body so that she was hidden from sight by anyone looking towards them from the camp, and he was sure that there was, though they were hardly of concern to him now, except for considering leaving them behind to make their journey to the city not only quicker, but that much less painful. When she mentioned a bath and a bed, he had to suppress a groan of pleasure, imagining finally being able to get all of the sand and grit off of himself with a good scrubbing, and not having to sleep upon the ground where it was likely that he would spend up sharing his bedroll not only with Ray'vn, but also with scorpions and other small, night-time desert creatures. Then she promised that she would wear harem veils for him, and he was denied an immediate reply as she pressed her lips to his.

All other concerns drifted away as he lost himself in the sweet flavor of her kiss, forgetting all else as his arms held her trim body close against his, until the sound of a scream cut through the air behind them, one of the merchant's harem girls. Hearing sheer terror in the sound, Arrol's attention was ripped from his lover to their traveling companions... then back to his lover as he turned sharply to see what was going on, his hand darting to where his sword should be, ready to protect Ray'vn from whatever it was that had elicited that scream. A natural reflex, one that served him well now, because while he couldn't see the merchant slouching over dead before the campfire, his harem being killed by dark figures moving with a grim efficiency even as those hired guards that were not standing watch raced to draw their heavy weapons and fight back against this group of killers, his turning would save his life.

He saw the figure dressed in black as soon as he turned, a small, thin dagger aimed for where his heart had been, thrust forward with barely enough time for Arrol to twist and be out of the way of what would have been a killing blow. Combat reflexes served him well against an opponent who had been expecting to encounter resistance as the point of his blade encountered body, and as the man overbalanced, Arrol's hand shot out to catch the man's chin, forcing his head to twist in a manner it was not meant to, and with an audible snap the man's neck was broken, the dagger falling to the ground as his fingers went limp.

A deft hand plucked the dagger from the sand as Arrol turned his attention back to the camp, where the guards were fighting a losing battle... at this point they were outnumbered, and would be overwhelmed before too long. With a curse, he quickly handed off the dagger to Ray'vn, then darted towards his tent, needing his sword if he were to be of much use, though the time it took for him to retrieve allowed him to mutter a quick incantation... and a sword that rose up from the sand itself impaled itself upon the chest of one of the assassins, surprising several of them as Arrol took another from behind, one that had been focused upon one of the caravan guards, and then he was on to join the fight.

[FireAngel]

Ray'vn


There was a sweetness to his kiss that she had been unable to ever fully grasp before. It was like honey, but was intangible; it was like sugar, but without substance. It rolled over her lips and down her tongue to spread like a warm glow from the pit of her stomach out, a sweet caress that sucked the life out of her, only to send it flowing back in ten-fold on the breath of his kiss. Her eyes closed, she was lost to the world around them when his lips slanted down on hers, the arms tightening around his neck as the warm golden glow shadowed the lovers, fitting up close to him. Yes, they would share their bedroll with the scorpions and the bugs and lizards and snakes, but she would make sure he shared it with her first, her kiss said, the small teeth nibbling on his bottom lip.

The scream wrenched her lips from his as it split the night like a dagger and leaving the quiet peace fractured and throbbing, her eyes snapping open in confusion as a frown curled her brow, the arms slipping from his neck. When Arrol turned, the silver flash of steel drew her eyes from where shadows seemed to come to life with violent intent that it sent her stumbling back a step in a natural reflex. His hand went to the empty hip and she seemed to almost stumble over the thin slippers on her feet as Ray’vn swallowed back a scream. The threat to her lover was very real and horrible for her eyes, his reaction as swift as instinct before she could even think. The sound of that snap was sickening.

Brilliant amber eyes found his as the pale features seemed to drain of all color, the night erupting to death and violence with a fury that saw the breeze suddenly tinted crimson with spilled blood, the scream of the women a shrill horror as silks flashed with bright colors, people fleeing in a panic. When her lover pressed the dagger into her hands, her lush crimson lips that had only moments ago been pressed to his were parted in shock, the action so sudden, so explosive that she found herself almost wholly unprepared to it, a situation that was swiftly rectified as Arrol turned to their tent. Not all the women were being slaughtered, she realized, some of those dark shapes slipping through the fighting to snatch the concubines and slaves from the slain merchant’s caravan, a horror that was brought on to sudden realization when the scream of Amire pierced over the rest.

Words sprang to her lips unbidden as the amber eyes glittered hotly on the black gaze that seemed to shred her from the raider who clutched the ample cook, the whisper of the wind around the slim Keeper shifting as she started to run, not after her lover, no, but into the fighting that the leaping play of the great campfire illuminated. Her fingers still clutched the dagger, though she wasn’t entirely sure why, as the cool breeze playing through the oasis changed, warming degree by degree, and then seeming to come into a whirling, rounding vortex that focused its dancing movement on the slim beauty charging over the sands, whispering softly words that fell like a mad litany from her lips. The terror-struck gaze of the slave woman found Ray’vn and then her scream was cut short as the point of a black-steel sword pierced her stomach, Amire’s eyes bulging and then she slowly sagged to the sand.

Ray’vn shrieked and pointed that dagger at the black-clothed raider, his robes and lengths of black fabric fluttering gracefully around him as the scream caught his attention. The whirlwind of sand dancing at her feet blistered with a heat that was in no way natural, and his eyes widened when that tornado of sand and pure hot gas shot for him, screaming when it caught his fleeing figure. Shreds of fabric were flayed from the screaming, thrashing man as the heat set the linen and cotton lengths to smoldering, the millions of miniature pebbles of sand heated by the wind striking his flesh so that he was felled by a boiling hot, whirling vortex of heat that swiftly became sand and chunks of his muscle and flesh. A twitching skeleton with tiny bits of muscle and tendon fell twitching to the sand, the small tornado falling abruptly down with it.

A hand curled around her upper arm, sharp and hard, while a savage growl ripped through her with it, sending her whirling to the sand as bright eyes flashed down at her, lips drawn back in a snarl of rage as a blood-dripping sword pointed at the svelte beauty fallen on the sand. Her bright amber eyes glittered up at him, the dagger lost as she scooted back on her hands and rump from the figure that advanced, looming over her with fury and death in the grim smile that was offered her. It shot horrible fear through her, driving the words from her lips, from her mind as she scrambled back, her eyes shooting around, left, right, searching for Arrol, for a weapon, anything, instinct and panic combining in her gut. She picked up a handful of sand and threw at him, the thousands of tiny, microsized glass pieces shifting mid-air as a wildly powerful pulse ripped through her at the raider, growing in size, elongating, glittering until they were thousands of wicked little daggers that he gasped and was suddenly, immediately, inescapably, riddled with on his face, neck, chest and stomach.

He dropped to his knees at her feet, blood oozing from him like a thousand rivers, then toppled over as the eyes rolled back in his head, driving it all deeply into his face and chest so the bloody glittering glass daggers winked from his back and neck. Her eyes were horrified as she leaped to her feet again.

“Arrol!”

The scream was torn from her throat, whirling around again, gasping as tears for the death and pure carnage that the peaceful scene had become was taken in, her eyes finding the shadowy specters that sliced ribbons of death through the people, warriors and their swords flashing, a gasp torn from her chest. It felt like she couldn’t breathe, a heavy throbbing surge pulling from her chest, ripping out as she screamed for air to breathe. Two black-robed figures to her left suddenly halted their advance on the slim beauty, her chestnut curls gleaming like spun silk in the play of the flames, sleek curves ripe and provocatively tantalizing, their hands dropping the blood-dripping swords instantly and clawing for their throats. Their eyes bulged and they instantly fell to their knees, gasping for air that wasn’t coming as the Keeper’s eyes found them and glittered like molten gold into their gaze.

Suffocated in their own lungs, she ripped their air from them to breathe for herself again, drawing in another shrill, sharp gasp as it came, panting softly and looking around with horrified eyes. The severed head of a guard wobbled some distance from her, his sightless eyes staring into the slim beauty, and she shook, trembling violently on legs that almost gave out from under her. The iron grip of terror and shock was ripped away as one of the concubines raced for the slim beauty of the Keeper, falling to Ray’vn’s feet and crying in their native language words that pleaded with her to save them, to use the ancient and powerful magic of the soul in the Obelisk.

Her bright amber eyes looked around again, swiftly reaching to drag the girl to her feet, searching for her lover as she stumbled, tugging the harem-girl after her when the terrified girl stumbled and fell again, blinded by her own tears, her eyes bright, looking around desperately for her lover again.

“Arrol!”


Arrol'Shek

The fight around the camp was a scene of carefully controlled chaos as the raiders worked in unison against caravan guards who seemed nigh incapable of working as anything even remotely resembling a cohesive unit. But perhaps that was a function of each guard being all but isolated from the other, caught up fighting at least one of the black-clad killers, and in most cases more than that. Arrol, by way of the fact that he had come late to the fight and would have been presumed dead by the hand of the killer sent to take care of the two lovers early in the attack, was able to skirt around the edges of the fierce melee and pick off raiders who found themselves otherwise occupied.

It was between killings that he noticed that several of the raiders were not fighting with the guards, but instead with the merchant's concubines, and his eyes narrowed as he watched a group of them surrounding several of the more timid women, advancing not with swords or knives, but with chains and ropes. Arrol took a short moment to concentrate, speaking an incantation as he focused upon the women... and suddenly the air around that group would be filled with the sound of slashing and cutting swords, as hundreds of razor-sharp blade materialized out of the air in a ring around the women. Those slavers caught up in the middle of the blade storm would be diced within seconds, the blades never slowing as they cut chunks of human away from the whole, leaving everyone who stepped into the ring itself in a pile of disassembled meat. The storm of blades stayed in place for several moments, long enough to convince the raiders that the women would be better captured after the combat was completed... they would have to kill all of the guards, or retreat without their prizes.

Then, the sound of Ray'vn's voice cut through the air, over the crash of steel against steel, as Arrol stepped forward and countered a blow from a slaver, batting aside his opponent's blade as he stepped forward aggressively and used the momentum from the maneuver to swing the hilt of his sword into the other man's face. As blood splattered from the man's shattered nose, Arrol brought his sword up over his head, then brought it down in a powerful blow that buried the blade well more than an inch into the slaver's skull. He wrenched the blade free, and turned to find Ray'vn, his sword flashing out to run through the throat of a raider after watching the man behead one of the guards.

When he spotted his lover and the other young girl that was stumbling to follow after her, Arrol rushed to her, noticing that she looked unsteady, ready to catch her if she fell.

"Ray'vn!" He called to her, not knowing if she'd seem him or not, until he came to the realization that the familiar sounds of fighting from behind him had stopped, and he skidded to a quick stop, with a turn to see... that the last of the raiders had been struck down, leaving a small handful of the guards still alive, along with most of the concubines... and Arrol and Ray'vn. Stifling a sigh of relief, Arrol turned back to Ray'vn, covering the rest of the distance between them to gather her back into his arms, holding her tight to him.

"Are you okay, love?" He looked down at her, frowning deeply, concerned that she'd been harmed in any way...


Ray'vn


The sound of crying and sniffling carried through the fading sounds of metal striking metal, until the last of the raiders were felled and it was only the members of the caravan left, those few families traveling with the merchant, under the safety and protection of the guards, the concubines and the Keepers. One of the more seriously injured guards gave a low moan, clutching his hand over a wound that nearly wrapped around his waist and oozed a thick, viscous crimson along with a number of his entrails, a hand of cruelty that he’d yet to die from the fatal blow and was left to spend his final moments in crying agony. A woman let out a keening wail as the fallen body of her husband was discovered with one of those black blades protruding from his chest, echoing over the small encampment in wordless grief so deep it brought tears to the eyes of several of the concubines left.

“Arrol my love!”

When her amber eyes found him, she instantly moved to him, her feet almost tangling on themselves and the sheer white linen veils riding her slim hips, the merchant’s tent on fire and burning brilliantly, setting the camp ablaze with light as servants scurried to save what they could. Light from that great fire shimmered over the svelte curves of the beauty as she almost stumbled in the sand, the girl wailing loudly and clutching to Ray’vn’s hand so that the slim woman half dragged the concubine behind her. Finally, but two steps from her lover’s hold, she looked down, impatient for the weight holding her back from flying into her love’s arms, and shook the girl free.

“Let go! It’s over, you live! Go tend to your people…”

She muttered softly, at last freeing her hand as the girl lifted dark, sultry eyes to her filled with tears, sniffling as her dark kohl liner ran in black streaks down her cheeks. Ray’vn had not the moment to spare to comfort the girl further as she felt Arrol’s arms move about her and with a sigh of relief and a tiny cry of joy that he was alive, she fell into his arms, pressing lithe curves up against him and clinging tightly to his shoulders. Long lashes lay like dark bruises over her cheeks and she drew in a shuddering gasp as tears began to spill over her lashes, suddenly, swiftly.

It was over! He was alive! Her heart seemed to be able to sing, racing wildly in her chest as she drew in a ragged, choking gasp for air, holding him tightly as the emotion of relief gripped her so strongly she couldn’t do anything but cling to him and cry on his chest. He asked if she was alright, and somehow the chestnut curls managed to bob at him as the lashes opened and she gazed up at him with the crimson and lilac moon swimming in the tears of her amber gaze, like glorious diamonds glittering on her cheek. The soft sound of crying came to her as slowly, slowly, she began to be able to breathe again, feeling his concern, his frown as she held to him tightly, and lifted her head, reaching to cup his cheek with trembling fingers, shaking so hard she wasn’t entirely certain how she was still upright.

“Oh Gods.. Yes, yes I’m okay, and no I’m not. Oh Arrol… are you alright, my love? Are you hurt? Wounded?”

Instantly she was worried for him, taking a tiny step back to gaze at him with sudden fear that he’d been hurt, her hand still holding tightly to his shoulder as her other reached to run over his chest and ribs, as if she could feel and see at once while still being held by him. Ray’vn was quite certain she wouldn’t have been able to remain standing if he’d let go of her. Somewhere in the darkness of the shadows around the oasis, two of the guards moved, gathering the horses of the raiders, some other’s moved to the stream to get water for the wounded, another began to pile the bodies of the raiders in the shadows… She saw none of this, nothing existed for her but her beloved, and as if to prove that, as soon as she realized he was untouched, unharmed, her eyes closed and her head was buried back against his chest.

“That was… horrible. Oh gods. Arrol…. I can’t…. I’ve never been so frightened in all my life. Please.. we have to leave here. Right now. I can’t stay here, this… camp… this death….”

Her words came broken, almost choked from her as the slim Keeper arched up hard to her lover, shaking, her sleek curves pressing to his lean, hard body tightly as her tears wet his chest. Curling the slim arms around his neck, she sobbed quietly against him as shock seemed to strike her at once, nothing in her young life having ever prepared her for such violence, as he would well know.


Arrol

The wailing of saddened and scared women, the moan of dying men, all the sounds of the aftermath of a battle faded into the background as he heard his Ray'vn's voice calling out to him, and then her body was pressed against his, and all else was cast out of his mind in his elation that she was alive. Powerful, but weary, arms held her to him, and if she wondered how she could stand while shaking as deeply as she was, it was his grip upon her and his determination not to let her go that held her upon her feet still, even as she nodded to him, affirming the fact that she was unharmed, and he felt a rush of relief as she looked up to him. With her touch brushing across his cheek, he leaned his face into her touch, nuzzling lightly to her as he spoke, his voice strong enough to hold conviction, even in the aftermath of the killing that had just occurred.

"I'm fine... I'm not hurt." He shook his head, to emphasize the point, his eyes traveling over the soft curves of her face, watched those tears as they rolled down her cheeks, and he knew before she ever said anything that he would have to get her away from here, and quickly. This was not the first time he had been forced to take another's life to defend his own, but he knew that it would be his lover's first experience with something like this. And then, as she buried her face back into his chest, and voiced the concern that was in his own mind, Arrol gave a slow, understanding nod, turning his gaze out over the area where the battle had just occurred, where bodies were being gathered and piled to be burned and disposed of, and as his hand moved up from where it had settled at the small of her back, brushing into the hair at the back of her head, holding her close and tight to him.

"Ray'vn love... do you think that you're steady enough to collect our mounts...?" He spoke softly, soothingly, as he stroked his hand along the back of her head lightly. "As soon as our mounts are saddled, and our gear packed, we'll be away from this camp..." Slowly, tentatively, he moved his arms from around her, his hands sliding down to her hips as he took a small step away from her, watching to make sure she wasn't going to fall as soon as he released her. When he was sure that she would be able to gather up their horses, he leaned down and pressed a soft, short kiss upon her lips, before turning away and going about the things that he knew would have to be done here before they departed.

A quick, critical gaze was cast over the remains of the camp, and two of the guards who seemed to be the calmest and most collected were picked, tapped on the shoulder as Arrol passed them on the way to where his and Ray'vn's tent had been set up. When both of the guards followed after him, he knew that he had, with his display of martial prowess, gained the respect that he would need to pull off what he was about to do. As the three of them moved a short distance away from the camp, Arrol turned to look at the other two, eyeing them silently for a short moment, to make sure that he had, in fact, recognized the qualities that he thought he had. When he was sure, he nodded, and spoke softly.

"You..." He motioned to one of them. "Take charge of this caravan. It's only a day's travel to the city, if you leave behind the things that you don't need and everything runs smoothly. Make sure it runs smoothly." Then he turned his gaze to the other. "You help him. Make sure that the people who are hysterical over this ordeal and help keep them organized and working together. I'm seeing my beloved away from here before it hurts her any more than it already has..." Another quick glance was cast at the two of them, then, as they nodded their acceptance... something he hadn't been entirely sure they would do... he dismissed them with a wave, and turned his attention back to the tent that he and his beloved had set up for the night.

With a frown, he dug into the tent, picking out the things that would be necessary or irreplaceable and gathering them up into bags that could be carried easily by their two mounts along with their saddles, frowning for a moment as his gaze fell over his armor in the corner, and he debated whether or not it would be prudent to don it now. After only a moment's consideration he decided that it wouldn't hurt their travelling any, and he took the short couple of minutes it took to pull the armor on, belting his sword at his side once more before stepping back out of the small tent, a leather saddlebag slung over each shoulder as he cast a glance around to find Ray'vn. Then, as soon as the bags were properly fastened, he would see Ray'vn safely and securely in her saddle before he mounted his own, and they would leave the caravan behind them...

[FireAngel]

Ray'vn

The warm salt of her tears baptized the broad, firm plane of his chest, each cry like an outpouring of grief, of shock, of pure agony at the carnage that the peaceful night had been torn open by. She mourned for the tranquility that had been slashed by death’s cruel, black blade; she mourned for the serenity that had been ripped asunder by the explosion of violence that had ended as swiftly as begun. Sobs, healthy, cleansing sobs, wracked her slim body as she curved up into his hold, and the chill in her bones set her to shivering as the emotion was poured out over her lover’s masculine chest, his arms holding her close, tight, a shield against the terror that existed behind her.

A cool desert wind rippled over the oasis, washing the scent of death away as she drew in a shuddering breath, his words pulling her mind from the inner horror to him again, the arms quivering as they clung around his neck with a desperation that had her pushed up into his body, the cries slowly stilling. A ragged breath was drawn as he asked if she could get their horses, another swift gasp was torn from her lips, another, she felt… steadier. Calmer. Able to breathe again, and able to think on his question. He was so tentative! So gentle, so cautious… Long, sooty lashes lowered over her bright golden orbs again as she slowly drew in another breath, tasting the crisp, clean desert wind on her tongue, the scent of blood and death carried from them.

“I think so, yes.”

The eyes opened again as he stepped back, she took a breath, returned his kiss, and nodded slowly, the heavy chestnut curls bobbing as she did, gleaming in the reflected light of the massive tent on fire behind them, casting the camp into a brightly burning glow. Soft sobs still came from the others, wails from wives, mothers, moans of agony from wounded men not yet at death’s door, what had once been a peaceful scene could never return to that again, and the slim Keeper knew with unerring certainty that if she didn’t do something, anything, to occupy her mind, her hands, she would soon join those wailing. He moved to their tent, and she turned to step into the darkness.

If there was a time to be in those shadows, Ray’vn knew well this was it; so soon after the attack, those bandits who’d escaped –which she suspected were precious few- would have yet to have arrived at any destination where reinforcements might be encamped. The bright amber eyes reflected the glitter of the lilac and crimson moon cresting high over the field of midnight velvet, a swift glance up marking how little time it had taken for the night to be so abruptly altered by the chart of the moons, and then a soft chirruping sound as a pale, pale silvery shape stood some distance off, a frightened whickering sound returning to her.

“Come on, sweetheart. We’re off now. I know, you’re frightened, aren’t you? So am I, Belle.”

That soft, husky voice never altered and the delicate beauty silently congratulated herself on the low, steady tone as she moved over the still-warm sand to where the delicately boned, fine blooded mare stood trembling, pressed tightly against a larger, darker shadow that snorted and tossed his head to reveal a startling white blaze- Arrol’s horse and her own having taken comfort in one-another’s presence when the fighting had broken out, too well trained to leave their masters, but too scared to come close to the smell of death that lingered so strongly. The silvery mare snorted loudly, her eyes wide as she took a cautious step forward, away from the black gelding with the bright white blaze running wide down his nose, and as the scent of her mistress overwhelmed the smell of death, the fine mare stepped forward again, her head drooping to press her nose into Ray’vn’s hip.

A delicate hand lift, rubbing the poll of the horse, scratching her ears gently and offering comfort in a low voice that seemed to soothe the Keeper as much as it did the frightened animal. Belle leaned into her touch, the trembling muscles relaxing bit by bit as she continued to stroke the white mare, the free hand reaching for the silky, pale nose of Arrol’s own mount. His great, glassy eyes glistened black as he snorted, lifting one white-socked fore-hoof and then placing it back down again in the same location, his muscles shivering, ticking under the silky, thick sable mane that fell heavy over one side of the magnificent animal’s proudly crested neck.

“You did not like that at all, did you my fellow? Come, the sooner we face this, the sooner we are off. There’s my handsome fellow, protecting my Belle as Arrol did me, didn’t you, Shade?”

The great black gelding took a step forward, his forelock falling in silky waves over his eyes as he tossed his head, then moved to the slim woman that had been a constant companion to his master and rider of the pale mare, his white-blazed nose dropping into her palm as she stroked his soft muzzle. The words she unwittingly uttered to the beast rang back to her – the sooner faced, the sooner finished. Ray’vn drew in a breath, looking from her own slimmer, more refined mare to the larger, more muscled gelding, and stroked their soft necks again, gently, until both were leaning into her touch and the nervous trembling no longer blew in their breath.

A hand was cupped under each massive jaw-bone in the steeds, gently leading them as she began to move forward, towards the camp where the bright orange tongues of flame illuminated the activity that was beginning there, her own beloved swiftly sought with those bright amber eyes as Belle and Shade moved quietly at her side, watching the people with cautious eyes, pressing close to the slim figure so that once or twice a light brush from an equine shoulder almost sent her stumbling to the sand and she’d give a little bump with her hip to shove them back over again.

A concubine dressed in bright yellow and deep green silk looked up from where she sobbed over the slain merchant and her lord and master, her dark eyes red from the tears and kohl liner that ran in dark streaks over her cheeks with the tears that fell. She loosed the hand of the dead man and scrambled to her feet, catching up the thin silk skirt as her thrashing limbs caught in it and racing to the slim Keeper, crying softly in the native tongue so swiftly that Ray’vn couldn’t keep up. A loud snort from Arrol’s horse saw him jerk to a halt when the crying woman threw herself at the feet of the delicate beauty, clutching her leg and pressing her face into Ray’vn’s leg. Her fingers clung at the white linen she wore, nearly pulling it from her hips as Belle and Shade shifted and stamped nervously, their tails swishing, only barely settled.

“You can’t leave us! What if they come back? Lady, don’t leave us, you can’t leave us! They will kill us all, please Lady. They killed Master, you do not leave us!”

She clung fiercely to Ray’vn, the words tumbling out over and over again in a shrill cry that had the slim beauty instinctively drawing back, her head shaking as she looked from the pale silver mare to the dark black gelding again, then to the woman thrown at her feet. The gleaming golden orbs swiftly, wildly, looked around the camp, the sand stained crimson with blood so that it was like dark black pools in blotches where the bodies had been removed, tents burned, children cried, people were grabbing their bags and stuffing their clothes in them while others were pulling down what tents weren’t burning and horses were rounded up. Chaos was rampant, and what concubines survived were wailing and mewling like helpless babes over the slain body of their master.

“Get up! You think if they return you should be here? Go, find your companions, prepare yourselves to travel, for surely your master had heirs.”

She shook the woman off with no small degree of difficulty, stroking and soothing the nervously stamping horses as she did, her white linen scarf fluttering at her neck as she did and earning her an eye-roll from Shade while Belle snorted shyly, staring down at the woman. It seemed her words had an impact and she had to blink, staring down at the exotic almond-shaped orbs of the lovely young woman at her feet. The concubine looked upon her with near-reverence, and as Ray’vn’s gleaming amber eyes lifted to the camp, she realized that those who met her gaze looked on the Keeper in the same light, with the same awe glittering in their eyes. Somehow, she’d managed to win a frightening amount of awe and respect by the murders she’d committed. The thought nearly made her ill.

Pulling the steeds back, she shifted her path, coming through a wide maze of bloody puddles to the tent as Arrol emerged. The amber eyes met his crimson orbs silently as she took in the wearing of his armor, her gaze dusting him from top to bottom before his own steed seemed to move forward of his own accord to greet his owner, the large, chocolate eyes of the black horse focused on the man as he pressed his nose into Arrol’s chest, Belle’s great, dark eyes focusing on the man for a moment before she stood still and silent under Ray’vn’s stroking hand.

“They are… so frightened, Arrol…”

A hand reached for the silver mare’s bridle, willing to tack her own mount if it meant they left that much more swiftly. Her eyes shot over the back of the steed to where a pyre was assembling under the combined effort of remaining guards and peasants alike, and she knew she could not be here when the smell of death and blood combined with burning clothes and scorched flesh, her delicate nature not quite ready for so abrupt a lesson in war-fair. The guards he’d spoken with were moving with calm assurity through the people, now that they’d tasks delegated to them, given orders to follow, simple warriors to a fault. Saddles were slung up on the high backs of the horses as they worked before their tent. She was just as willing to leave it behind and purchase a new one in the mountain city of Vishta, the destination of the caravan. All she needed was possessed in the pack he had already set for them.

By the time she’d the mare saddled and bridled and was swinging up onto that high perch, the guards had a measure of order restored, the final bodies of the raiders cleared away, while the merchant’s corpse was treated with far more reverence, dressed and wrapped by the loving hands of his concubines and placed in a liter for travel. It was as the Keeper had said: he no doubt had heirs that would demand to see to his burial. Belle snorted softly, her head tossing up as the light touch took up the slender, leather reins and she turned to see the camp was almost, almost, moving normally again, save for the frightened look in the eyes of the people scurrying with a far swifter step than normal to and fro, and the pile of bodies at the edges. The fires would burn for hours yet still.

Ray’vn looked at her beloved, her amber eyes glistening faintly before they closed again. She’d caught a glimpse of the rich ruby silk that had marked the slave-garb of Amire, the cook, amidst those in the pyre, and had to draw in another swift, shaky breath. Saying a silent prayer for the woman and those others who died that she and the other’s could live, Belle’s head was shifted slightly to the East, where the massive, black shadows of the mountains still lingered in full darkness, and she looked to her lover again, nodding slowly.

“Let us go, my love. As you say, we will travel faster, and… I… I cannot be here when they… they light.. that…”

The eyes didn’t quite move to the pyre again, but shifted in that general direction before her startling beauty was turned to him again, the slender, arched brows lowered slightly in a frown of concentration to keep tears at bay. Belle shifted into Shade’s comforting bulk, then like a silvery ghost, Ray’vn nudged her mount to the edges of the camp, the yawning uncertainty of the darkness beyond drawing a deep breath from her chest, her eyes like molten gold as they flicked over her shoulder to find her beloved’s comforting and calming presence again.



Arrol

Arrol smiled, for the first time since the grim melee had begun, when he saw his beloved Ray'vn approaching with their mounts, and he reached up to pat Shade softly as the animal came to him, speaking a few words of soft reassurance in a language that others in this world had long since forgotten, and the large horse settled down, calming noticeably from the words, as Arrol stroked his nose softly. Then, the saddle was placed upon Shade's back, strapped down securely before he checked to ensure that Ray'vn had accomplished the same... and he was quite glad to see that she needed no aide with that mundane task. She hadn't slipped into shock over the events, and that meant that she would survive them no worse for the wear.

Once they were both mounted, and moving away from the slowly organizing camp, he nodded slowly at her comments, spurring his horse forward to match the pace of her own, pulling alongside her as he looked over at her, smiling warmly now that they were on their way.

"By the time they light that pyre, dearest Ray'vn, we will have enough distance between ourselves and the camp that while we will not even notice it's light upon the horizon, much less be bothered by it's heat or smell." His tone as he spoke to her now was the same as when he'd spoken to his mount, calm and reassuring, the sort of tone that made one want to believe whatever the speaker said, no matter how unlikely or improbable. With a mostly genuine smile upon his face, Arrol knew that it would be obvious that he was quite glad to have the scene of the massacre behind him, though he said nothing else of it, as he turned his horse in the direction of the town that they had been travelling towards.

Given no futher problems, they would reach their destination in just a small handful of hours...


Ray'vn

Perhaps it was the moisture of the mountains, rising up through the atmosphere to place a humid veil between the sun and the earth, perhaps it was the streams that made the ground so fertile and thereby more lush with vegetation, perhaps it was the elevated land of the mountains themselves, but for whatever reason, it seemed the air was cooler, the ground gentler, even the sun burned with a less feral intensity the moment the steeds crossed from the harsh, barren Wastelands and into the first line of the Al’gare mountains. As if the they had crossed an invisible barrier, the shade and greenery began to grow and multiply until the rolling, undulating carpet of dry sand was a memory behind them. Nimble hooves found a narrow trail that curved around the base of a mountain, guiding them into a valley that was lined with olive tree’s and hearty sage tree’s as the sun crested the horizon, spilling a shimmering blanket of gold down over the valley as they came around a bend in the mountain and the largest city in The Wastelands, Vishta, stretched in baked adobe and wooden glory.

The tiny farming tenements began midway down the mountain, the path that they followed spreading and growing until it became more road, solid and flat and stable under the carefully plucking hooves of Shade and Belle while loose rock tumbled in some of the steeper places. Ray’vn found she welcomed the challenge of guiding the mare as it pulled her mind from the morbid turn they had continued in, the slim beauty silent for a vast majority of their journey across the fringes of the desert and into the first curve of the mountain, the gleaming beauty of her amber eyes holding a somber sparkle when they’d lift from behind the shadowed smudges of her lashes. The snowy mare snorted as her hoof stumbled in the rut of a worn wagon track, sending the ivory linen veil tumbling from the rich, mahogany curls and her pale, marbled skin as she shifted quickly to right herself and keep from sliding from her precarious perch and caused the nimble fingers to curl in the silly mane as Belle quickly righted herself.

The closer they drew to the city, the more populated and wider the road became until the smaller mare was pressed nearly into the heavier muscled shoulder of Arrol’s sable mount so that she wasn’t running over pedestrians and people with smaller hand-carts. A trio of large oxen pulled a cage containing a magnificent green and golden feathered gryphon, his yellow eyes alert with a hawkish intensity, the wicked claws of the beast lashing through the thin bars at those who dared to travel too close and sending a wave of people surging backwards as the creature let out a shrill screech from the beak. From within the city walls, the sounds of music and thousands of voices rose in a swelling and surging tide, mingling with the overwhelming odor of food cooked on open air grills and thousands of bodies confined to a single place. There were brightly colored pennants, tents of shimmering colors and fragile silk, exotic creatures, and so many people that her eyes grew wide as she drew Belle to an abrupt halt as a little boy ran under the prancing hooves, herding a pair of goats before him.

The mare snorted and looked around with wide eyes, pressing close to Shade as she turned to gaze at her lover with bewilderment etched over the lovely features, suddenly realizing that few of those on the road that funneled into the huge, open city gates were mounted, though there were horses aplenty, magnificent creatures with proudly arched necks and prancing hooves and sweeping manes and tails and with obviously hot-blood pulsing through their veins; yet they were lead on leads with precious metal and jewel-studded halters. As the Keeper scanned the faces that surrounded them, the realization that they were being eyed by those on the road with varying degree’s of hostility registered, and she reached over to place a hand on Arrol’s arm, a frown already curving those lovely, slender brows.

“Have you noticed that we are… much the subject of speculation…?”

Her voice was pitched to a low, husky murmur and for some reason, the words were issued in a language so arcane that Ray’vn had no doubt it would be unknown by the peasants, the burning glitter of her amber eyes swiveling from person to person. A hot glare of hatred on the dark, glittering eyes of one man so dark and swarthy that he made her instantly think of garlic and onions – irrationally so! – had her hand tightening slightly on her lover’s sleeve, feeling as though she had just been slapped without being touched. Another younger man did not look at her at all, but gazed instead on the long, straight legs of the fine mare she rode with such envy, his eyes caressing Belle’s cresting neck and following the delicate slope of her nose like a lover’s touch, and she turned to look at Arrol again.

Just past him, an olive skinned beauty in powder blue silk veils that covered her slim hips and pert breasts was leaning against a boulder, her head tilted back so that her dark hair shimmered like a blue-black waterfall under the pale golden silk veil she wore as a man stood over her, his face buried in the low cleavage of her pale breasts, and Ray’vn felt her eyes grow as huge as saucers and her jaw fall open as the man began to take the beauty like a savage beast in rut, there on the side of the road and for all to see. Her cheeks flamed a brilliant red.

“Oh my…. Arrol…!”

She just almost squeaked, her eyes blinking rapidly at the scene of pure carnal lust that she couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away from until a cart slipped along between her and the side of the road and obstructed her gaze, and even then it was as Belle began to move forward again with the flow of the foot-traffic that she finally could look away for good. Her eyes flew to her lover in confusion and shock, unable to express quite how their reception and that image had all just stunned her into speechlessness and wiped, if only for the moment, the memory of the encampment away. A man dressed in deep, bloody crimson edged in golden lace and with a thick moustache over lush, sensuous lips stood leaning against the wall nearby the gates, and before her very eyes he looked over the pair, his dark eyes burning for a moment on deep chest of Shade and skimming the slope of the horse’s hindquarters, then his lips curled in a sneer and he snubbed his nose, turning away with a hiss and aura of arrogance. The huge gates loomed before them before she could find her tongue again.

“What is going on?! Is it a festival, what..?”

Almost bewildered, she looked from her companion to the city, the walls a pale, sun-baked ivory color as they circled the area that had once been a vast plane on the side of the mountain and seemed to sprout up a civilization at the edges of a stream that flowed swift and deep down the side of the mountain, providing ample water and lush vegetation for farming and ranching. Wide city streets were littered with papers and bottles, half-eaten food, refuse and torn clothing, silks and veils of bright shimmering color and beauty laying in wadded up and forgotten pools as the people moved in a crowed that cavorted with a gleeful abandon that could be felt like a kiss. There was an atmosphere of utter gaiety and abandonment consuming the city of Vishta, people were laughing and dancing in the streets. One couple was kissing and groping boldly against the wall of the bakery, the taste of gluttony and depravity rolled through the streets along with wine and mead, so that as soon as they made their way through the thick press at the gates and the crowd they surged through with started to disperse, she felt eyes on the slim, svelte body all over again, though lacking the hostility outside the gates.

[FireAngel]

Arrol'Shek

It was a curious thing, the transformation of the land that one could witness in only one day's ride travelling, from the dry, oppressive heat of the desert that made up most of the Wastelands to the much more pleasant, welcoming climate of the mountains. Where the lack of humidity made the desert a suitable location for growing not a thing other than cactus, which was mostly useless, except in a few rare cases, the lands in the mountains were full of life, and while the desert was known only for producing sun-bleached skeletons and undesirable creatures such as scorpions, there were several staple crops that grew in the higher altitude and lower temperatures of the mountains.

A much more impressive change than that in the climate, though, was the change in the people, from the nomadic tribes of the desert to the city-dwellers in the mountains. In the desert, it seemed that as the temperatures rose, so did the aggression of the people, and those few places where there had been permanent settlements established attracted few people willing to settle in them, and quite a large number of raiders intent on taking whatever they needed for survival from those that did live there. The climate of the mountains was a much more hospitable one, though, and with the mountains to provide some measure of protection from the raiders of the desert, the people of the mountains were much more open and friendly, and Arrol had wondered, on the occasions that he'd had to visit the cities of the mountains, about the fact that the climate itself had seemed to rub off on the people who endured it.

But with his mind occupied with other concerns, namely the well-being of his lover riding next to him after the attack the previous night on the caravan they had been travelling with, Arrol had little time to consider the differences between various peoples, as he paid a close attention to the terrain around them, knowing that had he been just a little more alert, they might not have been taken so fully by surprise by those raiders...

Arrol shook the thought from his head with a slight frown, casting a glance towards Ray'vn, and he blinked as he watched Belle stumble on the path, but even before he could reach out a hand to offer his assitance to keep her in the saddle, she righted herself, and Arrol found himself smiling faintly. He had to remind himself that this was Ray'vn's first trip to the mountains, and likely Belle's, as well... and while the smaller horse wasn't doing bad, Shade was decidedly more sure-footed, having tread this very path before. Both Arrol and his mount were familiar with the path that lead to the city, and the growing number of people upon the road was a welcome sight, for it meant that they were coming closer to the city itself, and that meant no more sleeping on sand... Shade would have a nice clean stable and plenty of food, while Arrol would have a bed. Because, and damned be anyone who said otherwise... a bedroll rolled out over a bunch of sand had nothing on a nice comfortable mattress.

And so it was with lightening spirits and a faint smile that Arrol took in the growing number of people packed onto the road around them, some leaving the city though most were coming to its large gates, and a sure hand upon the reigns of a well-trained horse kept people from becoming trampled under hooves, even as Arrol maneuvered the animal out of the way of passing carts and herders. The fact that he and Ray'vn were being watched by those around him didn't surprise him much, and it took him a moment to come to the realization that those that were watching them seemed... rather hostile towards them. Arrol cast his gaze about, meeting one or two others of those around them, before he felt a hand on his arm and heard his lover's voice next to him, speaking in a language that he knew that the mountain-folk would likely not understand.

"I have noticed... and I was about to point it out to you, had you not mentioned it first. Leave them be, we don't need to blunder into something right here before we get into the city..." Even as he spoke, he wondered at Ray'vn's choice of the ancient tongue, but decided to write it off as instinctually not wanting potential eavesdroppers to understand the conversation, and Arrol knew that such a precaution was one that would likely serve them well here... because as his eyes fell upon the sight of a woman wearing silken veils not unlike those of the concubines belonging to the caravan master they'd spent time with being taken on the side of the road by a man who likely owned her, he wondered just what was going on in and around the city.

He would have been amused by Ray'vn's embarassment, had he not been frowning deeply and paying close attention to a man who was steadily eyeing Shade, muttering a spell under his breath that would call a clear image of the man to view at a later date, should he feel the need arise to do so. As the man wandered off, he heard his lover speak again, and turned his attention towards the city past the gates, guiding his mount into what seemed indeed to be something of a large celebration, though Arrol could hardly begin to imagine just what would inspire people to act in quite this way.

"I've never witnessed a festival quite like this one... I don't know what's going on..." And he held a little tighter on his reigns, feeling eyes upon him again, enough to make him very nearly wish a bath, though the pair had stopped shortly before leaving the desert itself to clean themselves in the sand, letting the rough particles scour the blood and other impurities from their skin. And while it wasn't nearly so relaxing as a bath would have been, both his and his lover's skin shone for the effort, though Arrol longed to have actual water to wash the sand from his hair now.


Ray'vn

Left, right and center, the traffic spilling through the gates chose a direction and headed off in their destinations, flowing like a river around two stones as the pair stood just within the city gates, a man carting bottles of wine clinking loudly enough to startle one of the fine, dappled steeds that was being lead through the gates, the horse giving a shrill whinny and rearing back so the sapphires inlaying the horse’s halter winked and shimmered in the sunlight while hooves thrashed out, lashing in violent protest to the unexpected and unidentifiable sound. Pedestrians quickly scurried back and away, ringing the prancing, nervous steed and pushing back the others who struggled to pass by, the circle around the rearing, screaming horse shifting and moving as the flashing hooves slashed and flashed out.

Belle snorted and shied suddenly as a body shifted and stumbled into her shoulder, the mare grunting and giving way under the person until she bumped into Shade’s side, sending her slim rider against her lover hard, their thighs rubbing against one another as the mare struggled to right herself again. Ray’vn’s amber eyes flew wide as a gasp fell from her lips, suddenly positive that the silvery horse was about to go crashing to the stone street and pin her beneath a thousand pounds of crushing weight when Belle seemed to find her balance again and the man had pushed off the solid shoulder of the horse and lunged forward into the crowd again. The slim beauty shot her wide, confused gaze to Arrol, knowing her lover, alert and attentive as ever would have been ready to rescue her had Belle not found her balance again and her flashing hooves found purchase on the sand-packed road.

Just ahead of the squealing, screaming horse that blocked up the arched entrance to the city, it seemed the crowd thinned some, and with delicate precision, she managed to guide Belle forward, leaving behind a teaming, surging mass of people and frowning slightly, pulling the slighter horse back to allow her lover to take the lead, knowing without it being said that they would need to first procure lodgings, her longing for a bath and bed as great as his if not greater, the slim beauty feeling the weight of exhaustion plucking at the strings of her reserves and feeling so utterly grimy that she could hardly stand to feel her skin touch.

A slave merchant crossed before the pair leading by way of chains running to collars around slender throats a small harem of veiled beauties all with slim hips and generous breasts and translucent, olive skin, the metal collars wrapped around their necks gleaming as they moved with a languid, sultry grace for all that he shooed them swiftly along. She could feel their dark eyes, exotically curved at the tips and lined with dark kohl to give them that mysterious, sultry look, curious on the slim beauty, and outright inviting to her armored companion and so pointedly welcoming to her lover that Ray’vn actually felt her spine straighten slightly and her molten amber eyes narrow with twin flames of jealous possessiveness burning in their depths as she returned their looks, measure for measure.

Without a word necessary between them, they stopped at a small building that stood alone yet close to its neighbors near the heart of the city, the walls more stone than adobe, the flat roof enclosed by a low-rising wall where people could be heard laughing and brightly colored clothing could be seen. Within the wide, opened windows, the dim interior already had occupants, while leaning casually outside the door a lad of middle teenage years yawned and leaned against the wide, public water trough, his dark eyes like twin jets gleaming in swarthy, tanned skin.

“Arrol… I do not think.. that we should leave the horses alone out here…”

Again her husky voice spoke in that complex and arcane language, low as if a delicate melody played from the lush lips, feeling a shiver streak down her spine when the eyes of the lad turned to the deep, silky sable steed of her lover, then flicked instantly to the snowy, slighter mare that the woman was mounted upon, his eyes roaming both mounts thoroughly so that Ray’vn felt certain he could have picked both Shade and Belle from a wide herd.

The delicate Keeper felt the leather reins play through her fingers and a slight frown drew down her brow as she looked up to the inn that he had led them to, then turned to gaze around the street that was moving and surging with brightly colored robes and people that had dusky skin and alluringly curved eyes and exotic accents, and realized that no few of them were looking on the pair with a mixture of interest and dislike.

“There is… something happening here, Arrol. A festival? Aye… maybe. And I don’t feel that we are very… welcome… at it.”

She had yet to dismount from Belle’s back, the mare flicking her ears back and forth as the svelte beauty tore her eyes from the other Keeper of the Obelisk to look around the city slowly, her lovely features drawn into a tiny frown as she tried to voice the sensation that continued… and it was true, she thought, looking slowly down the narrow streets that were pressed with people dressed in bright silks and glittering jewels and gleaming golden adornments. There was a sense of festivity to the air… Save where the two Keepers of the Obelisk .. and their horses, apparently…. Were concerned, and Ray’vn could hardly figure out why. After all, since the road to the city had been reached, they had seen numerous steeds, of a quality to their own and higher, as evidenced by one huge, glistening chestnut stallion that pranced down the end of the street under the calm, skilled hand of a brightly gold-robed man wearing a magnificent green and gold.. turban?... on his head.


Arrol'Shek

The large, dark form of Shade moved carefully through the crowds of the city, his own experiences as well as his rider's skilled hand letting him know when to pause and allow someone to pass before him, and when to step forward when Arrol deemed there would be no problems in doing so. Between the two of them, they displayed a well-practiced ability to traverse the constantly shifting crowd of people. Even when the nearby clinking of glass bottles hitting against each other frightened one of the other horses close by... and Arrol wondered about what kind of owner held the animal's reigns, that such a fine animal would be allowed to startle so easily and react so violently... it only caused a momentary hitch in stride.

The shifting of the crowd away from the frightened animal was so predictable that it didn't take Arrol off-guard, and that one of the men, in his hurry to get away from one horse, would run into another didn't surprise him. It did, however, seem to surprise Belle and Ray'vn, and Arrol frowned as his lover's horse bumped into his own, his hand shooting out to help steady Ray'vn in her saddle as Shade kept his footing against the sudden force of Belle's body pressing into his own, keeping the both of them from falling through sheer force of will and strength. And then, with the bulk of the people suddenly past them and staying out of the way, Arrol let his hand rest against his lover's body for a short time, his gaze meeting hers to make sure that she wasn't going to panic herself, before he nudged Shade forward with his heels, the two of them bullying their way forward through the press of people, until they passed through the entrance to the city.

From there, the travelling became noticeably easier, as the crowds thinned out and generally became more mindful of the mounted traffic that came and went. Arrol urged Shade forward, taking the lead as he glanced this way and that, taking his bearings by the buildings around him and picking his path through the city carefully. Rarely did he pause to allow someone before them, knowing that the people in the city would move to let them pass, though he did stop and wait for the slaver and his trailing line of collared women. It was unwise to anger the slavers, even for the two Keepers. Arrol paid little attention to the women as they passed, and even if he had cared to receive their attentions, his thoughts were far from such things at the moment.

Perhaps, once he was bathed and not feeling as though he'd spent the last several days rolling in sand, his mind would allow for thoughts of such pleasures. Of course, once that happened, he would be locked safely away in a room at an inn with his lover.

The building that he lead them to was one that Arrol knew... fairly well, from the time that he'd spent in this city, and he hoped very much that it was still owned by the man who had owned it those years ago. He was already moving to dismount, very much aware of the young boy nearby, and apparently quite unconcerned that he was there and paying very close attention to their mounts, when Ray'vn voiced her concerns about leaving the horses here. Dark eyes cast over to her, and he simply flashed a smile as he swung down onto the ground, his movements as smooth as he could make them despite the fact that he was weary from travelling, and he answered her in that same arcane tongue.

"They will be safe for the short time that they will be unattended, I think. If the owner of this inn is the same man that I used to know, he'll send someone right out to care for them, once he knows that we're here." And if it was not the same man, then it would be good that that young boy was not the only one who could pick the two horses out of a large crowd, and Arrol would have an advantage over the kid and whoever else the horses were transferred to... Shade knew his owner, and would not only fight to avoid being taken by someone else, but would protect Belle as well. And then, when Arrol came looking for his mount, Shade would come to him, over anyone else... they had a bond, that no horse trader or owner would be able to overcome.

Stepping down onto solid ground, Arrol moved around to press his hand to Shade's snout, stroking softly as he spoke in yet another language, an even more ancient one, to the large horse, his voice soft and his tone reassuring. Shade seemed to nod his head and whinny in approval, and Arrol smiled as he looked back up to Ray'vn, though he could sense her apprehension and knew that she was very right in what she felt about this place.

"Whatever is going on, I will feel better once our horses are seen to, and we are safely inside a room that I can safeguard personally." With that said, he tied Shade's reins to the post outside the inn, and moved to hold his hand up to Ray'vn. "And we're not far from that and being able to take a hot bath, love..."



Ray'vn

The gleaming radiance of the sun came down in golden slants to wash the tan, adobe-like structures in a dusty haze that promised to be a haze of heat that would be like an inferno found on earth, something not even the cooler shade of the mountains could completely obliterate in the harsh, desert climate and already at mid-morning, the cool of the evening was becoming only the faintest of memories while what little humidity was left was beginning to ripple up. It seemed as if the sultry day would not hinder the natives, however, or whatever festive air had been brought over the city as bright flashes of color from silken clothes and veils of the sheerest fabrics were adorned with bright jewels and golden bangles and dark, sultry eyes gazed in curiosity over the capitol city’s streets. The distant roar of some fierce creature seemed only to add to the atmosphere, odd and confusing as it was for the pair.

For a long moment, she looked down the street still perched on the silvery mare, her amber eyes like warm honey between the long, sooty lashes, all that was visible of the lovely visage while the delicate hand not holding the warm, sticky leather reins of the mare held the end of her veil aloft. The fine, ivory linen allowed for a dark shadow of her mouth to be seen along with the slim blade of her nose, but masked the fragile beauty of flawless flesh, hid the deep rose tint of succulent lips and covered the slender, graceful curve of her throat while the rest of the fabric lay in graceful folds and creases over the svelte, lean body. When her lover dismounted his tall, coal steed, Ray’vn let her eyes dart to him, then to the indolent lad leaning against the wall of the establishment, and almost quivered in indecision. Arrol’s smile only slightly reassured her, more comfort coming from his words as he gazed at her.

“You.. know this place? You have been here..?”

Coming from a long line of horse-people herself, before being called to the Obelisk, the slim Keeper could well appreciate the bond between her lover and his mount, knowing the horse would have carried him into hell if he’d but asked, and she knew also the value Arrol placed on Shade, as high as her own on Belle. If he would trust the loyal, hot-blooded horse to the innkeep, then so would she.

Dropping the veil, the linen revealed the beginnings of a tentative smile while her hand moved down to find his, loosing the reins and bracing her other hand on his shoulder, swinging down off the fine mare with a grace that was hampered only by the stiffness and soreness of muscles long seated in a saddle. Once her slippers hit the stony road, she found she had to grip his hand for a moment and let the blood return to normal circulation, her delicate nose wrinkling slightly at the twinges of ache that began to whisper up her inner thighs.

“Oh.. A hot bath and a clean bed and sheets. Arrol, I feel like I have at least half the Wastelands caked on my skin and in my hair.”

Her soft voice as a low, good-natured complaint, knowing her companion would feel much the same way, and her eyes glittered warmly up into his gaze, love and gratitude and appreciation for him shimmering in the small smile teasing the corners of her soft, ruby lips. He was so concerned for her, so protective, so loving – everything she could love and respect in a man. A wave of tenderness washed over her and she reached to touch one of his long, dark locks with gentle fingers.

“I want to wash your hair for you tonight…”

Softly murmured, the words were from lover to lover, loved to loved, and then she lowered the lock when Belle shifted and snorted, the dainty mare bumping her hip with a shoulder that seemed impatient for a respite that the small stables promised, breaking the spell and tearing her amber eyes from his crimson gaze with a soft laugh and shake of her head. Taking the reins and pulling them over the arched neck of her horse, she tethered her next to Shade and turned to her companion, pulling a small bag that would carry a change of clothes and items of toilette along with some coins that would purchase their rooms and food.

The arched doorway to the inn was open, the heavy, curved door fastened open and a set of stone stairs covered in a fine layer of sand – as most things on the city streets were – curved into the building and ran up in a spiral, disappearing from sight from where they stood perhaps some three steps up. A pair of small candles sat unlit by the door for when the night would fall and from within the sounds of laughter and music spilled out, a spatter of words in a foreign, exotic language preluding the emerging of a man in a drunken stumble that sent him spilling out onto the streets, nearly at their feet.

His skin was dark and swarthy, a dark black mustache adorned his upper lip while his small, black eyes were blurry with the effect of entirely too much wine too early in the day, a fact attested to by the smear of wine running down the red and white striped tunic that he wore, the long shirt hanging to well past his trousered knees and covered by a plain, coarse linen vest that hung almost as long as the over-shirt did. Stumbling to his feet, the native looked from Arrol to Ray’vn, then to the horses beyond them both, and a leering grin curled his lips as he fixed his gaze on Arrol.

“So, come to try an’ sell the Eimier his thir’ bride, ‘uh? S’good! She.. Majesty likes pale wo’men. ‘Orse is… lit’ small, though….”

The words were slurred in that swift, lovely exotic speech that was native to the people dwelling in the Wastelands, his eyes swinging from the lovely young beauty to her companion, lips lifting in a leering, lecherous grin as his eyebrows waggled in comical overt display at Arrol. She stood, stunned into silence and with her eyes shimmering brilliant fire on the man before snapping to her lover and arching a slender, chestnut brow, the action missed as the brow lofted into disappearing behind the band of the veil atop her head.

One delicate hand reached for Arrol’s in an almost blind motion, the lithe beauty stepping quickly to the larger, protective bulk of the other Keeper as the man seemed to perform a complex dance of intricate steps before lurching towards her, a hand outstretching as if to take hold of the beauty and pull her to him. He wound up with a handful of Belle’s mane instead, and the high-spirited mare snorted and tossed her head, shying from the man as he swung around in confusion, gazing at the silvery mane instead of chestnut curls he’d glimpsed at.

“Arrol…!”

Her eyes cut from the drunk who seemed suddenly confused to her lover, a frown drawing down her brow as she pressed her slighter figure into his armored side, comforted by his mere presence. Ray’vn couldn’t stop the tiny frown curling her brow as her eyes darted to the man again, then back to the door of the inn, trying to nudge her lover to it.

“…Come on. Please, before something happens..”

Ray’vn whispered softly to him in that ancient language that she knew only he would understand, those molten amber eyes glancing up at him, pleading silently, and then flickered to the man again. He seemed to realize it was a horse he’d grabbed ahold of and not the slim, lovely woman in the provocative ivory linen with those honey-fired eyes, and swung around to fix her with his dark eyes again, thick, black brows lowering in a frown.

“You’ll haveta teach ‘er better, though. The Eimier, doesn’t’ like.. women who don’ know their place..”

And then he advanced again on Ray’vn, determined to show her what he meant.

[FireAngel]

Arrol'Shek

"Yes, I've been here before. I spent some time here the last time I was here, but... that's been several years ago now." He gave a slow shake of his head, casting a glance over to the inn that he had brought them to. His fingers curled lightly around her hand as she reached for it, supporting her as she slid down from atop Belle. "The city didn't... feel like this, the last time I was here, though, so there's no telling what else might have changed since then." Once she was standing upon her own two feet he turned back to her, smiling softly at her comments. His eyes fell partially closed as she reached up to brush those fingers against his hair, and he gave his head a quick shake... one that dislodged quite a bit of sand, letting it fall to the ground at his feet.

"There is... nothing you could have said, that would make me love you more right at this moment..." Another soft smile tugged at the corners of his lips, before he felt Belle nudging her owner, and dark eyes turned to the silvery mare with a faint chuckle. "But I seem to be standing in line for your attention..." He stepped back to Shade's side, stroking the fine beast softly as he tended to his own gear. His sword belt was loosed from the clips that held it in place at the horse's side, allowing him easy access to his blade should he need it, and the belt was wrapped around his middle and buckled into place. He checked the pouches that held the various objects and items that he considered necessary, and was in the middle of grabbing up his travelling pack when that man stumbled out of the small tavern that Arrol knew to be below the inn itself and fell to the ground between the tavern doors and where the Keepers were standing.

A dark crimson eyebrow raised curiously at the sight, then shook his head and dismissed the man out of hand as he looked back to Ray'vn, finding her ready with her things. Before they would be allowed to attempt their entrance into the inn, however, the man found his way to his feet, and was talking to them in that accent that was so common to this area. He was assuming that... he had brought the Eimier his third bride? Well, that certainly explained what all the... festivities... were about, throughout the city, but Arrol certainly had no cares about who the Eimier was to marry, though he knew it would not be Ray'vn.

"I know well what kind of women the Eimier likes, but this one is not for him. And I know not what the Eimier has planned, though I can assure you, it will have nothing to do with my Ray'vn." It was quite obvious that Arrol had been ignored, when the man lunged forward and attempted to grab at Ray'vn... or at least that's what Arrol figured he was attempting, even though that wasn't quite what he accomplished. The man ending up with a handful of Belle's mane didn't seem to be the desired outcome, if he'd read the man's expression correctly. There was no mistaking his words, however slurred they might have been, though.

As the man advanced upon them, Arrol frowned deeply, moving to place himself between the two, standing in front of Ray'vn as he straightened up to his full height, shaking his head at the man.

"And I don't like filthy drunkards who don't know their place. Move on, be gone and leave us alone." As he spoke, Arrol's hand came to rest on the hilt of his sword, and he hoped that the man would take the hint... as well as the far less subtle command in his words... and simply go away. But he didn't place much faith in that hope, and should the man try to press his luck, Arrol's free hand was ready to lash out to intercept a move by the man to circumvent the black-armored figure standing between between himself and the woman he thought he was going to lay a hand upon.


Ray'vn

Normally that bold brand of possession stamped on the slim beauty would send the proud woman into a fit of outraged defiance and near-mutinous rebellion, casting off that claim with a snort and stomp of her foot and a hot glare from those sizzling amber eyes that would scorch the stoutest of souls. Ray’vn had known a life of freedom and was learned and well read in her own right long err the ancient soul held in the obelisk had called to her own and she had enjoyed that freedom to the fullest before knowing the satisfaction of becoming a Keeper, of feeling her soul merge into one with that arcane and powerful deity that lay a blanket of protection over the land.

But this was not her homeland. Here women wore veils to cover their faces but bared their abdomens with pride, they were held on collars and captive by hands both loving and cruel, they were used and subjugated, or coveted and exalted, they were sold and bartered for the curve of their lips or beaten and broken for the shape of their nose. She looked at the sumptuous beauty of the women, dark and alluring, exotic and seductive, and Ray’vn knew that for all their seductive beauty, she would not trade places with one of them.

When the larger bulk of the man swung between the slim woman with those succulent, voluptuous curves that the thin linen shift she wore seemed to emphasize and the man coming for her, he pulled up short and stared with wide if not bleary eyes at the pair, his gaze dropping to the sword and then back to the Keepers again. Both his thick brows lift in surprise, as though it were far beyond him to understand why they were offended, and then sudden enlightenment light his face.

“So, keep ‘er charms to you ‘til the Eiemier has her, uh? Aghhh..”

The last came out as a gutter growl that was a mutter of vexation as his meaty, ham-hock like fists closed on empty air at his sides and he shot the amber eyes of the woman a look over the armed shoulder of the man.

Ray’vn was not so close to his back that he wouldn’t be able to move, but she held herself near enough that he’d be able to feel her back there, her hand finding his again and closing her fingers gently around his again, the touch light, plucking almost gently as her soft voice murmured low in that ancient, arcane language again, her gaze darting from the man to the inn again.

“Arrol.. please…. Let us go inside… Leave him. Forget him. You promised me a bath, remember..”

She urged him in sweet, beguiling tones, taking a small step back and drawing his hand gently with her as she did, looking past him to the drunk again. Something in his small, dark eyes made her shiver and the delicate woman could not help but glance over her shoulder again for the door to the inn and tavern. The sounds of laughter beckoned again. The boy who had been leaning against the wall was now standing up, actively watching, curiously so as if entranced. It was as if the man were deciding something, his eyes moving from Arrol to Ray’vn, then back again, and she felt a growing fear of outright violence erupting on the street.

Before the choice could be made, however, the man seemed to flash a drunken, leering grin at the pair, and turned in a graceless, stumbling motion that had her holding her breath to see if he’d tumble to the ground at Belle’s hooves. Somehow, he managed to stay upright, though had to clutch at the heavily muscled hindquarter of Shade as he stumbled by the rear of the horse, and wove in a drunken pattern down the road.


Arrol'Shek

It was a long, tense moment that Arrol spent glaring at the man who was well within striking distance should the need arise. And it seemed, for a very short time... while Arrol was quite literally being growled at... that he would indeed find the need to gut the man who stood before him. As such, with one of his hands resting lightly upon the leather-bound hilt of his sword, his concentration was on that one man. Watching, cautiously waiting and allowing him to make the next move. Either he would move on, and would be allowed to live until this evening, or he would make a move towards Ray'vn and Arrol would have to take a more active stand to prevent him from laying a hand upon her.

The young man off to the side, the one who had been eyeing them so closely earlier, was taken note of as he straightened, though he was kept track of only peripherally. Even Ray'vn was nearly ignored, as she reached for his hand and tried to pull him back towards the tavern. Arrol would not budge, would remain rooted to the spot where he was, not willing to show any sign of backing down whatsoever. He didn't respond to her comment, and, in fact, made no move or sound at all, until the drunkard leered at them and then turned and stumbled off. The expression that was almost hidden by unruly locks of dark crimson hair blowing in the breeze remained impassive, even as the man tried to lean against Shade to catch his balance. Without warning, Shade shifted and moved away from the man, letting him fall on his face in the dust.

Not letting even the faintest hint of amusement show on his face, Arrol turned back to Ray'vn, squeezing her hand lightly in his as he looked down to her, his eyes showing concern for her as he spoke softly. "I did promise you a bath... and I will see to it that you receive it." He smiled softly, twining his fingers with hers as he brought her hand up, pressing his lips softly against the back of her hand. Then, he motioned to the tavern entrance, turning to look once at the boy nearby, meeting his gaze significantly. He wanted the boy to know that he'd be able to pick him out of a crowd.

But then they were mounting the steps up to the tavern's door, disappearing into the hazy darkness of the interior, moving through the press of people and the arrangement of tables that seemed to change to suit the desires of the patrons of the establishment. Arrol moved through this crowd as easily as he had the one outside in the streets, and soon they were approaching the bar and the large, meaty-looking man who ran it. As they approached, the man's attention turned to them, lingering first on Ray'vn for a moment before lifting to Arrol... and when he recognized the long, flowing crimson red hair and the man who it belonged to, the barkeep's face split into a wide grin that was mirrored by Arrol.

"I told you I'd come back some day, Marcus. It just took me a bit longer than I thought it would." The barkeep laughed, and made a comment about that being an understatement. "Yeah, well... I was accosted by life. But now... I need a room. And for someone to go out and take care of the horses. I'd be extremely unhappy if anything were to happen to them, while we were here."

"Room 5. You should be familiar with that one, yeah?" The barkeep's voice was deep as he reached beneath the bar to fish out a key, tossing it over the counter to Arrol, who fielded it neatly with a groan. "And I'll have my boys see to the horses. You know we'll take care of you and them, yeah?" Both men chuckled, and Arrol shook his head.

"Yeah, you did a great job of it last time. Have some water heated and sent up to the room for us?" Marcus nodded, and snapped to of his large fingers together, summoning two younger boys to his side. They spoke quickly, in the language native to the areas, then the boys disappeared off into the back. "It'll be ready soon enough. Go on up, and maybe we can catch up on old times if you get a chance later, yeah?" Arrol laughed softly, and nodded... there would be a lot of catching up to do, though he absolutely would enjoy sitting and chatting with his old friend again. But then... there was no telling how Ray'vn would react to some of the things they would have to talk about.

"Yeah. I'll see if I can't... steal away some time, to sit and chat." He grinned, and winked, then looked down to Ray'vn, nodding to the man behind the bar. "Ray'vn, this is the owner of this place... and if he's called anything but Marcus, I don't know it. Marcus, this is Ray'vn, a... very dear travelling companion of mine."


Ray'vn

Pale curves sizzled inside the sheer, ivory linen swathing the sweet, soft body of the slim woman, her amber eyes burning with a hot surge of righteous indignation as the gist of the man’s words finally registered in her brain while shielded behind the safe, muscled and armored figure of her beloved, armed with that sword that his hand so casually rest upon. His toothpick, she’d once called it, teasing him about the swordplay he had trained constantly at while they lived sheltered by the Obelisk, a term she took back the moment he’d drawn it on the raiders to the desert caravan. But it had also been the first time she’d ever seen him in that light, the pitch of battle around them, the scent of blood thick and heavy in the air, the cries of pain and death like the shrieks of banshee’s, and he had been magnificent and she had fallen in love with him all over again when his concern shinned through. He loved her fiercely and protected her savagely, and she returned his love with an equal fervor and cherished him deeply.

And when he remained unmoving to her soft plea’s, the slim, lovely Keeper stopped, relief flooding her as the man left the pair and they could at last retreat inside. Her nerves were frayed from carnage a scant few hours past, her body exhausted from the lack of sleep, her muscles stiff and sore from hours in the saddle, Ray’vn looked on the inn as something like a haven, wanting to be inside and in their room so desperately that she was silent, gazing up into his crimson orbs and feeling as if she were wilting under the sun while his lips warmed her the back of her hand and her heart. At his gesture to the building, she lead the way with a graceful sway to the slim, sleek hips, keeping him nearby and following his glance to the boy against the wall, a frown curling her brow under the veils on her head before she vanished into the cool grip of the shadowy, spiraling stairs.

Pausing once within to allow her shimmering amber eyes a moment to adjust, she moves just to the right of the doorway, the long ivory trousers ballooning at her legs so they appeared to be a skirt shifting and shimmering with the motion and letting Arrol move past her. Half a step and to his right, the svelte body performed a supple, naturally graceful dance in provocative swaying motions as she moved around tables and chairs, skirting patrons with a graceful step, following him to the bar and ignoring the way fingers of golden light smoothing over her bared, taunt stomach where the pantaloons rode low on her slim hips drew hungry eyes and nudges from patrons at their tables. Ray’vn knew she would feel consumed by those dark, glittering gazes if she let herself think on them, acknowledge them, so she did not, instead moving with her head proudly aloft and shoulders back until Arrol halted at the bar.

Her amber eyes studied the man behind the surface as intently as his studied hers, returning his curious appraisal for a cool look of her own, standing like a slim, svelte apparition in the dimly lit, crowded tavern that was already half-filled with people either well into their cups for the day, or still continuing from last night, the atmosphere one of general geniality and merriment and alcohol flowing as freely as the flash of coins and gemstones that purchased services and wares. When the keeper grinned at Arrol, her eyes shot up to his to find her love had a smile to match on his face, his words of knowing the place returning and she could only surmise this was the owner that he’d told her of while they were outside, Marcus if she understood the easy banter and flow between the pair. Her lover’s easy camaraderie drew a mental smile to her lips as she began to relax slowly, letting her eyes slip past the owner, Marcus and into the patrons at the edges of her vision, noting how dark eyes caressed the thick fall of chestnut locks hidden under the ivory veil and matching this with what had occurred outside along with her own observations.

For a moment, she wondered in idle curiosity about her lover’s past activities while in this city, his time spent in Room 5, pondering as women oft do just what other females would know about Arrol and Room 5 with a slight narrowing of her lashes as a hot stab of jealousy shot through her briefly, her chin elevating a notch and her amber eyes firing sparks briefly at Arrol for imagined past crimes with other women. It was unfair, however, and swiftly gone with a slight shake of her head and a slight shifting of the bag in her hand from finger to finger. <I>A hot bath, hot food and soft bed with him at my side, holding me close, will do wonders to cure that, no doubt</I> the thought flashed through her mind as they spoke, her lover and Marcus.

The snap of fingers summoning the servant boys drew her swiftly from her thoughts and back to the two in time to hear Marcus inquire to the two men spending some time alone, and her head tilted up to slowly look from the owner to her lover, a slender brow arching slightly at his response. <I>Steal</I> away some time? The phrase left her slightly puzzled.

Amber eyes moved from her lover before he could notice the slightly troubled look in them, her lips curling into a faint smile as Arrol introduced Marcus to her, and then she to Marcus, and she was suddenly, incredibly, glad her smile was already frozen into place where neither would notice the impact of association Arrol had placed on her. …A … very dear traveling companion… The phrase whirled through her mind as her head dipped in a courteous nod to the man, knowing the customs of the land would prevent a handshake to be socially acceptable from a mere woman. Instantly all those imagined crimes returned in a hot flood that seized her mind in a steel trap. She could almost guarantee just how well and intimately her lover had entertained in Room 5 and it would seem perhaps the renewed lure of all the sultry, exotic women in the foreign land had him perhaps intending to resume those past pleasures.

“I am honored, Marcus, and grateful for your hospitality.”

Her low, husky voice was like a soft melody, even with the thread of exhaustion running through it, careful to let that cover the slight confusion that had her shoulders tensed slightly, an act that could easily be attributed to sore muscles from the long desert ride. At least, she prayed Arrol would attribute it to that while she sat, stung by his words. A very dear traveling companion. She was his lover. His fellow Keeper. They lived in the Obsidian Obelisk with one another and were only two of four in the land who could bear the title of Keeper of the Obsidian Obelisk, Wielder of the Powers of Gods. She would bare him a legacy when the time was right and had offered up to him in her cupped palms her own, tender heart. A very dear traveling companion. Somehow, Ray’vn managed to keep that smile on her face.

A faint whiff of something hot and delicious and like food caught her nostrils and her eyes took on a slightly different shimmer, turning to look at a girl emerging from a pair of low swinging doors, carrying a wide, round platter heaped with bowls of a steaming stew and loaves of hot, fresh bread and two bottles of wine and glasses. Her mouth watered at the sight, knowing the fare would be simple, but filling, and her stomach gave her a sharp jab to remind the slim beauty just how long it had been since she’d eaten. A delicate hand motioned to the tray as the girl slipped by them, her eyes turning back to Marcus.

“I wonder, sir, if it might be possible to have something like that brought as well as the bath? I fear it’s been many hours since my last meal and my stomach and spine are becoming too fast a friends again.”

Her smile was quick to flash back into place as the amber eyes glittered brilliantly at the man, her back set slightly to Arrol as she focused the intensity of her charms on the owner for a moment, her smile something almost dazzling and drifting a faint step closer to the bar so that the lush swells of her breasts pressed against the sheer garment while her arms pressed slightly together to emphasize them for his eyes. A very dear traveling companion. If that was all she was, she thought with almost vicious hurt, then that would be all she would be, her eyes glittering like diamonds swimming in oceans of molten gold while a thick chestnut curl tumbled provocatively from the veil at her brow, framing her features in a wispy little tendril as the lovely woman looked to the bag in her hand.

“I will happily pay for the meal. And a separate room.”

Her voice was warm honey as her fingers drift to the bag held in her hand, her smile ready to shatter as she kept her eyes from Arrol. Marcus, not knowing her, could mistake the gleam of hurt in her eyes for the glazed look of exhaustion, but her love…. He would know better, and so she kept her face carefully averted from him and her back firmly set to him as she stood at the bar.


Arrol'Shek

Calloused, tired fingers gripped the room key that he'd been given, and Arrol's mind was so busy recalling the last time he'd been here, lodged in that same room, that he didn't notice the look that Ray'vn gave him. He definitely did have a history with the room, but it wasn't the sort of history he might have hoped for. There had been no long nights spent there, in the arms of a scantily dressed dancing girl with an exotic tint to her skin and an slant to her eyes. No, him being given the key to room five was more of a reminder for him to watch his back while he was here than anything else. A reminder that he would take well to heart.

He palmed the key, keeping it safe in his hand as he watched Ray'vn leaning against the counter, and he smiled at the thought of the food that she would have brought up to the room. Lounging in a tub of hot water, with a tray of stew and bread near enough to be eaten from would be a wonderful diversion from the events of this trip so far. And that thought had him nearly salivating with hunger, so much so that he almost didn't notice the fact that, the way Ray'vn was standing so near the bar, her posture and the way her arms were held, she was quite nearly showing off her body as if she were one of those dancers that could be found many places in the city.

He wouldn't, of course, have voiced that thought, but it was the first one that came to mind. It didn't stay there for long, however, as Ray'vn informed Marcus that she would pay for the meal and... a separate room?. As a deep frown spread over Arrol's face, Marcus' own eyes shot up to meet those of the crimson-haired Keeper, and they held that look for a long moment before the man shook his head slowly.

"I'm sorry, but that's the last of the room I've available for tonight. Rest of 'em are full up, yeah?" Arrol figured he was lying, but he let that pass as he leaned lightly against the counter, his face a mask of concern as he looked down to Ray'vn.

"Ray'vn, love? Is something the matter...?" The fact that he was confused would be evident in his voice, though he did what he could to mask it. This was... something she'd never done before. He wondered if perhaps the odd spirit that seemed to have permeated the town was getting to her. He started to say something else, but then frowned. No, perhaps it wasn't the town... but instead the ride into the town, and the fact that they'd not had a chance to sleep, after the attack on the caravan the previous night. Arrol was quiet, for a moment, before speaking again.

"Perhaps we could talk, while I see to it that you get that bath that I promised... ?"

[FireAngel]

Ray'vn

Having no notion as to his past experiences in Room 5, the slim beauty held her back rigid to her lover while her heart seemed to turn to solid stone in her chest, focusing herself on the owner so that she did not have to look at Arrol, would not have to see if he was already looking around the room and selecting a companion for the evening from the lovely, veiled courtesans circling the room. When the man looked over the counter and beyond her shoulder in something akin to surprise, she very determinedly kept her features steered forward, exercising awesome restraint to keep from swiveling her head to see his expression for herself. Every line and muscle in her body drew taut, the smile on her face carefully neutral if not a tad glassy with the bright shimmer of her amber orbs framed by the long, sooty lashes, glittering at the man.

His response to her request for a separate room was met with a swift sweep of anger, certain that her lover had had something to do with that by way of the silent exchange that took place over her head, carefully stifling that anger down as swiftly as it came. At least he still intended that they share rooms, though she wasn’t certain if that was for desire or economy or safety, and the very slight incline of her head came at stiff reserve, her smile faltering slightly then.

“I see. Thank you, though.”

Murmuring softly, Ray’vn felt her mind spin for another course of action, swallowing slightly past the lump in her throat, hurt and anger making a combustible combination in her hot blood. As Arrol leaned against the counter, she shot him a quick glance from the corners of her eyes, unable to help the silent desperation and wounded dignity and pride that shimmered for the very briefest of seconds before looking away again, back to her bag. The tender token of affection in the term ‘love’ was caught along with the confusion in his voice and she found it only made her all the more angry at him for attempting to play the innocent. Innocent indeed! She knew intimately and well the strong, seductive passions of the Keeper she loved and the utter bliss and contentment that came from satisfaction in his arms, and in his bed, and she could hardly stand the thought, so she discovered, of him taking a lover, even temporarily, from the succulent beauties in this town, all of whom seemed sultry and exotic and seductive with an almost irresistible allure.

“Of course not, m’lord Keeper. You will send up the meal with the bath, aye, Marcus? Or is there a shortage of food as well? I vow as busy as the streets are I could find a market open somewhere.”

The first to Arrol was uttered with a very slight smile curving her lips for his benefit, certainly fake, but there and the owner wouldn’t know the difference, nor any of the patron’s below. Simply a tired, dirty, hungry <I>very dear traveling companion</i> ready to make her way to her room. Or so she prayed that would be how she would seem, though she could not keep the faint touch of venom from her words when she inquired to the meal, letting the innkeep know that she knew he lied for Arrol’s benefit and for some reason she had yet to fathom. Still, the smile was turned on the man as well as her fingers clutched tighter around the bag, the slight bleaching of her knuckles the only sign of the churning in her stomach.

From the corner of her eyes, Ray’vn realized that a tall, lean, gracefully curved woman dressed in lovely, soft teal and adorned with golden coins and bangles on her slim, bared arms was boldly sizing Arrol up with lovely jade green eyes heavily rimmed in black kohl to emphasize their gleam, as though she murmured sexual secrets with that gaze. She had a very sheer golden veil covering her lips that were curled in a provocative, inviting smile while the flickering play of light in the tavern room danced over her dusky skinned curves as if to encourage one to sample with their tongue the velvet treasure she offered. The courtesan had all the seductive grace of a paid whore who was able to command some of the highest prices as she emerged slowly from the shadowy corner of the room where she and a pair of other lovely women in the same profession had been sitting, waiting for a paying customer.

"Perhaps we could talk, while I see to it that you get that bath that I promised... ?"

Her eyes swept closed for a moment as a large, grizzled man with a bushy black beard reached to take the arm of the concubine slipping through the room, weaving a graceful pattern that would put her directly in Arrol’s line of sight, the svelte Keeper inhaling a breath slowly. What do you wish to speak of? That you intend to enjoy the wares of this city’s women? I cannot do this. I cannot watch you flirt with another woman. I will die. Would that you would simply plunge your toothpick through my heart now, Arrol’shek. Words she never voiced. She couldn’t. Long lashes swept up again as she opened her eyes and nodded faintly, hardly trusting herself to speak at the moment. An offer was given to the lovely concubine in the soft teal and gold, and even Ray’vn was slightly surprised by the value placed on the woman’s charms. She was good.

“As you wish, Arrol.”

Those four words finally accompanied that slight nod, almost clipped as if she hardly wished to speak at all while a strong, invisible hand clenched at her gut and twisted her heart into ice and stone. Her amber eyes moved quickly to the owner again, Marcus, and she gave a slight tipping of her head in his direction.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, sir. I look forward to seeing you again.”

There was a slight, stiff formality in her words that did not do justice to the husky, soft voice speaking with a perfect, flawless accent in the native tongue of the City of Vishta, yet there could be nothing easily discerned nor pinpointed as to why there had been such a swift shift in the woman save the slight tightening across her shoulders that developed only after Arrol had introduced her to the man as a very dear traveling companion. Shifting away from the bar, Ray’vn moved with a nimble grace that saw her carefully avoiding any contact with her warrior-lover, shifting instead so that he could lead the way to the stairs just to the right of the bar, winding up in a dark spiral to what she could only surmise would be the inn rooms overhead.


Arrol'Shek

He would have applauded Marcus, had he the desire to do so at the moment. The big man never once even acted like he was going to flinch away from Ray'vn as she all but verbally attacked him, nor did he look offended or bothered at all. No, he played his part well... he'd been doing this for some years now. Arrol, however, was concerned, a deep frown on his face as he considered Ray'vn's actions and her words. He'd never seen her this way before... and, in a way, it scared him. Should she decide to lash out at somebody, he would have to take steps to counter it... assuming he could do so in time. Her powers were formidable on their own right, and there was no telling what she would actually do with them.

After what had happened last time Arrol was here, he was pretty sure he wouldn't be welcomed back again, if he brought yet another calamity down on this place. And this one could well be far worse than a squad of soldiers storming in and detaining everyone for hours, during which there was no business conducted and quite a bit of money lost.

Marcus gave a quick nod when Ray'vn asked about the meal she'd mentioned earlier, nothing more, and called out something in the native tongue to the back room. He received an answer, one that would have amused Arrol, had he not been caught up with his attention focused solely on his lover, awaiting her answer to his question...

When she assented, he relaxed noticeably, but kept from breathing a small sigh of relief. When they were upstairs and alone, she would have only him to lash out at... which might well be just as much of a curse as it was a blessing. But he was here, on this journey, for her, and he would know what was bothering her... even if she told him in such vicious tones that it flayed the flesh from his bones.

Once again, Marcus offered the shortest acceptable response to her, almost an echo of her own, his jolly spirit held firmly in check as he knew that, even then, two of the boys would be lugging the requested water up to the room, by a stairway in the back, so that they didn't get into anyone's way. Both he and Arrol would be glad that the water was there when they arrived at the room, and though they wouldn't know it, being gone before the two Keepers got up the stairs was likely the smartest thing the two boys could have done.

Arrol lead the way up the stairs, gripping the hand grip easily as they wound their way up to the second floor, where there were several hallways of doors, each leading to a small room. Arrol picked out number five easily, unlocking the door and pushing it open before them, and as he stepped inside he cast a glance around at the furnishings. The furniture had been changed since the last time he'd been there... not surprising, considering the condition it'd been left in when he'd left... but everything was in the same place. The bed against the wall, the large wardrobe, and... the tub in the far corner, already filled with water that likely should be left to cool just a bit before it would be comfortable for a human



Ray'vn

She knew the innkeeper and owner had picked up on the swift alterations of her mood, and found that so long as there wasn’t a scene created, Ray’vn hardly cared, too caught up in the tumultuous emotions rolling through her gut, her eyes brittle with a bright shimmer of anger hazing the lovely, amber orbs. The slender concubine across the lower room let her eyes linger with a wanton hunger on the tall, broad-shouldered Keeper, but the addition of another layer of coins to the pile already on the table before her swiftly saw where the woman’s heart would lie, greed shimmering in her lovely gaze and dismissing Arrol for the moment in favor of the offer before her. Ray’vn felt a tiny measure of relief slip through her at that, hardly able to stomach another confrontation, and as on edge as her nerves were quickly becoming, that would have been entirely possible had the woman approached.

Sleek and petite, she followed him up the stairs with her back ram-rod stiff, knowing there would be eyes aplenty on the svelte shape, the succulent, sleek curves of her hips and the long, graceful lines of her legs hidden by the sheer ivory linen, ignoring the sting to her pride that would accompany the feeling of being so thoroughly disrobed by the gazes watching. Unable to help but notice how easily and how assuredly she lead him to the room, the pile of his crimes grew in her mind as the jealous thought of him leading other lovely women to Room 5 flashed through her mind, drawing a tiny, guttural sound to be stifled in her throat while he opened the door to the room. Clutching the small valise in her hands as if her life depended on the strength she could pull from that small leather satchel, she stepped into the room behind him and slowly looked around.

Having no point of reference to the style of the room previously, when her lover occupied it, she gazed on the bed and around the room at the small table and chairs in a corner as well as the tub filled with steaming water and suddenly she could <I>see</I> Arrol with that jade-eyed harlot up here, her arms wrapped around his neck and his long, glorious crimson locks tangling around the concubines slender body, holding her tightly to him, could imagine him taking her on every available surface and then some, her eyes slowly closing at the sharp dagger that lanced through her, taking the hurt and hiding it with jealous anger. How would she survive this? the thought ran through her mind in wild desperation as Ray’vn moved more fully into the room, letting the door close behind her.

The silence stretched out between them as she slipped across the room, careful to keep a safe distance from him, uncertain if she would dissolve into tears on his chest from the hurt or lash out with open hand across his cheek if he touched her and so keeping a safe distance from him until she could figure it out. Placing the leather bag on the table, she slowly turned to the tub and eyed it with such a relief on her face that for a moment even her anger was temporarily forgotten in the face of a nice, hot bath. Normally she would suggest sharing it with him, a thought that would have had her smiling in provocative delight, but now…

Lifting her hands to slowly pull the veil from her head, she let the chestnut locks tumble loose in limp, sweaty damp hanks of thick, gleaming curls while the folds of the veil seemed to loose a tiny cloud of dust as she unwound it from her slender, graceful throat, revealing the lovely visage of the woman – her plump, ruby lips that were soft and warm like velvet against his kiss, the provocative line of her graceful jaw and the slender curve of the pale, icy throat that would flutter hot when he pressed his lips to the pulse surging in the hollow of her neck.

“You may use the tub first, if you wish.”

Her voice was soft, almost remote as she attempted to put as much distance between her precious, tender heart and the brutally handsome, passionately virile man that held it in his rough, sword-hardened hands, finally looking over at him again from over her shoulder as the folds of the ivory linen were placed over the back of the chair. Her insides tightened in a painful knot when her amber orbs shot into his crimson gaze, then stroked his long, glorious crimson hair. She’d told him she wanted to wash that for him tonight, but now….

Now she didn’t know what to think. The gods curse him for being so seductive to the female gender. She didn’t really think it was the power of the Obelisk, Ray’vn swore viciously to herself, silently, reaching for the bag and opening it, turning her back on him again and drawing a swift, shaky breath. No, he had a powerful seduction all his own, at least to her he always had. The gods curse him for being so seductive and she for loving him so much, for giving him her heart and believing she had his. Perhaps she had, while they were sequestered together at the Obelisk, the thought ran through her mind with horror as she paused briefly in drawing the brush out, her eyes widening and staring in horror at the simple, black and purple trimmed veiled robes tucked away in the bag, a clean change of clothes for her to wear while they were in the city.

Enlightenment came in horrible shock-waves as she withdrew the brush, struggling to make it seem as if nothing were the matter and pulling the chair from the table and moving to slowly perch on the edge, drawing the brush to her sweaty locks with a slow motion, her mind thunderstruck. The expression no doubt played over her face for a moment, her eyes slightly widening, her mouth opening slightly before it closed quickly and her heart thundering so heavy in her chest that her pulse raced in her throat, hidden by a thick chestnut curtain as she began to very slowly and patiently work the snarls from her thick hair. While we were at the Obelisk, he limited himself to the choice at hand. Me. Obviously he could not sleep with another while we were traveling, but here the city offers him a vast variety. Her amber eyes sizzled through the locks over to him, feminine fury sweeping her at the thought of being used for convenience. We share no vows. Not even a promise. What fool am I… Wounded pride whispered in her mind.

The brush caught on a thick snarl from strokes that had grown almost progressively more forceful until she was almost yanking it through the thick locks until it stuck firmly, the handle sliding easily from the bristles so that in her forceful pull and unexpected stop, the handle was flung to the floor. The resulting clatter of the wooden handle skittering over the hardwood slats of the floor drew an unidentifiable, stifled shriek from lips clamped close, and the cry seemed to signal the breaking hurt of her heart. A very dear traveling companion. She loved him fiercely. Her eyes closed tightly and with the bristles to the brush still hanging from her hair, she buried her face in her now-empty hands to hide the sob that wracked up from her chest.

“Why, Arrol?!”

In that single question she accused him of her broken heart, unable to stop the desperate hurt that it was wrenched from her lips with as she sat slumped in exhaustion in the chair and crying into her hands. The hand squeezing her gut seemed to reach to also include her heart in that grasp until she thought it would burst and her lungs drew in a searing breath, shuddering as her amber eyes squeezed closed, as if it would stop the tears suddenly spilling past her lashes and dripping into her palms as she hid her face from him, unable to even look at him.