Mixed Blessings Ch. 04

Instantly, his vision shifted entirely into the Astral plane. Normally, he would split his focus between that and the physical world, for fear his opponent would render their spiritual body invisible. With Alicia by his side, he had nothing to fear. She could defeat any opponent in that realm, but this was his battlefield.

His heart sank as his vision cleared. Alicia looked virtually unchanged. The only difference was that her underwear had transformed into true thongs; leather strips bound together to, barely, protect her breasts and depths from intrusion. Sprouting from her chest was a fountain of energy.

Talianna looked much as she had in her physical seeming. Like all Sidhe, her ears bore the distinct points that marked the legends of elves and fae. Although most non-Sidhe mystics could not discern the difference, there was a slight angle to the point that denoted her pure-blooded heritage.

Like Alicia, her attire was the greatest change. Instead of the very modern armor, Talianna sported what had once been known as 'Elemental Armor.' Four ivy vines, sporting only a few leafs each, draped loosely about her body. Although a single leaf covered each of her most sensitive areas at all times, the rest of the vines writhed continuously. Laslie knew that the leafs of the arboreal armor would attempt to intercept any attack which bested her skill in astral combat. Never, however, had he seen such a revealing form of the protection. This fact alone made Laslie question not only the veracity of her alias but her disgust of it as well..

Alicia and Talianna, alike, sported looks of shock. Alicia had no idea what was happening, for she looked back up to regard Talianna's physical form rather than her spiritual one. Talianna, on the other hand, was simply surprised that the attack had met no resistance. A grin spread itself across the face of her astral form.

Alicia realized there must have been some form of mystical attack and decided to strike before the Sidhe could muster another. She rushed forward in a burst of speed only the Dhase could manage. Unfortunately, astral forms were not so hindered as physical and Talianna moved just as quickly to defend her body. A leaf shaped dagger formed in her hand and slashed at the Dhase. Laslie was in motion but he was too far behind to stop the attack. More chi flashed away from Alicia and she reeled from the unseen attack.

Talianna stood between the two and her body. She had to play this far more cautiously than the lovers did, but they had greater vulnerabilities. He could use his physical form, but it reacted far more slowly than either of the women were capable of. The entire battle could be decided in the moments it took for him to stride across the room to her body.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't be much of a battle without his intervention. Alicia was obviously helpless. She needed to attack the Sidhe's corporeal form. In order for her to do that, he needed to distract her spiritual body. So all Talianna needed to do was focus on Alicia. In the slight stalemate, Laslie wondered how he could get the Sidhe warrior to fight him.

"Nice armor." Laslie poured as much innuendo as he could muster into the comment. Talianna's fierce glare skipped to him for a moment but returned to the real threat. Alicia looked over at his physical form, oblivious to his true location. "Either you can't afford better armor, or it's more than just your mouth Hunter likes."

Talianna's lips pulled back into a snarl of hatred. Laslie knew he was hitting a nerve by the fact that both of his opponent's expressions were identical. His grin turned into a leer. "Or is that the problem? Hunter doesn't notice you, even when wearing that. What? He still pining over that half-blood dancer?"

Laslie's words hit dangerously close to the mark as she got more and more enraged. Then, with his last barb she suddenly laughed. Much of the tension he'd caused in her began to fade. "You really have been out of the loop. The bitch found herself a human. Hunter's fair game again."

The news was welcome to Laslie. To have the most powerful of the Seleigh Sidhe stalking a half-breed, like a dog in heat, was not only embarrassing, it threatened the very existence of the race. Any favor he showed the half-breeds would be interpreted to be acceptance and they did not deserve that. Unfortunately, it also made taunting her much more difficult. Except that it had been working! "So he's fair game again. So what? Even looking like that you haven't caught him. At least when he was focused on someone else, pathetic as she was, you had an excuse for losing. What's your excuse now?"

Talianna's astral form was almost blindingly fast as she charged him. Her rage lent her such speed that Alicia, could she see, would barely have been able to track the warrior. Fortunately for Laslie, her skill lost as greatly as her speed gained. Her attacks, while fast, were pathetically easy to predict. A left hook, then right, then left again. He bent backwards as her foot extended towards his chest. Although the attack had already failed, he batted at her leg, sending it upwards.

Laslie knew Talianna would not fall for a counter as simple as that and she didn't fail to impress him as she used the momentum to launch into a flying roundhouse kick. It was far faster and more controlled than he could have anticipated, but it served his purpose. The leafs shifted for a moment in the middle of her attack, almost fatally distracting him. He remembered himself, in spite of the glimpse of pink lips, and ducked.

Talianna's body was already tensing for the next attack when he uncoiled from his crouch. His hands shot out. One crossed her chest and pinned her arms to her side. The other began to encircle her waist, in order to control her hips, but became tangled in one of the armor-vines. The armor seemed uncertain of his actions since they weren't an attack in the strictest sense, and could not protect her as it traditionally would. He didn't have a perfect grip on her, as she struggled against him, but it was the best he was going to get.

Laslie willed his body's together once more. As he felt himself fly backwards, his real body shifted to mimic the pose of his spirit. In a moment he was back within the comfortable bounds of his own flesh, Talianna still in his grasp. Most practitioners of astral combat are taught first to shadow-box, fighting the spirits using their physical bodies. Laslie knew he could not keep Talianna from returning to her own body, should she choose, but if she did she would be limited by its speed, as he was now.

Alicia looked even more confused as her lover seemed to fight ghosts. Laslie smirked as he thought it an apt analogy. "Quick! Knock her...out?" Laslie gaped as Alicia appeared before the collapsing form of the Sidhe warrior. Between one word and the next, Talianna's spiritual form simply vanished.

Laslie collapsed into the comfortable chair and glanced at the weapons in the corner. Then turned to grin at Alicia. He felt his blood begin to heat as she turned to regard him. During the fight he had forgotten about her lack of attire. Now, he noticed the still-damp stains of her their combined lust on her thong. His voice was breathy. "So what do we do now?"

She grinned ferally, obviously sensing the mood her appearance inspired, if not the hardening form between his legs. She shook her head and pointed a thumb at the unconscious Sidhe. "We really should get out of here." Alicia began to get dressed once more. "Oh, and find a way to get the GPS chip out of your phone."

*

Thank you for reading Mixed Blessings. As always, your comments are appreciated. If you enjoyed Alicia, you might also enjoy my Gifting Night series for the adventures of other Dhase. The Dhase are a creation of my muse and anyone wishing to use them should contact me for more information. Thank you, once more, for reading and, again, please vote.

Copywrite January 2007, by Deathlynx