Where There's Smoke...

Hips surging, and with a final flurry of thrusts, Mandy's back arched as she screamed the delight of first one orgasm, then another as Zack plunged deep inside her and with a hoarse cry, jetted ropes of cum that filled her pussy to overflowing.

Gasping for breath, they lay together, bathed in the glow of release and their love.

"I thought I recognized that voice. Hello Mandy."

Zack watched in astonishment as a vaguely man-shaped section of the turf arose and stood before them, clods of dirt falling from it.

"Solum! How have you been?" Mandy cried happily, running to the creature and hugging it, almost disappearing in the grass that covered it's body.

"Quite well thank you. Is this the mortal you're going to marry?"

Mandy giggled, "News travels fast in the realms. Yes, this is Zack, my beloved. Zack meet Solum. He's an old friend."

Zack stepped forward and extended his hand, "Good to meet you, Solum."

"Likewise, I'm sure," it replied, enveloping Zack's hand in a huge earthen paw.

"Solum and I used to play together when I was little," Mandy said as he lifted her to sit on one massive shoulder.

"I had never seen a mortal before, much less a small one. She wandered here from the Fire Realm and was totally unafraid when I appeared before her."

"All I knew was fire and when I saw Earth Realm I was fascinated. Solum was kind and showed me about. I invited him to come home with me, but he explained he would harden in the flames so we always met here."

Zack's mind whirled. I must be dreaming this. I love a woman who's a Fire Elemental who's friends with an Earth Elemental. What's next?

"Solum works with Father on occasion," Mandy continued. "He constructs the volcanoes and Father places the fire inside."

"I also build islands, start avalanches and create caverns. I form riverbeds, and then Queo fills them."

"Queo is a Water Elemental," Mandy explained. "We'll meet later."

"I designed a new mountain range," Solum said proudly. "Would you like to see it?"

"Yes, we'd like that wouldn't we Zack?"

"Uh...sure...where is it."

"Not far," Solum replied. "Hop on my back and we'll be there in no time."

He lay face down in the grass. Mandy and Zack scrambled up the small hill that was the creatures back, and then held on as it began to move, slowly at first, then faster; Solum was gliding through the ground as a bird glides on the wind. The lovers kissed and hugged in the tall grass until Solum stopped and announced, "We're here. What do you think of it?"

Before them towered the largest mountains Zack had ever seen. Wreathed in mist and snow capped, their slopes were verdant with trees and purple above the snow line.

"I won't be able to place them for a while," Solum mused. "I'll need to make some adjustments to several tectonic plates; I estimate at least forty-nine centuries before it's done."

"Aren't they beautiful?" Mandy said excitedly. "I can hardly wait to see them in place."

"Beautiful," Zack replied, his mind suddenly racing.

What am I doing here? I don't belong here. I'm a human among legendary beings and I'm in love with one of them. Her mother's human, sort of. I thought sorcerers were legends too. I keep thinking I'll awaken and this will all be a dream...

"Oh look, Aeolus is here," Mandy said as she pointed toward the sky.

Zack looked where she was pointing. Something was distorting a section of the sky and it was moving; it was if a column of black cloud was descending from the ether. The 'column' soared towards them, landed and something formed from it.

Zack had experienced being inside a huge tornado when he was a child in the Midwest. He and his family looked up in awe from their basement shelter as the storm swept their home away and they gazed into the center of the maelstrom.

Now an amorphous maelstrom was floating before him. A slumbering childhood fear flashed into his mind and blazed into panic.

"Aeolus!" Mandy cried happily, throwing herself at the swirling cloud.

Zack heard a rumble of thunder sounding like "Mandy", and then it launched into the air carrying her with it. He watched in horror as they looped and darted, Mandy's exuberant laughter floating down until they returned to the ground and she emerged flushed and breathless.

"Would you like a ride?" she said to Zack.

"Well, I..." he began, and then he flew into the air, wind roaring in his ears, terror rendering him speechless.

"So you are Mandy's chosen one," Aeolus rumbled. "Welcome to the Realm. Few mortals ever visit us."

Zack looked down through the swirling clouds, Mandy and Solum mere specks below. His fear vanished as quickly as it had come. He was encased in an invisible grip, soft as cotton, strong as steel. In the distance, he could see the dull glow of Mandy's homeland, in another direction a vast sea.

"This is amazing. You are a creature of air and yet I can feel your grip."

"I can exert tremendous pressure," Aeolus replied. "Like the other elementals, I sustain the balance of your world under the direction of the Supreme One."

"This Supreme One, will I meet him while I'm here?"

"She is aware of you and will visit you presently. Ah, here we are."

They swooped down and landed by Mandy and Solum. She ran to Zack, hugging and kissing him.

"Did you enjoy the ride?"

"It was fantastic. Aeolus, may I ask a favor?"

"Of course."

"Would you carry Mandy and I aloft? I want to ask her something."

In seconds, the three were high above Earth. Zack took Mandy in his arms and kissed her.

"I love you, Mandy, more than I've ever loved anyone before. I know I'm a mortal, but would you be my life partner?"

"Oh yes, Zack. I love you too. I want to be your life partner."

Aeolus maintained a respectful silence as he carried them down to Earth, Zack and Mandy locked in an embrace, kissing happily.

Solum smiled broadly, as they gave him the news.

"Queo is joining us," he said, stamping his foot on the ground. An immense canyon opened, filling rapidly with water. A towering wave appeared with a foaming whitecap. Unlike other waves, it retained it's shape until it reached them, a wall of churning blue green suspended above the waters surface.

"Hello Mandy," hissed the wave. "I understand congratulations are in order."

"Queo!" Mandy cried, jumping into the wave and floating motionless in the turbulent water. "Zack has asked me to become his Life Partner, isn't that wonderful? Zack, come meet Queo."

Zack jumped in beside her, surprised to find the water pleasantly warm, yet seemingly not touching his skin. He floated next to Mandy and grasped her hand.

"Welcome Zack," Queo burbled. "You have made Mandy very happy, and that makes us, her friends, happy. When is the Joining to begin?"

"We await the arrival of the Supreme One," Solum replied. "She will officiate if it pleases her..."

With that, a shimmering halo of light appeared and a woman stepped from it. She was short and chubby, with rosy cheeks, iron-gray hair pulled into a bun and snapping black eyes. Wearing a long, flower bedecked dress, a shawl around her shoulders and shiny green shoes; she appeared to be someone's grandmother out for an afternoon stroll.

"Peace be unto you my children," she intoned, her voice strangely familiar to Zack.

"And unto you, Mother," Mandy and the others replied.

"I bid you welcome," she said to Zack. "Your love for Mandy has opened a portal so that you may visit us here. I am told you seek my blessing and that of her parents so you may become life partners."

"Yes, I do," Zack managed to say.

"So you choose to bond with a virtual immortal? Mandy, being half-Vulcanus, has a life span of several thousand mortal years. As you age, she will not. Are you willing to accept that?"

Zack took Mandy's hand in his.

"I am."

"I may be able to help with that," said Kalli, rising from a smoking crater with Lagar by her side. "I was the most powerful sorcerer in Greece. When Lagar and I became mated for life, I needed to shed my frail human body and reconstruct myself to live forever in his realm. If you so desire, Zack, I can do the same for you."

He looked at Mandy, then at the legendary, fantastic beings around them.

"I want to be with Mandy forever, cast your spell Kalli."

She responded by crossing her arms over her breasts, closing her eyes and chanting in a high piping voice; the words unintelligible in a long forgotten tongue. Kalli's body began to ripple as if seen through flowing water, her ivory skin glowing. Her chanting dropped suddenly in pitch, guttural and savage as she extended her arms to Zack, palms held upward. He strode forward and placed his palms on hers.

His body became rigid, then began to ripple, joining her in the chanting, voice rising higher into a wailing scream, cut off abruptly as he sank to the ground. Mandy sprang forward, stopping as Kalli shouted "NO!"

"He will arise, my daughter, or he shall arise no more. The spell is ancient and powerful, yet he is young and strong. See, he awakens. Go to him."

Zack's eyelids fluttered and he groaned. Mandy ran to him and cradled him in her arms, placing soft kisses on his cheeks and forehead. He sat up slowly and looked about, then drew Mandy to him for a passionate kiss.

"He seems to have survived," Queo burbled.

"Indeed he has," Aeolus replied.

"What a handsome couple they make," Solum added.

Mandy helped Zack to his feet; his knees wobbled, but then became steady.

"Anyone get the license number of that truck? That's quite a spell you have there Kalli. Odd, I don't feel any different. What did it do to me?"

"Mandy," Kalli said playfully, "Take Zack's hand and burn him."

"I most certainly will not, even for you Mother."

"Go on, try, you can do no harm."

Mandy held her lovers hand as her own began to glow, turning cherry red then bluish white. Zack's hand was untouched. She smiled.

"Thank you, Mother. We will be as one, forever."

"Let us begin, my children," the Supreme One said happily.

Zack and Mandy stood before her, holding hands.

"The elements bear witness to the joining of these beings, Zack and Mandy, in trust and love, passion and desire, hearts that beat as one for eternity."

She placed her hands on their foreheads.

"The powers of the land, the sea, fire and air combine to forge a union between you that can never be broken."

"The very elements that witness this union shall also shield you from harm; if you desire their assistance, they will appear. Go forth as one heart, one love, one being; so say we all."

"So say we all," the Elementals repeated.

***

After bidding their friends goodbye, Zack and Mandy returned to the Fire Realm with Lagar and Kalli. Zack was amazed at what he saw. The land now appeared bathed in a rosy glow. The clouds of smoke were gone. Beautifully sculpted stone formations and graceful plants in exotic colors dotted the landscape. Odd creatures scuttled, ambled and hopped among the vegetation. It was a remarkable transformation.

Kalli saw the puzzled look on Zack's face.

"You saw our realm through mortal eyes, now you see it as we do. It is beautiful, is it not?"

"Beautiful, yes, it is even more beautiful now that Mandy and I are one."

They began kissing as Kalli smiled and floated silently away. Lagar and Solum would need help with that new volcano in Queo's Realm.

Hand in hand, they wandered through the Fire Realm, Mandy pointing out the various rock formations and plants on their way, and stopping to pet the various bizarre creatures that crossed their path.

They came upon a huge tree with curled leaves, Mandy stroked a low hanging one and it unfurled. She climbed upon it, lay back, opened her arms to Zack and spread her shapely legs.

"Make love to me, my darling."

Zack crawled between her silken thighs, his stiffening cock effortlessly entering her moist pussy. They embraced, kissing softly, rotating their hips as their excitement grew. Their bodies rose and fell in perfect rhythm, her warm wetness enfolding his throbbing cock, moans escaping their lips as they moved faster and faster.

The leaf bobbed back and forth, as their fucking intensified, Mandy's little shrieks of pleasure telling Zack she was nearing orgasm. He gritted his teeth, holding off until they could come together. A final shriek and her body shook with the intensity of her orgasm, Zack shouting hoarsely as he pumped ropes of cum deep inside her. He continued thrusting until she came again and they lay panting from their exertions.

"I love you. Mandy"

"I love you, Zack."

"My, my, what an interesting sight," a voice growled. "The Supreme One allowed you back did she?"

"Does everyone in this place have lousy timing?" Zack muttered.

They sat up to see a squat figure standing below them. It was reddish brown in color and covered with pockmarks of varying sizes. Piercing black eyes and a slit for a mouth completed it's appearance.

"Lava Imp," Mandy whispered. "Hello Rhuax, I'd like you to meet my life partner, Zack. Zack, Rhuax."

"Hi Rhuax, Good to meet you."

"A mortal? You and a mortal are mated for life. Ridiculous," Rhuax snorted. "You're playing a joke on me."

"No joke," Mandy responded, giggling as Zack tickled her. "He's going to help me fill the water balloons."

Rhuax backed away nervously. "I thought you'd learned your lesson. Some of us are still recovering from what you did. Water, ugh!"

Zack and Mandy slid from the leaf to stand before the creature.

"She's just kidding, it's good to meet you," Zack said, offering his hand to shake.

"Good to meet you too, mortal," Rhuax replied, eyes glittering as it offered it's stumpy fingered hand. It gripped Zack's hand tightly as it's fingers began glowing. Zack smiled and tightened his grip as Rhuax's hand glowed more brightly, attempting to burn him but having no effect.

Puzzled, Rhuax relaxed his grip, dropping his arm to his side.

"I might have known. One of your mothers spells, no doubt. Very well, you win this time, but we'll get even, you'll see." He turned and scuttled away.

"Pleasant fellow," Zack said, laughing.

"The Imps and I have never been too friendly. When I was small, they stole me away when Mother wasn't looking because they were curious. I wasn't frightened, I thought they were funny. Then Father appeared raving mad and proceeded to toss Imps everywhere with his hands and tail. They've never liked me since then, so I play pranks on them."

"I think it's payback time for trying to burn me, we'll have to think of something suitable..."

Mandy closed her eyes.

"Mother wants to know if you'd be interested in seeing Father build a new volcano."

"I certainly would."

The air shimmered about them and they disappeared.

***

Zack was becoming used to being in a raging inferno; in fact he was beginning to enjoy it. Having been a firefighter for twelve years and an inspector for six, he had a healthy respect for fire, but never thought he could walk through sheets of flame with impunity, much less with the woman he loved.

But that's exactly what he was doing.

Lagar handled and shaped molten rock as a child does modeling clay; he and Solum creating a tower that hissed and boiled through the rocky crust above them first into Queo's Realm, then that of Aeolus'. He blasted a shower of sparks and ash through the tower's core, and Solum continued to build it higher until they were satisfied with how it looked.

Zack was amazed, not a hair or a scale on Lagar's body was out of place. I'm really among legendary beings, mated with one of them... He suddenly felt lightheaded, his eyes rolled back in his head and he crumpled.

Mandy shrieked, catching him before he fell. Kalli was at her side in an instant.

"It is but a delayed reaction to my spell, daughter. He will be fine, but he must rest."

"I'll place him in the Friendship tree; he can rest there and be safe."

She lifted him in her arms, shimmered and disappeared.

Stroking the trunk of the tree, Mandy placed Zack on one of the leaves which curled around his body and lifted him high in the air. Satisfied he was safe, she disappeared. Blaze waddled to the tree's base, lay down and dozed.

***

Zack was having a wonderful dream. He and Mandy were making love high in the clouds, floating gently on soft breezes...

"Zack, wake up!"

He jerked awake at the sound of Blazes' voice and found himself staring into the creatures huge yellow eyes.

"Mandy's gone. No one can find her."

"She's gone? How'd that happen?"

"I don't know. One minute she was watching her father build the volcano, the next she was gone. Kalli is casting a searching spell, but she wanted me to tell you what has happened."

"The Lava Imps, they said they'd get even. I'll bet they have her. Can you take me where they live?"

Blaze hesitated for a moment.

"Kali says yes, Mandy is there. She and Lagar are on their way. Hold my tail."

The air shimmered and they disappeared.

***

When Mandy awakened, she was encased in an opalescent bubble. What had happened? Why was she here? Where was she? One minute she was watching her father build a volcano, and then...she was here. Where was here?

She touched a glowing fingertip to the bubble, nothing. What was this substance that held her captive? Who was responsible?

"My Zack will rescue me," she said confidently, then lay back and went to sleep.

***

"How are we to find her in that maze?" Zack said.

He, Kali, Lagar and Blaze stood on a ridge looking down into the Lava Imps domain. Before them stretched a deep red jumble of peaks and valleys, all riddled with irregularly shaped holes; a sea of volcanic pumice in which the Imps lived.

No one had even attempted to enter, much less explore the endless warrens within the cooled lava or had reason to until now. The first time the Imps kidnapped Mandy when she was a child, they made the mistake of playing with their unafraid captive on the surface where Lagar found them and put them to rout.

This time they were cleverer.

"I can detect her life force, but not communicate," Kali said worriedly.

"How can that be?" Lagar replied. "The psychic bond between you is strong."

"She is encased in a substance my thoughts cannot penetrate."

"Can you lead us there?" Zack asked.

"Yes, but we'll be hampered if all four of us try to traverse those tunnels as a group. The Imps will detect us and hide Mandy somewhere else."

She thought for a moment.

"Give me your hand, son," she said to Zack.

Son, she called me son. That's right; I'm one of them now.

Kali took Zack's hand in hers, chanting a spell in a deep, resonant voice that was not her own. Zack felt first his hand, then his arm, and then his head tingle and grow warm. He felt dizzy, disoriented, and then he knew.

As a drawn curtain allows the sunlight to stream in, ancient knowledge entered his brain, awakening portions of it that had slumbered in all human brains for a thousand years as the old ways were lost and forgotten.

He knew where Mandy was, he knew.

Kali smiled.

"Now you have the gift, my son. Go and find your love. Lagar and I will find you and together we will set her free."

"We'll move faster if you ride me," Blaze said. The spiny ridges on his neck split apart, forming a crude saddle.

Kali and Lagar had already moved down a slope and onto the reddish field, the latter's tail lashing fiercely and demolishing pumice outcrops. They entered a jagged opening and were lost to sight.

Zack climbed onto Blaze's back; they descended the slope and entered another irregular hole in the pumice.

***

Mandy was awakened by a tapping noise. Zack! He's come to rescue me!

"Are you enjoying yourself, Mandy?" said a familiar grating voice.