A Dream of Empire Ch. 023

Alanna released her and fell back onto the bed, arms splayed out. "I know. Fuck," she groaned. "We're horrible. Horrible mates."

"No! No, we're just..." Tanya rolled her eyes, pushing one of Alanna's arms so she could lay beside her, "we just need to make sure he's okay with it. Let's, um, try to sleep for now, alright? We can ask him on the 'morrow, when he returns with that elven girl."

"Tanya, there is zero possibility that I could sleep right now."

"Because of...?"

"Yep," Alanna answered with a pop of her lips.

Tanya giggled and rolled on top of her, sliding a hand into her pants. "Well, I can't allow that to persist, now can I?" she smirked.

-=-=-

Seven hours later, after a restless sleep and a tryst that went on for far too long, Tanya awoke in a fright when her Circle of Protection was triggered. She shot up from the bed, navigated her way around a snoring Alanna, ensured the babe Talos was still sound asleep, and rushed out of the tent.

The world outside was barely awoken. The birds sang a sleepy song, the crickets chirped, and the stars above were only pale dots on a dark-blue sky. She turned her gaze towards the camp's intruder, only to find Talos cantering her way wearing a most-grim look.

It was only him and Spirit. He hadn't found the elven girl, or, if he had... he hadn't found her in a state worth returning. Tanya closed the distance with her man, unknowingly displaying quite the dreadful pout.

"Hey," was all she whispered. The bags under Talos' eyes gave her worry, and so she cast a Spell of Awakening into him once he'd dismounted.

"Hey," he muttered back. "She's dead. Onto the next journey, I'll pray."

"I'm sorry." Should she ask for details? Would he offer them freely? She was his sorceress - surely she should know. "What happened?"

"She didn't disappear into any damned fog. It was a kidnapping, plain and simple, but not one performed by man or elf. It was a... a beast. Solitary. Hairy, thick of build. It stood on it's hind legs, but had a bull's head of gray," Talos told her in a hushing tone, glancing away to hide his tears. "I slew him simply, but could not save the girl. It was..."

Tanya laid a hand on his shoulder.

"It was terrible," he choked out. "It mutilated her, Tatiana. Turned her into some grotesque sacrifice. A spindly tree of flesh and bone. I only recognized her from her ears."

Tanya held in her bile upon dreaming of that mental image, but it was quite the battle. She tried turning her thoughts to happier notions.

She thought of Alanna. She thought of what excited them so very much in the night. And she realized, it wasn't all selfish reasoning to ask for Talos' gift. To separate him from Alanna wouldn't only free a god's will, it would also protect Alanna from that which she should not see. It was pious. It was considerate. It was right.

"Anyway, I burned the whole thing to the ground. Wasn't sure how many bodies it was in the end. All mangled and... combined."

"Talos, stop, please," Tanya choked out, covering her mouth with a hand.

"Are you familiar with the practice, Tatiana? Some kind of blood ritual, you think?"

"No," she exhaled, shaking her head. "No, I'm not. It must be very ancient, o-or foreign."

"Mm. Not anymore. Well," Talos sighed, "time to bring the bad news to the elves. I'm not even sure what to say, but... I know I'll lie to them. No soul should hear that truth."

"Yes. Good idea," Tanya agreed. It may've been the first time she had ever condoned deceit. She watched on him as he trundled off towards the elves' tent. "Oh, Talos?"

"Mm?" he mumbled, turning his tired eyes her way. Tanya gulped.

"I'm glad you're safe," she said instead. Talos shook his head.

"Ever had any doubt?" he uttered before continuing his languid march.

Tanya sighed, and silently reminded herself that she didn't. That's what worried her.

-=-=-

The journey that day to the Cinder Vale was a quiet, melancholic affair. Talos had elected not to sleep at all, deciding instead to wash himself in a stream for the better part of an hour. The elves understandably kept to themselves, and Alanna had stupidly decided to re-live Talos' night on the hunt against Tanya's strong recommendation. This, in turn, left her clutching her babe for the entirety of the day, deciding from this point forth to never let him go. Emmanuel, being more perceptive than Tanya had given him credit for, remained silent for most of the day, reading the moods on the others present. Tanya herself tried to read during the ride, but all she could think of were her mates. So she leaned against Talos, appreciating his warmth without him realizing.

Or, so she thought anyway.

"It's a good idea," he muttered after the world's longest silence. "The merge. You could provide her with direction; something I cannot offer, for I don't even know my own. I'm just a leaf, Tanya. A leaf on the wind."

He was delirious. Tanya knew that. She cast another Spell of Awakening into his thigh without ask, hoping it would help.

"I try not to think that I've failed her, but..."

"You haven't, honey. It isn't like that. Take a day or two to think it over," Tanya murmured in reply. She still had many worries to work through before even thinking about the merge, anyway.

"No. Tonight," Talos tiredly replied. "We should transfer it before we see Cass. It was her only ammunition against Alanna during our last meet, and I'll need all the help I can get to ensure blissful relations."

"But, won't you miss her?"

"Nah," he chuckled. "Actually, I'm looking forward to the peace and quiet."

"I heard that!" Alanna yelled from forty feet behind them. Talos and Tanya laughed.

"Okay; of course I'll miss her," Talos redressed. "But, what kind of man would I be if I stood between my mates and their desires? Life's too short for missed opportunities that could easily have been grasped. And, you should know that she's been daydreaming of the possibilities for about an hour straight."

"H-has she now?" Tanya craned her neck to get a look at Alanna, riding far behind them. The enchantress bit her lip and blushed when their gazes met, then glanced away.

"Mhm. So, one problem solved. And, as for you... I'm not even sure how I'll bring that up with Cass," Talos continued with a sigh, his tired mind jumping from one worry to the next.

"I... would not," Tanya advised, her thumping heart finally given rest when she looked away from Alanna.

"And I agreed with you, 'til I saw the Cinders on the horizon. Then I realized that's just lying by omission. And I can do that to them," Talos said, rolling his head towards the elves, "but not to her. She needs to know."

Tanya squeezed his thigh again. "Of course. But you really should have slept, darling. You're far too virtuous at the moment."

"Hah, maybe. Rayya, gods bless her soul, used to have this saying; 'love does not blind us; it merely hides the wrong paths.' Now, she went mad. I know that. And I'm pretty sure she only picked it up from a book somewhere. But there's certainly some truth in it, in that choices are plain when true love gazes back. But lying to see a smile, or deceiving to avoid a frown? That's all just greed. Like when those who don't know your demons tell you everything will be fine. Who are they to say? They only do it 'cause it makes them happy, yet to put yourself before another can never be love at all. So, I'll tell her. The worst that could happen is that I'll have to let her go."

"Talos... she's your divine mate. You can't possibly choose us over her," Tanya whispered in disbelief.

"In the heavens, perhaps. But down here I still bleed, and all paths forward are hidden from me but one. I'm not letting you go, Tanya, nor will I ever again watch Alanna walk away. Not even the gods can stop me now."

Tears welled up in Tanya's eyes as she gazed on the red-and-orange peaks of the Cinder Mountains laid far afield. She now knew why she never doubted her man. It wasn't out of blindness; it was trust. A heart torn open isn't torn apart. It's vulnerable, sure, but steeled with a hopeful shield it can weather any storm. She shut her eyes and leaned against her man, and snuggled under his chin.

"You're hopeless, Talos," she murmured so happily. "And that is why I love you."

-=-=- 27^th of Sun's Rest -=-=-

Hey. Wake up.

A dreamless sleep, lifted in a flash. A girl, leaning against her man as they rode atop a black horse, returned to the waking world. She wiped her mouth, stretched, and yawned.

"Mm. Sorry, Talos. The sunshine must've gotten to me," Tanya murmured as she rubbed her eyes. Talos kissed the back of her head.

"I don't mind being your pillow," he softly replied. "But it's good timing that you woke. The entrance to the vale is just up ahead. Looks to be a guard or six."

'Good timing'? Tanya cast a glance in Alanna's direction, who beamed back with a generous grin.

Afternoon, sleepy-head. How are you? the enchantress asked with her eyes.

How was she? Overwhelmed, she supposed. Tired. Definitely tired. Giddy, perhaps? Bubbly? A cacophonous amalgamation of emotions, really. Tanya couldn't put her finger on it. What she wasn't, though, was nervous. The ever-present fog had lifted.

I'm glad. So, he's successfully backdoored. An uttering of blossom, blissful, or bludgeon will lift his shield for our signature without his knowing.

Hm. That was fast. But perhaps they should have asked Talos first, if such an invasion was acceptable?

He would accept if we asked upfront. Really, we're just saving time.

Tanya supposed that was true as well. She also figured she might as well test it.

"Oh, I cannot wait for the spring, and for the flowers to blossom anew. The world's too beautiful to be limited to shades of brown and gray," she dreamily mused, feeling a sudden opening. Talos thought her delirious, adorable, and too beautiful to ever let go. He kissed her again, and Tanya contentedly slumped against him.

Awesome, she smiled.