A Long Time from Home Ch. 19

Author's notes:

About the language and notation:

The Baylon language is a predecessor to Latin, which is why it looks like Latin at a glance.

Mental communication is denoted by a < and ends with a >, so a mental communication will look like this: "< Who are you? >"

Some warnings:

This is erotic action adventure, meaning that there will be both sex and violence, but I don't mix the two.

This story is posted on the Literotica website and the author does not give permission for it to be reposted or reprinted anywhere else without consent.

P.S. I haven't gotten an editor yet, so any mistakes are mine. Interested editors are welcome :)

P.P.S. While you're here anyway, please rate the chapter and leave a comment :)

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Chapter 19 -- A quiet, but sexy evening and night

Monday, 19th of June 2000, Outside Malaga, Spain

The sound of click -- click --click and people whispering woke me up.

Opening my eyes slightly, I spotted Alice and Karen standing some meters away, taking photos of us, while whispering to each other and smiling widely.

I asked quietly "What's so funny?"

"Not funny." Said Karen. "Cute is more like it."

"Most Adorable Picture Ever!" declared Alice with a grin.

"Of course." mumbled Rita with a yawn. "The twins and I are always adorable."

Cyra nodded and held up a hand towards Rita and the two of them clapped their hands in a gesture, I haven't seen before. A quick search of my memory revealed it was called a 'High Five'.

Alice laughed at the gesture and asked. "What story was it?"

"The Monkey King." I answered without thinking and then realized that they most likely didn't know it.

Karen both proved me wrong and surprised me by nodding. "Good one. I must have heard it like a hundred times." She smiled widely. "According to family traditions, our combat style was developed by him."

I managed not to look at her slack jawed, as I had a flashback to our training session in the garden. While not exactly the same style, there were enough similarities between The Chai Family style and Sun Wukong's combat style that her claim could be true.

Alice shrugged. "Never heard about it."

"I'll tell it to you and Zena some time." I promised and yawned. "I guess it's time to get up?"

"If you want some of my fabulous newly baked cookies, it is." Said Karen.

That caused Rita to sit up rather suddenly, making the hammock swing dangerously.

"Easy there, Girl." Cautioned Alice and took a hold of the hammock, so Rita could climb out.

Cyra followed and after a good stretch, I did the same.

Karen's almond cookies were indeed good, and I ate six, while spending the rest of the afternoon in the shade with my drawing pad, drinking tea and making sketches until it was time for dinner, which was a modern version of the roman Isicia Omentata (Everybody else called it a burger), with salad, barbeque sauce and cheese. It tasted even better than the cookies, which was no mean feat.

It also told me that a lot of the food people ate was bought more or less finished in shops, because Rita and Alice praised the fact that Karen had baked the buns and made the barbeque sauce herself almost as much as they praised the way it tasted.

Karen one the other hand claimed that it wasn't a big deal.

"It's not exactly rocket science guys: You sauté finely diced onions in oil, add brow-sugar and let it melt, caramelizing the onions for about twenty minutes, while adding paprika and salt." She said as the twins cleared the table as usual. "Then you add apple vinegar and let it be for ten minutes, before you finish off with some ketchup and Worchester sauce." She shrugged. "That's it. You let it rest for a while and you're ready to go."

"Yeah, easy." Said Rita sarcastically. "You only have to do ten things in the right order and then it'll be all good. No problem at all."

Karen shrugged again. "Alice does it all the time when she cooks. Why is it so special when I do it?"

Rita shrugged. "Alice is a trained chef and you're not. There's a..."

"Stop." I interrupted softly, causing them all to look at me as I lifted my glass of water. "Let's toast to two fantastic cooks and their excellent food."

There was silence before Rita grinned and lifted her glass as well. "I'll drink to that."

Hesitantly the two others followed suit and we toasted.

"Not one for arguments, huh Ivan?" Said Alice as she refilled her water glass.

"Why spoil a perfectly good evening with a pointless debate?" I asked with a smile. "Not to mention an extremely good meal, eaten under excellent conditions, with even better company."

Alice leaned over and gave me a light kiss on the cheek. "Well, you better enjoy it quickly, because I can see that the twins are arranging the cushions for story time."

"And they're not the only ones' eager to hear the next part of the story." Said Rita with a grin. "So, get your cute butt over there and tell us the story."

"As you command, Dark Angel." I said as I stood up from the chair. "I need to go get a few things, and then we can start."

After everybody had filled their glass, and Alice had made sure that there was a large bowl of grapes and cut fruit for us to snack on, we sat down on the cushions as we had done the evening before. The terrace was pleasantly temperate and with the dim lights, it was a near perfect setting for a story telling session.

I looked at Cyra and Zena, before saying in a low voice that really caught their attention. "You two seem worried I will not finish this story, so I would like to make a deal with the two of you."

They both nodded, and I slowly held out my hands carefully concealing the two badges I had taken from my 'value pack'. As the twins stared on my hands, I turned the badges, so they could see what I had.

On each palm was the black bdel shield with the golden intertwined SI logo of the Securitas Interna engraved under it. Of cause, being written in the Baylon alphabet, it looked nothing like the SI in the Latin letters the American used, but it still made for a beautiful design.

"These are Seals of the Securitas Interna, similar to that used by the Inquisitor in the story, except that they are not magical." Almost per reflex the twins reached for them, so I withdrew them a bit, making the two girls look at me. "Here is the deal: You hold these for me for safekeeping until I have finished the story, but when I have finished it, I want them back." I smiled to them. "These are dear to me and as long as you have them, I can guarantee that I will finish the story. Is that a deal?"

Both nodded eagerly, and I heard Cyra in my head. "< It's a deal... and we promise to keep good care of them >"

I gave them one each and they looked at the seals in wonder, studying them from all angles.

A movement caught my eye and as I looked up, I saw Alice giving me the thumbs up sign, while smiling widely. I winked at her and turned my attention back to the twins.

"The motto of the Ordo Gladius was 'Stare contra malum'... Do you remember what it means from the story?"

They nodded, and Zena carefully placed the seal in her lap before signing something.

"Someone has to take a stand against evil." Alice translated.

"Exactly right and according to legend it comes from the first Inquisitor, who was once asked why he risked his life to protect his ideals. His answer was 'Stare contra malum. Cur non mihi?' which means 'Someone must take a stand against evil. Why should it not be me?' That quote came to symbolize everything the Inquisitors did."

I took a break to drink some water and give the twins time to finish looking at the seals.

The seals were the kind Inquisitors had used to give to extra personnel and unlike the Captains Seal, these were non-magical and had survived the long trance, which my seal haven't.

When the twins finally looked up, I started the second part of the 'The trials of the Inquisitor', again sending subtle mind-images of the scenes in the story to help the listener's imagination along.

The group of heroes discovers that their loved ones have been sold into slavery in foreign lands.

Not giving up, they persuade a Magus to magically teleport them to the colony of Knossos in the Middle Sea (Now known as the Mediterranean Sea), from where they can continue their search. Hearing rumours in the harbour, they start by sailing to Kumet (Egypt) and travelled up the Nile.

They battled sand creatures on the way to their goal and I described the pyramids for them. The gigantic, glittering white structures covered with polished limestone that rose from the sand as one came nearer, temple complexes at their feet where the group finally found some of the missing people. They also had to solve several puzzles before they were able to free their loved ones and be reunited.

As my father had done with my sister and I, I had the twins and the three women solving the puzzles, giving me a break in the telling of the story. It also gave them a chance to do something else than simply listening, before I started the last piece of the story, which turned out to be a lot more emotional for the women than I had expected.

Baylons were by and large not an emotional people and for any tale involving emotions to work, it needed to really, really hit home on all strings at the same time.

This scene was exactly one of those, as it played on the obvious affection and loves between the search party and some of the freed slaves, as well as the crushing disappointment of those who didn't find their loved ones.

However, where I remember being touched by it, the women and girls in front me had tears running down their faces, while they smiled happily.

I lowered the pace, so they had time to gather themselves, while I concluded that part of the story with a lot of people being sent home and the rest going on the search again.

When I finished, there was silence for a while, only interrupted by people clearing their eyes and noses. Unsure of what to do, I waited while drinking water and eating some of the fruits from the bowl.

"That story is fantastic." Said Rita after a while. "I really look forward to the next part of this."

"So do I." said Alice and Karen in unison, while the twins nodded.

"I'm glad you like it." I said and rolled from the chair onto the cushions on the floor, where I stretched. My head ended up right next to Alice's legs, so I gave her suntanned skin a kiss and used her thighs as a pillow. That felt even better.

"Feeling comfortable there?" asked Rita with a grin. "'Coz you certain look so."

"Oh, I'm comfortable... But in the spirit of the story, it would be even better if you dressed up as an Egyptian and waved a giant palm leaf over us."

"Why me?" she said laughing.

I yawned lazily. "Because you look like an even more beautiful version of Nefertiti and your breasts would move wonderfully along with the palm leaf."

The twins looked wide-eyed at me, as if I had said something naughty, while Rita looked flattered.

Karen looked from me to Rita, and back at me again. "Nefertiti... that was an ancient Egyptian queen, right?"

I nodded. "Nefertiti, which by the way means 'the beautiful one has come', was the stunning Great Royal Queen of Amenhotep IV." I pointed at Rita. "I know that the skin tone doesn't match, since Rita is a tad darker, but look at her and listen to this description: 'She had a long neck and a beautiful face, elegantly arched brows, high cheekbones, a slender nose and red lips, where more often than not an enigmatic smile played.'"

Alice nodded. "That's Rita alright, but when you say it that way, it's probably Nefertiti."

"Right you are. It's a description of Nefertiti... Given by an Egyptian poet."

"Nice... and I see what you mean."

Rita snorted, but she did have a smile on her lips.

Zena signed something to Alice, who nodded, before both girls got up and walked towards the house.

"They'll go make some tea for us and get a soda from the fridge." The blonde said,

Karen rolled on the cushions, ending up with her head on my stomach, looking at me. "I need to ask you a question about the story."

Since she was so near and looked so tempting, I placed a hand on her bare stomach where her t-shirt had climbed up, enjoying the feel of her skin under my fingers. "Ask."

"Good idea, Sweetie." I heard Rita mumble, directed at Karen. Then she rolled over and placed her head on Karen's thighs. A moment later Alice moved her upper body a bit and placed her head on Rita's thighs, so we lay in a square.

"Hey, this is rather comfy." Declared Rita with a smile.

"Very." Agreed Alice and glanced over at Karen. "Your question, Sweetie?"

Karen nodded and looked at me. "Flacca, the female warrior, searched for her wife and Gaius the Scholar searched for his wife and his male lover?"

"Yes?"

"Isn't that a bit far out? I mean the story is supposed to take place a long time ago and that sounds very modern."

Rita chuckled, which made Karen send her an evil look. "What's so funny?"

"That it's not modern, it's ancient." Said Rita with a bright smile. "Many of the ancient Greeks had male lovers and while lesbian or bi-sexual women are rarely described in literature, they most certainly existed." She thought for a few heartbeats. "The most famous of them was the Greek poet Sappho from the island of Lesbos... which is why a homosexual woman is called a Lesbian today and their love is called a Sapphic love." She winked at the Asian. "Which is exactly what I intend to do to you later."

"Right back at you." Replied Karen, while Alice ruffled my hair and asked "Sappho... Wasn't that the poet you quoted to me earlier, Ivan?"

"Yes, she was a fantastic poet."

Rita nodded in agreement. "Even in ancient times, she was regarded as one of the greatest lyric poets ever."

"Nice." Said Karen. "Do you remember any of the poems?"

"Not me." Said Rita with a grin. "Ask the sexy white-haired guy with the super memory."

The shorthaired woman looked at me, so I shrugged, activated my memory and translated in my head before saying.

"Then, as the broad moon rose on high,

The maidens stood the altar nigh;

And some in graceful measure

The well-loved spot danced round,

With lightsome footsteps treading

The soft and grassy ground"

As always when you translate a poem, the rhythm of the original suffered a lot, but nonetheless they all looked pleased.

"Ohh... That's beautiful... " said Karen slowly as if she tried to remember the words.

"Yes, it is." Said Alice and ruffled my hair again. "How do you remember all that stuff?"

"When it comes to texts I've read, I got an almost perfect memory." I said with a shrug.

"Lucky bastard!" Exclaimed Rita. "I would love to have that."

"Agreed!" said Alice as the twins came back, bearing a teapot, a bottle of liquid honey and four mugs. "Hey girls... place that on the table and come join us." she gestured at the space between us. "There's room for you right there."

They smiled, nodded and a moment later, they were placed in the middle of the square with their heads on Rita, so Alice could see and translate for them if needed.

The women started chatting about volleyball, so I tuned them out and just relaxed, enjoying everything. The sight of the stars above us, the feel of Karen's soft skin under my fingers, the gentle breeze that brought the fragrance of flowers from the garden to us and the incredible feeling of affection and warmth that the three women seemed to generate whenever they were together.

Just as I felt that life couldn't get much better, Zena and Cyra broke their habit of not using mind-talk when Alice was around and started to mentally ask me questions about some of the things in the story. As we talked, I discovered yet again how much I had missed mental contact over the years and how much having it again made me feel at home.

I knew that they would all have to travel back to America soon, but at that moment, I also knew that no matter where they went, I would find them.

Besides the fact, that I really liked all three women, there simply was no way I could let the only two known people in the world capable of mental communication walk out of my life.

After some thousand years without mental communication, I didn't think that having one once per month or so was too much to ask for.

Eventually it was bedtime for the twins, so they said goodnight and went into the house, flanked by Alice and Rita, leaving me alone with Karen.

The Asian turned her head and fastened her lovely warm brown eyes on me. "You have been awfully quiet most of the evening. Are you okay?"

I still had my hand on her stomach, so I caressed the skin under my fingers. "Yeah... Just relaxing in good company."

"Thanks, and likewise." She tried to hide a yawn with a hand. "Sorry."

"No problem. I don't think that any of us is getting enough sleep at the moment."

That made her giggle. "That's the truth."

"Yeah, but on the bright side we do get a lot of really good sex."

"Oh yes, that we do..." She said and the giggle turned into a smile. "Hmm... Actually, I've never had more sex in such a short time as on this vacation."

"Really?"

"Yeah. At home we have our studies, work, training, and volleyball games to play, but here it's almost pure relaxation, so we have a lot of time and energy."

"Yeah, I noticed." I said drily. "Not that I'm complaining."

"You better not." The Asian said with a wink and stood up as Rita came out of the house. "I'm off to bed. See you guys tomorrow." She smiled. "And remember its Tuesday tomorrow, so don't stay up all night."

"Will do." Said Rita and gave Karen a goodnight kiss. "Sleep well."

"Eh, what happens on Tuesday?" I asked since none of them had ever mentioned it before.

Both women looked surprised, but then Rita chuckled. "Sorry. I guess that we all assumed that somebody else had told you about it. On Thursdays, we drive to Malaga right after breakfast and play beach volley the whole day."

Karen nodded. "After that, we normally have dinner here with Nahia Ibarra... She's local player, I know and usually team up with... and relax the rest of the evening," She shrugged. "We're on our own tomorrow though. Nahia has to help her dad prepare for the Night of San Juan on Friday."

She saw me lifting my eyebrows and explained. "It's the local midsummer celebration."

That made sense. Most civilizations I've encountered, celebrated midsummer and midwinter in some way. "So... shall I come along and watch the games, or should I stay here?"

"Up to you, I guess, but the rest of us are going."

I pondered that for a moment but decided it would be nice to see what volleyball really was. "I'll come along."

Karen nodded with a smile and walked into the house, leaving me alone with Rita.

The brown beauty moved so we lay side by side.

"I sense a conspiracy here." I told her as I let my hand glide over the soft skin of her arm.

"Your senses are telling you the truth." Rita answered with a grin. "I'm the only one that hasn't really been alone with you and according to Alice and Karen, the quickie we had in my room doesn't count, so they insisted."

"Well, since they insisted..." I said with wink and kissed her softly. She almost melted into my arms as she kissed me back with a wonderful mix of tenderness and passion.

As we finally broke the kiss, she smiled widely and whispered. "Let's go to bed. Your bed that is."

I nodded as an idea struck me. "Can you give me five minutes? I need to fix something."

Rita laughed. "No problem."

Once inside the house, I hurried into the kitchen, took five of the candles from the bag, grabbed one of the fancy modern lighters and continued into my bedroom, where I placed one candle on each of the bedside table and the remaining three candles in front of the mirror on the dresser, since the reflection would add a lot more brightness to the room.