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The only nod to comfort was that at bedtime, Rayven took off her armor. She told herself that it was so she would get a better rest though she had slept in it many times before. After a few moments, she laughed at herself and forced herself to admit the other truth. The draw of feeling the younger woman against her body was too strong to resist. Still, she wouldn't allow herself to fall into too deep of a sleep. The threat of pursuers was very real, and she didn't presume to believe that her goddess would watch over them another night, especially without an offering.
As soon as she lay down, Dove came into her arms. She felt the soft lithe body wrap itself around her. Rather than putting her head down on Rayven's chest, she rested her chin on her shoulder. After a minute or so, there came a series of little kisses on her neck, and Rayven felt the press of a slightly wet mound against her hip. "Ah, the fresh loss of virginity. It always leaves them wanting for more," she wryly thought.
A second later, Dove whispered. "Mistress? Shall I please you?" Her pulse quickened as she thought about last night, and how good it felt, both to pleasure and be pleasured. She wasn't even aware of how her hips were grinding against Rayven. Just being close again to her was enough to get her extremely aroused. She kissed her way up to Rayven's ear.
"Not tonight, my little Dove," Rayven said with a little smile. The day had been long, and adding the exertion of making love would bring the deep sleep she feared. It was hard to resist the lovely woman, and the sensuous caresses on her neck. The discipline she had honed her long life was her saving grace. At least her goddess was a warrior as well as a lover. She would not take this as a slight.
"Please Mistress," Dove plaintively whimpered in her ear. Her yearning was strong, and the more that her hips moved, the greater it became.
"On the other hand," Rayven thought to herself. "I'm the only one who has to sleep light." Reaching over to her gear, she found a long leather thong. Rolling on top of her horny young lover, she looked down. "Open your mouth, my little Dove," she said softly, and smiled at how she unquestioningly obeyed. As she slipped the thong between her teeth and secured it around her head, she explained. "We can't make any noise and I fear you are too new and passionate to control yourself."
Dove nodded in understanding. She felt the thong between her lips and knew that it would prevent her from saying anything intelligible. It also made her feel slightly more vulnerable and out of control. "I can't tell Mistress anything now. She is in charge," she thought. This time when she ground her hips against the leg Rayven pressed against her, it was deliberate and much needed!
She felt what was left of her control evaporating. Her hips began to hump against the firm muscle of Rayven's thigh. It felt so good. A tiny part of her brain realized that she still wore her travel pants and her juices were soaking them. Even that remaining bit of sense didn't care. Reaching up to put her arms around her Mistress, she was surprised to feel her grab her arms and pin them above her head.
"Oh Goddess," she tried to say as she felt another rush come over her. It was impossible due to the gag in her mouth. The sense of vulnerability and submission grew stronger, increasing the feeling of belonging to Rayven. All of those combined to drive her wild. Her body flailed against her Mistress, while she made inarticulate noises.
Rayven looked down on her. "Shhh, my little Dove, no noise. Just fuck yourself against me! Grind like the horny little thing that you are," she said softly. "Shhh," she repeated. It penetrated the lust-filled brain of the woman below her. She quieted even as she pressed so hard that she momentary lifted Rayven before the heavier woman used her weight to hold her down. "That's it," she said. "I can see you are going to cum. You have permission. That's it, my little Dove. Cum!"
Upon Rayven's command, Dove exploded. Her body spasmed as she came hard. Her body bucked, but Rayven was prepared and held her down. Her head thrashed left and right. Still, she didn't lose complete control. Biting down hard, she followed the other command and didn't make any noises above a little whine. Only someone within a few feet of them would have even noticed. Her hips still ground against Rayven, extending the pleasure as long as she could.
Finally, she collapsed back against the bedroll. Panting hard to catch her breath, it helped when Rayven undid the gag and carefully lifted it out of her mouth. She replaced it with her lips as she kissed Dove. Her hands were released and she wrapped her arms around her Mistress, holding her as tight as she could. Her emotions rose, almost overwhelming her.
"Why do I feel like I'm going to cry," she asked herself. There was nothing sad about what just happened. If anything, it felt like she was discovering herself. She clutched at Rayven, burying her head against her neck. She heard her making soft soothing noises, reassuring her that it was all right. Turning her head, she whispered into Rayven's ear. "Thank you, Mistress. Thank you for being here with me. I need this."
"I know you do, my little Dove," she replied as she kissed her again. Rolling onto her back, she helped the other woman to find a comfortable spot snuggled against her. With all the energy she expended, Dove quickly fell asleep, barely managing to give Rayven one more little kiss before unconsciousness hit her.
Laying there stroking the sleeping woman's head, Rayven prepared for her own rest. She carefully cleared her mind of any thoughts that might distract her. The slow strokes were almost like meditating, and after a time she wasn't even aware she still did it. As her mind reached the peaceful state she sought, she began to expand her awareness. It travelled outward in an ever-increasing circle until it was over half a mile in diameter. At that point, she couldn't push it any further without the strain interfering with her concentration. Stopping pushing outward, she focused on becoming aware of what was happening within the circle. While Ashura might watch over them again, especially after her little offering, Rayven chose not to rely on that; nor would the goddess be offended. She wanted her avatar to be able to protect herself without her divine help. That was what made Rayven worthy.
Once she felt in equilibrium with the natural life around her, she relaxed a little more. She allowed her mind to drift off into a light drowse. It wasn't a true sleep, but if anything of man intruded, she would feel it and instantly wake. If they were coming full speed, it might not be enough warning, but she didn't expect that. Far more likely was a slow stealthy approach. Unless it was an overwhelming force, she didn't doubt her ability to defend herself and her charge.
Fortunately, their rest was undisturbed. Unlike the previous day, Rayven was up before the dawn. As the night creatures retreated into their daytime lairs, she felt it and knew it was time for her to get up. Different from a true sleep, she came to full awareness in a second.
Looking around, she smiled as she realized that her hand was still on Dove's head. Bending her neck a little, she kissed the top of Dove's head. "My sweet, it's time to wake," she quietly told her before slipping out from under the smaller woman.
Momentarily, Dove protested the abrupt ending of her slumber until she remembered again where they were. "Yes, Mistress," she said and she scrambled up onto her knees. That was as far as she got before her pants stuck to her, pulling on her skin and her pussy hair. Her face blazed as she remembered her frantic gyrations from the night before. She thanked the Goddess that Rayven's attention was on checking the horses to make sure they were ready to go. Carefully she slid her hand unto her pants and broke the sticky seal, managing to make only a couple of squeaks at the hardest parts.
Her pants were stiff everywhere her juices soaked into them. She hoped that they would loosen up as she rode. The smell was different. Unless something else even more powerful covered it up, she was afraid she was going to smell like a cathouse. "I hope there will be a chance to wash our clothes at some point," she thought.
Finishing checking the horses, Rayven came over to pick up bedrolls. The twinkle in her eye let Dove know that her Mistress aware of her plight. Leaning forward, she gave her a soft kiss. As she pulled away, she sniffed and chuckled. "My favorite scent and you wear it well," she said as she laughed.
If her face was red before, now her whole body was crimson, and Dove hid her face with her hands. "Mistress!" she cried in a pleading tone. Even as her embarrassment flared up, she felt a small spark of excitement, which only made the mortification worse.
"Oh, my little one," Rayven said as she pulled Dove into an embrace. "I shouldn't tease you, should I?" She felt Dove holding her tight, resting her head on her shoulder while looking away.
"No you shouldn't," she replied, sound more like a princess than she had in a while.
As lovely as it was to hold her, there were still a few things to do. She let go and went to finish putting away their gear. Just like yesterday, they had travel cakes to eat as they rode.
"We won't be riding as hard today," Rayven said. "I want to hide our trail more." Dove nodded, accepting whatever decision she made. This was all new to her, and she trusted Rayven without reservation now.
As they swung up into their saddles and started on their way, Rayven looked back. It was a risk. It would be hard to hide all signs of their passing, and if there were pursuers, they could narrow the gap between them. If that happened, Rayven would take even more risks, but she would walk that path in its time.
Unlike previous days, she let Dove take the lead, teaching her how to pick a point in the distance for navigation. She scanned the path, watching for traces of their presence. Occasionally she slipped off her horse to pick a little horsehair off a branch that caught it, or to brush away especially noticeable hoof prints. When the horses let piles of dung fall, she would stop and do her best to hide it. All in all, she did a reasonable job at hiding their trail.
It wasn't until after midday that she found a good hill to climb and look back for signs of followers. Leaving Dove at the base of it, she made her way up and took advantage of the cover at the top. Slowly, she followed their path backwards. Just as she was about to lose track of it, she saw them.
There was a little clearing in the forest, and they emerged from it one by one. Their dark skin showed them to be Onjani. Even if she didn't see the lead person dismounting and checking the ground, that alone made it obvious the Duke sent them to bring his prize back. She couldn't be sure, but she thought it was the ranger from yesterday looking for their trail. Even though it gave them a little more time to catch up, Rayven waited to make sure she had a full count of their pursuers.
"Eight," she thought to herself. "And at least two of them are trackers. They aren't just relying on him." Even though she recognized that he was a skilled fighter, the trackers wouldn't be her primary concerns in a fight. The rest were mostly true warriors. The biggest one was probably in charge. From the distance, it was impossible to be sure but she thought she recognized him as one of the Duke's lieutenants. It was long ago since she last served the King alongside the Duke, but she remembered this man as a fierce warrior. She frowned.
Her frown deepened as she noticed one of the followers wore a cloak. "Battlemage," she said aloud. "Well, no help for it. We fight the fights that we are given." She had no way of knowing which god the Mage served. "I trust in Ashura to protect us," she added.
Carefully, she made her way down the hill, erasing any trace of her reconnoiter. She didn't want them to know of her awareness to their presence. It cost precious time, but worth it to keep that advantage. Her years of rangering would help them now.
As she reached the bottom of the hill, she noticed that Dove had changed their mounts so they now had fresh ones. "Well done, my little Dove," she said.
"Thank you, Mistress," she said with a smile. "You didn't tell me, but I figured we would be better off this way."
"We will be," she said in a serious tone. "We have trackers maybe an hour behind us. We will need to put a little distance between us, and we will ride as long as we can today."
They mounted their horses and rode off in the same direction as before. At first, the pace was about the same, but once they were well away from the hill, they put on some speed. Rayven didn't want to change their behavior so close to an obvious observation point. The horses moved at an easy canter that they could maintain for some time. Every couple of hours, they got off and quickly switched horses. While they might not put any more distance between them, the pursuers were unlikely to be getting closer.
Even when the sun began to set, Rayven kept them on the same pace and heading. It was riskier to the horses, but she would take it. She didn't want to give them a chance to catch up. When the light dimmed enough that the trackers would need to stop or be in danger of losing the trail, she abruptly changed direction. They slowed down and she was more careful to watch the path for any holes or other obstacles.
Dove looked puzzled. It seemed as if they were doubling back in a big semicircle. Finally, when the last bit of light disappeared, Rayven pulled up. "Mistress, what are we doing?" she asked.
Getting off her horse, Raven tied it to a tree branch and walked over to where Dove was. "My little one, I'm sorry but we can't lose them. They have Onjari trackers. If I haven't lost them yet, I won't. I need to take them out."
"Mistress? You said there are eight! You can't alone," Dove said in a panicked voice. She threw her arms around her protector and lover. "I'll help!" She feared death less than being left alone or at least alone until they captured her. She feared what came after that even more.
"Little Dove, you can't help me. You aren't trained, and worrying about you will distract me from what I must do," Rayven said softly as she returned the embrace. "Ashura will protect me as she has always done." She gently withdrew from the hug. "Wait here and rest. I'll return when it is done." She hesitated and then took one of her daggers and handed it to the young woman.
"Thank you, Mistress. I'll defend myself and die doing so," Dove fiercely said.
Rayven smiled sadly. "She is so brave. Her mother would be proud," she thought to herself. "You misunderstand me, my sweet little Dove. If you fight them, they will disarm you and take you. This is only if you want to avoid that fate."
"Oh," Dove whispered. She looked down at the blade. It was one thing to imagine defending yourself to the death. It was something different to use it willingly to kill herself. She looked very young as she glanced up at Rayven. "I understand, Mistress," she said. She hoped she sounded surer of herself than she felt.
"I don't expect to make you face that choice, my little Dove," Rayven said with grim determination. "Now I must go," she added. Leaning in, she gave her young lover a soft kiss and felt the returning kiss. Dove's mouth opened, inviting a deeper kiss. As tempting as it was, Rayven couldn't afford it. She had neither the time nor the resulting distraction to spare. She needed her full wits with her. Reluctantly she pulled away. "There will be time for that later, Dove," she said confidently.
With that, she was gone. Dove blinked in surprise at how effortlessly she seemed to vanish. There was no sound as she disappeared into the darkness. "Goddess, watch over her," she silently prayed, before turning to tend to the horses. Her role was limited but she had already learned it well.
Rayven moved silently through the scrub forest, loping along at a quick pace. Her armor was all padded to be as quiet as possible. Her awareness of her surroundings coupled with a fine sense of direction took her undeviatingly to where she guessed the pursuers' camp was. As she got closer to that point, she slowed, making her way much more carefully. She could risk no sounds to betray her.
Pausing, she listened. While they were smart enough not to light a fire, they were people and therefore couldn't help talking. She heard murmur of conversation off in the distance. Very slowly she circled the camp, gauging where each person was. There were two sentries on opposite sides of the camp. Most of them were settling down for the night out in the open but there was a single tent on one side.
"That's where Fjurto will be," she thought to herself. Laying on the ground, she waited for the camp to grow quiet. Her awareness wasn't as keen as the night before, but it was still good enough. When she judged that no one in camp had moved for half an hour, she got to her feet. As silent as a shadow, she made her way closer, holding her sharpest blade. Creeping up behind one of the sentries, she reached out and clamped a hand over his mouth as she cut his throat. As he started to kick, she lifted him up in the air so that his feet only touched air. When it stopped, she gently put him on the ground. Wiping off as much blood as she could from her arm, she moved in a slow circle to the other side. This sentry was even less aware than the first. Tired from the long ride, he drifted in and out of sleep. It was easy to grab him in the same way and give him an eternal sleep.
"Two down, six to go," she thought. Although she still wasn't sure, she didn't second-guess herself. She moved towards the tent. The Mage might be dangerous, but Fjurto was big and strong. She wasn't as sure of being able to beat him in a fair fight. "So I won't let there be a fair fight," she thought.
As she slipped into the tent, she carefully straddled him like a spider, avoiding even brushing against him. Just as she got all the way in, he moved and touched her. As his eyes popped open, she clamped her hand hard down on his mouth to stop the yell before it started. Her other hand thrust down just as Fjurto began to try to buck her off. The dagger was so sharp that it slid through his windpipe and almost severed his spine with a single thrust. His blood sprayed up all over Rayven. The tremors and spasms that ran through his limbs caused his dying body to flail enough to kick one side of the tent loose.
"Fuck," she muttered as she heard the sound of others waking in alarm. Pushing the tent all the way off her, she left the knife embedded in their leader. Her sword was out by the time she was on her feet. There was one of the fighters who was slower regaining consciousness than the others, sitting up to look around with wide eyes. He was close enough to Rayven that she slashed him across the face as he sat up. With his face split open, he screamed and fell back onto his bedding, never to get up again.
Turning to face the rest of her pursuers, she gave them an evil smile. The blood dripped down her face and onto her armor. "Four," she said in Onjani, and then came at them.
None of them wore their armor. The last thing they expected that night was an attack by one of the women they were following. At least all of them had their weapons now. Now things would be different. Three armed Onjani Warriors would be able to take an old woman, even one as savage as this. They dropped into an inverted triangle to provide each other cover.
As she moved towards them, Rayven reached over her right shoulder and grasped her other dagger. With a flick of her hand, it flew through the air and hit the man on the right just below his eye. It sank in all the way to the hilt and a moment later, the sword slipped from his lifeless fingers. He fell to the ground, knocking against the man beside him.
