Blood & Fire

I am continually grateful to NewOldGuy77 for his ongoing editing support.

~~~~~

"I will trade the girl to Prince Carnen, for the price of my loyalty." my father said, not even glancing in my direction.

I wish I could say that the plan disturbed me, that I was frightened or sad or shamed to be traded like cattle for political gain. That would have been normal, a healthy reaction of a woman who had a healthy home life. That just wasn't me.

No matter that I'd heard the young prince was a serial rapist. No matter that my father thought him weak and likely to die in the coming war. No matter that I was being offered, not in good faith to cement a strong bond of loyalty, but in the hopes that I might kill him.

No matter anything else, it was a chance to be free of my father. I would take it. And some part of me wondered, if my father hated this prince so much, could he be good? Does evil hate good? I prayed it was so.

"Oh, that is clever..." The other man in the room cooed at my father's declaration. "But is she still a virgin at twenty years old? You know my brother only fucks virgins."

"Of course, Prince Jadeth, do you think any of my men would touch her? After what she did to her mother?" My father laughed cruelly.

He didn't care about my mother at all, and certainly wasn't sorry that she was dead. But he knew that I cared, and he knew it hurt me when he reminded me that I was to blame for the loss of the only good thing in my life. My father was a man that enjoyed hurting people, in whatever way he could. That was why he got along so well with the crown prince, whose brother they were now plotting to kill.

Prince Jadeth frowned thoughtfully, "but how many know her talent? Are you sure that my brother will not be suspicious?"

"No one knows, my lord. That is the beauty of it. They speak of her like she is the villain in some child's tale. No one believes that a woman could actually have such magic, but they shun her all the same.

"Even if your brother heard the rumors, he would have to be a superstitious fool to believe it was true. And no matter what he might suspect, he can't afford to be seen as a fool."

I stood quietly as they discussed my future and their plans. They did not ask my opinion; there was no point. I hadn't spoken since my mother's death. My voice had been stolen along with any hope for happiness that day.

The memory burned in me now, kindled by my father's insidious reminder. My mother had been a healer. That was why my father had taken her, kidnapped her to serve his fleet of trade ships. Although his weren't war ships, injuries are common at sea, and he wanted a healer. It was a simple boon that she was beautiful.

Like all blood mages, she could have prevented a child, simply by stopping her monthly cycles. In fact, my father had ordered her to remain infertile. It was her one act of insubordination to give me life, and I'd repaid that gift with death.

It was an accident, of course. It should have been impossible. Women's magic is life magic: healing of plants, animals, and people. Death magic is the domain of men: elemental, telekinesis, and shapeshifting. Yet, when I'd tried to stop the flow of blood to my mother's small cut, under her instruction, I'd stopped her heart instead.

I should have been able to start it again, I had watched her do it a dozen times. But I could not repair what I'd broken. I'd beat upon her chest, willing her to breathe again, until my arms had trembled and collapsed under me. That was ten years ago, now.

The rumors had started then, but they'd been dismissed by most. After all, I never said what happened. It could have been a natural death. But she was young, and there was suspicion.

It was the second time I'd killed that had made me an outcast. I was fourteen when my father tried to trade me away to a pirate captain in return for safe passage for his fleet. When the pirate had grabbed me, I'd instinctively reacted in terror. The pirate captain had fallen dead in front of both his and our entire crew.

The pirates had fled in shock, frightened of whatever spirit they believed protected me. And the sailors had shunned me too. I was a wraith now, a living ghost. No one had touched me in six years. No one had come within a hand's length of me, actually. Because, like all women's magic, my power required touch to work.

It was funny, in a morbid way, that my father who demanded I always wear gloves, felt so comfortable sitting across the table from Prince Jadeth, who was himself a powerful elemental mage. He could shroud my father's head in a bubble of water sucked from his own skin and watch him drown and dehydrate simultaneously from ten feet away. I had watched him perform that particular trick on a clumsy servant once.

Yet I was the one who was shunned. I'm sure it delighted my father to have finally found a way to dispose of me, to divest himself of the stain of my abnormality. He'd found another man to give me to, having failed the first time. Only this time, he hoped I would use my power.

The plans that were hatched in secret that day came to fruition six months later.

~~~~~

"The King is dead! Long live King Jadeth!" The herald cried as we pulled into port.

I glanced at my father's face and caught his slight smirk of satisfaction before he contorted his expression to one of shock.

"The King is dead? How did this happen?" He asked the herald, shouting across the narrow strip of sea as the sailors hurried to put the gang plank in place.

"It was a storm at sea, m'Lord. His vessel went missing a month ago. They found the King's body two weeks ago. A terrible tragedy, sir."

The herald kept his expression carefully controlled, but no one could hear this story and not imagine that Prince Jadeth had killed his father. The ambitious prince was a water mage and the Admiral of the Navy besides.

I knew, though, that even this obvious ploy was a part of the prince's plan. He wanted to give his brother the perfect excuse to declare war and openly oppose him. Then, he could crush his brother along with any other potential traitors in one fell swoop, solidifying his reign and sending a message to all who might consider attempting to dispose him.

"A tragic accident. Long live King Jadeth," my father replied carefully as he stepped across the gang plank.

"Long live King Jadeth!" The sailors echoed.

I followed my father down the gang plank. Sailors who'd been about to cross hastily withdrew, clearing my path. My father and his first mate stepped into a waiting coach. Knowing I wouldn't be welcome inside, I climbed up to the roof.

Three seamen clung to the back of the carriage, to avoid sitting with me. I tried not to mind it; it was nice to have the space to myself. Few women of class would ever be allowed to ride outside. It is nice to not be stuck in a stuffy carriage, I thought firmly.

We were just an hour away from home when I watched as a letter drifted out of the countryside and slid through the carriage window. I scanned the horizon and thought I saw a glimpse of a shadow moving away. It must be a telekinetic, floating the paper across the grass. That one was much stronger than my father, whose telekinetic powers could only move small items very short distances, and only when he was nearby.

Moments after the letter flew into his window, my father stuck his head out the window and gave the driver a new destination. We veered off the main road at the next intersection. Fifteen minutes later we slowed to a stop at a small crossroad.

My father exited the carriage, and as was required of me, I followed him. He wanted to be sure that I was always within reach of his telekinesis. The first mate and the three sailors followed behind us, but the coachman stayed on the carriage. We walked down a short path into a clearing next to a small lake. Seven men were waiting for us.

"Captain Nidan," an older men greeted my father.

"Prince Carnen," my father replied.

So, this was him, I considered him carefully. The prince was shorter than his brother, and thinner. He had several days of graying beard growth that hid the shape of his face. His eyes were brown and sleepy, and his brown hair was streaked with gray and cut close, but not stylishly. His clothes were worn and dirty, and his shoes were caked in mud.

This was not a proud man, I concluded. Not once, did the prince's eyes flick to consider me. He was focused on my father. I thought that if he was a rapist, as his brother claimed, he would not ignore the only woman in his vicinity, would he?

All the rapists I knew would not. They would either leer covertly or flirt, but they would not ignore. Well, they ignored me, but that was because they feared me. Other women were not so lucky.

"I am sorry to hear of your father's death," my father said.

"His death was no accident," Prince Carnen said hotly. "My brother killed him."

"Are you sure?" My father said, playing the role of a naïve merchant.

"Absolutely positive. I will not let him take the throne. Not only is he a murderer, but he will destroy our country as well."

"But how can you prevent it, my prince?"

"My brother may have the water, but I have the land. If I can supplement my army with just one small force of sailors, we can easily defeat him at Enerte. He is already sailing there to take residence in the capital. We need only lay siege and prevent his escape by ship."

"I see, but why do you need me? I am only a merchant. I have no battleships."

"We don't need battleships. If all goes well, most of his ships will burn. We just need some small and fast boats to catch the swimmers."

I caught the Prince's meaning at once, as did my father. While Prince Jadeth's power was water, Prince Carnen controlled fire.

"You mean to use your power to set fire to the Navy," he guessed.

Prince Jadeth nodded, "Will you aide me?"

My father feigned hesitancy, "It is a big risk. What if you fail? The Navy will destroy my fleet. I will be labelled a traitor and exiled if I am not killed."

"If your loyalty to the murdered King is not sufficient, then perhaps money will sway you," Prince Carnen said with a hint of disdain.

"No, my prince, it is not that. It is simply that I worry for my daughter's safety. I could never forgive myself if something happened to her." He nodded in my direction.

I kept my face carefully neutral. While my father's powers might be weak, it would take very little effort for him to use my clothes to punish me. He would compress my corset until I could barely breath, or impale my breast with a piece of boning, or break a toe with my shoe. He had many ways to ensure I did as he wished. I could already feel the shifting of my high collar into my throat, a reminder that I was not to do anything to contradict his story.

The Prince looked at me now, for the first time. I wondered what conclusions he drew from my stoic gaze and straight posture.

"What are you suggesting?"

"Take my daughter as your wife," my father said boldly.

The prince frowned, "Is that what you want, m'Lady...?"

I nodded, silently, carefully.

"My daughter has been mute these last ten years since her mother died."

The prince's frown deepened. Was he thinking that it would be very inconvenient to have a mute for a queen? Or was he thinking that he could do whatever he wanted to a mute wife, and she would tell no one of his perversions?

"And what is your daughter's name?" Prince Carnen prompted my father.

"Elibeta," My father replied after an uncomfortable pause.

I suspected he had forgotten my name, as he so carefully avoided saying it. It didn't matter, my mother had always called me her heart, and my father only called me girl. Elibeta was as good a name as any.

The prince turned to have a hushed conference with his companions. Many looks were directed at me and at my father. Arms were thrown wildly into the air. Voices were raised from hushed whispers to angry whispers. Then the prince turned back to us.

"I accept your proposal," he said.

My father grinned. It could have been the grin of a man happy to have settled his daughter into a good marriage. But of course, it wasn't.

"As it happens, my first mate is a pastor. So, we can perform the marriage here, now. She can go with you immediately. I would rather keep this marriage secret and I am sure she is safer with you than me, don't you agree?"

"As you say, sir," the prince replied, nonplussed. "However, we seem to be short a horse."

"Not to worry, she can ride one of the carriage horses. We can get home from here with just the other."

The prince and his men had to see that there was something odd about my father's hurry to be rid of me. But what could they do? They needed ships, and my father owned the largest commercial fleet in the area. He had practically a monopoly on sea trade.

The first mate motioned for Prince Carnen and I to stand in front of him. He said the words of binding but chose to omit the traditional sealing with a kiss. I expected that they knew they couldn't fight off the Prince's men if I killed him with that first touch.

My father had no idea how my power worked. None of them did. But I knew. I'd practiced on ship rats ever since I'd killed the pirate captain. I knew exactly how to control my power now. So, there would be no accidental deaths, as my father wanted. Well, I hoped not, anyway.

Within a half-hour of being married, I was mounted on a horse and riding after my new husband bound for who knows where. There wasn't an extra saddle, so I rode bareback. Prince Carnen had asked if I thought I could, and I'd nodded, and that had been that.

I wondered why he hadn't made one of his men ride the carriage horse and put me on a horse with a saddle. But it hardly mattered. I would have ridden backwards on a donkey with highway robbers to be rid of my father.

The first night, we camped by a creek where the horses were watered, and the men cleaned themselves. I was given privacy to wash myself, for which I supposed I should be grateful. My legs felt sore, I hadn't ridden horseback in a long time, let alone without a saddle. I carefully scrubbed my inner thighs and groin.

When I finished, I returned to the camp and sat next to Prince Carnen. He served me some of the beans and meat that had been cooked over the small fire.

"I am sorry we do not have better food, m'Lady Elibeta," he said.

I shrugged. Nothing was worse than hard crackers softened with rainwater, and raw fish. And there had been many times that was all we had to eat at sea.

"We've only one tent, that we've been rotating among us, but the men have agreed to cede it to us until we meet the army." he continued.

I nodded, to indicate that I understood. The prince was silent after that, eating his food and watching me. I watched him in return.

When we finished, he reached for my gloved hand, and I flinched. I don't even know why I flinched, I hadn't been the one afraid of being touched, had I? The prince frowned as I placed my gloved hand in his, pretending as if the flinch had never happened.

He led me to the tent, and I followed him inside. It was a small tent, just wide enough for two people to sleep in, but not tall enough to stand up straight. I crouched and removed my shoes at the threshold, setting them outside the tent, copying the prince's actions.

He sat down on one side of the tent, so I sat on the other. He took off his shirt and pants, so I worked on taking off my dress. The whole time, he watched me, and I watched him. My stomach fluttered as I took off my gloves, feeling the warm air on my skin, while not alone, for the first time in six years.

I sighed in delight at this first taste of freedom, running my hands over my face as I untied my bonnet. The prince frowned at me, and I smiled shyly. I was truly free of my father! And I owed it to this stranger in front of me. I would do anything he wanted, I decided in that moment.

I pulled my overdress up over my head and tossed it to the end of the tent furthest from the door, just as the prince had done with his shirt. The only light was from the fire that penetrated the thin walls of the tent on one side and the glow of the full moon on the other.

In this soft light, the prince's face and chest nearly glowed in the dark. His pale skin was obscured only by patches of his dark and silver hair that covered his chest from nipple to nipple and tapered down to his abs. Below his belly button, another line of salt and pepper hair disappeared into his pants.

I had seen a lot of male chests in my life aboard ship, but it seemed to me that none could compare to this man's. I pulled my underdress off and went to work on my corset as he unlaced his pants.

He glanced up as he began to push his pants down from his hips and stared at my breasts resting above my corset. If I thought his skin glowed, then I imagined my skin must fairly blaze, I was so pale. The only part of my body that had seen the light of day was my face, and even it was mostly covered by the brim of my bonnet.

I glanced down, away from the prince's captivated gaze. My nipples tightened with pleasure at his examination, though. I finished loosening my corset and slipped it over my head as well. Now, I had only my pantaloons on.

I looked up and saw that the prince was pulling his pants off his legs. His pelvis was naked now and his cock was bobbing in the air. I watched it, mesmerized. I had seen cocks before, as sailors pissed off the edge of the ship constantly, but never had I seen one so close.

I was surprised by the tightening I felt in my nether region just by examining him. I was so focused on his penis that the prince's light touch on my cheek shocked me. Instinctively, I reached for my magic, but I didn't push it into him. I took a steadying breath and let the magic go. There now, I had touched the skin of a human being and had not killed him. I wasn't a monster, after all.

The prince ran his thumb over my lower lip, his fingers holding my chin. I shuddered in his grip. I ached to touch him, but I couldn't. I couldn't make myself reach out and return his touch, the aversion was too well ingrained.

The prince lifted his other hand to my face and holding both my cheeks he pulled my lips to his and kissed me. He was gentle, a light touch that grazed me and sent shivers through my belly.

Then, his hands lowered, moving to my shoulders, and then my breasts. I breathed shallowly as he held my breasts in his hands and thumbed each nipple, just the way he'd held my chin and thumbed my lips. I arched towards him, embracing his touch.

The prince... No, I couldn't think of him as the prince any longer now that he was arousing me so gently. My husband, he was my husband now, pressed me backwards, laying me down on the blankets that softened the tent floor. I trembled and complied.

My husband tucked his fingers into the waist of my pantaloons and pulled them off in one slow continuous motion. He spread my knees and knelt between them. I felt exposed, and I did not dislike the feeling. Perhaps, after being hidden for so long, simply being seen was enough for me.

He pressed one of his hands into my folds between my thighs and delved a finger into me. I moaned quietly. My husband stared at me, then lowered his head and spread open my folds, pushing away the hair there. Then he licked up through my slit. The feeling was intense, much too intense.

I tried to push his head away and close my thighs. But instead of stopping, he used his hands to push my thighs down and pressed his head into my vulva stubbornly. A wave of panic went through me and again, the magic was there, ready to be used. Again, I held it at bay.

The prince, no longer my gentle husband, plundered my folds with his tongue. He flicked roughly against some part of my body that I never even knew existed. The feeling was indescribable, like nothing I'd felt before. I couldn't tell if it was pleasure or pain.