Braving the Elements Ch. 04

4: Exertion

"So it's decided," said Petra. "I will go to speed our passage. Naia will go to keep Rajke energized and healthy. And Melia will go to help with threats and food."

They stood in the pass between the mountains. The sun had fully risen, but the east mountain still blocked its rays, casting a cold shadow on Rajke and the five elementals, who seemed unperturbed even in their light garb.

Aura was crestfallen. "What if Averna and I also come, and we just stay away from other people? Or we could take turns with the headband thingies."

Averna put a hand on Aura's shoulder. It could have been Rajke's imagination, but he thought he saw the fire nymph's skin smolder and glow where she touched the Aura. "It is too dangerous. We do not know what will happen to us if we lose our forms that far from home."

"It will be okay, love," said Naia. "We will be back before you know it. And with any luck," she added cheerfully, "Rajke will be able to find more of these..." she trailed off, holding one of the three copper headbands, looking to Rajke to remind her of their name.

"Diadems of Cerebral Screening," Rajke supplied. "It's a terrible name, I know. Some people call them 'Mind Shields,' but the artificers hate that."

"Doesn't it need to have jewels to be a diadem?" asked Melia.

"I think it just needs to represent royalty," said Rajke, "which these also do not do."

"Anyway," interjected Naia," maybe we will find some more, and we will be able to all leave here together. We will be able to meet people and see cities and explore the world!"

While Rajke was glad that Naia was excited and that he had been able to offer the nymphs something for their help, he feared he would not be able to grant her wish. Mind Shields were extremely difficult to make. Only the best artificers in the world had the skill. So they were both rare and expensive.

The only reason Rajke had them in the first place was because one of Rajke's mentors, Largu, had gifted them to him when he was a journeyman wayfarer. Rajke had saved her life from a rampaging troll when her arthritis had flared, causing her to drop her bow. The orc woman retired after that job and bequeathed most of her equipment to her apprentices according to custom. But the Mind Shields she gave to Rajke, who was not technically her apprentice. Thalden and Grie had never forgiven him for taking what they thought was rightfully theirs.

"Right," said Rajke, jerking himself back to the present. "Shall we be going?"

Petra, Melia, and Naia nodded their heads. Aura grabbed Rajke and kissed him deeply, a breeze kicking up around them. Before Rajke could even process what was happening, she pulled away and said, "Come back, Rajke. I'm not done with you yet."

Averna gently pulled Aura away and said, "He'll be fine, babe. You saw him naked. You don't get a body like that without being able to take care of yourself." Her words were cast in a comforting tone, but her fiery eyes glanced at Rajke hungrily as she said them.

Rajke watched as beams of sunlight were just starting to light the summit of the volcano to the west. I've spent too much time here already. He hoped having the elementals accompanying him would make up for the lost time, at least.

"Goodbye," said Petra stoicly. "We will return when we have found the child, or know he is beyond our finding."

And with that, the foursome turned north and began the trek through the pass.

Petra strode before them, and as she went, the earth seemed to flow and form into something resembling a road, easing their progress greatly. "I do not know your limits, human, but Naia will bolster your vigor as we go."

Rajke took her cue to set the pace and began to jog. He did not want to overexert himself, especially after his feinting spell earlier, but he could feel his energy waxing rather than waning as he ran. He looked to Naia, who was keeping pace beside him without apparent effort.

"Water carries nutrients to you, to the littlest parts, the chambers we talked about. Remember? And water carries the weariness out of them as well. I am helping your body move nutrients and clear the weariness faster. You will need to eat more than normal today and drink water like a fish. It will also be a little hard on your liver and kidneys, but not as hard as a night of drinking intoxicants in excess."

Rajke could follow most of her explanation. Wayfarers were necessarily eager learners, and Rajke had escorted all sorts of scholars and doctors on the dangerous roads between walled cities. Still, her knowledge was beyond him, and he could tell she was dumbing things down for his benefit. But what understanding he gained from her explanation bread confidence in him, and he ran faster.

Soon, they were passing through a forest so thick it reminded him of the jungles south of the Salin Desert. Now Melia took the lead, clearing vine, branch, and brush as they flew. "How is this here? Aren't we above the tree line?"

Melia, usually so terce, spoke openly when it came to the forest. "It is our influence. The heat Averna generates in the volcano, the moisture that Naia gathers, the air that Aura thickens, the soil Petra churns, and the life that I encourage, it all works together to make this place."

"Wait," said Rajke. "I thought you were all here because it's where elements meet. Are you saying it's the other way around?"

Petra answered with a question of her own. "Do you live where there is a home, or do you build a home to live in?"

"I don't have a home," he said but conceded the point anyway. "Most people these days buy or rent homes from others who build them. But I take your meaning."

It took three hours to emerge from the forest. It probably would have taken Rajke two days at least if he were walking, cutting a path through the untamed forest, breaking regularly to rest and catch his breath.

Rajke marveled at the magic of the Nymphs. Life as a wayfarer meant expecting failure, death, and disappointment. One had to develop a thick skin and a brutally realistic view of the world. Rajke hoped, of course, that he would find Natan, safe and sound, but he knew he should not expect such a happy ending.

But now, with the aid of the elements themselves, working with him rather than against him, Rajke allowed himself a little optimism.

By the time night was beginning to fall, Rajke's magically aided strength began to flag. They had begun the descent on the other side of the pass, which had a much shallower slope than the almost sheer climb on the southern side of the range.

"You will need to stop and eat soon," said Naia.

Rajke had tried to gnaw on rations as he ran, but he had never eaten while running before and found it very difficult.

"And sleep," said Petra. "His body runs on water, but his mind runs on dreams. He cannot keep running indefinitely."

Rajke argued with himself briefly - the same argument he had every evening since he had taken this job. The same argument he had with himself whenever people needed him. Should I stop? I could push on for one more hour, can't I? What is one hour less sleep if it means finding Natan one hour sooner? What if that one hour is the difference between finding a lost boy and finding a dead boy?

But he had been taught wisely to play his own devil's advocate. What if I arrive and I am in no shape to help him because I did not take care of myself? The odds that one hour makes the difference for Natan are slim, the odds that one hour makes the difference for me are guaranteed. What if I face some novel experiences while my body and mind are sluggish and weak from lack of sleep?

Rajke slowed to a walk. After nearly eight hours of running at close to his full sprinting pace, his legs felt strange - tingly, as though they might spontaneously start running again without his consent.

They were still in the foothills of the mountains, but they were sloping down into prairie. This side of the range was the drier side, but it was no desert. The grass was not lush and soft, but it was tall and green and not too prickly.

Rajke looked up at the sky, deepening blue with hints of pink and orange to the south. "It doesn't look like rain, so I will sleep in the open. Do you want me to set up the tent for you?"

Petra was about to reply, but Naia spoke up first. "Rajke, do you remember when I told you that the order within your mind is what lends our chaotic nature the capacity to order ourselves? When you sleep, your conscious mind fades. Your unconscious mind is much less orderly. We will not maintain our forms. It's hard to explain. But rest assured, we don't need sleep, or food, or drink."

"Back in the pass, Averna said something about that, didn't she? 'We do not know what will happen if we lose our forms away from home.'"

Petra responded. "Yes, she did. But you don't need to worry. She wasn't talking about this."

"What was she talking about?"

Petra paused to consider, but shook her head and said, "Just know that we have roved out from the mountains before, once. It is difficult for us. It's easier with you here, but we may find ourselves retreating to the mountain if..."

While Petra trailed off looking for the right words, Melia interjected, "...if things get bad."

Rajke turned to look at Melia and was surprised to see her carrying the largest rabbit he had ever seen by the hind legs. It hung, dead and limp, dripping blood from fresh claw marks.

Melia thrust the rabbit at Rajke's chest and said, "Eat, mortal. You'll need the fuel."

Rajke inspected the calf-high grass all around them. It was green, but only just this side of yellow. "I don't think a fire is a good idea. It's too dry and..." No sooner had he said it than the grass in a ten-foot circle around them withered and dried.

Then the earth rumbled and churned, carrying the dead grass out and away leaving fresh loamy soil about them, rocks emerged from the dirt, as if sprouting like seeds, coming together in the center of the circle forming a neat ring. A sudden downpour of rain fell briefly on the tall grass, everywhere but the bare patch of soil where Rajke and the Nymphs stood, and just as suddenly dissipated. Last of all, a tree sprang up at the edge of the circle. When it was eight feet high and four inches wide in the trunk, it withered just like the grass, and toppled, dry as a bone.

It took almost five heartbeats for Rajke to process all that had happened. He looked at Naia, then Petra. When he turned to Melia, she said, "Don't expect me to cut your wood for you, too."

***

Naia teased him to take his shirt off while he chopped the dead tree "You look hot, why don't you let that beautiful chest of yours breathe a little, get some fresh night air." Rajke took the teasing in stride, but he was working up quite a sweat. Chopping a tree with only a small handaxe was not easy work.

When he paused to sharpen it, Petra said, "Sorry Rajke, I should have thought of that." The blade honed and sharpened itself without even touching a whetstone.

"Thanks," he said, beginning to feel a little redundant. His next swing sank so deep into the wood he had a hard time pulling it out again.

When Naia said, "Melia, could you..." Rajke had to interrupt.

"Hang on, I'm sorry just wait a minute." Rajke gathered his thoughts. Don't say something hasty and offend the immensely powerful immortals who have graciously offered to help you, he thought. "I'm not complaining, but this is just too easy."

The nymphs looked at him blankly, saying nothing, giving him space to explain.

"I'm not sure how to express it, but this..." he gestured at the fire circle, the tree, the wet grass around them, the rabbit that Melia was skinning with... Gods, she doesn't even have a knife, she's just ripping the skin off with her bare hands!

"All of this," he continued, trying not to look at Melia as much as he could. "You've done so much for me. It's like I'm not even..." He was about to say "useful," but it sounded childish in his mind.

Who cares if I'm useful? Finding Natan as quickly as possible is all that matters, isn't it? "Listen, I'm glad you've decided to help me, but it seems like you don't need my help. You don't need food or rest. You have so much power. With the Mind Shields, you should be able to avoid... whatever happens when you are close to people, or people like Natan."

He took a moment to mull over his feelings. The nymphs stayed quiet, looking at him, patiently awaiting his conclusion. "I guess what I'm asking is, am I just slowing you down?

"You have the mind shields now. Couldn't you just go out into the world? Do as you like? I don't know why you are choosing to be here with me."

The was a heavy silence in the camp. The nymphs' faces were inscrutable. Contemplative, surprised, confused? Rajke couldn't tell. His heart began to race, fearing he had offended them.

Naia, perhaps sensing his mounting anxiety, calmed him. "We stay with you because we want to. I can't say why. We just do. Isn't it the same for you humans?"

Rajke contemplated this carefully. "Well, I guess so."

"It's not our concern why we are the way we are or want what we want. But we want to be with you. You are interesting. Most humans are interesting, but you are the one that is with us now. Maybe that will change, but maybe not."

It didn't feel like the end of an explanation, but Naia was through speaking.

Humbled, Rajke nodded and returned to chopping the firewood. To his great surprise, Melia said, "And there is something you can do for us."

Rajke paused to look at her. "What is that?" he said, continuing to chop.

She said nothing, and Rajke looked up again. She met his eyes, fiercely. Hungrily. Her eyebrow cocked, just a fraction of an inch, and her eyes wandered down his body and up again."

"Mmm hmm," said Naia. She was biting her lip and running her fingers along her womanly thighs. Petra, regal as ever, was smiling, watching him through half-lidded eyes.

Rajke laughed. He pulled off his shirt and tossed it at Naia, who whooped in glee. "Just let me eat first. I have a feeling I'm going to need my strength."

***

Rajke had barely finished cleaning his hands of the rabbit grease when Naia pounced - like a griffon on a horse.

The rabbit had been tasty, cooked with salt, rosemary, and spice the Malwai called Peprikash. The erstwhile conversation had been pleasant - Naia sang, and Petra told stories of the people who once worshiped the Nymphs as gods, or at least as great spirits. Even Melia occasionally added her thoughts to the conversations.

But once Rajke had finished eating, Naia had finished talking.

She pressed her full lips to his, wrapping arms and legs around him as though afraid she would fly away if she did not clutch him tight.

She was heavy, heavier than a woman of her size would be. Rajke wondered idly if she was made of pure water. Her skin was smooth and warm and her hair was silky. She had soft pillowy curves, firm muscles, and hard points where bone would be on most humans. She did not feel like water.

It didn't matter much one way or the other, because Naia gave Rajke very little time to wonder at her physiology, at least not in the academic sense. She pulled Rajke down to the loamy earth and mounted him. Her hips rocked and rolled like a small ship in a big storm. Rajke had only been out to the open sea once before but had not found it this pleasant.

At first, Rajke was stunned by her avid assault, but then remembered Aura's wanton greeting on the mountaintop, and decided he should get used to this sort of treatment.

He ran his hands over her slender back and waist, the delicate nape of her neck. As he responded, her fervor only intensified. Her lips parted and their tongues and breaths mingled. Rajke stiffened with a rapidity that might have alarmed Naia, were she a less experienced partner.

Naia reached down and fiddled with Rajke's belt absently. Rajke took her cue and loosed the clasp, pulling the buckle free with one hand and unbuttoning his trousers with the other.

Naia rocked back, and in one fluid motion pulled her dress up, and over her head. It did not fall to the ground but drifted momentarily in the air before dispersing into vapor.

Her breasts were round and heavy. Rajke was mesmerized by their pendulous sway. Where Aura's perky little tits had sat firmly in place as she moved, Naia's ample chest undulated as she rolled her hips. Naia narrowed at the waist and flared at the hip, creating the pleasing hourglass figure that seemed to make an appearance in every bawdy ballad he had ever heard sung in roadside taverns by drunken revelers.

Rajke's strong hand reached behind her to grab a handful of her plump ass, pulling her forward. He did this partly to lift her off his lap so he could pull his pants down with his other hand, but he would be lying if he said he didn't also just feel like doing it.

Entwined as they were, and as sizable his turgid cock was, Rajke could barely reach far enough to free himself from the fabric prison of his pants. But when at last he sprung free, the urgency of his erection was such that he slapped weightily against Naia's bare rump, and she yelped in surprise, pushed up and forward by the force of it.

"Oh, my," She said. "You are as grand as Aura said. Here I thought she had been exaggerating."

Her pussy was already drooling warm rivers down his shaft. Even at this distance, Rajke was intoxicated by her scent. She smelled like a woman. Rajke's hands moved faster than his mind could direct them. He wrapped his powerful arms under her legs and lifted her. As supernaturally heavy as she was, could still handle her like a doll, and he pulled her whole body up, bringing her beautiful, hairless mound to his watering mouth.

Rajke had always been cautious about sex. He watched carefully for cues and often asked permission before trying anything with a new partner. But enraptured by Naia's charm was he that he could not think clearly enough to temper his need. He plunged his tongue into her hot, wet twat. The sour, iron taste of her made his head spin. He was not gentle.

Naia screamed and laughed and groaned.

"Yes!" she cried, grabbing his hair, and looking deep into his eyes. She pinned his head back, holding him at bay, only letting the tip of his tongue graze the delicate lips of her perfect sex.

Rajke teased and tickled. He was too close to her to see the object of his oral affection, but he knew by feel that he was close to her sweetness, her pleasure. He searched, but she held him firmly by his hair, keeping just out of reach.

"Do you want it, Rajke?" Now Naia was the one teasing him.

"Yes, Naia. I want you."

"Then you have to do something for me."

"Anything."

Suddenly, hot hands were on Rajke's thighs, they slid down, catching his trousers. Other hands pulled off his boots. His pants went next.

"You have to remember that tonight is my night." She leaned and twisted, looking over her shoulder at Petra and Melia, letting Rajke get just a glimpse of their naked forms. "These other two, they will get their nights. But tonight is just about me. They are just here for decoration." She leaned over him again, filling his vision with her voluptuous curves.

Rajke nodded his head, understanding the mission she had given him. It wouldn't be easy. Petra had a breathtaking majesty that demanded attention, and Melia had a way of drawing his eye and stopping his heart with her sharp feline motions. But wayfarers were nothing if not focused.

"Alright," Naia said, loosening her grip on his hair.

At last, he dove into her. Immediately his tongue found her clit, small and stiff, secreted beneath hood and cape. Naia shuddered as he sucked and lapped. Fearing he was being too rough with her most sensitive spot, he eased the pressure he was putting on her. His tongue wriggled and twisted like a deft thief, picking a lock, looking for just the right force, in just the right places to unlock the treasure, that hid within.