Casting Off Convention

Christi felt a little tingle run through her body, and closed her eyes tight for a second as she pulled off her blouse. She didn't know what caused her eyes to drift toward other women's bodies, but it disturbed her. Those thoughts were rapidly chased away by a twinge of embarrassment. She would be a stark contrast to the other women, with the wild tangle of dark hair between her legs.

The two sisters settled into the pool with a sigh and a shiver as Christi pulled off her pants and panties. Rochelle simply strode into the pool and sat down with a sharp gasp, not wanting to prolong the experience by easing into the water. Christi did much the same, but as an effort to hide her untamed patch of hair, rather than reluctance for the cold water of the pool.

Once she settled into the water, she realized her haste was useless. The water was so clear that every inch of the four women was visible, with only the ripples from their movement masking what lay beneath the surface.

As they bathed, Christi kept finding her eyes on the other women's bodies, no matter how hard she tried to avoid it. She was thankful that none of them seemed to notice, because she had no idea what she would have said if one of them had confronted her. She couldn't explain her actions, because she didn't remotely understand them, herself.

Shaking the thoughts out of her head, Christi turned all of her attention to scrubbing the grit off her body, and out of her hair.

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**

All four women felt a great deal better once they were washed and in clean clothes. Celeste remarked that her brother would be completely scandalized when he saw how much skin the borrowed blouses and skirts revealed, even though the garments were quite modest by Christi's standards.

Cordain indeed looked stunned and uncomfortable when the four stepped out from the trees to walk toward the camp. He immediately encouraged the men setting up his large tent to hurry, so that his sisters would have somewhere to hide from prying eyes.

Christi and Rochelle went to help set the camp, and a couple of men took advantage of the pool, now that it was free. Very few of the other men decided to bathe when they heard how cold the water was, though. The sisters frustrated their brother by sitting outside the tent under the awning that spread out from its front door, claiming that the heat inside was stifling. Cordain made it his personal duty to stare down any man who even looked in the direction of the two young women.

Those who had drawn the duty started supper, and watch was set as night slowly crept upon the camp. The sunset that evening was particularly stunning, spreading warm bands of color all across the horizon. Christi appreciated the beauty of the event, but not as much as the two sisters, who were positively delighted.

As the camp prepared to bunk down, Cordain approached Christi and Rochelle, who were laying out their bedrolls in Rochelle's tent.

"I would appreciate it if you would share the tent with my sisters this evening. I have asked Raptor to excuse you both from the watch rotation so that you might watch over them," Cordain requested of them.

Christi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Excused from the watch, and not being cooped up in this tent — I think I can live with that," she laughed. "What about you, though? Where are you going to sleep?"

Cordain smiled back and responded, "Your tent will not be nearly as confining for one, if I may use it?"

Rochelle laughed and replied, "Be my guest," making a gesture toward the tent.

Cordain nodded his acknowledgment and walked toward the wagon that carried his supplies. Christi and Rochelle picked up their bedrolls and walked toward the tent, where the two women sitting in front of it were yawning, and appeared to be prepared to enter the tent and bed down.

"Looks like we're bunking with you tonight," Rochelle announced when they reached the tent.

"I'm glad," admitted Corrine, "Some of those men were looking at me a lot. It felt good in a way, but it was somewhat disquieting as well."

Rochelle laughed and pointed at Christi. "I've seen how she deals with rude men. We'll be fine so long as she's around."
Celeste pulled back the tent flap and held it open, inviting the others in. Once they were inside, she said, "I will be taking a wagon — and guards — the next time I decide to travel. I have learned my lesson about traveling alone, and this is far superior to the small tent we slept in."

Christi dropped her bedroll, started to roll it out, and said, "Same here. Your brother didn't seem too put out, considering he's stuck with our tent."

Celeste pulled off her clothes, as did Corrine. The sisters’ bedrolls were already prepared, and they obviously had decided to sleep nude, since they didn't have any nightclothes to change into. Celeste responded, "Cordain brought this tent for us, actually. When he travels, he uses a tent much the same as yours."

Christi shrugged, purposely keeping her eyes locked on her bedroll as she straightened it. "Well, I'm not too proud to take the comfort, that's for sure."

Rochelle chuckled. "Me either," she agreed as she pulled off her clothes.

Christi fought her wandering eyes, and this time she won. She stripped down as well and settled into her bedroll, as did the other three women.

Keeping her eyes from wandering did nothing to keep the disquieting thoughts from creeping into her mind, however. Even though she had consciously avoided looking at the other women, she was still thinking about them nude.

It took Christi a long time to quiet her mind enough to sleep, and she did so with an ample amount of wetness and a needful ache between her legs.

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**

Christi and Rochelle both rose early, feeling quite refreshed from the unbroken sleep. They aided the men who were chosen to cook, and the smell of breakfast soon roused the camp.

The company set out once more, moving at a slightly quicker pace this time. Well rested now, the former captives the company had rescued were easily able to keep up. Rochelle told stories about her time as a mercenary, making the morning pass swiftly for Christi, the sisters, and Cordain, who all moved closer so that they could hear as they traveled.

This spread to nearly the entire company sitting around listening to Rochelle when they stopped for lunch. Even Raptor and his experienced lieutenants seemed to hang on her every word. Rochelle had led an adventurous life, and she was young enough that she had many more years to accumulate new tales of valor and sacrifice.

As with the first day, the trek proved to be a simple march. They encountered only a few merchants traveling in the opposite direction, and a farmstead here and there along the way. Cordain suggested that they leave the road, which turned toward a town and would take them far out of their way, in favor of a cross-country route that would bring them to their destination several hours earlier.

Raptor agreed after Cordain assured him that the waist-high grass covering the gently rolling hills hid no obstacles that would impede the wagon or their march. What truly won the Captain over was the news that by turning away from the road, they would pass near the home of an acquaintance of Cordain's. His friend could provide them with the means to cook a full meal at around the time they would normally stop to make camp for the evening.

Christi was surprised by how smooth the path was, considering that they were marching across open territory. Cordain explained that it was a property of the climate and the tall grasses, the roots of which held the earth tightly packed.

The company briefly stopped near a stream to have the noon meal. Christi and Rochelle sat, leaning against the wheels of Cordain's wagon, where they were somewhat shielded from the sun as they ate.

Christi dropped the final bite of jerky she held in her hand as she started feeling drowsy. Shaking her head and fighting against the unexplained phenomenon, Christi looked over to see Rochelle's eyes flutter and close. Her eyelids felt as if they were weighed down by iron. Christi did her best to look around to discover if anyone else was afflicted with the same lethargy. As she slumped down into the tall grass, still fighting to keep her eyes open, she saw other members of the company collapsing as well.

Christi clenched her teeth and bent every ounce of her will to keeping her eyes open. At first, she thought that she would lose the battle, and then the pressure simply vanished. She started to get up, but an unfamiliar voice on the other side of the wagon gave her pause.

"You were right. He's shaking it off, and so are they."

The voice was low and gruff, almost growling. Turning slowly, taking care not to rustle the grass, Christi peered beneath the wagon and saw two sets of legs through the thick vegetation, as well as the slowly rousing forms of Corrine and Celeste.

"Of course I'm right. I know them, and the family resistance to magic. This will be a lot more fun because they'll be awake to enjoy it."

The second voice was high-pitched, and the speaker had a drawl that he was obviously trying to suppress, which nevertheless revealed him to be from a rural area. Christi edged underneath the wagon, creeping toward the two men who were obviously up to no good.

"You can get up. I know you're awake," the man with the drawl announced.

The sound of grass rustling greeted Christi's ears as she continued to slowly move forward, pushing the grass aside and steadily inching toward the other side of the wagon where the two men stood.

"Sit up, and don't try to run," the other newcomer warned, as he jerked at Corrine's blouse.

The two women warily sat up, a sword pointed at them to accentuate the warning the man had growled. Christi silently cursed, wondering what she could possibly do against two men who obviously planned to use the sisters as insurance against attack.

Cordain's voice was full of seething anger when he spoke. "No magic of yours could have put all these men to sleep, Aruld. So, have you been stealing from wizards in their sleep?"

The man with the high-pitched voice must have been Aruld, because he responded, "I killed him and took what I wanted. The sleep globe, the orc charm, and this here wand," he said, producing the magic item from where he had concealed it in the waist of his pants.

As Christi continued to crawl forward, she saw the wand the man spoke of now aimed at Celeste, who looked up and scowled at the man who held it.

"A cowardly strike from concealment — in the back, no doubt," Cordain spat back at the man.

"I do what I have to do," Aruld confirmed. "Now, you're going to stand there nice and still, or I'll burn your whore sisters but good. I planned to use the orcs to kill them and get my revenge that way, but you messed that up. Now I think I'll have a little fun with them, then hold them for ransom."

Christi heard the hiss of a sword leaving its scabbard. She was now close enough that she could have reached out and grabbed either of the men, but with the sword and wand both pointed at the women they held as hostages, she couldn't risk any rash action.

Aruld threatened, "Don't move Cordain!" He pressed the tip of the wand hard against Celeste's breast as he screamed the order.

The sound of Cordain's sword sliding back into the scabbard preceded Aruld speaking again. "Smart choice," he laughed. Then he ordered the other man, "Now, go get his sword and tie him up. Make sure he can watch us leave with the whores."

The sword tip that had hovered dangerously close to Corrine moved out of Christi's vision as the larger man with the deep voice moved through the grass. Christi counted her heartbeats as the man moved, and then seized the only opportunity she could think of. Snapping out her hand, she grabbed the wand and jerked it out of Aruld's grip.

Christi heard him scream in stunned disbelief, "What?"

Christi heard Cordain's sword hiss free once more, as he loosed a battle cry. Christi dropped the wand, pulled one of her daggers and stabbed it into Aruld's leg — or tried to. He moved at the last moment and the blade only scratched his flesh, but the distraction was enough for Corrine and Celeste to scramble under the wagon away from him. The sound of Cordain's blade striking the other man's sword rang out at the same time.

Christi quickly turned and crawled out from under the wagon to make room for the sisters. She immediately stood and drew her sword. Aruld turned toward her, narrowing his eyes and snarling, "You bitch!"

Christi stalked around the wagon as Cordain battled with the larger man, not far away. Aruld drew his sword and said, "Throw it down, wench, or you die."

Cordain and his opponent stood close together, their blades locked. Cordain shoved hard, forcing the man back and yelled, "Beware, he is well trained!"

Christi heeded the warning, but she had little choice other than to engage the man. The sisters were still too close — still in danger — and she couldn't allow Aruld to join his comrade, gaining an advantage over Cordain.

Christi taunted, "Why don't you try having some fun with me, rube?"

The verbal barb, aimed at his obvious attempt to disguise his heritage, drew blood. Aruld raised his blade and stalked with murderous purpose toward Christi.

Balanced on the balls of her feet, with her sword at the ready, Christi waited for the man to reach her. He didn't waste time on more words, instead launching an attack as soon as he was within range. Christi easily deflected the slash aimed for her throat, pushing the blade up high in the process.

Aruld recovered quickly, whipping his sword into an overhand strike. Christi must have surprised him with her speed, because when she spun out of the way of his strike, he was slightly off balance. Christi took the opportunity to stab at his chest from the side, but he turned and planted his feet quickly, deflecting her strike wide with his blade.

Christi followed the momentum of the deflection, spinning again and feigning a strike toward his back, then stepped away almost instantly. He was not fooled by the feint and set to attack again, pointing his weapon toward her and circling around her in perfect balance.

Again, Christi taunted him, "Trying to find water, farm boy? You're supposed to use a forked stick."

Aruld snarled, "Stupid woman," as he continued to await an opportunity to strike.

Christi remained facing him, keeping her balance and ready to defend or move, as necessary. "Have a problem with women? Maybe you prefer sheep," she said with a smile and a chuckle.

Growling, he stepped forward and launched a vicious slash at her neck. Rather than parry the attack and counter with her weapon, Christi instead ducked under the stroke and kicked him hard in his right shin, rolling backward almost as soon as her foot connected. She then popped back up with her sword at the ready.

The kick did some damage, because Aruld favored the leg as he sought another opening to attack. "You fight without honor."

"I fight to win," Christi retorted, moving in and stabbing at his chest. He parried the blow, but flinched when Christi feigned another kick. The momentary reaction to the false attack gave Christi an opening that nearly penetrated his guard. Only the skill Cordain had mentioned prevented the man from taking a deep wound to his off shoulder.

A gurgling cry sounded as the other fighter facing Cordain slumped to the ground. Christi remained at the ready, seeking an opening and prepared for any incoming attack.

"Drop your weapon, Aruld," Cordain ordered as he approached, his blade dripping blood. "You are now outnumbered, and your purloined magic will not long prevent the odds from increasing against you."

"Those odds have already taken another turn in our favor," Celeste announced from beneath the wagon. She was pointing the wand at Aruld, and the sparkle of power on the tip of the wand revealed that she had discovered how to activate it.

"As usual, you win because of your wealth, stolen from hard-working folk," Aruld accused, dropping his weapon to the ground.

"I find that criticism difficult to take to heart, when it was only stolen magic that gave you any hope of succeeding in your dark scheme," Cordain replied while kicking the discarded sword out of Aruld's reach.

Cordain's prediction, that the magic Aruld had used to put the rest of the company to sleep would not last long, proved true when a few groans revealed that others had awakened. The sisters crawled out from beneath the wagon, and Celeste cast a spell that bound their attacker in mystical bands of ruddy-colored energy.

Cordain pointed at the man he had killed and asked, "Does this man have kin to whom we might return his body?"

"As if you would go to the trouble," Aruld sneered.

"I certainly will, if you will but tell me how to contact his kin. No man deserves an unmarked grave in a lonely field, regardless of his ill-considered choices in life."

Aruld actually looked a little stunned by this revelation, but his face regained the hard cast of anger almost immediately, and he responded, "He had no kin. I was the only friend he had in the world."

"A pity he did not meet you before your heart turned dark then, for once you were a man of honor."

Aruld turned his head away, the anger in his face masking whatever thoughts might be running through his mind.

Celeste turned to Christi and said, "Thank you, Christi. We once again owe you our lives."

"I was so frightened. I couldn't think. Thank you, Christi," Corrine agreed.

The sound of people awakening became more frequent, and a few of the men rose unsteadily to their feet as Cordain retrieved some rope from the wagon to bind Aruld.

Once he was bound, most of the camp had awakened. Cordain then walked over to Christi and stood looking at her for a moment before declaring, "I owe you a great debt — one which I am unsure is within my ability to repay."

Raptor came over, still trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes, and asked, "What happened?"

"I will be glad to tell you the tale, good Captain, as soon as we have attended to these," Cordain said, gesturing to Aruld and the dead man. "It is a tale of valor that all should hear."

Color rose in Christi's face, something that happened very rarely to her.

"Fair enough," Raptor said with a nod, and then shouted to the rest of the company, "You dogs get the rest of the men up and moving, and somebody break out the shovels."

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**

Cordain had a flair for language, as did his sisters, and Christi's embarrassment continued, although a great swell of pride accompanied it as the story unfolded for the company.

The men, even those who had so callously muttered about women in the company, showed a high level of respect to Christi from that point forward. Most everyone took the time to congratulate her personally, as the group marched onward, including Raptor and Rochelle.

Having a full meal — and the added treat of beer — once the company reached the home of Cordain's acquaintance raised their spirits even more. Christi, Rochelle, and the three siblings sat near the large tent, talking for a few minutes more before going to bed down for the night.

"Your resistance to magic is quite phenomenal for one not versed in the Art," Cordain remarked. "Have you ever considered studying the Mystic Arts?"

Christi drank the final swallow from her cup of beer and shook her head. "No. All I've ever known is practice with my sword and daggers. I'm not exactly the type to learn magic."