Champions

Realizing that there was no easy solution to this situation, David decided to improvise. "Both of you go to bed. I will set up something to warn us if people approach and join you shortly."

Giving him a hard look, Sapphire prepared to argue, but noted his significant glance at the acolyte and finally nodded her head in acceptance. She guided Laurena into the tent and poked her head back out a moment later, whispering fiercely "If you aren't in here soon I'm coming out there to drag you in."

Sighing David simple nodded, and set about his task. He conjured nearly three hundred meters of string and set up two separate trip-lines at shin height around the circumference of the camp, the first at ten meters from the tent and the second at thirty meters. Then he conjured small bells and attached them to the strings. Testing them he made sure he could clearly hear the sound from the entrance of the tent and then he made sure to leave a gap in the tent opening to help the sound carry inside. It was an imperfect solution, but he really didn't need Sapphire mad at him.

***

"I'm sorry," Laurena began, as soon as Sapphire returned to the tent.

"For what?" Sapphire asked.

"For your penance...," the acolyte replied, stunning Sapphire,"...and David's."

"What do mean?"

"When Astinus decided that both of you had committed crimes against Eros, I did not understand. I asked him 'How was David wrong for defending himself?'" Laurena explained. "He told me that David defending himself was not wrong, but David should have incapacitated the men, not killed them. I agreed with him then, because I simply did not know any better. But tonight, I saw what he did. David saved us, and if he had tried to act in any different way, we would probably be dead now.

"Those men were trying to kill us. Not rob us, or hurt us, or...rape...us, kill us. And there are more of them. At first I thought he was just being brutal and sadistic when he started to...hurt...that man; but then I heard what he said. There are nearly a hundred of them. What if they had tried to attack us again? How could we possible survive that many? David was right to do what he did, because he needed to know how to protect us. That was when I realized Astinus was wrong, I was wrong, and you and David have had to suffer through being punished for being 'right' this whole time." With these words she began crying again.

Sapphire was dumbstruck. This was the last thing she expected to hear from the acolyte. Sure, the past night had been dangerous, but she didn't think it had been dangerous enough to cause a total conversion for Laurena...except apparently it had. Still confused, Sapphire moved forward and comforted the other woman. She also conjured a large sleeping mat similar to the cushions in the temple, as well as pillows and a large blanket for the three of them. She wasn't sure she completely trusted Laurena's new found conversion, but she was certain that the woman was in bad shape tonight. She shouldn't have to sleep alone, and Sapphire was damn sure not going to sleep away from David. She could share with the acolyte tonight, especially if it brought some measure of comfort to the distraught woman.

She kicked off her boots, helped Laurena with hers, and then got them both tucked in. Sapphire lay next to Laurena and whispered words of comfort as she stroked the young woman's hair, while her mind drifted back to the events of the previous night. She thought about how nervous and jealous she had been at the beginning, and then how much she had enjoyed watching David with Laurena once they had started. Perhaps they could eventually share more than comfort between the three of them, if this newfound humility and understanding of Laurena's lasted.

***

Entering the tent, David noticed Sapphire had placed a large sleeping mat on the floor. Sapphire was lying near the middle, and whispering soothing words to Laurena. David stripped his equipment off and removed his boots, keeping his pants and shirt on. He had worked up quite a sweat under his armor during the fighting and flight to safety, and he began shivering. The nights had started to develop a chilling bite, and even the days were cooler. He decided tomorrow he would start wearing more layers.

Casting a spell of cleansing, he made sure he was dry and clean before climbing under the blanket next to Sapphire. Rolling over, she climbed over his body and pushed him to the middle, so that she was on one side and Laurena was on the other. David was a bit surprised by this move, but he chose not to argue. Laurena was having a lot of trouble with everything that had happened, and he figured that she needed reassurance from him as well as Sapphire.

Sapphire cuddled up to his side and laid her head on the right side of his chest. Her breathing steadied and deepened as she drifted off to sleep, David's hand rubbing soothingly up and down her back. He was slightly surprised when Laurena tentatively inched closer to him, but after seeing the look of worry on her face he lifted his arm around her and drew her into his left side, allowing her to mirror Sapphire's position. She was initially surprised by his actions, but looked up at him gratefully before lowering her head to his chest and drifting off to sleep as well.

David lay back, staring at the top of the tent and listening to the sounds of the night. Both of the women in his arms had lived through traumatic experiences in their past (although Laurena's were a little more recent). He was also certain that tonight had probably been one of the scariest nights of their lives. Sapphire had suffered more in her past, and was stronger than the acolyte, but she was still unaccustomed to violence. She had also been forced to kill in her own defense tonight, and he imagined that it would affect her quite a bit differently than what she had done to Octavius in Wolfsvale. He just hoped that his presence and his comforting touch would be enough for them both.

***

Shadowmaster Whisper has failed, came the voice in Cassius' head. The Shadow Lord felt abject terror at these words. He knew that he had done everything asked of him by the Night Lord, but he also knew his leader cared about results not excuses.

"I apologize for this failure Night Lord, and beg your forgiveness," he whispered into the darkness of his home. He had been sleeping comfortably in his bed before the Night Lord's message had woken him. Now he rolled to look at his wife sleeping next to him, and wondered if this would be the last time he would see her.

The fault is not yours. It was Whisper's failure to plan accordingly, and he has paid for that mistake. Those three are now beyond our reach, but warn Shadowmaster Hood that they are traveling the western road. They are too powerful for him, and are to be avoided unless no other option is available to his people, the Night Lord replied.

The Shadow Lord breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he would live to see the morning. "Is there anything else I can do for you my Lord?" he inquired quietly.

I need a new Shadowmaster Whisper. The last fool cost us thirteen destroyers, so we will need to recruit more men to replace out losses as well. Start with one score, but prepare to increase our numbers by four score more if necessary.

Cassius was shocked at this request. Another one hundred men?! That would more than double the size of their current organization. But, considering their heavy losses and failure that night, he couldn't really argue with the Night Lord.

"It will be done my Lord."

***

Laurena awoke with a start. She had been having a terrible nightmare, and feared the slinking horrors in her mind had followed her into the waking world. She gasped when she felt an arm tighten around her, but relaxed quickly when she realized it was David holding her. Tilting her head up, she looked into his eyes in the near darkness.

He was alert - apparently he had been awake - and was looking at her with a mixture of compassion and concern. The feel of his strong body pressed against hers and the gentle arm holding her close was comforting. For some reason she felt that the demons which had haunted her dreams would not dare to follow her into this world with him here to protect her. Looking to the side, she checked to see if her sudden movement had disturbed Sapphire. She noted that the Dracian was still asleep, and appeared to be in a battle against her own nightmare hordes. She considered waking Sapphire, certain that if sorceress's dreams were as bad as hers, then the woman would appreciate the gesture. As she moved her hand to do so, David's whispered voice stopped her.

"Don't," he instructed. "I already woke her once, and it didn't help. Whatever battles she fights now will only wait for her return. Please just let her sleep. Maybe if she faces her fears now, they won't follow her later." He tried to project confident about this idea, but he knew from personal experience that was not the case. Yet, he needed them both as rested as possible. Tomorrow would be a long day, and they needed to be alert if their enemies followed them.

Laurena was uncertain that his request was the best course of action, but she finally nodded in agreement. He loved Sapphire - which was pretty obvious - so the decision of how to support her was his to make. Relaxing, Laurena lay her head back down on his chest and thought about everything that had happened the last two days.

She had finally blessed the Champion, and it was the absolute best sex she had ever had, better than she could have even imagined. Then she had seen him with Sapphire, and realized that what she had felt from him was only a shadow of his full potential. At first it left her wanting more, but after everything he had done to protect her that night, she wondered if she deserved that.

Over the last week she had paid close attention to him, and had come to understand why her earlier attempts to sway his feelings had failed. He did not think like any of the men she had ever known. He did have a very strict sense of right and wrong, but his moral code did not fit with Erosian society. He did not agree with sharing love between multiple partners. He seemed to wish for a single partner only, one that he could devote all his care and attention to. While that had initially seemed odd to the acolyte, her time during the service changed that opinion. She had only experienced a portion of his attentions, and after witnessing him with Sapphire she could hardly argue with the results.

She had been taught to love everyone, even someone who intended her harm. He did not think that way. He made a very clear distinction between those who were deserving of his protection, and the people whom they needed to be protected from. As soon as someone became a threat, they were rendered beyond his consideration and compassion. He had not hesitated to protect Sapphire and herself, because the only lives he valued in those fights were theirs. She had been taught that love was not finite, and that a person could love all others equally. David seemed to reserve his love for those he deemed worthy, and guarded that love fiercely. He was willing to sacrifice everything to protect those he cared about, while she had only ever cared about herself.

Astinus had been right about her, and that was why David barely tolerated her presence. Yet, even though the Champion disliked her, he still risked his own life to save her. That was what Astinus had been trying to explain to her in Wolfsvale. Love was not merely a carnal act to be shared and perfected; it was the belief that the lives of others were so important that you are willing to risk your own for them.

As David began to softly rub her back she looked upon the troubled face of Sapphire, and realized that she was no longer jealous of the Dracian. She was still envious of her relationship with David, but she also realized that the woman was more worthy of the Champion's affections than she was. Even after everything the woman had been through - not to mention all the machinations that Laurena had tried to drag her into - Sapphire had still guided and protected her that night, as well as comforting her after the traumatic events. The acolyte realized that her duty with them should never have been to make them more like every other Erosian. That was foolish and wrong. She should have been trying to learn how to be more like them.

*** Chapter 33: Training ***

261000MAR13 DW

A Small Campsite North of the Calavius Road, Erosius

David had spent the night on the cusp of sleep, fading in and out of true wakefulness but never relaxing enough to fully enter the land of dreams. Both Laurena and Sapphire had slept poorly, plagued by nightmares, and had woken tired. While they broke their fast David explained his plan for the day.

"We won't be traveling the road today," he began, and then gave them both a moment to absorb that surprising announcement. "We will travel a few more miles north, away from the road, and I will teach you (looking at Sapphire) how to use some of my weapons. I have no idea if the group that attacked us in the city is still in pursuit, but if they are I want to be certain that we are better prepared if they try again."

Sapphire nodded in agreement with his plan. It was Laurena's response that confused him.

"Will you teach me as well?" she asked.

"Huh?" he responded, surprised.

"You both risked your lives to protect me last night," she explained. "If something like that happens again I refuse to be a burden. I want to help, and if that means I need to learn how to use weapons to do it, then I shall."

David was shocked by her announcement, and Sapphire seemed equally surprised. Taking a few moments to consider her request, he decided to test her resolve. "What if the only way to protect us is to kill someone? What about your beliefs?"

Laurena did not seem surprised by this question. "Astinus believed that your actions were wrong, and that you did not value the lives that you took. He did not understand you, and until recently I did not either. For that mistake I apologize. You do value all life, until that life threatens those around it. Then you remove the threat to save the rest. It is like treating infected tissue. Sometimes the infection is beyond healing, and must be cut out before it can spread. I have no desire to kill another person, but I will do so if it means saving either of you, or someone else. I will regret their death, but I will regret the innocent being hurt more."

David looked to Sapphire, and watched as his love stood and hugged Laurena. She had accepted the acolyte's words, and was proud of her decision. How could he do any less?

"Ok. Then I think we may need to take a few more days than I planned and train you both."

***

They traveled a few miles deeper into the lightly forested hills north of the road. Once David found a suitable spot, they set up camp and he began conjuring training tools. He didn't have the time to turn them into experts, but he could give them a few basic skills that might mean the difference between life and death.

During the first day he taught them firearm safety and basic marksmanship. He also introduced them to knife fighting, punching, kicking, and grappling. He taught them both how to shoot each of his firearms, but focused on the M9s and M4. That evening he created his pair of swords, with aluminum blades to reduce their weight and the same enchantments that he had used on his knife, as well as custom sheaths he could either sling across his back or attach to his vest. For the rest of their time there he would pour his magic into them, trying to get them ready just in case. He also began designing a present for Sapphire. He wanted it to be a surprise, so he would have to wait until he had a quiet time away from her to make it. He also tested a few types of defensive wards with his magic, but couldn't figure out how to keep them powered while he slept. So he just settled for the same trip lines he had used earlier. That night Sapphire again insisted on his presence, so the trio slept together on the large sleep mat that she once again conjured, with her cuddled up to him and Laurena sleeping a few inches away, alone.

The second day was a repeat of the first. He stuck to the basics, but he made sure to repeat each lesson from the previous day, and then allow them to practice over and over again. He had both women shoot the pistols and his M4 carbine again, and was impressed with Sapphire's improvement. She had recommended a spell to reduce the noise of the firearms, and once it was cast it made them no louder than air-rifles. David actually wrote it down, thinking that an enchantment like that on a few of his weapons might come in handy. The quieter weapons nearly eliminated the women's flinching during target practice, and David was surprised to find that after the second day Sapphire was almost as accurate with the M4 as he was. She was a long way from his overall skill level with it, or with a pistol, but she could hit what she was aiming at. With the M9 she could hit the target most of the time at twenty meters, and could group her rounds center mass at six meters.

Laurena was less competent with the firearms. By day two she could at least hit the target every time at six meters with one of the pistols, but out past ten meters her accuracy decreased dramatically. David figured she might have had an easier time with a smaller framed pistol - a compact or subcompact frame - but the large framed M9's were all he had. She was hopeless with the rifles. Both were about equal in skill with knife fighting - which pretty much meant they should manage to not stab themselves accidentally in an actual fight - but he figured they could at least hold off an untrained opponent long enough for him to come to their rescue.

The surprise was Laurena's skills with unarmed combat. She seemed to intuitively grasp how to move her entire body to increase the force of her punches and kicks, and he never had to show her a grappling move more than once. By the second day he was taking turns with Sapphire to spar against the acolyte, the Dracian no longer able to keep up with Laurena on the mat. She wasn't even close to his level yet, but she was damn good for a beginner. In addition to growing their skills, the training was also growing a friendship between Sapphire and Laurena. When the trio went to bed that night, happy with their accomplishments, both women drifted off to sleep chatting about the day's successes and failures. David praised them for learning so quickly, and the pair countered by saying it would never have been possible without such an amazing teacher...while snuggling closely to either side of their Champion.

The third day began with a review of everything they had done earlier, and then he introduced the foam covered sticks. Having never studied sword-fighting, he taught them escrima (Filipino stick fighting) in the hope that at least some of what he knew would transfer. There were more than a few bumps and bruises that day, as well as a broken finger or two, but all of them were capable of healing the injuries. A big surprise came when Laurena chose to heal one of her own broken fingers.

Chanting the spell, she felt her magic infuse the damaged digit and heal the break effortlessly. The ease with which she did so shocked her. Noticing the look on her face, both David and Sapphire inquired about it.

"I just cast a healing spell on my hand...and it was easy," he told them. "I normally struggle with even minor healing, and my finger should have taken quite a bit more of my power than it did."

"Have you noticed any changes in your magic lately?" Sapphire asked.