Changed Redux Pt. 07

Tuya took a moment to admire the smooth, lean body, the way the skin showed the definition of Gan's hard muscles, the dark circles of her small nipples and the patch of curly dark hair nestled between her thighs. She looked up and saw Gan looking at her longingly, lust burning in her dark eyes as wetness shimmered on her parted lips. "You're beautiful, Gan. Truly."

Gan's cheeks flushed with embarrassed pleasure and she looked down shyly. "I am nothing special." She said quietly.

Before replying, Tuya ran her hand over Gan's flat stomach for a second before allowing her fingers to trail down to the patch of dark hair protecting her mount. At the contact, Gan sucked in a quick breath and whimpered. As she did so, her hips involuntarily rolled up and her thighs spread slightly as if offering herself to Tuya. Taking advantage of the invitation that Gan's body offered her, Tuya slipped her finger down over the outer folds of Gan's sex. The lips were wet and swollen with Gan's arousal and Tuya's finger glided over the sensitive skin making her new lover moan loudly. "You are beautiful to me," Tuya said as she watched pleasure contort Gan's face.

In what seemed like no time at all, Gan was writhing under Tuya's every touch and her moaning was turning into sharp cries and barks of pleasure as an exquisite but frightening new power built inside her.

Tuya had managed to slip her own tunic off and was relishing the feel of skin on skin as she held the smaller woman close to her. She had slid right beside Gan, one arm slipped under her shoulders while her thigh was slipped under the young woman's bottom, holding her hips up. In this position, Gan's legs spread, leaving her open and exposed.

Gan lay almost completely helpless in Tuya's arms. Her moaning and crying out in bliss was almost constant, her head lolling from side to side as her eyes rolled. "Can't... can't... too much... no... stop..." she mumbled between cries and moans.

Outside the tent, the storm continued to howl across the open steppes. The heavy felt walls of the tent shuddered and flapped under the assault but they held back the bitterly cold wind and snow as the women kept each other warm with their own inner fire.

Tuya knew that Gan must be close to release but her own pleasure was also rapidly building towards climax as well. She had managed to twist her hips just enough so that she could rub herself against Gan's firm backside and was moving in time with her lover. The feel of the woman in her arms approaching rapture and knowing it was to be her first climax was more than enough fuel to feed Tuya's internal fire. She was trying to hold herself back, wanting to share the moment with Gan but the pressure building in her core was becoming impossible to control. If Gan didn't peak soon Tuya would go without her. "Please my love... with me... I want to... to... share your... first..." She gasped.

In Tuya's arms, Gan moaned, "Tuya... what is... I... I..." Abruptly Gan's body arched up and she let out a long, wailing cry as wetness flooded from her sex. Tuya felt Gan's core clamp down on her fingers with a grip like iron. The first orgasm of Gan's life tore through her soul while her body writhed in ecstasy.

Having her lover finally reach her peak in her arms, Tuya let herself slip over the edge as well. Pleasure flowed through her body as bliss filled her soul. Her lips found Gan's and they kissed passionately as their spirits soared together in rapture.

The storm lasted three days and during most of that time, Gan and Tuya lay together, wrapped in warm furs as they explored every inch of each other. They made love for hours on end and Tuya had long since lost count of the number of climaxes they had shared.

Eventually, the wind died and reality had to be faced once again. They both emerged from the tent blinking in the crystal clear morning sun to a world that was the same as the one they had shut out three days before but to Tuya it seemed as if something fundamental had changed. The colors seemed brighter, the sounds sharper, the scents sweeter. Everything just seemed... better.

She felt a hand slip into hers and she looked over into the dark eyes of the small woman at her side and knew why. She was in love. She leaned down to kiss Gan's soft lips and then said with a smile, "Come on, let's ride."

Several weeks passed as Tuya's band made its way east across the rolling grassland and low hills. Along the way, they stopped at many villages where they recruited more potential warriors, collected tribute and fought several small skirmishes against clans that sought to confront the upstart chieftess who dared call herself a warrior.

The morning was crisp and clear but Tuya's attention wasn't on the weather. Rather she was watching Gan's tight little bottom bounce in her saddle as the smaller woman rode her pony slightly ahead of her. She was enjoying the show immensely when the sound of galloping hooves drifted across the grassland.

"Tuya!" A voice called from far off to her right, wrenching her thoughts away from Gan and her cute backside.

"Here!" She called, looking for the one who called, spotting the woman far off to the right. She was gesturing at a rider off on the horizon approaching quickly. One of their scouts returning and she was riding hard. Something important, Tuya knew. She wheeled her pony about and galloped off to meet the returning scout and get a report.

A short while later she had dismounted and was standing with Gan at her side. Surrounding her was a small group of her best warriors, seasoned women all, who had learned much about the subtle art of making war over the last few seasons. The band of eight women, a few of them far older than her, served as Tuya's advisers and war council. She glanced around at the group of women she had come to respect and love as sisters. "The scout has returned from the village just over the horizon to the west. A group of the Khan's men are there and they are there with a purpose. They are hunting us. The Khan has heard of us and he has decreed that he will never allow any woman to bear arms in his lands. He intends to crush us and grind our bones into the dust of history." She looked to the women standing around her and gave a cocky smirk, "I have no intention of being crushed and I am not done making history."

The women returned her grin, shook their weapons and cheered their approval. "Tuya!" They yelled as one.

She smiled at their cheers and glanced to her side, catching Gan's eye. The smaller woman was silent but was smiling at her, pride shining in her eyes as she nodded her approval. Looking back to her warriors Tuya said, "Then this is how we will proceed... "

The air around Tuya was alive with noise. A strange kind of muffled roar filled with the thunder of hooves, the clang of steel, the braying of frightened animals and above it all the screams of men and women dying.

All around her men and women struggled in a desperate fight. The battle had started off well but her scout had underestimated the number of men the Khan had sent and her forces were slowly being beaten back. If something didn't change soon she would have to signal a retreat and hope her warriors could break away.

She twisted around trying to get a better view of the rest of the battle. As she moved her side screamed at her where one of the Khan's men had gotten past her defense. By all rights she should be lying dead in the grass now but by either the blessing of her Goddess, plain dumb luck or perhaps both, the man's sword had been turned enough when it struck her. Rather than being cut in two she had only been savagely clubbed by the flat of the blade. Although even that had come close to ending her life her when she had almost fallen from her galloping horse. Somehow she had managed to hold on, not drop her bow and right herself well enough in the saddle to put an arrow through the other warrior's side as he came back around to finish her. She placed a hand to the spot where he had struck her and pain erupted at the merest touch. "Broken ribs." She muttered irritably while silently hoping it wasn't something worse.

It didn't matter, she told herself. When she could, she would use the magic to heal herself. Assuming she lasted that long of course.

Even with the crushing pain in her side and the battle's outcome teetering on a knife-edge, Tuya found that her mind kept coming back to something else. She hadn't seen Gan in a long time now. They had been trying to keep close together but in the confusion of the battle eventually they got separated and she had lost track of the young archer. She craned her neck about, looking for the high topknot of hair that Gan typically put her hair in before a fight to keep it out of her way and out of reach of a potential opponent.

An arrow slapped past her face so close that she felt the wind of it's passing and one of the Khan's men collapsed screaming only a few paces away but Tuya took virtually no notice. She was becoming desperate to find her love.

Panic was beginning to boil up in her gut when finally she spotted the black haired top knot only a short distance away, her recurve shortbow in hand, arrow knocked. As Tuya watched, Gan raised the bow and in a blink, sent the arrow flying to knock another of the Khan's men from his saddle. She wondered with admiration and pride how many of the large, seasoned warriors the little woman had taken down today.

Tuya was just turning her horse to move closer to Gan when she felt her stomach drop. Behind Gan one of the Khan's men turned and spotted the archer. He raised a long spear tipped with a cruel, steel head and bent his arm to hurl it with horrible force.

All around Tuya, time slowed down. With exquisite slowness, she watched in horrified, helpless fascination as the spear left the warriors hand. She felt her own mouth opening to scream, felt her heels dig savagely into her own horse's flanks to spur the beast into action, felt her hand coming up, raising her bow, saw Gan unaware of the danger approaching, reaching for another arrow...

"Gan!" Tuy heard herself scream helplessly, the sound of her own voice thick and slow.

Gan's head jerked up and her eyes snapped wide as the spear struck her square in the back. Her mouth opened in a silent scream even as her body started to sag. Her eyes found Tuya's and for an instant, there was a flash of light in those ebony depths. Then the light blinked out and her body crumpled as she slid off her horse and into the dust.

Time snapped back and something ancient, cold and powerful awoke inside Tuya.

Tuya screamed.

It was not the scream of a mortal woman but rather something unearthly. A ragged, terrifyingly powerful shriek of pure, primordial rage shook the earth and shattered the heavens. All around her, the raging battle halted as warriors, male and female alike, stumbled back, staring in wide-eyed shock at the raw power that had just appeared unexpectedly in their midst.

"Tuya! NO!" Marcellene screamed into her thoughts but Tuya was no longer capable of controlling her actions.

The magical ring burned on her finger and flames of ice seared her from the inside out. Something deep inside her was waking up and it's rage would not be denied. In a single smooth movement, Tuya leapt from her horse and turned to face the man that had thrown the spear that transfixed Gan. Lost in a blind rage, she growled, bearing her teeth like a rabid animal as she thrust her hands out to her sides in a quick, savage movement. There was a tremendous, silent impact to the air and everyone within a league cried out in pain as the energy wave slammed through them.

The warrior that had struck down Gan disintegrated before their very eyes. His body instantly transformed into a cloud of black smoke and red, glowing ashes that were quickly borne away on the wind. His now empty armor seemed to hang in space for an instant before finally falling from his horse as the terrified animal bolted away.

Burning with rage, Tuya whipped around, her long hair snapping like a flail, her dark eyes blazing with an ethereal red glow. The rest of the Khan's men were staring at her, eyes widening with a burgeoning terror of the brutal power that had just been witnesses to. Many stood in shock, still trying to grasp what had just happened, some wheeled their horses about attempting to flee, others dropped to their knees begging Tuya for mercy and a very few, the bravest ones, started to charge her hoping to take her down before she could turn her fury on them. It made no difference.

"TUYA!!" Marcellene silently screamed into her thoughts, trying again. Again Tuya ignored her.

A vicious frozen fire seared through Tuya's veins, starving for a revenge that only blood could satisfy. Tuya screamed again and thrust her hands out, palms open, sweeping them before her from horizon to horizon. Tuya's palms crackled with red lightning as her power tore through the Khan's men like a scythe. Another silent thunderbolt rocked the grassland as all the Khan's men flashed into glowing ash and drifting smoke. Before anyone could even scream it was all over and a deathly silence settled over the grassland.

Tuya stood silent for several long heartbeats as the ashes drifted away on the breeze. Finally, she looked up to see her own warriors staring at her in much the same way the Khan's men had, shocked and terrified. They backed away slowly and silently, not sure what to do or say. Afraid that if they did or said the wrong thing at that moment they might follow the Khan's men into oblivion.

Electric with her newfound energy, driven by something inside her, Tuya ignored them and slowly walked over to where her lover had fallen on the field of battle. She approached the small, crumpled body, it's limbs twisted unnaturally, the skin already pale and waxy.

Tuya had seen much death in her young life and although she had never gotten used to it, she had long since learned to accept it. But this... this she could not accept. Gan had just been alive just a few moments before. Alive. Just a few moments ago.

Alive.

Dead.

Alive.

Just a minute ago.

Energy crackled in Tuya's hands and in her mind.

The only thing that separated Gan's life from her death was time. Nothing but the ephemeral barrier of time.

Deep in Tuya's mind, something opened... and she knew what to do.

"I can change this," Tuya whispered to Gan's body. "I can save you."

"Tuya, please listen to me. You must not try what you are thinking! Gan is gone, you must accept that! She died a warrior's death, see the honor in that." Marcellene said again into Tuya's thoughts.

"No. This wasn't supposed to happen. I will make this right." Tuya said as if in a trance.

"Tuya, please listen! Dead is dead. You cannot undo this. Please, I can sense what is awakening inside you, do not let it out!" Marcellene pleaded. "Tuya, let her go! Please listen to..."

"I cannot let her go. I will not."

"Tuya! Do not..."

Tuya took a deep breath, ignoring the sorceress in her head as the power built inside her. Raw, primal energy crackled in her hands as whatever had awoken in her soul responded to her command. The air shook again, a silent thunderstrike right at her feet. The air shimmered and rippled around Tuya, as the power surged out, flattening the grass in a huge circle centered on her. The air was knocked from her lungs as if by a giant fist and she dropped to her knees with a gasp. Then... silence. Tuya looked up.

In the blink of an eye, everything was different.

Tuya was back on her horse. Nearby, one of her warriors gave a wild war whoop as the Khan's men rode away, defeated by Tuya's warriors.

"We have won, my Chieftess!" The warrior called, grinning wildly.

"We... we have?" Tuya mumbeld, feeling dizzy and confused. She remembered the battle, routing the Khan's men, fighting their leader when he had called her out. She remembered besting the big man with her sword, knocking him down, running him through...

That had turned the battle. The Khan's men, their leader beaten, had started to crumble. They were being pushed back but then... a spear was thrown at Gan... Gan!

She looked wildly about but then her eyes fell on the smaller woman, sitting astride her black pony only a few feet away... alive.

Yes, now Tuya remembered. She had knocked the warrior aside at the last moment, his spear had gone wide. Gan was alive.

But she also remembered they had been losing the battle. Gan lying dead in the grass. The Khan's men burned to ash...

Two memories. They were losing the battle and Gan had died. They won the battle and Gan was alive. Magic crackled up her spine. Two memories, two pasts, she remembered both. She had changed it, she had chosen this new path. She had saved Gan.

Tuya's head spun and she almost fell from her horse as she realized what she had just done. This was not the ring, this was something else. She looked down at her hand and saw red lighting crackling between her fingers. Magic.

Gan interrupted her thoughts, reaching over and taking her hand. "You have won, my love! And you saved me as well."

Tuya's head was swimming worse by the second and she reeled as the world around her began to fade to gray. "Saved you? Did I really?" She mumbled.

"Yes, my love," Gan said looking down at her as if from far above. "You saved me... Mary..."

Part Three ~ A Rude Awakening

Mary sat upright with a sucking gasp or terror. Her entire body was trembling and her heart was hammering away inside her chest so hard her ribs hurt. Sweat soaked her nightgown and her hair was plastered to her face as she looked wildly around the room.

"Mary! Oh, thank the Goddess you're awake!" A familiar voice said. "I've been worried sick!"

Mary turned and saw Julia hovering over her. Her thick, black hair was disheveled and she had dark smudges under her Asian eyes. "I'm sorry." Mary managed to mumble through a mouth that felt as dry as cotton. "It must have been..." She broke off as she sat up and looked around. She was in her own bedroom but to say it looked messy would have been a colossal understatement. It looked more like a war had taken place. "What the hell...?"

"It was... uh, you... I think." Julia said nervously. "You were dreaming or... something."

"I did this? How..." She looked about then it belatedly occurred to her that daylight was streaming through the windows. Bright daylight. "Wait, what time is it? How long was I asleep?"

"It's about four in the afternoon. You've been asleep for about eighteen hours." Julia sat down next to her and ran her hand carefully over Mary's thigh. "It all started out normal. We fell asleep together after... uh, well, you know, last night. Then about two or three this morning, you started talking in your sleep. Just mumbling at first. I kind of hoped it was about me." Julia gave her a weak grin. "Or maybe at least something sexy. But then you started mumbling nonsense. Tents, horses, riding... and something about 'Gan'. A lot about her. Or maybe it was a he?"

Mary swallowed hard as the name opened up a flood of images in her mind. Gan. Her lover in the dream. Had it been a dream? It had seemed so real.

"Gan was a she," Mary said through a suddenly tight throat. "She was in my dream. She was my... ah, well, my lover I guess. I was a chieftess of some kind. I was... Tuya." When Mary said the name aloud, a shiver ran up her spine and goosebumps rose on her arms.

"It was just a dream?" Julia asked quietly, an odd tone in her voice.

"I... don't really know. It was... well... just so real. It was like I was there. I remember it all so well."

"Can you tell me?" Julia asked.