Lovers' Veil

Hesitating, Leofrick asked, "How long would we need to stay hidden?"

"Days at the very least. Most likely, it'll be weeks before it's safe for you two to come out. By then, you'll not ever be able to return to your own side of the Veil. As I said, you've been here too long to return safely as it is."

"I love Rhyannon. I won't leave her. If that means I have to live out the rest of my life here, in Faerie, then so be it."

Ninwick peeked out from under Rhyannon's shoulder as he helped to carry her through the woods. "A noble statement. But what kind of life can the two of you have here? Long as the King and his changeling live you'll be hunted. Not just you, but both of you. You'll have to spend your lives running and hiding, moving from place to place, always hoping never to be found, never knowing if you can trust anyone because at any moment someone might betray you for the reward. It won't be much of a life."

Leofrick looked down at Rhyannon, pale, bleeding and still unconscious. "At least we'd be together. We love each other. Being together is all that matters."

Ninwick let out a long, soft whistle. "So be it, then, my new human friend. We'll squirrel you two away where no one will ever find you. You'll be cloaked in what little magick we can muster to help shield you. You'll both be safe and cared for until you chose to leave us and be on your way again. I promise you all of this thrice, upon my own honor and my position as Eldest of the Caranock clan."

Leofrick only nodded his thanks, abruptly overcome with tears at the sight of Rhyannon and not trusting himself to speak.

Chapter 22

Princess Rhyannon Ensorcelledlight woke slowly, aching all over. The dim light she saw upon opening her eyes was still bright enough to make her squint against it. Groaning softly, she became aware that she was wrapped up tightly in a thick, heavy, softly-woven blanket. Strong arms held her in a firm yet gentle grip.

"Rhyannon?" Leofrick's voice held equal measures of relief and dread.

She stirred, barely able to move in his embrace, and looked up into his blue eyes. His long hair was drawn back in a tight ponytail, but a few stray wisps of hair floated free, waving easily before his face.

"Leofrick?"

He hugged her tighter, making her gasp, and shouted her name. After a few seconds he slowly shifted position, holding her upright with one arm. Using his free hand, he picked up a small wooden cup, offering it to her. The cup looked undersized and she peered at it inquisitively.

"Drink," he said softly, bringing the cup to her lips.

She did as he bade, finding cool, sweet water in the cup. Trying to fend for herself a bit, she struggled to sit upright on her own and took the tiny cup from him, staring at it again.

"Where are we?" she asked. Her voice was rough from lack of use, her throat and mouth dry. She drank the rest of the water and handed the cup back to him. "The last thing I remember was being attacked by the-" Memories came back in a rush. She started to panic, looking around quickly, recalling being taken captive by the blubbery creature who had caught them off guard. "-ogre! Where is it?"

Leofrick's hand on her leg calmed her as he said, "We're safe. Rest. You were badly hurt. But we're safe now, I promise."

She focused on his eyes again. "Where are we?"

"Four days ago we escaped the ogre. You'd been hurt badly and wouldn't wake up so I carried you away. A tribe of gnomes found us. They took us in and gave us food and shelter and medications for our injuries."

She pointed to the small cup. "Gnomes, huh? That explains the size of the cup. They're hospitable beings and always keep a few things on hand for larger beings. But they always underestimate the size difference and tend to make things too small even for other races."

He nodded and went on, saying, "Since the gnomes took us in we've been in here. This is the largest shelter they had to offer us."

Looking around again, trying to see in the too-dim lighting, she asked, "Where are we?"

"In a hollow beneath an old tree. They lined it with blankets for us, so we wouldn't be sitting on bare dirt. They visit us a couple of times each day and bring food, water, medications and anything else we need."

She shook her head slowly. The movement made her dizzy and he put a hand on her shoulder to steady her.

"Careful," he whispered. "You've been out for at least four days. I don't know for sure how long the ogre had us."

The faint light was from patches of luminous moss that grew on the curved walls of their hiding place. Vaguely, she could see up into the hollow trunk of the large tree above them. More of the moss grew there. Still, the weak light hurt her eyes and she turned her focus back to Leofrick.

Like her, he was wrapped in a blanket. Seeing him so made her realize how warm and stifling her own blanket was and she began to free herself from its confines. He took her hands, stopping her.

"The gnomes," he said, "have kept you wrapped in the blanket to keep you warm."

"It's too warm. At least in here." She set to work at unwrapping herself again.

Again, he stopped her, saying, "You're not wearing anything beneath your blanket. Neither am I. The gnomes didn't have any clothing in our sizes."

"I'd rather be naked; it's more comfortable." As she spoke, she unwound the blanket and laid it to one side. The cooler air on her bare flesh felt divine and she sighed.

He frowned at the discarded covering. "You need to get well more than you need to be comfortable."

Changing the subject, she asked, "Were you hurt by the ogre, too?"

"Not as badly as you were. With the gnomes' care I'm nearly over my injuries."

Moving gradually, not wanting to make herself dizzy again, she scooted over a bit, snuggling against him. Placing her hand on his chest, she stroked the soft blanket, asking, "Aren't you warm with that thing on?"

"A bit."

"So take it off."

He hesitated before answering, "I'm not used to going naked all the time."

"Human modesty," she teased, plucking at the blanket. "You could at least rearrange it so that your chest is bared. Surely that wouldn't-" She stopped, the import of some of his earlier words finally registering in her slow-to-start mind. "Wait! You said we've been holed up in here for how long?"

"Four days."

A surge of panic washed over her, causing her head to spin anew. "No! Leofrick, no! You shouldn't have... My love, do you have any idea what this means?"

"Yes."

She stared at him, feeling her expression morph into one of abject horror, terror for him washing over her. "You should have left me," she told him slowly. "You should have left me behind and gone on alone."

"No. That's the last thing I could've done."

"But it's what you ought to have done! You've lingered too long on this side of the Veil!"

"I knew the risks," he soothed. "I understood what staying would mean. The gnomes asked me, too, to make sure. I knew fully well what I was doing. I won't leave you, Rhyannon. I won't ever leave you."

Shaking her head, fighting the nausea the motion caused, she said, "But you should have! Even if we couldn't be together at least you've have been safe and beyond the reach of my father and Leurre. You should have gone on!"

He held her against him, rubbing his hand slowly up and down her bare arm. "I couldn't have just left. Even with the gnomes caring for you, I couldn't have left you behind. I won't ever leave you, my love. I'd rather be at your side and risk things here than live a safe life without you. You know that. We're together; that's all that matters."

She hugged him back and kissed him gently, letting the touch convey the depth of her feelings for him.

He really is the one I've been waiting for.

"How do you feel?" he asked after she broke the kiss.

Hesitating a moment, she took stock of herself. "Hungry and thirsty mostly," she said. "And dizzy if I move too much."

Tenderly, he leaned her back against the wall of their shelter, placing a soft blanket behind her to keep her from rest against the packed earth. He refilled the cup from a small pitcher that looked to have been carved from wood as well and handed her the cup. Turning, he selected an oat cake topped with honey from a wooden tray and handed it to her.

She smiled at the cup and oat cake before taking a bite. "Gnomes," she said softly.

After she ate several of the cakes and has consumed most of the water he again asked her how she felt. She told him that she was feeling better, but couldn't get over her concern for him, again telling him that he shouldn't have put himself at such risk to remain with her.

"I have no problems with staying on this side of the Veil," he said. "I belong with you. You're here, so this is where I belong."

"But we'll never have peace here," she replied, taking his hand in both of her own. "As long as Father and Leurre live, we'll never have peace."

"We'll figure something out," he whispered, drawing her against him once again.

Relishing in the warmth of his embrace, she asked how he got them away from the ogre, telling them of her own temporary escape and recapture.

Just as he finished detailing their escape, a small door opened, revealing a gnome clad in a blue shirt. Leofrick greeted the gnome, then introduced him to her as Ninwick.

The gnome uttered a low whistle, looking up at her. "I'm pleased to see you awake, Princess. I'm very pleased to see that. You had us worried."

"Thank you for helping us," she said.

Ninwick waved a hand, saying, "You both needed help and we were in a position to give it. How do you feel?"

"Better. Mostly dizzy is I move much," she answered.

Nodding, the gnome said, "After what you went through, that's to be expected. Rest and you'll be fine."

He shifted his focus to take in both of them at once. "What I came to say is that you need to not only remain here, but be quiet as you can, the both of you. The King and his pet changeling have responded to the report by the satyrs of your having been in the area. The King has guards scouring the forest for you. Keep calm and keep quiet and hidden in here and you'll be fine. I'll have someone bring you more food and drink soon."

Without waiting on a reply, Ninwick turned and left, shutting the tiny door behind him. Alone with Leofrick once more, Rhyannon shifted in his embrace and slid her hand under the folds of the blanket that covered him. As she traced idle lines with her fingertips on his chest, she felt his breath quicken. Smiling at him, she trailed down to his stomach, loosening the blanket as she went.

"Rhyannon..."

"Hush, my love," she whispered, working her way back to his chest.

She teased him, raking her fingernails over his nipples, feeling them tighten into stiff buds of flesh with his desire.

Voice thick, he said, "Now isn't the time."

She kissed him deeply, still dragging her fingernails over his nipples again and again, then said, "Had you not gotten loose and saved us from the ogre we'd have been boiled alive and eaten as stew. You saved my life, my love. Then, you brought me to the gnomes to be healed of the injuries given to me by the ogre, thus saving my life again, I'm sure. Next, you sat with me through four long days and nights, helping to care for me, helping the gnomes to save me. That's more than deserving of a reward from the woman you love, is it not?"

He stirred, saying, "Believe me when I say that it isn't that I don't want to, Rhyannon, because I do. But you're not healed. Give yourself time. And Ninwick just told us that we need to be quiet."

"So we do things quietly," she whispered before kissing him, her lips lingering on his own. "As for me, your love can only help me to heal."

She kissed him again and he responded, his love for her evident in his touches. She played with his nipples a bit longer before working her hands back down his body, pulling more folds of material free, exposing more of his perfect physique to her view. When she at last uncovered his cock she found it already hard and pulsing in time with his heartbeat.

Stroking his meaty shaft, she gazed into his eyes and whispered, "I may not well enough to couple with you at the moment, but there are other ways for a woman to pleasure her man..."

She caressed his cock with her fingernails, keeping the touch light and teasing. He jerked in response, grunting a small sound of pleasure. He stared back, looking into her eyes, and his breath hitched. Giving him an easy, seductive smile, she repeated the intimate caress several more times until she felt sticky moisture beneath her fingers.

Wrapping her dainty fingers around his shaft, she resumed stroking up and down, working with a measured, deliberate pace. He continued to stare into her eyes, breath growing heavier and heavier. She knew it wouldn't be long before he climaxed.

Pausing her hand, yet still holding his brawny erection, she rubbed the palm of her other hand over the swollen purple head of his shaft. Leofrick gasped and his whole body stiffened at the light friction on the sensitive flesh.

By feel alone, keeping her gaze locked with his, he found the small slit in the tip of his shaft and eased the very tip of a fingernail into it. His eyes grew wider as he gasped in new pleasure at the invasive touch. She grinned and rocked her finger from side to side, applying the gentlest pressure. His hips bucked, silently begging her for release.

"Not just yet, my love," she cooed.

Keeping her fingernail in place, maintaining the light pressure in the slit at the tip of his cock, holding him with the other fingers of that same hand, she used her other hand to gently knead his testicle sac, massaging it with slow thoroughness.

While she worked, carefully maintained eye contact with him, seeing the heat and need burning in his gaze at he stared back. When he began whispering to her, begging her to allow him release, she simply replied with a sly grin and applied a tiny bit more pressure to her work.

After forcing him to wait through several more long minutes of delicious suffering she slid her hand from his sac up to his shaft. She kept her other hand in place, holding the slight pressure on her fingernail, shifting it back and forth in the slit of his cock. She caressed the underside of his shaft with the fingernails of her other hand.

Leofrick leaned his head back and groaned, the sound low and husky. His hips thrust more violently as he desperately sought relief. He pleaded for her to allow him to finish, to climax.

Finally taking pity on him, she waited until he met her gaze again, then winked at him and removed her fingernail from the tip of his cock. Stroking his huge erection with one hand, she shifted position, sliding her other hand up his stomach to his chest to resume toying with the hard, fleshy buds of his nipples.

Leofrick froze the instant she began to touch his nipples. A moment later his breath hitched again and he resumed thrusting his hips hard and fast in the tube of her fingers as she stroked him gently.

Breaking the eye contact at last, Rhyannon bent, lowering her head, parting her lips, sucking his burning shaft into her mouth and sealing her lips around it. An instant later he climaxed, his hot seed splashing the back of her throat. She gulped it down, sucking him, eager for more.

When he was finally spent, Leofrick collapsed backward, panting, trying to regain his breath. Rhyannon allowed his still-hard shaft to slip from her mouth and carefully licked up all traces of his seed that she could find. Once he was cleaned, she sat up and cuddled against him.

He wrapped her in his embrace, holding her close. "I love you," he whispered to her.

"I love you, too," she said, placing a hand on his chest and rubbing him gently, toying with the hair she found there. "I had to catch it," she added, changing the subject. "I didn't want you making a mess on the blankets in here."

He laughed before telling her once more that he loved her.

"I love you, too," she repeated.

They held each other for a long time and were beginning to doze when the tiny door opened and slammed closed again an instant later. She roused herself to see Ninwick standing before them. The gnome looked horrified.

"What's wrong?" Leofrick asked, not having the presence of mind to cover himself.

"Are you both well enough to travel?" the gnome asked.

"I am," Leofrick answered, "but I'm not sure if Rhyannon is. What's wrong?"

"I've just had a report from a scout deeper into the forest. Not only has the King sent a larger patrol of guards than we expected, but the changeling is along, too. What's more, the changeling has brought a squad of Attorcroppes to help!"

Leofrick frowned, turning to Rhyannon. "Attorcroppes? Are those the same things I fought when I rescued you from the castle?"

"Yes," she said, shuddering at the memories of the upright, walking snakes. She shifted her attention back to Ninwick, saying, "Leofrick tells me you're using magick to hide us. The elven guards from the castle and Leurre's Attorcroppes shouldn't be able to detect the cloaking spells if they're done discretely. Elves have some magickal abilities, the Attorcroppes have less. Unless any of the elves are trained sorcerers, and as far as I know none of the castle guards are, we shouldn't have any problems. Besides, I know that gnomes don't have use of much magick, but what you do have is connected to the land. Here, in Gnomehearth Forest, your home, you should have the advantage."

Ninwick nodded, flustered, still looking terrified. "Normally, yes. But not now. When the changeling brought the Attorcroppes with him, the Attorcroppes brought something else with them."

The look on the gnome's face made her blood chill.

"What," she asked very slowly, "did the Attorcroppes bring?"

Chapter 23

Prince Leofrick Wykeham felt a distinct, sharp sinking feeling at the look on Ninwick's face. A glance at Rhyannon fear-paled features did nothing to reassure him.

"What," she repeated, staring at the gnome, "have the Attorcroppes brought?"

Ninwick hesitated, his dark eyes shifting from Rhyannon to Leofrick and back. Finally, his voice barely a whisper, he said, "They've brought along a Ve'reor."

Rhyannon's small gasp drew Leofrick's attention back to her. Her already pale face drained completely of color at the gnome's soft words as her eyes went wide and her lips trembled.

Leofrick frowned, asking, "What's a Ve'reor?"

She turned to him slowly, as if terrified to move. She stared at him blankly, as if not even seeing him, fear dancing in her lustrous green eyes.

It was Ninwick who answered him, keeping his voice low, saying, "Ve'reors are horrid, evil things. Most were hunted down and slain eons ago. Far as I know, it's been centuries since any have been seen. Personally, I thought they were extinct. I'd hoped that they were. Ve'reors are the most expert predators ever to evolve on either side of the Veil. They're nearly as large as you are, my human friend. Like you, they have two hands and two feet, arms and legs, a torso and a head. Yet, despite this, they tend to go about on all fours. They're expert climbers and are not only double-jointed, but can dislocate their joints. These two things allow a Ve'reor to fit into nooks and crannies far smaller than themselves. They can almost shapeshift to fit into tight spaces. They can also track by sight, sound, smell, taste and the feel of magick. Once a Ve'reor comes after you, the only way to escape it is to kill it. And that's nigh impossible given their speed, strength and stealth. You'll not see it until it's too late. That is, assuming, you ever see it at all."