Mage and Consort Pt. 03

Leo jumped up quickly, bowing to Anya. "My Lady, would you like further service from me?"

His voice was pleading, but she couldn't even make use of what he'd given her.

"No, Leo, please do it with her, if you are able."

"Would you like to watch, Anya? Since I was rude enough to do the same."

Anya sighed, feeling beaten. "Sure. Maybe I'll learn something."

Mostly what she learned was how much better Melina was with her mouth.

#

A meteor flashed briefly overhead, and this time Anya didn't even flinch. It was an ordinary shower, the sort that came each year at this time. Last night had been clear as well, but the meteors had been mostly hidden by the tree canopy. Tonight they traveled across what seemed to be endless grassy hills, studded with occasional rocks from the recent storm. The sweet warm smell of crushed grasses filled her nose, so similar to the hay fields of home. Anya was stronger tonight, and hadn't needed as much of the herbs for pain. And she'd made a discovery: those herbs seemed to dull a lot of things aside from pain. Her talents were returning, along with certain other desires, and Anya was profoundly relieved on both counts. Melina had finally confessed she didn't know all the herbs, and had just stolen some that seemed labeled properly. Any other time, it would have been alarming to find that out. But Melina had done it for her, after all, and she'd done what she could.

"Wrong direction," Leo said unhappily.

Anya didn't catch his meaning until Melina spoke up. "It's the third one from the Origin," she said. "The timing couldn't be worse."

A stonestorm. Anya's pulse sped up, and her mouth had gone dry.

"There's no reason to expect it will be a bad one," Leo said.

"And no reason to expect it won't be," Anya said. "Is there shelter near here? Leo?"

Leo sighed. "I don't know, Lady. All I remember hearing of this area was it'd been abandoned long ago. Not easy enough farmland.

"There are a few trees well to our right," Melina said. "I'll run up that hill and see if there's anything better."

Anya squinted, and as usual she couldn't see the trees Melina described. Far-seeing was an even more subtle form of Wind magic than far-hearing. Less sight as such, and more a sense of the way the air moved, enough to give shapes. Melina said she wasn't unique in this ability, and that she'd found scrolls with helpful techniques. But it wasn't part of their instruction, and it took immense amounts of practice. And of course Melina had found time to practice, perhaps well before she'd even come to their kingdom, over five years ago as Anya understood it. But Melina never talked about her life before.

A brighter meteor moved slowly across the sky. And Anya had to face what she dreaded. She might need to protect them, and she had no idea if she could.

"Lady, if you have any need of my Seed, perhaps now is the time."

Anya nodded unhappily. "You're right, Consort. And we should do it properly, awkward as it may be."

Leo nodded. "As you desire, of course."

The grasses weren't as soft as they looked, but it was better than last night's sleeping spot. And Leo's hands were warm as he helped settle her, and removed her underclothes.

"My shirt, too," she said nervously, unlacing the top closure. "We need to do this right, Leo."

"Of course," he agreed.

When he took over, she dipped her hand down lower. Whatever was necessary. Melina would return, and she would probably watch, and that was irrelevant. Anya just had to get her body prepared. It was nothing more than that.

She still gasped when Leo's mouth fastened on her nipple. As though her body was finally awake. After a minute she was wet enough for the deed, but she needed this to be perfect. Overhead, two meteors appeared at once. The storm was coming. Anya plunged her middle finger deep into her sex, and Leo bit her nipple gently.

"Leo," she whispered. "Consort, I need to -- I need to climax. I know it's not something I'm supposed to do, but I have to relax, and I don't know --"

"Ssh," Leo said, shifting to roll both nipples between his fingers. "It is something you need, and that's enough. It isn't my place to question."

He put his mouth on her nipple again, and his hand stroked up her thigh, until his fingers touched her hand. Right where she was touching herself.

Then it was all in motion, the rising tension, the squeezing, and above all the need. She needed him terribly, for so much more than his Seed. She needed his calmness, his devotion, his lips and teeth and penis and all of it. This was as close as she could get, and it wasn't enough. But her body shuddered and gasped and flushed hot with pleasure, while Leo never let go of her nipple.

When it was done, she pulled her finger out and reached for his bare hip.

"I know I am unwelcome," Melina said quietly from behind her. "But none of that matters, against the storm. If I can be of help, I will. Perhaps with my talents, if your Consort thinks it would be an aid."

Leo didn't respond.

"Consort," Anya said reluctantly. "I will try to draw on my talents, but you have practiced this more with Melina. Would it help, do you think? This is for all of us."

"It might," he conceded unhappily. "Lady, if you simply reach for me. Just that, Lady. That should be enough."

Anya sighed. "I know, Consort," she said. "Go ahead Melina, do whatever you think will be useful."

There was an unreality to it all. Melina had interrupted, but Anya had expected it anyway. And her body felt so loose. Even the pain was less, and her mind was clear. Leo entered her with great care, and somehow she'd forgotten how it felt. A lifetime, in less than a week. She was with Leo under the skies, and a storm was coming. She was made for this. Anya breathed deeply and gathered her concentration. Her talent was waiting, almost eager. She need only use it, gently.

She smelled Melina before anything else. The other woman kneeled behind her head, then brought her hand between Leo and her naked breast. The moment Leo's manhood bottomed out inside her, Melina called lightning from her palm.

It was a tiny spark, but it wasn't a small use of power. Anya felt it, and Leo definitely felt it, by his shudder.

"Lady?" he breathed, quivering.

"Almost," she said, focusing on Melina, as another spark popped from her hand. And because there was nothing else, Anya began to push on that hand.

Melina made an odd noise, and a moment later she pushed back, bringing her hand lower. A spark shot to Anya's breast, and she felt her body tighten. She pushed harder, and this time Melina had to use real strength to deny her. Another spark, striking between her breasts. Her sex grasped around Leo's huge manhood, and finally everything began to slow. Melina's quivering hand pressed, and Anya moved it effortlessly. It was Leo she wanted, Leo's great Seed to fill her with power. She could feel it dancing inside him, and she pulled, and pulled again. The deep sound in her ears was a single thunder of heartbeat, or maybe a note from Leo's throat. The burning Seed rose, and its force pinned her against the ground.

Anya opened her mouth, but no sound emerged. Leo's unbearable heat crashed against the back of her sex, entering deeper, to somewhere that was less a place than an orientation: Inside. Time began to snap into place once more, and suddenly Melina's hand flew away, striking Leo hard enough that he jerked partly out of her.

Maybe she lost the last of his Seed. It hardly seemed to matter. Meteors trained across the sky, and she'd never felt more alive.

"Lady, we must move," Leo said. He was already pulling up her underclothes, rebuttoning her shirt. Melina stood some distance away, not moving.

"Yes," she agreed, trying to clear her head. "Yes, Leo. Consort. Thank you. Help me up."

Soon she was walking on her own, feeling clearer-headed than she had in a long time. Ebullient. She could hold back this storm herself. But her body was still so weak. She had to remember that terrible lesson. Don't use her own body.

There was a distant, long rumble, and she laughed.

"Anya," Melina said. She wasn't even breathing hard. "I imagine this is more power than you've ever held. It will be much harder than you think to use it effectively. Don't be fooled by that feeling. I know it well."

"Do you?" Anya said. "Did you feel time slow, as though a thousand thoughts could divide an instant?"

Melina said nothing. Of course she hadn't felt it. This was something between her and Leo. No one else would understand it.

The thunder came again, and for the first time she heard the sound of the stones, like a distant rain.

"Consort, you must help build a shelter the moment we arrive. The trees are hardly anything, and we cannot rely on Anya's abilities."

"She can do this," Leo said. "She did it before."

"I didn't say she couldn't do it," Melina said. "Just that it would be foolish not to trust ordinary methods as well."

The storm swept closer, and Anya realized the smallest grains were already raining softly around them. Anya reached up a hand, cupping them, pushing, looking for their connections to the ground, but there were so many, and they fell through her Force.

"No, Anya, not that way," Melina said sharply. "I think these smallest stones can be best handled with Wind. I will help show you, when we reach the grove. Not far now."

She always thought she knew more than anyone. But Anya could feel the pebbles streaking above them, and then began to shine in her mind. If she focused just right, one would seem to slow, as though she could pluck it --

"Stop it," Melina said again, more loudly. "Anya, conserve your strength, until we stop."

"I think she's right," Leo said. "It will be easier, and we're still all right."

She felt the pebble an instant before it struck him in the shoulder, bouncing off his pack. He barely reacted, simply putting his hands over his head. Melina did the same, the two of them hurrying faster now than Anya could move. Her lungs burned, and her sling bounced badly, sending pain lancing from wrist to shoulder.

Anya almost didn't notice when they entered the grove. It was as sparse as Melina had described, a handful of trees little over twice their height, with open space between and little canopy. Leo selected the largest and set Anya down less gently than usual, her back against a tree. Opposite the Origin, of course. Leo had been born to this.

She heard the flash and crackle of Melina's magic, ripping branches and more from the other trees. They would do what they could, but this was Anya's task. She would protect Leo, just as she had before.

There were uncountable stones, already striking Melina and Leo, though they were too small to cause more than a bruise. Thunder was a constant roll, and she understood now what an ominous sign it was. The heavier stones pushed the air aside with incredible heat and force, just as lightning did. A stone heavy enough to cause thunder would kill in an instant. But Leo said there were vastly more smaller stones, some of them still large enough to injure or kill.

She tried to push at them, but it was useless. Too many. Somehow she had to pick the ones that were dangerous, and stop them. She'd done that instinctively in the fort. Anya had to push her senses farther, finding those objects being pulled hardest to the ground.

Something lit up, and she pushed. Had she affected it? Had it even been a danger?

Leo and Melina were working hard, stacking branches and logs in a dubious sort of lean-to against the tree. Hardly even space for her. She could have told them how to do it better. She was the country girl, after all, and Lady Zephyr had taken them out for two nights once.

Above her was a tremendous cracking noise, and then something fell among the trees. It jolted her away from reminiscence.

The next time, she felt it just in time, but it had already passed overhead she pushed. It was that sense of slow time she needed, the magic that happened with Leo.

He was suddenly crowded against her, and then Melina squeezed on her other side. It was too close. She shouldn't be pressing against Anya, especially after behaving so strangely during her joining. She was nothing like Alishe.

The air began to move and the constant patter of stones changed slightly. Anya felt Melina's Wind talent, extending out above, like a great fountain, trying to disrupt the stones. And it generally worked, though only with the smallest stones. She felt a pang of jealousy. Anya had barely accomplished anything.

But she suddenly understood she'd been a fool. The stones all came from one direction. Not precisely the same direction; in fact, the heaviest stones came from a shallower angle than the lighter ones. They'd learned about this in a class, though she hadn't entirely understood. But now she did: the air tried to slow all the stones, but worked best on the lighter stones. Meanwhile the ground pulled them all down equally fast. The heaviest stones simply slowed less, which meant they didn't have as much time to curve downward. And that meant she could focus her talents, the way Melina was.

When she'd held water above her and Leo, that had been too broad an angle for much weight. But she could focus on a much narrower region. A patch slightly higher in the sky than the Origin, taking into account the small curvature of the heavier stones.

Melina's Wind casting was not as efficient as it should be. She should narrow it, send it higher, try to nudge the heavier rocks and not worry about the lighter ones. But Anya had no energy to say anything, because she finally reached far enough to feel the large stones.

Desperately, she cast Force, trying to hold the direction steady. Anchored to the ground, not to her. But there was nothing to push on, just air. When a stone flashed, she pushed at it, but then it was gone.

"Pace yourself," she heard. "Hold steady, Anya."

She hated Melina. So superior, so driven. She would be a Mage, and Anya still didn't know what she'd ever be. She was burning Leo's precious power, and accomplishing little.

Something tickled her mind, and she pushed with all her might. An instant later it hit the ground, not a hundred paces from them. Thunder crashed, deafening them. Leo's hand was behind her head, cradling it gently. She'd been pressing back hard again the tree trunk, and now she was squashing his hand instead. She swallowed, and kept up her vigil.

Other stones came and went. Some she pushed, and others she was too late. The thunder rose and fell, and at some point hours or days later she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Lady? I believe it's done. Be at peace."

She'd run through all of Leo's power, and she was still pushing with Force, to little effect. The loss ached, worse even than her injured arm. Anya's mouth tasted of ash.

"No one is hurt?" she asked.

"Just bruises from earlier, Lady," Leo said. "You kept the storm away from us."

"You do her no favors to overstate her skills." Melina's voice came from somewhere outside the cramped shelter. "Anya certainly used Force, but it was largely the shelter that protected us. And thankfully there were no truly large stones this time."

"That's because I pushed them away," Anya said. Hadn't she? She could barely remember.

Melina didn't reply to that.

"Leo," she said. "I need more. It was beautiful, Leo."

He paused. "Lady, I gave everything I could to Lady Karlov just now, while you rested. The storm had abated. I will do my duty for you at the first possible moment."

"We are short on food," Melina said. "Unless your farm lore extends to harvesting these grasses, I will have to steal more. We'll continue west and south, as soon as you're able. We will regain cover of forest in a few hours, and there are likely to be dwellings along the road beyond. "

"A road," Leo said. "Is that the road to Kelekka, on the coast?"

As always, Melina didn't answer.

And as always, Leo and Anya followed her. They'd gone too far to do much else.

#

Leo poked his head up. Faint flickers of torchlight were all he could make out, but he had to trust Lady Karlov's summary.

"There's no chance to bypass them?" Lady Tur asked from where she sat, leaning back against a rock. In pain, as always, and there was nothing he could do.

The other Lady shook her head. "There are too many, and they've spread out a picket like good soldiers. Probably a couple Assistant Mages as well, enough to sense any great subtle magics I might attempt, fog or whatnot. We can't sneak through. Maybe Leo could climb those cliffs and slip by, but I admit no desire to attempt it myself. And it serves Anya no good. I suppose I could use fire to punch directly through their line, but it hardly seems a good idea."

"No," Leo said. "Not if you don't want them to send even more people after you. So we have to backtrack?"

Lady Karlov shook her head in frustration. But no one could offer another plan.

"How far must we go?" his Lady asked stoically.

"Many miles east," she said slowly. "We would have to find a river craft to make it through the gap safely. But perhaps it would work, and then cut our journey shorter..."

"Melina," his Lady said irritably. "Where is your destination? You are so hesitant to say that I sometimes wonder if you actually have one."

Lady Karlov sighed. "Beriba, if you must know. I have some people there I trust. Enough to stay and for Anya to finish recovering."

"Thank you, Melina," Anya said. "That's a start. Skies know I don't have anything better in mind, but I wish you'd told us long ago. So, Consort, if you'll help me up."

Leo grasped her around the waist, while she used her legs to help. When he was finished, she continued leaning back against him, breathing heavily.

"We likely need to get at least two more miles tonight," Lady Karlov said. "No use delaying any more."

Leo nodded, feeling oddly reluctant to let go of his Lady. Her magic simmered inside her, reaching for him as it always did, and he let his Seed stretch out toward her. His Lady made a small, pleased noise.

"Let's at least get further from the road before you do any more of that," Lady Karlov said, sounding annoyed.

Jealous, as always. But his Seed wanted to burrow into his Lady, to wrap itself safely inside her. He hadn't felt such a strong urge since --

"Lady Karlov," he said, voice shaking. "Do you sense anything behind us? I have the oddest feeling."

The Lady went silent, holding still. Ten, twenty seconds, and then she gasped.

"A powerful Mage," she said. "A High Mage, traveling under great concealment with a small group. Skies, it is too late."

Leo stared at her. He'd never heard that tone from the Lady.

"But we escaped a High Mage before," he said. "We hid from her in the fort."

"No," Lady Karlov said rapidly. "Not possible this time. You don't understand how much more power I hold at this moment, and you as well. She will have sensed both of us. And yet Anya may be safe. If we distract them. You and I, only."

"You're suggesting we run ahead, draw away the High Mage. Protect my Lady."

The other Lady nodded eagerly. "And if it is a High Mage on foot, we may have the advantage, Leo. Simple, physical speed. We may even outdistance them enough to evade them, particularly if I take pains to empty myself of your strength in a spectacular fashion."

"Is there truly a High Mage?" Lady Tur asked wearily. "This is a clever way to rid yourself of me, I must admit."

Lady Karlov hissed. "Of all the times to develop a suspicious mind, Anya. Leo can sense her, can't he? It's too late for both of us. This gives your Consort a chance to escape, and your sorry self as well."

"Lady, I will return for you," Leo said, squeezing her gently. "I promise it. If you must move, go straight east, as Lady Karlov suggested. We will find you."