Saving Hibreon Ch. 05

If you're just tuning in, this is chapter 5, and it'll make more sense if you've read the previous chapters. Wy's and Lost's backstories are: They're All Crazy, and Getting Lost.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you're enjoying the story. I appreciate your comments (and this story will have an actual ending in a few more chapters 😉 ).

-Guinevere A. Hart

***

Kytia, Wy, and Lost spent the morning apart. Lost found a sunny spot in the courtyard where she worked on her dress. Wy joined a Sil engineer to reprogram the Ay'niki communication device. Kytia got an early start in throne room, struggling to convince the freed ylf'nim that she was not interested in queenship.

By the time they could regroup in the kitchen for lunch, Kytia felt cross. Though she'd finally talked them into voting for someone else to lead them, she walked away from the conversation frustrated and uncertain for the future of Raelinholm. Kytia thought she was much better at throwing punches than the verbal acrobatics her people had required of her.

She must have had a look on her face, because Lost immediately drew Kytia into a strong hug. Kytia nuzzled into Lost's hair, breathing in the warm scent of sun and flowers. The fragrance infused her with comfort, a sense of belonging after spending her morning feeling so disconnected.

Wy let them hug it out while he prepped plates of bread, cheese, and fruit. He poured wine. Then after glancing over his shoulder at Kytia, he poured a lot more of it into her glass. When she sat and noticed the disproportion, Kytia laughed, and her spell of gloom was officially broken.

They talked about their morning over lunch, but they still had the afternoon before they'd meet Araquies for the shuttle ride northward. Kytia suggested, "I was thinking we'd go back to the beach today and have a look inside the grotto." She knew there could be nothing left of Lost's friends. Their remains were two-hundred years old with the tide constantly pushing and pulling. Still, she had to try for Lost.

After lunch, Kytia went back to their bedroom to change clothes. She looked at the rumpled bedclothes and their bags that they still hadn't bothered to unpack, and she sighed. There was no point in unpacking since their journey wasn't over. She allowed herself a moment of self-pity while she shed her "court crap" and donned a sensible pair of pants and a shirt.

She stood in the mirror and tied up her hair while she talked to her reflection. "Option one: bitter, lonely, nasty, old bitch. But I get to stay home. Option two: loving mate to two people who love me although I don't deserve them."

Kytia was startled when two solid thumps sounded behind her. She spun around in time to see one of the closet doors slowly swing open. A cursory investigation gave no reason for the noise. She tried the door, and it latched fine. "So, option two then?" she joked. The closet had no response, and Kytia made a mental note to have someone check for rodents... exceptionally large rodents who open doors.

She returned to the mirror and stared herself in the eye. Kytia would do anything for Wy and Lost. It wasn't even a decision. "I'd make one hell of a crazy cat lady, but yeah," she agreed with the closet. "I'm going with option two."

On the way out, Kytia thought to grab towels and a couple of blankets. It was a warm summer day, but the water might be cold.

They'd chosen the perfect time of day. The tide was out, which made getting inside the grotto a little easier. Kytia had been right about the water temperature. She stood naked at the edge where the cold water sloshed around her ankles.

Beside her, Wy suggested, "Best do like Lost. Just get in all at once."

Regardless of their somber mission, Lost had dropped her dress halfway across the beach and ran straight at the water. She whooped and laughed at the chill, but it didn't slow her down. Kytia lost sight of her for a second when she dipped under. When Lost bobbed back up she called out, "Kytia! Cold! Come on!"

Through clenched teeth, Kytia muttered, "Fuck this shit. There's not going to be anything there, anyway."

Wy admonished, "You told her you'd help her look." For emphasis, he slapped Kytia's buttocks. "Get out there. Or do you need me to throw you in?"

It was hard to smile, keep her teeth from chattering, and talk, all at the same time. "Do you need me to kick your ass?"

"Usually, but for now, go help her. I'll be here to warm you both up when you come back out."

Lost headed for the entrance to the grotto, and Kytia knew Wy was right. She went out and immersed herself in the cold. Once she was in, it wasn't too bad, if she kept moving. Within the shadowy entrance to the cave, Kytia saw Lost cast a light spell on her own hand, and she followed it.

The only light she had was Lost's, but she seemed to know where she wanted to search. They waded through narrow corridors, and in some places the seawater was all the way up to their chests. Kytia's thoughts drifted to the terror she'd feel if she should lose her way. The caves would fill up, and she would drown in the darkness, her body eaten by fish. She shivered from more than the cold.

Lost paused and turned to her. She put her glowing hand down to show an opening that was below the water level. "In here," she said.

"Are you sure?" Kytia hated the fearful pitch in her tone, and she hoped Lost would mistake it for cold.

No such luck. Lost looked up into Kytia's eyes. Since it was just the two of them, she spoke their native language. "Kytia, I have to look. You can wait for me here. I'll be okay."

Kytia decided that kicking a cave for making her feel afraid in front of her girlfriend would only earn her a broken toe. Lost was already ducking down into the tube-like passage, so Kytia took a deep breath and followed. Lost was a far better swimmer, and Kytia trusted that she knew it. The tube wasn't long and led to a chamber where they could stand with their heads above water.

Lost smiled at her and said, "See, it's not so bad, right?"

Kytia tried to smile back, but it must have come off looking exactly how it felt. Lost threw her arms around Kytia and said, "Please, just help me look. Then we can go."

The light on Lost's hand grew brighter, and they ducked under together. Kytia noted some stones that might have been brought in from the outside. Moving them revealed nothing except an irritated snail. They moved slow, searching in a spiral pattern, but the only thing in the grotto was a handful of small marine animals.

Kytia felt a weird mix of sorrow and relief that there were no skeletal remains. She had known it would be this way. Still, if Lost wanted to look again, Kytia wouldn't argue with her. When they came up for air, she kept quiet and waited for Lost to say something.

Tears mixed with salt water, and Lost said, "They were here. I saw them."

Kytia nodded slowly, "I know, sweetie. I believe you."

"The ocean took them. They're gone."

"Yes," Kytia said while she drew Lost into a hug. "Their physical remains are gone, but we'll remember them. We'll make a place for them in the Grove."

After a while, Lost looked up at Kytia and said, "We can go now."

When they returned to the beach, Wyfrost met them with the towels and blankets. As they dried off, he asked, "Anything?"

"No," Kytia answered. "The tides took them out."

Wy and Kytia rearranged their blankets so the three of them were huddled together beneath them. They were skin to skin because Wy had taken off his shirt. He held them both and vigorously rubbed their backs and arms. The sunny heat radiating from Wy felt delicious against Kytia's chill, but Lost's teeth had begun to chatter.

Wy commented, "You know, I've never understood that. You've got the power to bend time and space to your will, but you can't keep yourself warm."

Lost smiled up at him and responded. Kytia interpreted, "She says she's perfectly capable of warming herself. It just feels better when you do it."

While he listened to Kytia, Lost went to work on his fly. They lost their blanket cover when Kytia pulled his pants down, but there were better ways to get warm. "Well now," Wy said, "I'm not going to argue with that."

***

Lost was disappointed by the foray into the grotto, but she wasn't surprised. She knew it had been too long. It was clear that Kytia really hadn't wanted to go, and Lost was grateful that she didn't have to go in alone. She felt cold all the way to her bones and craved the comfort of loving hands. Lost's body reveled in Wy's warmth, while her soul healed in the embrace of those she loved.

Lost wanted Wy as naked as she and Kytia were. She wrapped her cool fingers around the heat of his manhood while Kytia rid him of his trousers. With both hands, she caressed the length of him. This close, she could smell the subtle salt of his sweat and wanted to taste it.

She tilted her head and flicked one of his stiffened nipples with the end of her tongue. Kytia joined her on the other side. Wy moaned, and his fingers tangled in their wet hair. Lost stroked him faster while switching from kissing his chest to sharing a deep kiss with Kytia. Her tongue was firm and quick, reminding Lost of the way that muscle could dance over her clitoris.

Heat ignited in Lost's belly and between her legs. She let it grow until her desire and pleasure consumed everything else. Pain, sorrow, disappointment, all of it burned down in flames. The ashes flew away on an ocean breeze.

Then Kytia moved behind Lost, sandwiching her between the two of them. Wy kept one hand in her hair, and the other slipped down to explore the cleft between her cheeks and massage her buttocks. Wyfrost bent his head and drew Lost in for a devouring kiss. His long tongue thrust in and out of her mouth in time with the rhythm of her hands.

She could feel Kytia's body pressed to her back, hands caressing the underside of Lost's petite breasts. When Kytia tugged at her nipples, Lost moaned into Wy's kiss. Kytia licked the salt water from Lost's shoulders and back, lightly nipping at the bundles of nerves she knew would take Lost's need higher.

Wyfrost pulled away to mess with the blankets, so Lost turned in Kytia's embrace. Kytia's hold was strong, her kiss fervent. When they parted, Wy had arranged the blankets as a makeshift bed in the sand. He'd made himself comfortable while he watched and waited for them to join him.

Lost approached him, and he reached for her. Wy took control, seating her in his lap so that her back was pressed against his chest. He nudged her legs wide open and slipped his fingers through her wet folds. Wy then rubbed the head of his massive cock along her slit before tucking it inside.

Kytia knelt between their legs and smiled. From the look in her eye, Lost knew she was about to be immensely spoiled. Kytia bent forward and kissed Lost's belly and the insides of her thighs. She lapped at Wy's sac and teased Lost by sliding her tongue up the length of Wy's exposed shaft, just barely missing Lost's needy clit.

Lost moaned her frustration, and Wy chuckled. He lifted her slightly and brought her back, furthering the pleasant warmth of her stretched opening. His voice was rough with his own desires when he pretended to scold Kytia. "Don't you be mean to my sweet witch."

With an expression of mock surprise, Kytia breathed, "Why, I'd never." Then she dipped her head again and put her skilled tongue to work.

Kytia knew exactly what Lost needed, and there was no more teasing. The position he'd put her in allowed Wy to enjoy the tongue lashing as much as she did. He gripped her thighs, his hot breath in her hair. His deep voice demanded, "Gods, fuck! Make her cum, Kytia!" It was all she needed to take Lost to the crest of a powerful orgasm. Her cries rose above the sound of the waves and gulls.

Wy lifted her off him, but only so Lost could reposition. She turned around and straddled him as he lay back. Her still clenching depths gripped him, and she rode Wy with vigor. Kytia spread her legs over Wy's abdomen to face Lost, and she tasted herself on Kytia's kiss.

Then Wy took hold of Kytia's hips and pulled her back towards his face. Both his hands and his mouth were busy between Kytia's legs. It wasn't long before her grunts turned to shouts, and Kytia's face crumpled in the throes of her climax. Lost thought Kytia was wound too tight most of the time. She loved to see Kytia cum, and her own body responded empathically to lover's release.

Shortly after, the stretch and the friction got to both Lost and Wy. He let go of Kytia and reached down to grab Lost's hips. He moved with her, his breath catching in grunts and gasps with every bounce. His thick member throbbed against the walls of her pulsing channel. She came with him, and he held her tight, keeping still as they rode the waves ecstasy together.

Lost let herself collapse on Wy's chest as they came down from their high. Kytia sat beside them and gently rubbed Lost's back. She could've gone to sleep like that, except for the little kiss Kytia placed on the tip of her ear. "Sweetie," Kytia said, "Look."

Lost propped herself up and climbed off Wy. She looked where Kytia pointed at the grotto. A stack of stones had been erected in the sand on the lee of the grotto. It hadn't been there when they'd arrived, and she was too busy getting warm to notice it when they got out of the water. Wy had to have done it.

She looked at him, and he shrugged his shoulders. "It's a cairn. I couldn't go down there with you and Kytia, but I felt like I should do something for your friends."

Touched by the gesture, Lost could feel the sting of tears. "You know them not."

"No," he said. "But you did. They should be remembered."

"Thank you, Wy." Lost kissed one of his cheeks and Kytia kissed the other.

Then Kytia stood and started dressing. "Come on, let's get back home. Araquies is taking us to see Wy's people tonight, and we should get some rest before then."

***

Wy, Kytia, and Lost had bathed and dined. Then they slept until just before sunset when Araquies arrived. Wy wasn't happy to be crammed inside the Eloua shuttle, but it would take weeks to walk from Raelinholm to Fjallheim. The alien craft would get him home in a couple of hours.

Thinking about what he would find there troubled him. It was nice to believe his village had avoided the Ay'niki invasion— nice, but unrealistic. He hated worrying without knowing what to worry about.

Sensing his discomfort, Araquies patted his shoulder. "We have observed that fear of the unknown is a bane of all sentient life forms." Wy met the Eloua's kind and sympathetic eyes, and Araquies continued. "Even elder species experience this. Soon, our questions will be answered, and we will know how to proceed. For now, there is nothing for us but to wait."

"It's just, I knew everyone in the village, in one way or another. Even the people in the elf quarter. I hate thinking that— "

Araquies cut him off. "Then do not. Do not think it. Do not anticipate tragedy before the facts are presented."

Kytia asked, "The Norrhim have an elf quarter? How? Why?"

She could be volatile, especially when it came to her own people. And it wasn't the kind of crazy Wy wanted to deal with. He was taking her home, though. It was time to give her a missing piece of her people's history, no matter how she decided to take it.

She leaned forward in her seat, sharp hazel eyes zeroing in on him. Wyfrost sighed and began. "My ancestors swore to keep the enclave of elf mages a secret. That's why I never said anything to you about it. Generation after generation, it's the kind of thing that sticks to the souls of those who come after."

Kytia's expression softened, and she sat back a little. "So, this Mila, the one we're going to rescue, she wasn't just some random ylf'nim you found on a delusional pilgrimage? She was from there, from Fjallheim."

Wy nodded, then he finished his story in the way he'd been taught. "When the Mad Elf King began to slaughter his own people, a few escaped him and went north. They came to the Mountain for sanctuary. The Mountain gave them to us, because he knew we could shelter them and teach them to survive in his ways. They formed their own community within ours, and it's been like that ever since."

Wyfrost was surprised when Kytia offered him a rare soft smile. He expected her to lambast him with questions and accusations of keeping things from her. Instead, she reached across the aisle and squeezed his hand. She said, "Thank you."

Tenderness only went so far in Kytia. She immediately drew away and folded her arms across her chest. "You're still a dickhead for not telling me sooner."

Lost chimed in with, "You no deek-head, Wy." Then she asked, "Mad Kink es Malevaur, yeah?"

"Yes," Kytia answered. "And the longer he kept the throne, the madder he got."

"How he dead?" Lost asked.

Kytia frowned and stared at the floor between her feet. Not looking at Lost, she said, "He got sick and died. There're history books in the library. Look it up when we get home."

Lost touched Kytia's leg to regain her attention. "Ay'niki mess books, Kytia. Big, big mess."

"Besides," Araquies interjected. "In our experience, official historical accounts occlude much of what is true. History is most often written for the convenience of those in authority. Whenever possible, we Eloua seek out those who bore true witness. Their words are less likely tainted by the inevitable corruption of power. The Oracle merely seeks the true accounting."

Kytia studied Lost's eyes. The unblinking intensity along with white a knuckled grip on Kytia's leg, and Wy wondered what was really going on. Kytia quietly asked Lost, "What do you know, exactly?"

"I ask you," Lost insisted. When Kytia didn't answer, Lost pointed at him and accused, "Wy give a truth."

"Hey," Wy held up his hands his hands in defense. "Whatever's going on, don't get me in this."

Lost's gaze shifted to Wy briefly, "Yeah, you in it."

Wy said, "Look, that guy was way before my time. All I know is that the Mad King was an evil asshole. And I'm not sorry to say I'm glad he's dead. That's all I've got."

Lost asked again, "What you got, Kytia? What you truth?"

Kytia's eyes darted back and forth, and she suddenly reminded Wy of a cornered animal. It was not a look that suited her, and it had to stop. He intoned, "That's enough, Lost. Let her be."

"No," Kytia said, her vision now focused on the ceiling. "It's okay. Apparently, it's confession time." She paused for a breath, then she regarded her companions. "I could have prevented his death, and I didn't. I not only let him die, I encouraged the person who killed him.

"Ryn, Malevaur's daughter, was my friend. Over a period of months, she'd secretly been poisoning him. But when his health seriously declined, and things got really bad, she got cold feet. The guilt got to her, and she confided in me.

"She was afraid. She wanted to stop it, but I... I convinced her to keep going. In the end, she wasn't a killer. So, I helped her to finish it. Ryn took the crown. Raelinholm healed and grew strong under her reign. Only three people knew what really happened: Ryn, the royal physician, and me. None of us ever spoke of it.

"Seems weird, doesn't it? I commit regicide, then I take my place as captain of the royal bodyguard."

Kytia's cheeks were pale, her lips and eyes set tight. She sat with her fists in her lap, and she stared, as if waiting for condemnation. She wouldn't get it from him. Wy considered Malevaur's death a justice. It seemed no one else had anything to say either.

When the silence hung just a little too long, Wy said, "Well, I guess confession time is over."

Then Lost put up her hand and tried a new word. "I got cone-freshen."