Storm and Stone Ch. 01

"It was bad enough that he bounced her head off every tile on the kitchen floor, but when I heard him open the silverware drawers, I just knew he was getting a knife. He was going to kill her. I couldn't let that happen, she was my mother. So, I grabbed one of his precious railroad spikes from a display case and drove the point through the back of his head while he stalked her. It stuck out of his mouth in the front. I will never get one bit of that entire scene out of my head as long as I live."

Arawn grabbed took the half-smoked joint out of the tin and re-lit it. He let his free hand trail through Amevina's silken hair and they sat in silence as he finished his smoke. It had been a long time since he had thought about that night, and for good reason.

"A wise man on my world once said... All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Well, I did something, and it didn't help in the end. Two weeks later, she died in the hospital. I was visiting her when it happened. My bastard father reached out from the grave and took her from me despite it all. With that behind me, what happened today was a cakewalk. Those men had no care for any of us in those cages, and I'll never mourn their loss. Nor will I ever regret what I had to do to keep myself and innocents alive."

His voice had become a harsh whisper and tears streaked his face. Amevina was aghast at the pain on his face. She could see that this pain still rent his soul. She pulled him close and clutched his face to her breast. His shoulders began to shake, and he wept into her bosom. He sat back up after a few moments and placed a soft kiss on her lips. After another trip to the washbasin, he was back at her side with an arm around her shoulder.

"Who took care of you after that?"

"An uncle. He did right by me, helped me through a lot and managed my inheritance and all that. He's the reason I have what I do back home. Turned a couple hundred grand of insurance money into a hefty sum. I made damn sure he was taken care of, too. It was the least I could do, I wouldn't have survived my teens without him. After all, I was the kid who killed his dad. I went to college after that and got degrees in botany, biology, and horticulture. I really like plants and animals. My favorites have always been spiders and scorpions, I have a rather large collection of living specimens at home that I care for, but that is a conversation for later."

Arawn had long since lost track of time, so he excused himself for a moment and peeked out of the tent to check Terrock's moon. What he saw chilled his blood. Everyone had retired to darkened tents except for the sentries on the outskirts of the camp, and a trio of cloaked figures hunkered down near the captain's tent. Arawn ducked back into the tent, made sure she was okay from the smoke earlier, and whispered instructions to Amevina. She used her magic to dress him quickly and Arawn strapped on his shield, then put both pairs of brass knuckles on his right hand. He kissed her hard before the pair slipped out the back of his tent.

They split up the moment they stepped onto the grass and Arawn called up all the skill he had and stalked the trio as they awaited something. He had almost gotten within range when one of the figures rose up and looked around. Arawn ducked behind a crate and watched carefully from the shadows. When the man did not hunker back down and turned his back instead, Arawn peered out and found his avenue of attack, then disappeared into the shadows without a sound.

Arawn leapt out from the darkness only a few feet away from the intruders and bashed the standing man in the back of his head with a horizontal strike from the leading edge of his shield. The man dropped like a stone and the other two leapt to their feet. Arawn disabled another of the men easily enough with a right hook from his brass knuckles, but the third man had already broken into a dead run away from camp. Arawn turned and shouted.

"Amevina, NOW!"

Just as the man reached the edge of the tent lines, Amevina stepped out behind him and the runner was engulfed in the biggest lightning bolt Arawn had ever seen while a violent thunderclap shook the night sky. It was breathtaking to behold, with the mystical symbols that spiralled around the gigantic arc of electricity in the split second that it struck. Then they were gone as fast as they had appeared. When the spots finally cleared from his vision he could find no trace of the man. Arawn's mouth moved but words eluded him. When he finally found Amevina amongst the stampede of frantic orcs who sought to understand why the sky just exploded, a more delighted grin had never crossed his features. He dashed to her and scooped her into his arms as he giggled like a madman.

"Ohhhh baby, you have GOT to teach me that spell!" he gushed as he tried to kiss her repeatedly and talk at the same time..

"That was...," he kissed her.

"...just so...," he kissed her again.

"...fucking...," he kissed her a third time.

"Awesome!"

If the earth-shaking thunder failed to wake the camp, Arawn's shout most certainly did, and now the camp was alive with half-dressed orcs in search of a fight. Amevina laughed as he continued to kiss her and tell her how great her spell was and how awesome she had done. She spied the captain headed their way and tapped Arawn on the shoulder.

"Dear, I think we have company."

Arawn pouted and turned around to flash Captain Grokan an innocent smile. Arawn kept an arm around Amevina's waist and pointed over to the two fallen men who were now being bound as they lay unconscious.

"Look Cap'n, I found you some new toys to play with!"

That drew a deep, barking belly-laugh from the captain.

"Looks like we owe you two our thanks. Just what in the hells happened out here?" the captain asked through his laughter.

"Well, I had just gotten finished talking to Amevina and introducing her to a plant from my world in my tent, and peeked outside to see what time it was. I saw those two fuckheads and one more trying to sneak into your tent, so I got Amevina and we took care of the problem. She, uh, got carried away with the other guy." Arawn told him.

Amevina spoke up, "That reminds me, we need to have a discussion about your plant. I meant to incapacitate him, not reduce him to ash. It seems that your medicine has properties here that you were not aware of. That lightning spell was not lethal, I have used it hundreds of times to incapacitate and it has never once killed."

"Holy shit," Arawn muttered to himself, "I turned her taser into a supernova!"

"Taser?" Captain Grokan asked.

"Supernova?" Aravine inquired further.

Arawn laughed and explained that a taser was a handheld device that was designed to serve the same purpose as her spell, and that a supernova was a star that exploded when it died. Then he had to explain that not all stars exploded, the rest just burned out and suffered a more quiet death. The orc and the elf were shocked again by the extent of Earth knowledge. Captain Grokan brought things back when he asked about the medicine. Arawn smiled.

"That, well... it's a plant from my world that is smoked in pipes and rolled up in thin paper, like tobacco. It has powerful medicinal properties on my world, apparently it amplifies magic here. I use it to curb anxiety and keep a level head, but with what happened to her spell... we need to keep a tight lid on this until we understand more. If that got out... well, I don't want to imagine the kind of problems it could cause."

"Indeed" Captain Grokan agreed. "How much of it do you have?"

"Unless you have someone who can cultivate a live plant from fully dried material, it's the seeds I have that are going to be an issue. My supply will run out soon enough, but I always carry a healthy sample of seed stock from my best lines to trade for new breeding stock if I run into someone... I grow my own." Arawn explained.

"Druids" Amevina told them. "They will know best how to safeguard the seeds, and can assist you with cultivation here."

It was decided that they would depart camp at first light and head to the Northern Oaks. When it was announced that the trip to the elves' capital city of Lakehome would take ten days, Arawn spoke up.

"I'm going to make an assumption here, hoping it doesn't bite me in the ass, that my new fiance can cast a teleportation spell... and ask why we don't just let her take us there instead. I mean, my current supplies may be limited, but I can't imagine it would take much for her to get us there if she needs the extra kick."

The Captain had reservations, "Do you believe that to be wise? What would happen if something went wrong?"

"I think that is what he was hoping for, Captain," Amevina informed. "The effects were quite straightforward, the spell was not altered... it was merely amplified. The magical currents of the spell let me feel my targets. I shouldn't need assistance, however. I can teleport at least a dozen targets together on my own. A much more agreeable option to ten days on the road, would you not agree?"

The captain did indeed agree, and it was decided. They would teleport to Lakehome at sunrise. The camp had already started to settle, though extra guards were posted, and the trio decided to call it a night. Before the captain could get out of earshot, Arawn called him back for a moment.

"Captain, I have a request,"

"Go on, and please call me Grok. My friends do" the orc said.

"Thanks, Grok. Listen, I know you probably have plans for the guys I busted up today, but I'd like to be the one to interrogate them. Hell, your people can even ask the questions. I just want to be the one who makes them talk" Arawn requested.

The orc's eyes narrowed in consideration and he expelled a slow sigh as he thought.

"I see no problem with that, so long as you do not kill them. We may need them later" he told the human.

"Awesome. Thanks again, Grok."

The orc laughed, "My pleasure, Rawn. Now, I think it is time that I got some sleep. Goodnight to you both."

With that, the captain headed into his tent, and Amevina retired with Arawn to his own.

Author's note: Sorry for taking so long. This has grown so far beyond my original idea that it has taken me longer than expected to get this chapter rewritten. Every time I started to write, something else for the greater background would point itself out and demand attention. I hope you enjoy.

Thanks,

TLW