Surfacing Ch. 10

I had not won that challenge in any way, when Kerse had finally pushed back against the females controlling him. I had been helpless and broken and dying...my life had been in the hands of others. They had all chosen for me; everything, including the seed that now strengthened my resolve to survive this task...and to know better, to be able to see it coming for the sake of something broader. To be someone more resilient and lasting than the solitary, silent, angry child I'd once been.

It wasn't just me anymore. Once, it had been. Not anymore.

I wasn't sure when I'd kneeled down shaking in the garden, or when the darkness had receded, but the two young males had spotted me spying on them. I'd actually been discovered, I'd given myself away somehow; perhaps I'd made a sound? They did not dress again, or cover themselves, or run away; they did not speak at first, no accusations, no excuses for what they'd been doing to pleasure each other.

The wizard and the Consort kneeled down with me, on either side of me; one pulled down my hood and began to lightly kiss my ears and my neck, exposed parts that were not covered by cloak, armor, bracers, or gloves. Shyntre's hand moved to press low, covering the hot spot in my abdomen, his strong aura seemed to make it tingle. Meanwhile Auslan's hand slide further down, between my legs to cup my sex, touching me gently through my leathers.

The Human sorcerer had done these same things, yet how differently it felt in this dream. How could I be so calm and content, yet so excited and aching at the same time? I felt the body warmth of being between two naked males—which was not a first, yet I strained my ears so to catch the sound of their breath and small sighs of welcome and of...and...of what?

My breasts—always tender—felt swollen and hot beneath my armor, and my males did not move to undress or disarm me. I felt I would still cum just from their kisses to my face and mouth, ears and neck; from Auslan's precise, well-trained fingers and Shyntre's intoxicating aura bringing me higher.

I shuddered. Were they both using magic...?

*Magic wears differently on us all over time, Red Sister....even with a queen that aims for stagnation.*

*I like that it may be you to bring a deep earthquake to this City that needs it so, though do not assume to do it alone.*

My favorite males used their mouths on me and massaged me harder; Shyntre bit the lobe of my ear and nibbled along the edge to the very tip, nearly driving me mad, while Auslan lightly ran the tip of his tongue over my lips before I caught it, drawing it in for a sucking, wet kiss.

I reached out to take a stone-hard erection in each gloved hand, somehow focused on all that sensation at once; they shuddered, the sound of their twin gasps thrilled me. I loved the way the tender skin slid over such hard swellings, the subtle sounds made when I increased the tempo. I certainly did not reach the high point alone as they sprayed their seed all over the red leather of my uniform...

To coax into bed twin brothers who did not fight each other outright was one of my favorite scenarios...though I had not needed to coax these two at all...

The Moons were still up and the Sky was black when I opened my eyes, but I could tell more than half of the night had passed. I attributed the long rest to having my previous burdens of searching for food and watching out for Gavin now lifted for the night, as well as the stress of the inn catching up to me.

My appetite was larger upon waking as well, and thanks to the sorcerer, I had plenty to consume out of sight of the others while my three pets fended for themselves. Shyntre's wellness pellet had done its work and I was no longer sore anywhere, inside or out. I took a few moments to strip in sections and to wipe down my skin. As I was shirtless, I tested the subtly-growing weight of my breasts and pressed upon my abdomen prior to re-donning my armor. My attention turned inward as I gently probed the swollen, warmer place down low in my pelvis; I could tell that it had continued to change as I was on this journey, just very slowly.

My womb still wasn't visible as a bump, even bare beneath the Stars. Only the fact that I knew it was there and it was doing something, only the fact that I was trained and encouraged to have an abnormally high awareness of my body, allowed me to be sure of any growth. At least I could be certain that there had not been any significant change from before the inn, either way, inside or out. I felt normal, as I'd become accustomed to be "normal" for me.

I could grant that my stomach wasn't concave—it never had been, between martial training and being among those always having enough to eat—but I couldn't help but consider what it would look like when growth finally started pressing outward. For that moment I might have wondered, but soon enough I reminded myself that I was not in a hurry for it to happen. It would only be yet another factor that made Humans like Kurn act less predictably around me.

The Hellhound certainly couldn't seem to handle with any grace his imagining of what Brom might have done with me, or to me, naked in his bed. Certainly that had been the sorcerer's intent when he kissed me farewell in front of every male in the place. If it was somehow a warning to Kurn that I was "his"....I sincerely doubted it would make any difference to the Ma'ab now that we were well away from the inn.

My showing signs of carrying right now would not help matters, even if any idiot should know that if I was, then the Man I'd mated for the first time just the previous night could not possibly be the sire.

I sighed to myself as I stood up to finish dressing; with Jacob as example of the learned superstition and ignorance on the Surface, I would not put it past most males what they might presume to know about my baby's heritage and my body. It could be anything they could dream it to be.

The catching and bearing of young was mystery enough to females at times, I had to wonder how it must seem to males? Especially those who did not pay close attention.

In impressive time, my eight-legged babies returned, sated for the next few days or week as there were plenty of insects around and they had been easy to catch. I gave the scorpion its chance to hunt as well, waiting as needed and trying to think more about my reverie—where I'd climaxed between two male Drow, even fully clothed—as it was much more pleasant than dwelling on the sorcerer who'd given me that second venomous hunter.

On my way closer to camp, I studied my surroundings in general. The mountains on this side of the Midway were not as high as those to the West, and the dampness seemed greater as well, with fewer needle pines and more leafy trees. I could see the green health of the leaves and grasses and could scent the dew; moisture in the air seemed to be blowing down a bit cooler from the North rather than the West.

The rising Sun would warm the air soon enough with the Summer only beginning to truly settle in, and the humidity might be unpleasant at times with thunderstorms like the one that drove us to Brom's inn in the first place would likely come again. For the time being, however, it was clear and easily the most pleasant temperature I recalled on the Surface so far for this time of pre-dawn. It was like the Underdark; not too warm, not too chilly, the air moving slowly like a deep river.

That could have been the reason I heard someone bathing some distance off.

I paused and crouched for cover within the deepest shadows to listen a bit longer, before I decided whether to investigate or not. Was it of my group or not? If so, or if not, what would I do?

The general size of the splasher would be Human, I could tell soon enough, and it was in water deep enough to swim. The fact that water was displaced in powerful strokes implied strong male. Mathias or Kurn, if it was one of us. Castis and Gavin both had less mass than I heard.

I'd gotten used to Kurn grunting and muttering obscenities to himself, so the fact that this one was only splashing water made me wonder. I decided I would creep closer and identify the bather, at least. I was not sure of the chances of our meeting a stranger on this road, but...we were near a Man-made road, weren't we?

The lingering Moons lit up a small pool with one of the quietest feeding streams I'd witnessed, its source a belowground spring, the water flowing down from just above the pool itself, which in turn overflowed and the stream continued its way down a steep drop and between the steep hills. Leafy trees and brush surrounded the pool and it smelled fresh, not stagnant. Some stones bordered the pool but there were points of mud bank as well; I approached from one of those, and decided to shift not only for a better view, but for more solid footing.

I spotted what was clearly Kurn's equipment and armor placed upon a large boulder and looked at the pool again for signs of more than one body. There were none, but after a time, I could see wet footprints leaving the pool by way of the rock. Probably Castis.

The Ma'ab had finally decided to take a bath.

The temptation to swap places with him was very strong, although I would not want the end result to be the same. It wouldn't be, merely because I did not have the same motive to rape him just because he was naked. Also, he had not chosen a good place to leave his belongings. I could stand between them and him very easily.

It would be aggravating him, perhaps. Still. He never had asked me about the red ruby, and he was becoming far too comfortable insulting me with no consequences. There would be consequences; I just had to choose my moment well...and my rock upon which to crouch. It was not unlike the first time he'd turned around to discover me crouching on Sarilis's great room table, but this time he had no sword to draw. I was right next to it.

Eventually Kurn did finish what actually looked to be a focused, intense exercise in the small but deep pool. He had been swimming back and forth, fast as he could propel himself. Now he waded toward me and closer to the edge until he could stand up and walk carefully to shore. His footing could not have been secure.

The dark-eyed Man stopped when the water still covered him from the waist down; that was how close he had to get to see me in the dark under Moonlight when I used my cloak and hood, and even then, he squinted as if he wasn't sure what the black shape was upon the rock.

He still acted, and I discovered he had not left all his weapons ashore. He pulled a dagger up from below the surface, the droplets of water sparkling under the Moons as he shifted the hold and drew his arm back to throw.

I waited until it was too late for him to stop his pitch before I dodged down behind the boulder that held his possessions and heard the metal chink loudly against the stone before ricocheting off into the brush. He was moving fast out of the water and I scooted backward while still out of sight, having already loosened my spider pouch and gaining a pinch of my coughing dust.

I thought I heard Soul Drinker squeak with glee and I was tempted to draw it.

"Do you always strike first and inquire later?" I said loudly, still out of sight and quite able to defend but giving him the opportunity not to come charging around that stone. He would be down once again if he did.

His movement hesitated then stopped. He growled first, but then he forced a harsh chuckle as he stood dripping.

"You really cannot help yourself, can you, Sirana? Always spying on me when my cock is out."

Odd for him to use my name then; he hadn't bothered in quite a while, if ever. And I suppose he had a point, but that was only because he seemed to frequently draw his cock out to be seen. I tended to spy regardless; the state of dress in my target rarely made a difference except perhaps to make it less mundane or to better evaluate them.

I stood up slowly, keeping all senses open to sudden movement from him, and took a few steps away from his belongings—truly they were of no interest to me at this point in time. I already had the one item I did not want him to have any longer. Completely nude with only a sheath strapped to his thigh—and actually that was not a state in which I had seen him before—Kurn stepped and took up his sword first.

"You finally smell better," I said. "Although I wager you did not wash your clothing, so it will do little good."

He smirked and flexed an arm in gripping the hilt of his sword tighter, as though without thought. However, the way he held his form wasn't altogether practical for engaging in combat...so I had to assume he was displaying his form, as I already knew he had a tendency to do whether his audience was imaginary or not.

"I did wash them. Castis's cantrip dried them already."

"How genteel of you."

He frowned. "What demon word is that?"

"Ask Gavin. I learned it from him. I think it means 'polite' or 'respectable. Not slum.'"

The Hellhound snorted, "He would know. His mother was probably captured and mounted by every soldier in the unit."

I shifted from one shadow to a slightly deeper one in an easy, fluid step as Kurn rolled a muscular shoulder and his neck as if to work out a kink.

"Oh? Do Manalar armies do that?"

"The Ma'ab army does."

I felt my brow quirk at that lack in logic, but it gave me an opening I wanted to take. "For what purpose?"

"You jest, demoness. To breed them out, of course. As you said, our power is stronger, our seed more robust."

Right. "And your female politicians suggest this?"

He spat at the ground. "No. They claim to reward with it. Only politicians promise that which is not in their power to give."

"Are the armies all-male, then?"

"Of course. We are much larger than our women, much stronger, yet they seek to control how often we get between their legs."

Or they did control it, by the sound of it from a few other more unbiased sources.

I nodded. "Under what circumstance do you think a Ma'ab woman would have been so far afield to be captured by Manalara, if she was not in an army?"

"If she was slum, who by Ghabra cares?"

"At the very least, you mean the Manalar have never entered your territory."

Kurn snorted and didn't deign to answer.

"So what are you doing here, little voyeur?" he asked instead, exhibiting no hesitation in adjusting his genitals with his free hand. His length had increased some as we'd been talking and he hung lower, and heavier. "Was the innkeeper unsatisfying that you come sniffing around here next?"

It was interesting that he seemed to forget, at least in this moment, that I had penetrated his netherhole with his own dagger, that I was responsible for the new scar in the hollow of his throat and the change in his voice.

Or...perhaps he did remember, and that was why we had actually managed a short conversation, with some real detail about his race, before he brought up Brom again. It was a surprising thought for me, given his behavior at the campfire. Even the lack of or presence of witnesses had not seemed to matter.

So what was I doing here?

"I suppose I like to watch you in some way, or I would not be here," I said with a spreading smile, resting my hands at my belt near my daggers. "You remind me of a... a bull, let us call it. A bull inside a fence, charging those who dare to taunt it from the outside. You might agree it is entertainment when there is nothing else." I barely paused. "Before you suggest it, no, I would not let the bull mount me. It is a good way to get a broken back."

Several muscles shifted in Kurn's arms, back, and neck as he considered this and likely could not tell if I was praising his strength and eye appeal, or insulting his intelligence and sexual finesse. That was fair, because I did both.

Finally he sneered and grabbed his pants, leaning his sword against the boulder within easy reach as he watched me with that same simmering hatred. He began to dress.

"So tight-lipped about the innkeeper," he growled. "Amelda said there was no way he would not try to seduce you, and you were known to be in his room for a great amount of time. Did he succeed in parting your k'us-lips or not?"

"And this applies to you in what way?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Once a choosy k'us opens her thighs, that aer has expanded his territory."

"Which means what to you?"

"He will seek you out again, sooner or later."

"And this harms you how? Have you not seen his gifts in your saddlebags?"

"I do not trust gifts from aging rivals."

I was frowning at him as much as he was me; as irritating as he was, it was a good point and this was the first time he had some halfway accurate understanding of what he saw—even if he had no idea just how "aged" Brom was. Nonetheless, the accusation and demands he made now, as if I owed him an explanation of my couplings and their details, was well above simple arrogance.

"He is no rival of yours, whether he succeeded or not. I will not 'open my thighs' to you, Kurn."

"Not without persuasion," he growled. "You just like to be chased."

"No. Not during the short, pitiful time that you draw breath, Human!" I hissed. "Can I make that any more clear, stupid beast, or need I pierce you again, this time somewhere between your ass and your neck?"

The Hellhound's face and neck darkened, reddening significantly in the Moonlight, giving me warning as he plucked up something from his laid belt that appeared to be a normal pebble. I was already backing up, covering my ears, and gaining distance when the flash-bang struck the ground, imitating thunder and lightning for an intense, painful moment by the sparkling pool.

I might have known he'd received a few of those from Amelda before he left the inn. I was glad to have the forewarning now, even as I was in full retreat. My blindness did not keep me from navigating among the trees with enough speed that Kurn would not be able to catch up by the time he was fully dressed.

My ears rang, but I had not been caught by surprise this time and I could hear Kurn bellowing as if to bounce his already-damaged voice off the hillsides.

"...THEN I WILL MAKE YOU REMEMBER ME LONG AFTER I AM DUST!!"

I mentally shook my head. *That loss of temper will cost you far more than it was worth, Ma'ab.*

It felt for a moment as if someone had sensuously caressed my left hip, right where I kept Soul Drinker. Still without my sight, I touched it, took hold of the familiar hilt, to make sure it was still there.

"Yesss. Yess, it will,* it cooed to me, and I felt how happy it was that I'd acknowledged it at last. *Judge him. Sssentence him. For what he wantss to do...again.*

Though there were still spots before my eyes, my vision was returning and I lifted my hand off the hilt to the disappointed sigh of the sentient blade. I kept moving quickly toward the camp.

It wasn't Innathi I'd heard just now; she had said that she and Soul Drinker were not the same, and I believed it for the most part. The reason was because I still felt the weight of memory looking at the former queen, whether I actually stood in the elsewhere in reverie, or it was merely a mental connection with her, a communing.

The dagger's voice, on the other hand, possessed no age, no history in no specific place, and no distinct personality the few times I'd heard it. The traits most like an entity of any intelligence were its awareness of its thirst and its fickle wants and challenges—and like any pet, those were to be controlled, or not, by the handler.

I had already begun to suspect that it borrowed language and culture familiar to the carrier in order to communicate, but the time, the place, or even the ideal behind its suggestions meant nothing in the end. It only amounted to one demand: