Tamsin Beech Ch. 05: Conwy

"These are fresh," Tamsin noted. There hadn't been enough wind to even partially erase the tracks, "whoever was here went this way in the last couple of hours. I'm guessing the sheep or whatever it was, is being carried further up the mountain to be butchered well away from us."

"Away from us. You think someone knows we're here?"

"Yep," Tamsin checked her crossbow, "don't bunch up. And keep your eyes peeled."

Tamsin was impressed with herself for handling things in such a business like fashion. Across the causeway, the tracks led up a steeper section of the path to skirt around a smaller lake, Glaslyn. Tamsin peered nervously up at the precipitous summit ridge hundreds of feet above them, wondering if their quarry were about to unleash a hail of bullets or avalanche of rocks down on them at any second.

More drips and splashes of blood, and incongruously a smear of something blue, confirmed that they were heading the right way as they reached the steepest section of all. Tamsin slung her crossbow back over her shoulder as the ice covered incline required her to clamber upwards using hands as well as feet.

Then at last they were up. Several startled carrion crows, a murder, took flight and glided away cawing their indignation. A gust of wind sent spindrift pirouetting across the path as they emerged on the summit ridge. To their right, the rusting steel rails of Snowdon's miniature mountain railway led back down to Llanberis in the far distance. Ahead, a vista of snow covered peaks and hills stretched away to Anglesey and the Irish Sea.

"Wow," Tamsin gasped, "what ... a view. Do you think we can see Conwy from up here?"

Leonid shrugged, crouching to remove his crampons.

"I don't know where this guy we're after's gone but there's nothing up here."

Leonid pointed. A few hundred yards away, rough stone steps climbed a rough cairn leading to Snowdon's summit marker. To the right and downslope slightly, Tamsin's eyes were drawn to an unusually level area of snow, almost like ...

"A building? Up here?" she sat to remove her own crampons. If it truly was a building they couldn't venture inside wearing inch long steel spikes on their feet.

"Summit Visitor Centre. Hafod Eryri," Leonid explained, "this must be where our man's been living."

"How did you know this was here?" Tamsin asked.

"I researched the local area as soon as we arrived in Conwy," Leonid raised his snow goggles and thumbed of his AK's safety, "standard practice. This place has been here since 2009, built to withstand the worst of the mountain weather. Whoever it is we're hunting ... has chosen well."

Tamsin nodded and began creeping closer to the building. Long, low and built from grey stone blocks, the flat roofed building apparently doubled as a terminus for the miniature railway. The ice encrusted tracks disappeared into a dark opening at the near end.

Drifts of snow and ice refrozen against the visitor centre's walls made progress awkward. As Tamsin spotted puddles of solidified blood and the odd bone and sheep skull littered about, Leonid pushed past her, "I'll go first. It could be dangerous."

Dangerous? After he'd left her unarmed facing down a bounty hunter with a shotgun? She was about to argue when they rounded the far end of the structure and found themselves at the entrance. Heavy oaken doors stood a few inches ajar. Through the gap Tamsin could see a long room inside flooded by bright sunlight. It appeared that one wall, floor to ceiling was entirely glass. Visitors would have been able to enjoy a sandwich while appreciating the tremendous views. Away from the light, the corners of the place remained in deep shadow.

Leonid eased one door open a little further and squeezed through.

THWACK!

Without warning, something smacked into Leonid's head. He dropped heavily like a felled tree, his AK12 skittering across the cracked floor tiles. Tamsin raised her crossbow as a figure ran out of the shadows wielding a blood stained butcher's cleaver.

It appeared to be human in a very rough sense of the word, roughly Leonid's height, dressed in animal skins and scraps of what looked like tartan, long straggly hair matted with filth and dried blood and every inch of its exposed skin decorated in strange blue swirls ...

A Reekie.

How many were there? Just one, or had they stumbled into a nest? Tamsin remembered the blue smear she'd spotted on the ascent, and her blood ran cold. Why hadn't she made the connection? These fucking things had killed her brother, and quite possibly her cousin Ada, "DON'T FUCKING MOVE!"

Was Leonid dead? She didn't dare take her eyes off the Reekie for even a moment to find out. In her peripheral vision she could see a pool of blood spreading around the Russian's head among the sheep bones and debris that littered the floor.

The Reekie watched her curiously, stealing a glance past her at Leonid every few seconds. Then finally, with a huff of breath he dropped the cleaver and spread his arms wide in a gesture of submission.

"NOW what am I supposed to do?" Tamsin asked herself. In her experience Reekies didn't simply surrender. And if Leonid was indeed dead she was now alone with an unarmed Reekie prisoner. No matter how much she hated the things she knew she'd never be able to kill one in cold blood. Was this a part of the test? Had Leonid Denisovich planned all this?

There was only one way to find out ...

"I m-mean you no harm," she stammered and slowly, carefully placed her crossbow on the floor. If the Reekie charged now, she was fucked.

Behind her, Leonid groaned as he pushed himself up onto one elbow. He blinked blood out of his eyes and stared, "McTavish?"

The Reekie grinned, revealing crooked yellow teeth and stepped nimbly around Tamsin, "You got med kit?"

Reekies could speak?

"Wait a minute," she called, "you two know each other?"

With McTavish's help, Leonid clambered to his feet clutching a gushing head wound, "Yes. Tamsin Beech, meet McTavish. McTavish, this is ... my pupil, Tamsin."

McTavish nodded a greeting, then repeated his question, "Med kit?"

Tamsin searched through the pockets of her patched mountain jacket and found a sealed field dressing she suspected had been stolen from some Coalition convoy. While McTavish retrieved his cleaver, she carefully dressed Leonid's wound, "This is all I have on me, but it'll do until we can get back down to Pen y Pass. It looks worse than it actually is."

"Thank you," Leonid murmured.

Using her sleeve, Merida wiped some of the blood from his face, "So tell me, how do you two know each other?"

Leonid clutched at his head, "What the fuck did he hit me with?"

"Sheep skull I think. Answer the question."

"Uh ... when I shot Colonel Dikaya in Berwick, it was McTavish's clan that were about to be killed. He owes me."

Tamsin glanced nervously around, "Cl-clan? So where are the rest of them?"

"I'm ... only one left," McTavish interrupted, "soldiers hunted us, then sent bounty hunters."

Tamsin's jaw dropped as she made the connection, "You're the one the bounty hunters were after."

Leonid shook his head, "I'm so sorry McTavish. If it's any consolation you don't have to worry about them coming after you. Their bodies are down at the youth hostel."

McTavish nodded his gratitude, "Again ... I owe you."

Leonid waved a hand dismissively, "Forget it."

"No wait!" said Tamsin, sensing an opportunity. She tried to see the Reekie like any other normal man, not as one of the rampaging cannibal horde that had killed her brother. With the necklace of human teeth around his scrawny neck it was certainly difficult, "uh ... McTavish? You've survived up here alone for months, yeah?"

McTavish nodded.

"Hunting and avoiding capture. So I'd guess you're pretty smart yeah? What would you be like as ... a scout? Th-the resistance could quite possibly use someone with your skills."

McTavish regarded her coldly, "You could have killed me."

Tamsin nodded in agreement, "Yes ... yes I could have."

"But you didn't," the Reekie growled, almost accusingly.

"Um, no ... I didn't."

"I owe you too. McTavish ... will think on it."

"Well if you want to travel back with us you're welcome to. But we need to pick up our gear from the youth hostel first," Leonid stood up, and lurched sideways, grabbing the wall to stop himself falling, "you hit me harder than I thought."

McTavish shrugged.

Tamsin forced Leonid to sit back down, "You're in no fit state to walk back down the mountain. The temperature's dropping and it'll be dark before we get half way."

"I'll go," McTavish volunteered.

"What?"

"I'll bring your gear. Meet you back here in the morning."

Leonid nodded, seeing the sense in the Reekie's offer, "There's food in our bags. You're welcome to help yourself."

McTavish shook his head, grinning, "I'll find my own."

It wasn't until a minute later after the Reekie had left the visitor centre that Tamsin realised with horror what McTavish had meant. As well as their gear, there were three perfectly refrigerated corpses currently in the youth hostel. She suddenly felt sick.

. . .

Tamsin and Leonid rooted through the visitor centre's ransacked storeroom and surprisingly discovered thermal blankets and a couple of tatty but serviceable sleeping bags hidden in a corner. After clearing some of the bones and other detritus from an area of floor, they snacked on oatcakes and watched the sunset through the enormous glass wall.

"How did I do today?" Tamsin asked him anxiously.

Leonid was silent for a moment, watching the last rays of sunlight give the distant peaks an orange glow as if the snow itself was on fire, "You did well. A few mistakes that may have potentially gotten us killed ... but not in a bad way."

Tamsin gasped, "Wh-what do you mean?"

Leonid raised an eyebrow, "A joke? Relax. You did well. You showed strength, determination ... but also mercy and compassion. Both admirable qualities ... but without experience, qualities that can easily get you killed."

"So ... you're going to let me go back to Novaya Nadezhda?"

Leonid nodded, letting out a long sigh "The situation has changed. The North Koreans are here and will be hunting for the resistance. They'll need everyone to do their part. I'll be going with you ... but yes, you can go back to your parents."

Tamsin couldn't help herself. She wrapped her arms around the Russian's neck and kissed him, "Thank you. Thank you so much."

His eyes burned, as bright as coals as he regarded her. Tamsin felt so embarrassed she could hardly bear to look at him, but neither could she look away, "I'm sorry. I d-don't know what ..."

Leonid suddenly caught her by both arms and pulled her towards him. Her head fell back as he buried his lips against her throat. His breath hot and damp as his tongue lashed her skin. She cried out, shuddering.

This was it, she realised. They'd both finally accepted what they'd been denying for the last few months. With one hand Leonid clumsily unzipped Tamsin's grubby mountain jacket. His mouth found hers and kissed her with such ferocity that she could hardly breathe, his lips crushing hers and his tongue coiled and twisting in her open mouth.

"Wait," Tamsin whispered, pulling away and as quickly as she could stripped out of her clothes. Leonid would be the first to see her naked since Craster had watched her in the bath. The Russian followed her example, pulling off base layers, socks and trousers and carelessly dropping them where he stood. Then they climbed shivering into the open sleeping bags and squirmed eagerly closer.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Leonid seriously.

Tamsin nodded, "I've wanted you since I first set eyes on you. Even back when you were a dick and no-one trusted you."

Leonid smiled, "A dick? A-and you trust me now?"

Tamsin laughed, "No," her naked body pressed against his, close and tight - pale limbs against thick muscular ones. She felt like a child in his arms, her taut nipples against his smooth bare skin. Without another word, the Russian pushed his way between her legs and rolled onto his back, so that her thighs were wrapped around his waist. His big hands held her shoulders and buttocks, holding her against him.

She'd dreamt of this for weeks, alone in her room back in Conwy, and prayed desperately that the reality would live up to her expectations. This wasn't like the clumsy fumblings with Timur or with Craster where they'd been in fear of discovery. With McTavish out of the way, they had the entire night ahead of them.

Tamsin dipped her head and whispered, "Kiss me."

Leonid hesitated, watching her in the gathering dusk, then pressed his mouth back on to hers with such passion that she moaned aloud. He moved one hand down to her waist and with the other pushed her shoulder so that she bent away from him, offering her swollen breasts to his eager mouth.

He cupped her left breast in his calloused hand and took her right nipple into his mouth, licking, sucking, nibbling, making her cry out with astonished pleasure, "Fuck!"

"Are you okay?" Leonid asked her, pulling her back into his arms and looking straight into her wide eyes. Surprisingly, she realised he was shaking and his hands gripped her so tightly that they almost hurt.

"I'm fine. Are YOU okay?"

Leonid seemed embarrassed, "Don't laugh. But to be honest, this is my first time with a woman. I am devstvennitsa, uh ... virgin."

Tamsin stared, speechless.

"I'm sorry. You probably thought I was as experienced with sex as I am with killing. I'm twenty eight years old and still a virgin. Can you believe that? Twelve years of being Spetsnaz and I've never even ..."

"Leonid?" Tamsin silenced him with a finger to his lips, "I'm a virgin too. It's no big deal. Let's just take it slow and work it out together, yeah? I must say that for a first time you're doing pretty damn well so far."

They kissed, exploring one another with fingers, tongues and mouths, nervously learning each other's likes and dislikes. Oblivious to the falling temperature outside the visitor centre as night fell, Tamsin rolled onto her back, the sleeping bags a tangled mess beneath her. Leonid knelt over her, his cock so hard and erect that it bobbed against his flat muscular belly. A single transparent tear oozed from its tip.

Tamsin looked up at him, panting with eyes ablaze. She'd expected somewhere special for her first time, and this was surely it. A Welsh mountain top in the depths of winter.

"Open your legs?" Leonid asked.

Tamsin longed for him, her whole body quivering with need, but she also felt curiously fearful. Leonid was huge! Supposing he lost control and let his lust override this tender, caring side she'd uncovered? Impatient, he pressed a knee between her thighs and gently parted them. Then sliding down between her legs, he caught her buttocks in his hands and pressed his mouth to the slippery folds of her vulva.

"Oh!" Tamsin gasped out loud, trying to wriggle free from his grasp.

The Russian's tongue was sliding between her labia, while his lips kissed and caressed the little delicate pearl of flesh at their heart. No-one had ever touched her like this. With his hands he pressed her thighs still wider apart, exposing her. Tamsin ceased struggling and lay panting, held open to his fondling, shuddering as beat after beat of ecstasy pulsed through her.

Leonid's beard tickled as he licked at her with surprising skill for a complete novice. His strong fingers squeezed and stroked at the tender flesh of her inner thighs, stimulating her so unbearably that she once again cried out. Arching her back as she touched her own breasts, gripping the soft mounds tightly in her hands and pinching at her nipples.

Sparks of pleasure flickered through her, like little bolts of lightning. Leonid began to tease with his fingers, tracing her silken entrance and spreading her juices until he could stroke and stimulate her quivering anus.

"You've ... done this ... before!" Tamsin moaned. Waves of fuzzy sensation spread through her as her orgasm approached, "don't ... stop."

Leonid abruptly pulled away, panting as she shuddered violently, whimpering as the orgasm eluded her, leaving her feeling empty and unsatisfied. Tamsin opened her eyes and looked up at him, holding out her hands, "Please," she begged.

Leonid knelt above Tamsin, still breathing hard. His mouth shining with her excitement and his rigid cock still quivering as it yearned for her. His nostrils flared, his whole body showing just how much he wanted her.

"Why did you stop?" she breathed. Her body shook with longing and need and her mouth felt dry. Had she just made a fool of herself? Didn't the Russian find her desirable? The strand of sticky fluid oozing from his engorged cock suggested otherwise.

A sad smile touched Leonid's lips, "What do you want, Tamsin?"

Tamsin lifted her hands and touched the smooth warm skin of his arms. He was poised above her. She wanted to feel his power, his weight on top of her. She spread her thighs wider and lifted her hips towards him, writhing with abandon as she offered herself, "I want you. Take me," she whispered.

Leonid replied softly, lowering his mouth towards hers, "Only if it's really what you want. I'm here for you. But I'll never force you into anything you're not sure about. Put your hand on me and guide it. But ... only if you want to."

Tamsin's breathing came quick and shallow. She understood what he was saying and why. Once he was sheathed inside her there would be no way back. Leonid wasn't about to take one of the most precious gifts a woman could bestow upon a man by force.

But her longing was too great. She reached down tentatively with one shaking hand and touched him. Smooth, hot and hard, but strangely soft as well. Tamsin hesitantly explored its length, as Leonid closed his eyes. The feel of him made her shake with desire. Timidly, Tamsin guided the broad head to the lips of her sex and lodged it where she felt the emptiest. It nudged at her, twitching with a life of its own, and she moaned.

Leonid opened his eyes, "Ready?" he whispered.

"Get inside me. Please."

The Russian's hips tensed and he thrust, slowly and deliberately. Tamsin flung back her head and gasped at the brief instant of pain. Then his cock gradually slid up inside her, filling her, soothing all her longing and yet awakening an even greater need. Leonid's buttocks tautened as he withdrew from her, then slowly, steadily plunged again. Their loins met, the soft insides of her thighs cradling his flanks, and her heels crossed behind him.

Tamsin cried out with pleasure, taking hold of Leonid's ass, pulling him closer against her, "Don't ... you dare stop this time," she moaned.

He took her slowly, as Tamsin writhed beneath him, impaled and squirming. She moaned and tried to lift her head to kiss him, but the sensations of being penetrated were too strong for her. When her climax came it was as if she had exploded, been consumed by fire, trampled by wild horses and thrown aside. She cried out, a lonely dying wail as Leonid drove his jerking cock into her tense, rigid body. Even through the intensity of her orgasm she felt him throb within her.

Leonid rested his hands to either side of her to support his weight and looked down into Tamsin's face. His shoulders shone with sweat, the field dressing fallen loose from his head. He smiled, a quick ironic smile, and kissed the tip of her nose, "Eto bylo neveroyatno. That was incredible. You ... are incredible Tamsin Beech."

Tamsin squeezed his softening cock with her internal muscles, making him shudder, "You're not so bad yourself. I can't believe it was your first time. Where do you learn to do those things?"

Leonid rolled onto his back and pulled her close, covering her nakedness with one of the sleeping bags, "I've been a fugitive for months. I spent a while hiding out in a bungalow in Goathland. The previous occupant had, shall we say an extensive ... kollektsiya pornografii ... um, porn collection. It opened my eyes to a lot of things."