The Kingdom Pt. 02

"I'm all the way up! There's nowhere to go!" he declares in a panic.

"Wait!" Jolie chimes in. "I think there's a ledge above us! Finn, boost me up!"

As I help Fiona to the top which turns out to be a relatively flat chunk of stone, I see Jolie scramble up and into a depression in the cliff face. Silently I hope it's deep enough to keep the creatures from reaching us, and that there's enough room for four bodies.

"There's a tunnel!" Jolie shouts. Relief washes over me.

"Help Fiona up!" I tell Finn as I search for fist-sized rocks among the rubble. "I'll gain us a little time!"

As Finn lifts his sister up, I turn and take aim at the closest monstrosity. The snout, or whatever it is protruding above its maw, looks to be without scaly protection, so I pick that as my target.

My first shot is high, missing the snout and ricocheting harmlessly off the scales on top of its head. My second attempt succeeds, causing the thing to stop momentarily and bark out a loud squeal, like a giant, angry hog. Unfortunately, it appears mostly unharmed and all I succeeded in doing was to give it another reason to eat me.

"I'm up!" Fiona yells down from the ledge.

"Finn! You're next!" I say, turning my back on what will likely be my demise. Finn begins to protest, but I cut him off. "I'm taller, so it will be easier for me to jump up and grab the ledge. Now put your foot in my hands and I'll hoist you up."

He acquiesces. I brace myself and stand up, lifting with my hands at the same time, adrenaline bolstering my efforts. With help from above, he scampers onto the ledge. I turn to see how close the creatures are, only to discover what I previously guessed. One of them is almost to the top. I'll never make it in time.

Resigned to my fate, I decide I won't go down without a fight and reach for both of my daggers. Maybe I can kill one by stabbing it in the eye. But before either of my hands reach a hilt, the air in front of me lights up as a flaming torch flies by and smacks the creature square in the snout. The creature squeals in agony and retreats ten to fifteen feet, the smell of its burning flesh almost welcome compared to its normal stench of putrefaction.

"Come on!" Finn yells above me. I turn to see him laying down on the ledge, his arm reaching. I plant my foot and run at and up the wall to get more height. Our hands lock on each other's wrist, then he pulls me up enough so I can grasp the ledge. Five more hands grab various parts of my upper half and haul me over the edge.

We all scramble further into the tunnel, too small for either creature to enter, until we're well out of reach. As we lay together in the darkness, gasping for breath, the creatures bellow their wrath at losing such a tasty meal.

§ 20 - Obfuscation

"That was close," Jolie says, stating the obvious.

"Too close," Finn agrees.

"Whoever thought of throwing that torch, thank you," I say, unable to see my companions.

"You're welcome," Fiona replies. "I owed you one for saving me earlier. Thanks, by the way." Her hand finds mine in the dark and squeezes.

"You're welcome," I tell her, giving a quick squeeze in return before letting it go to search inside my pack for a torch. "Is everyone okay?"

"Just banged up a little," Jolie answers. "I hope the others are okay." I hear the worry in her voice.

"I think they'll be okay," I say reassuringly. "I'm sure we distracted those things long enough for them to find a way out, so they definitely owe us one. Does anyone else have a torch. I guess I didn't grab a backup."

I hear the others rummage around in their packs.

"I don't," Jolie says.

"I didn't grab any," Finn confesses.

"Fiona?" I ask hopefully.

"I threw the only one I had at that thing."

"Maybe our eyes will adjust to the darkness," Jolie suggests hopefully.

The ensuing silence is nearly thick enough to cut with a knife. We all know that going back the way we came is not an option. So before I, or anyone else starts to panic, I head it off by saying, "There's probably another room with spare torches not too far ahead. Does anyone have anything that will burn? We just need to make it that far."

A few moments pass as everyone considering my suggestion.

"Our clothes will burn," Finn points out.

More silence.

I get to my feet. One of us needs to lead. I think Jolie would have already taken charge if she wasn't so scared.

"Alright," I address the others. "Let's continue down the tunnel. I want to get away from that stench. We'll go slow. Whoever's in front can probe ahead using an unstrung bow. If we reach a point we need light, we'll burn a sleeve from my tunic."

No one argues. As I help the others to their feet, Finn offers to lead, using his bow.

Our initial progress is clumsy. One or more of us goes too fast or too slow, causing minor collisions, but eventually we figure out it works well to keep a hand on the shoulder of the person in front of you.

My eyes never adjust to the darkness. Time and distance become a thing of the past. It feels as though we walk for hours without actually going anywhere when Finn suddenly stops us.

"What's up?" Jolie asks. "Did you run into something?"

"No," he explains. "Just the opposite. We've come to an open area. I think it's time for some light."

"Okay, just a second," I say. I back up a step, then take out my belt knife and cut away the bottom of my sleeve. Carefully wrapping it around the blade, I kneel down and place it on the ground in front of me. Rummaging blindly through my pack, I find my flint and steel. Then after several futile attempts, the cloth finally catches fire. I quickly put away my fire kit and pick up my makeshift torch.

Everyone shields their sensitive eyes as the cloth flares brightly. This is going to burn quickly, so we look around the space as fast as we can.

We're in a room approximately the same size as the other room we stopped in shortly after entering the tunnel below the statue. The main passage continues straight ahead from where we entered.

I tell Finn to place his bow at that opening so we know which way to go when we leave. The others look at me like that's the smartest thing they've ever heard of.

There's no cache of torches anywhere we can see, but there is a small doorway in one wall, the door having rotted long ago, leaving behind only rusty hinges, a handle and locking mechanism on the floor.

After following a very short passage, we discover a smaller room, notably warmer than the main room, roughly twelve feet in diameter, hollowed out of the stone. From the center of the ceiling, a small cascade of water falls to a two foot deep pool below, taking up about a six foot diameter portion of the floor space, leaving about three feet between the pool and the wall. One spot of the pool's rim is slightly lower and slopes downward, allowing the water to drain away through a crevice at the wall. The bottom of the pool, as well as most of the floor around it, is filled with sand.

On either side of the entryway is a brazier filled with some type of crumbled leaves. They look like they'll burn nicely.

I place what's left of the burning cloth against the pile and hope I'm right. Within a few seconds, some of the fragments catch. I'm surprised they merely smolder instead of flaring up as I anticipated. I move the dying torch to the other brazier as the last bit of burning cloth falls on the pile.

"What is that stuff" Jolie asks.

"I'm not sure, but it looks like it will burn for a while. It's not very bright, but at least it's better than darkness."

"Do you think we have time to rest here a while?" Jolie asks.

Sheathing my knife, I assess one smoldering pile and answer, "Yeah, I think this stuff is going to burn for a few hours at least."

"Good. I need to sit down. I think we could all benefit from a short rest after what we've been through," she points out as she picks a spot along the wall, drops her pack and slumps down beside it. The rest of us agree wholeheartedly.

Fiona and Finn follow Jolie's lead, each picking a spot on either side of her. I set my pack down next to Fiona's, then squat down next to the edge of the pool.

Testing the water, I find it quite warm, so I remove my boots and set those aside, deciding to soak my feet after all the walking we've done. Pulling my trouser legs up, I sit on the edge and lower my feet into the water.

"That's a great idea," Fiona agrees, removing her boots, then sitting down just to my left. Jolie and Finn follow suit, sitting across from us. Relaxing together, we sit and breathe in the pleasant aroma emitted by the burning leaves.

After giving it some thought, I'm sure that must be the reason this room is here. A place for weary travellers. What I can't figure out is why it needed a door with a lock on it. Why would anyone want to keep others out of this room? Oh well. It doesn't matter now I suppose.

"It's too warm in here for this hot, leather armor," Jolie says after a few minutes. "I'm going take it off until we leave. Finn would you please help me with the buckles?"

Finn smiles pleasantly at Jolie and answers, "Of course."

I decide it's also too hot for the hauberk I'm wearing, so I remove my tunic and shrug out of the heavy, chain shirt.

"Please help me when you're finished, Quill," Fiona says.

"Okay," I say, setting my hauberk aside then standing so I can pull her cuirass up and over her head. I see Jolie helping Finn remove his leather breastplate as well.

Now that we're more comfortable, we all lean back on our hands and relax. The warm, humid, smoky air along with the the mesmerizing sound of the falling water churning the pool helps ease the tension brought about by the thought of nearly being eaten by subterranean monsters.

"That stuff we're burning, smells... interesting," Fiona notes. "Kind of calming in a way."

"Yeah," I agree, grinning. "I feel like I'm in a cloud, floating over the ocean."

"That sounds wonderful," Jolie agrees mimicking my actions. "I feel like a butterfly in spring, floating on the breeze, searching for a place to land."

"And I feel like a hawk soaring along a majestic river, catching the wind in my wings," Fiona tells us, spreading her arms out, "Hovering, hovering before I dive in to catch my prey!" She laughs. The three of us laugh with her.

"And I'm walking through a mist-shrouded forest," Finn claims, getting to his feet for dramatic effect. "Searching for that graceful doe I spotted earlier. Slowly, I stalk my quarry," he continues, stalking around the pool, looking each of us in the eyes with such intensity that we're caught up in his vision. "Until finally... I see her in the clearing! I raise my bow and pull the string back." His gaze locks on Jolie and the huge grin on her face.

"I claim my prize!" Finn announces enthusiastically, darting forward to tickle Jolie, who squirms and giggles her approval.

After a few seconds, he seems to realize how forward he's being and ceases his playful actions, smoothly turning and sitting back down next to Jolie. He seems to be blushing, or maybe he's just a little flushed from his intense acting.

Both Fiona and Jolie are smiling though, so his moment of self-consciousness passes and he starts smiling again. It feels nice to just sit and enjoy one another's company, not worrying about quests or wars or monsters.

My reverie is pleasantly interrupted by the sound of Fiona giggling.

"What's so amusing?" Jolie asks her.

"Did you see the way that thing reacted when its nose got burned?" She laughs. Having escaped near death and far removed from the terror of the moment, the rest of us join in. "That'll teach it to mess with us!" She giggles again. It sounds positively adorable.

I look at Fiona closely for the first time. Sure, I noticed the resemblance between her and Finn, but I never really looked at her until now.

She's a little shorter than Jolie, but fiercer looking, with a more muscular build and piercing blue eyes, which are currently examining me with curiosity.

"So Quillion, you're Duchess Teritha's Page, huh?" she queries.

Jolie answers before I'm able to respond. "Oh, he's so much more than that," she shares, smiling at me mischievously. "So much more."

I meet Jolie's gaze, wondering just how much she's going to give away.

"Oh really? How so?" Fiona asks, her curiosity piqued.

I hold my breath as Jolie continues. "Oh... there's more to him than you might guess. He's quite good with his blades, among other things." She winks. "Plus, he has some noble blood flowing through his veins."

Clever girl. My sister. I'm still getting used to the thought of that.

Fiona looks at me closely, her eyes boring into me. I get the impression she's trying to look deep inside my heart to see what might be hiding there, or maybe she's just speculating as to what I'm hiding under my clothes. I know that's what I'm thinking about her.

"Finn," Jolie addresses the young man as she slides closer to him. "I never thanked you for holding my hand and making me feel safe."

"It's okay Jolie," he replies, blushing again. "I was happy to hold your hand." Realizing his unintended confession, he adds, "Uhm... I mean..."

"It's okay Finn," Jolie assures him, placing her hand on his cheek. "I wanted you to." She leans over to place a firm kiss on his lips. At first he seems unsure how to respond, but instinct takes over and he kisses her back.

Their kiss lasts more than a few seconds, quite a few more. Fiona and I watch them, waiting for it to end, but when it doesn't, she turns to me and suggests, "Maybe we should thank each other for our life-saving deeds."

Feeling unusually giddy, I reply, "That's a great idea."

Our kiss is anything but tentative. We kiss. Passionately. When we finally need to breathe, Fiona gasps out another idea.

"I think... maybe... I'm still too warm. I think I may need to remove my tunic."

"That's an even better idea," I concur. "Do you think I should remove mine as well?"

"Definitely," she tells me as she pulls not only her tunic, but also her chemise, over her head, ignoring or not caring about the fact that her brother is only a few feet away.

I quickly reciprocate by removing my linen undershirt. As I toss the garment on the pile with my hauberk, Fiona's naked torso greets me. Her perky breasts are larger than Micaelah's but smaller than Jolie's, with pinky-sized nipples on top of gold coin-sized, dark brown areola. They're perfect.

Thinking about Jolie's breasts causes me to glance over at her and Finn, wondering if they're watching us, but it seems they're oblivious to anything but each other at the moment. Maybe they were paying attention though, because both of them are also naked from the waist up.

Fiona places her hand on my cheek and turns my gaze back to her. I smile. She smiles. We kiss again. Our hands and eyes wander everywhere, exploring each other with wonder and delight, as if we'd never seen a naked body before now.

I recline back on the sand, drawing her on top of me. Without thinking about it, my fingers deftly loosen the ties on her breeches, followed by my hands reaching around her waist and sliding in to squeeze her ass. She moans her approval and sucks on my tongue.

With her assistance, her breeches are soon discarded, as are mine, but our overzealous actions land us in the pool, fully submerged. As we break the surface again, we laugh it off as if it's the funniest thing that's ever happened.

Jolie and Finn join in on our laughter, then look at each other as if sharing an inside joke before they rid themselves of what remains of their clothing. Then they join us in the pool.

We splash and laugh and take turns standing under the waterfall, displaying our naked bodies without even a hint of shyness.

Fiona stands with water raining down her body, her arms spread wide and her breasts pushed outward, as if offering her nipples to any who would partake. I find myself accepting her offer by taking one of those treasures into my mouth.

She holds my head in place as I suckle her stiff little nub. Jolie joins me, taking the lonely one into her own mouth. Then Fiona pulls me up to kiss her again. As we kiss, Jolie grasps my stiffening manhood and strokes, her mouth never leaving her friend's nipple. In no time, I'm hard as a rock. Jolie then guides Fiona's hand to my erection.

Breaking off our kiss, Fiona looks down at her hand wrapped around my shaft and gasps. "You weren't exaggerating Jolie! There's SO much more to Quillion than I could have guessed!"

Jolie stands up, face to face with Fiona. "There's enough for both of us," she points out excitedly. "Would you like to share it with me?"

"That's a wonderful idea!" Fiona squeals in delight. "Let's!"

Together, they maneuver me backwards until I'm sitting down on the edge of the pool. Jolie begins 'sharing' me by taking three to four inches into her mouth. After a few seconds, she offers my cock to Fiona, who wraps both hands around my shaft, one above the other, and stares at it a few moments before closing her lips around the head.

She bobs her head up and down, slowly working more and more of my length into her mouth. Jolie turns to Finn, still sitting on the other side of the pool, and beckons him over.

He stands up, his own decent-sized erection standing at attention like a good soldier. Jolie grabs it firmly then guides him down to sit to the right of me. His eyes widen as she strokes his cock with both hands. She smiles up at him adoringly as she leans over to give the head a brief kiss.

"Finn, I've wanted you for so long," Jolie confesses. "I hope this will make up for all the teasing I did." Finn is left speechless as he watches her take most of his length into her mouth, then licks and sucks him joyfully.

I look back down at Fiona, who suddenly pauses her ministrations and stands up to make an announcement.

"I'm a hawk!"

She follows this by pretending to fly as she walks around the pool.

"I've spotted my prey!" she says, focusing her gaze on my erection and creeping towards me.

"It's going to be a big, wonderful, tasty meal! I swoop down and swallow it whole!" And she does, or at least she tries to.

Opening her mouth wide, she swallows at least six inches. The head bumps into the back of her throat. Her gag reflexes cause her to pull back and my cock slides out of her mouth.

Unperturbed, she takes a deep breath and says, "It fights back, but I shall not be denied!" She swallows me again, holding me in place after I enter her throat.

The rest of us cheer as she deepthroats me for at least ten full seconds. Pulling back, a string of drool is left hanging between the head of my cock and her lower lip.

"A bridge!" Finn declares. Everyone laughs. Fiona slurps it up, ending with a flourish of her tongue.

Now Jolie stands up to offer her own theatrics.

"The butterfly floats on the breeze in the warmth of the sun."

She flits around the pool.

"There! She spies a perch!" Jolie points at Finn's erection.

"She flutters her wings as she draws near, hovering over the branch, anticipating a long-awaited rest."

Jolie turns around as she reaches Finn, then lowers herself onto his lap. She reaches down to guide him to her opening before slowly sliding over his cock until he's fully sheathed inside her.

"Ahhhhhh! Finally!" she exclaims.

"But the hawk spots the butterfly!" Fiona announces dramatically, standing up again.

"A fine dessert after a satisfying meal! It swoops down and catches it by surprise!"

Fiona darts down to take Jolie's nipple between her lips.

"Alas," Jolie gasps. "The butterfly knows it's peril, but offers itself willingly to sustain the mighty hawk." She punctuates it with a moan. "Ooooh!"

"The cloud, approaches the land!" I say, getting to my feet. "It merges with a darker cloud. Together they dance!"