The Missing Dragon Ch. 03

Then, Talina broke that magic spell and raised herself to stand up with her hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

"You know these things," she continued, "but if you should ever come to me when I am alone in my tent, then I shall show you many things that you do not know about me, but that I suspect you've always wished to discover. There will be no price. We will be friends, meeting together between work. So, would you like to be my friend, Torren?"

"I would like that above all things, Talina." Torren nodded slowly and looked up to her with the silly smile of a man very much in love.

"Good." She stepped back before having a second thought and returning her attention to the smith. "Oh, and Torren?"

"Hmm?" He still watched her as if entranced.

"I'm going to turn and walk away now. I'm afraid you won't be able to look into my eyes anymore, but don't let that put you off looking altogether."

"I w-won't!" He almost choked.

Talina licked her lips to taste the remnants of his kiss there before letting out a pleased little laugh and turning to walk back to her tent. She swayed her hips for Torren's enjoyment as his eyes fell down to her magnificent rear, encased in little else but a small golden triangle and some string pulled between her firm cheeks. He watched her all the way until she disappeared into her tent.

- - - - -

A few days after Gregory had roused himself from the sweet and painless land of unconsciousness, he found himself sat up in bed and staring down at a book written in gibberish. In truth, it was written in the human language of a dialect found in the central empire. He was wearing his medallion to translate the words but finding that the words simply didn't translate unless spoken aloud. This meant that he'd spent the better part of fifteen minutes looking at the illustrations. They weren't frequent enough to be able to follow the story properly, but their intricately detailed designs made him wish he could. There was a collection of the pantheon of human gods all standing together in the heavens, high above mankind where they all watched the happenings below. He saw gods of war, of love, of crafts, farming, feasting, and the mighty god of the great eastern ocean. Then, above them all, was a figure garbed in classical armour, holding a blazing sword towards the sun. The god of gods.

The book was filled with such images. Rudd had loaned it to him earlier that day before taking his leave and wishing him a rapid recovery. Gregory wasn't so sure he wished himself a rapid recovery, as it would doubtless mean a trip back to the proving grounds. Though, perhaps Algra and Janette had been right. It might be better to simply collect his things and leave.

That thought troubled the young man far more than common sense probably should have.

It was only when he heard a small sound of a woman clearing her throat that he looked up from his book to see Valise stood at the foot of his bed. Like Talina, she had something of a habit of appearing out of nowhere. Despite the beauty of the woman and her halo of silvery-blonde hair, Gregory found himself rolling his eyes and groaning out loud.

"What now? Janette and Algra already helped me wash up this morning." Over the past few days, Valise had been in charge of making sure he didn't injure himself again. Her constant watchful gaze and assessments had been quite a pain. Gregory was an active person by nature and laying still did not do his temperament any favours at all.

"Oh? Where are they?" Valise smiled diplomatically.

"Algra's gone to pick her usual fights in the Great Hall and Jan is floating about outside somewhere. I told her to go get something to eat since she stayed with me through dinner and I wasn't hungry."

"You need to eat to build your strength," Valise chided.

"I had a heavy breakfast." Gregory glared at her.

"Well, today I thought we could see about getting you walking again."

His eyes brightened up considerably at those words. "Really?"

"Yes. But no rushing. I don't want you falling over."

"Alright." Eager to get any small victory he could, Gregory slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed and pushed his arms down to bring himself up to stand.

"Easy now." Valise hurried around the bed and settled her hand on his bare shoulder. In all his time laying down, the strong muscles he'd developed over the years certainly hadn't gone soft.

"It's alright." Though he had stood up and walked over the past days, it was always with the assistance of someone else to lean upon.

At his assurance, Valise took her hand away and Gregory quickly found his balance. The knock to his head had thrown it off considerably but time had done its healing work and he only felt a little light-headed before the world fixed itself again. His well-rested muscles ached for him to run out of there, through the camp and into the forest at a full sprint. That particular urge was suppressed when he thought of some orc going off to tackle him to the ground on Valise's orders. Sure, the pretty-faced, fair-haired lady looked kind and reserved until someone's life was in her hands at which point she turned into the equivalent of a drill sergeant.

So he started walking instead of running. Keen, crystal-blue eyes followed him around the room as he walked slowly before his growing confidence picked him up into a light jog around his main table. He finished the impromptu tour of his tent standing right before his strict doctor and opened his arms out as if to say tah-dah!

Valise's gaze was still sceptical. "You feel no dizziness?"

"A little at first but I figure that was with lying down so long. Nothing now."

"And your chest?"

"I can still feel it. I wouldn't want to take any massive deep breaths, but it's a hell of a lot better. Doesn't feel like someone's jabbing a knife in my lungs when I move anymore." He smirked, feeling good about the small victory. "Although I'm glad I had someone with the skill to knife my lungs in the first place."

"That isn't funny." She folded her arms and gave him a rather stern look.

"Hey, I've been laid out for days. I'm sorry my wits aren't as sharp as they should be." He flashed a handsome smile, though his cheeks still looked a little paler than they should have.

"You shouldn't be joking about such things in the first place! You have no idea how I..." Valise trailed off, catching herself about to admit something she thought best kept quiet.

"How you... what?"

"It is nothing." She shook her head and looked away, out of the tent and through the gap in the cloth to the camp outside.

She found herself turning back almost straight away as she felt Gregory's hands settle on her upper arms and their eyes met, her light crystalline gaze contrasting against his inviting darkness.

"Tell me." The two words spilled from his lips almost directly onto her own, his breath making her silken seams tingle in a way she wasn't entirely comfortable with.

"I..." Her breath caught in her throat. Those eyes of his saw so many unseen things from within their deep blue pools and she felt naked before them. "I was scared. Terrified, actually. When they brought you back, after what you'd done to protect me. To see you like that and to know that it was my fault. To know that your life rested in my hands. Once it was over I went to my tent and I couldn't stop shaking for hours."

Indeed, even to think upon the matter seemed to have made the woman lose the colour from her elegantly beautiful features.

"Valise," Gregory gave her arms a little squeeze in his strong hands. She felt herself shiver. "None of this is because of you. Don't blame yourself for a mistake that rests only on my shoulders. I should not have left Freddie alone. That is the end of it. Yes?"

Valise obviously didn't see things in the same light.

"Alright," he continued, "I see I am not going to convince you. Let me instead convince you of this. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. You stood up when I needed you the most and, despite being scared, you fixed me up again, and now here I am. I don't blame you for what happened. I blame whoever got their hands on your potion and let the bastard go free."

Valise seemed to be mustering her own argument before halting herself, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath that quivered somewhat with her worry. He had known Janette to do something similar in the days following his misadventure. When those we care about suffer, it is hard not to think about the worst outcomes imaginable. It was that little shivering breath that fell from Valise's lips that brought about Gregory's reaction. A reaction that he always administered to his blazing-haired lover whenever her nerves threatened to overtake her thoughts.

When he stepped forth and ran his fingertips along Valise's chin, the woman was so shocked that she froze on the spot. Then, the young male seamlessly shifted to press his lips against hers and she found herself tasting his succulent and savoury kiss. The action came as such as a surprise that in those first moments she could barely think to move. Hell, she could barely think at all. There was only his enticing taste and the talented manner in which he drew her in deeper. The teasing caress of his tongue on her lower lip finally snapped her back to life as she heard herself release a stifled moan. The noise of her own blissful excitement was so utterly alien to her that it was enough to shock her out of the trance. Her hands found his shoulders and pushed at that alluring, bared body until their kiss broke. She found herself resting against him with one of his arms settled around her slender waist.

It felt incredible.

"I can't," she feebly protested.

"You damn well can." Gregory's words rumbled against her ears and brought her breath up short in the nicest way imaginable.

"I am too old for-" Her half-hearted attempt at logic was interrupted as Gregory stole another kiss and showed her that he certainly didn't think their age difference was a limiting factor in his desire for her.

This time she did not push at him, though he felt her fingers squeeze his shoulders in a way that he enjoyed immensely. The woman was utterly delicious against his lips. If he was utterly honest with himself then he would also have to admit that after being bossed around for weeks by the lady, he was definitely enjoying her sudden loss of control over him. Not to mention that part of the doctors orders were to keep from any strenuous activity which had left him downright sexually starved after his initial immersion into a truly hyperactive sex life.

Now he was on his feet again. Now they were definitely operating on equal footing.

His arm lifted up along her back to slide his fingers up behind her head into that silvery mass of her hair. It felt like wreathing his fingers in the purest of silks. There, his fingers gently pulled her away and he enjoyed the little moment of tension as she fought for more of his kiss before finally relenting to look right into his eyes.

"Well doctor, how well do you think my recovery is going?"

"I'd say," her voice wavered and she paused to steady herself, "I'd say it was better than I could have hoped for."

Gregory flashed her a grin that turned her insides to a happy combination of jelly and live fireworks.

"Well that sure is good news."

"You should get back to bed and take some more rest. This is a good first step but-" Just as she was returning to doctor mode, Gregory threw her completely off balance by lowering his head and tracing his lips along the base of her shoulder before moving upwards along the bare skin of her neck. "We need to make sure you continue in your recovery." By the time she'd half finished that utterance, Gregory was nibbling at her earlobe and the last words emerged as little more than a high-pitched squeak from her throat.

"I think I'd rather show my doctor just how grateful I am for her help."

"Oh gods! You'll hurt yourself."

"No, Valise. I'm feeling better and better by the minute." His lips and his tongue made some delightfully wet noises in around her ear and along her neck as he teased the heat within her to the surface.

Her head was gently rolling from side to side as it came to rest upon his hand, still tenderly massaging the lustrous coils of her hair. Feeling that she was on the verge of giving in altogether, Gregory gave her a little shove and she elegantly fell backward onto the bed. The soft blankets that she fell upon sent a fresh wave of tension along her body. This was happening! A tall, bronze-skinned specimen of masculine youth was standing over her with a blazing desire in his dark gaze. Only her dreams had conjured up such a moment, leaving her stirring and sweaty in the lonely night. She was an outcast used to solitude and suspicion. Even those in the camp who trusted her seemed to think that she was best left apart to her mysterious ways, whatever those might have been. Now she found no hint of those attitudes in Gregory's face as he extended his hand to rest on her ankle and slowly slide up along her bare leg. Her dress caught around his wrist and joined in the journey upwards toward her knee and over her thigh.

She wore some simple brown leather slippers beneath the long, white skirt of her dress. Her leg was utterly bare and smooth beneath his wandering caress. He watched for that sweet moment when her dress would rise up above her hips and display her sex before his eyes. In each moment, Valise felt her anxiety grow and spread as she was so openly displayed before the eyes of the younger male. Though appearing only in her late thirties to early forties, the woman felt that she was well past her display date.

Gregory couldn't have disagreed more. Her face still carried a glow of its youth and the smoothness of her features could have been carved from marble. The wisdom in her eyes and the full, lusciousness of her lips were enough to catch his eye. Combined with that wonderful silvery-blonde hair, however, she was quite a stunningly beautiful woman. It was a true pleasure to discover that her body did not disappoint in any way either. Her legs were long and shapely, with slender hips and snowy skin that would make a woman half her age envious. She was utterly magnificent.

Finally, his hand slipped up over her hip and pulled her garment high enough to reveal the succulent slit at the apex of her thighs. She saw his eyes rest upon her there and felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she showed him the fruits of his labour. Valise was very, very aroused with her swollen lower lips glistening invitingly before his gaze. It wasn't until she saw the affectionate smile lift the corners of his mouth that she allowed herself to breathe once again.

Allowing his hand to slip from her hips and down between her legs, he ran his fingers through the little tuft of blonde curls just above those inviting seams. The light scent of her excitement drifted up to his nose and he lowered himself down until she felt his warm breath upon her wet heat.

"And now my appetite is coming back." He licked his lips and looked up at her, meeting her eyes and giving a little wink.

She said nothing but lifted her legs up in the air, bending at the knees to open herself to him. Taking the obvious hint, he lowered his mouth down and settled his lips on her juicy folds to taste her for the first time. Valise felt his touch and her entire body relaxed into a blissful and languid state. Nothing that felt so incredibly right could possibly be wrong.

Quite simply, she tasted as good as she looked. Gregory kept his eyes raised to look at her face and listened for the sweet little moans that would mean he'd found her sweet spots. Wanting to take his time with her, he started by licking the tasty nectar from each of her silken seams with the tip of his tongue before giving her entire saturated pussy three long, slow licks. He made sure to keep any contact with the rosy bud of her clit to a minimum. She'd kept him frustrated for weeks. A little payback was in order.

Valise lifted her hands above her head and sank her fingers into the soft furs. The young man definitely had something of a natural talent for the act. She gave away her enjoyment with a little whimper that elevated into a full moan when she felt his tongue lower all the way down between her rear cheeks to tease at a place she'd never remotely expected him to venture. It was a delightfully naughty surprise that made her pussy flood with her excitement once again. Gregory let out a little growl as he then sealed his mouth over her sex and the sweet vibrations of sound drew her almost to the edge, particularly when he began to quickly flick his tongue across the length of her delicious slit.

Just as he was about to tease her to her peak, he released his lip-lock on her and she felt her wet flesh exposed to the cool air again. A squirm of protest that followed, writhing her hips in an effort to get his mouth back upon her. Instead, Gregory traced several little kisses along her inner thigh and planted one directly within her soft little patch of hairs above her needy cunt. Feeling her groan in frustration was somewhat perversely enjoyable for him. She'd done nothing but care for his health, of course, but it was still nice to feel her to be the one desperately on edge for a change.

Despite her feeling her pleasure left to simmer, she didn't complain. It was a very long time since she remembered feeling quite so good and she feared any words might break the spell. So, she enjoyed his lips as they kissed their way along her inner thigh. When he started pushing her dress up across her belly, she quickly got the message and helped him in pulling it over her head and off completely to leave her garbed in only her slippers.

The sight of her bare breasts was a fresh pleasure to behold. Resting as gentle mounds on her chest with hardened, pink nipples pointing to the sky, he couldn't help but risk a detour from his chosen path. She felt him settle between her raised legs and his head came to settle against her modest tits. It wasn't long before she felt that talented tongue of his slide along the valley between them before swirling around in a long, spiral trail to take her hardened nipple between his lips. Her hands quickly lowered to rest upon his shoulders and feel the tension of his muscles as he held himself over her body to feast on her bared tits.

The slow, wet kiss that he placed on her pink nipple sent such a pleasant shiver through her body that she arched her back to offer herself up for his feasting. It didn't take him long to flick his tongue over the hard little peak of her apple-sized breast and then engulf it between his lips. The sweet sucking noises that followed contrasted against her soft, breathy moans. She was sensitive there, more than most. He eventually caught the pebbled nub between his teeth and gave a little nip before his tongue washed over in one final lick before he moved to devote his attention to her other breast.

As he sucked, kissed and nibbled, he felt her grip tightening on his shoulders. He enjoyed the feel of her hands slipping downward, over his back to caress the firm waves of his strong physique. After taking his fill of her supple assets, he began to lower his tongue downward. She felt him begin to tease his lips and tongue down across her slim belly and her hips began to lewdly gyrate in anticipation of what he was going to do when he finally came back to her saturated pussy.

The touch of her hands slid up along his back and over into his hair where she urged him down further still until finally feeling his warm breaths on the glistening flesh of her fiery cunt. There was a brief, desperate moment of hesitation as Gregory savoured that sweet sight. Valise felt herself tense up in fear of him leaving her like that, writhing for him upon his bed. So, when he quickly sank down to plunge his tongue deep inside her delicious depths, she felt a meteoric rise back to the summit of her limits before surging over that peak and into a quaking climax.