The Sighs of the Priestess Ch. 09

She chuckled, "In the time since, you have been looking nowhere but at that fire, seeing who knows what in the flames, and somehow you have ended up here on your front telling me how this idea stirs you -- while any fool can see that you stir yourself at the same time! I only wait for you to finish so that I may have my friend back."

She stretched forward and kissed Yanna's forehead as Yanna looked over at her.

"I'm sorry, I --"

"Never mind," Besha chuckled as she sat up and caressed Yanna's bottom, "I hope that it is good for you here. I will wait." They were silent for a few moments.

"Your hand feels nice," Yanna said.

"Really?" Besha asked, "and how do you know that it is my hand? How do you know that it is not Sorn's hand, or the hand of another man -- any man other than Illya, for he is your husband and you would know his touch in an instant? How do you know that the hand that you feel is not the hand of the Priestess herself?"

"We are the only two here," Yanna replied, shifting her eyes to the flames once more, "but I understand you. You try to teach me that any hand might feel good at the right time."

"Yes," Besha replied, "It all depends upon what you would welcome at that moment. There is not much difference, other than size, or roughness, or how the other one touches. Illya will learn this too."

"Besha? Is it alright with you that Sorn teaches Illya? I mean, when I think of it, our men, ..."

The other woman leaned back a little to watch Yanna's fingers work. She felt a little sad that there were limitations for her friend because of her claws.

"Our men will certainly share their fine bodies at some point in this, Yanna. It must be for Illya to learn. The best way to work as an assassin is to work silently, and that is best done from very close up in a bed. For my part, it doesn't really bother me. I know who will hold me close tonight and mean it when he loves me. This changes nothing. It is only another thing that Illya needs to be taught. I only hope that he is bright enough to listen to Sorn and allow it easily." She shook a thought from her head, "because if not, it will be a very hard lesson for him to learn."

The tip of one of her fingers accidentally grazed one of Yanna's claws for an instant and Besha drew it back as she pet her friend's haunch, "You will see. Illya might really like it, but I am sure that he has no trouble loving his wife, Yanna. You know how I am careful about your feelings, but even through two doors here and right across the tower, I often hear the pleasure that he gives to you at night -- and by the way, I have no complaints over it. You make all the sounds that you need to. Sorn and I do not mind it at all. We know what you are, and I always love to hear it because I know where it comes from in you."

The room was still for another few minutes. The only sound which came to their ears was the sound of the fire, but now and then, the wind outside across the chimney stack far above them would die off for a moment or two. When that happened, the fire's roar would fade away and then they could both hear Yanna's fingers working in her slickness along with her rapid breathing.

Besha didn't mind, though the sounds made her a little wet herself. She sat softly stroking Yanna's fur to encourage her. "You still have not told me how these thoughts stir you," she said, "you were careful not to say when I asked, as if it was nothing. And yet, you lie here frigging yourself at some thought, and I wish now to know it."

She chuckled a little, "Tell it to me well enough, and I might lie beside you and join in while I stare at the flames there as you do. They must be very good thoughts."

"I -- I have trouble with saying it," Yanna said, with a little complaint in her voice.

"Well, what is in your mind, then?" her friend asked, "For right now, what are they doing? Does one of them suck? Both? What?"

She could see Yanna shake her head and knew at once how hard she was concentrating.

Judging by the length of time that this had gone on and from the speed of her young friend's hand and the sound of her breathing, Besha decided to go for broke to try and help her, "Has one of them mounted the other one?"

"Yes!" Yanna hissed as her fingers flew faster.

Besha's voice dripped with honey and a little lust to help Yanna along, "Think of the muscles on them both, Yanna. You and I have such fine men. Think of the power there in them. That would be something to see, would it not? I would love to see that myself."

Yanna began to whimper and moan in her frenzy. Now and then, a soft grunt would pass her lips.

Besha smiled as she watched. "Who has been mounted?"

"Illya!" Yana groaned loudly as her fingers squished rapidly against her sex.

"And in your mind, does Illya still love his cat-girl? Does he still need you to hold his heart?" She leaned closer to Yanna's ear, "I know that he does, Yanna. Everyone sees how he loves you. He will still be a man. Think of this while he fucks you tonight, if you can."

Yanna's fingers grew frantic and the room echoed to her growling moan. Besha kissed her ear gently, pleased to help Yanna reach nearer to her finish. She'd been a whore once and had learned about people's lust and what they needed and when. She watched her friend closely, judging the moment for her next comment very carefully. When she was satisfied, Besha was careful to only breathe the words into Yanna's ear.

"Does he like it, Yanna?"

The feline's sound approached a howl, and Besha knew that her dear friend was very close now.

Besha smiled to herself. She and Sorn thought so much of the young couple. In them, they seemed to see themselves as they were long ago, without all of the pain and heartache that had befallen them, even though Besha was a woman and Yanna was a cat-girl of some sort. They treasured the opportunities that they were given to teach the couple anything, from cooking to fighting to knowledge of herbs and even to something like this.

Besha never forgot how hard Yanna had tried to bring her out of her long sadness when they'd met. Her help had made all the difference in her being able to love Sorn again.

Besha reached to gently push Yanna's fingers away. "Yanna, let me help you. Turn over and I will finish it for you."

Yanna paused for only half a second before she threw herself onto her back. Besha was human and as such, she had no claws. She smiled down as she wet her fingers and Yanna groaned loudly as she felt Besha begin. Yanna's breathing became ragged and rapid, frantic again now as she stared at Besha's smiling face and saw the tattoos.

"Close your eyes, Yanna, and think of our men together if this stirs you so much, "she said, "Just enjoy this now."

Yanna squeezed her eyes shut and she could see it all as Besha's crossed fingers worked her.

"Reach for your little sprout when you are ready, Yanna," she heard her friend say.

Yanna's eyes flew open and she begged in a tortured voice. Besha sighed and leaned forward. Yanna closed her eyes and saw the scene again. She saw Illya's face in his climax and her hand dove for her clitoris. Besha felt the motion and was glad that Yana's claws had only grazed her fingers.

Yanna felt the nipple against her lips and she clamped her mouth over Besha's breast above her as softly as she could and cried out as she came, bucking hard for a moment against Besha's hand while she sucked and then holding still while she shuddered. Besha groaned softly.

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Yanna lay on her side staring at Besha. Her breathing had come back to normal and now she found that she had a lot more to wonder about as Besha inspected her own breast.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Besha looked up, "For what, Yanna? I looked, but you have not hurt me."

"Thank you, Besha," Yanna said, almost in a whisper, "that was very -- "

"I know," Besha smiled, "I could tell. I liked it as well, for the moment that it lasted. But more importantly, what did you learn?

We are both women who love their men. We are close, but you have told me that you do not want the touch of another woman, and yet,... " she grinned a little as she held out her outstretched hand palm up toward Yanna, "look how hard you finished. It was the same with my hand caressing your flank."

She smiled warmly, "It was a touch given just at the time that you would welcome it. If you think about it like that, you can see that it doesn't really matter at all, does it?"

"No," Yanna replied, rather surprised at herself, "but I do not understand it."

"Yanna," Besha said as she stretched out next to her friend on her stomach in just the same position as Yanna had been in earlier, "Inside us, we are all the same. We want warmth and shelter from the weather, food to eat and water to drink. We all need someone to love, or our lives are not what they might be otherwise." She sighed as her own fingers worked.

"We all need someone to hold us, and we all would like someone to make us feel good in this way. It matters to most of us what the other one is, yes, but at some point -- at the right point, it doesn't matter at all, because we are all the same.

You are a beautiful cat on the outside and a beautiful girl on the inside and it still doesn't matter, as you see. This is really what Illya needs to learn and then he will make a good assassin. If he cannot learn this, then he will never succeed, but I think that he will understand it."

Yanna stared at her friend's tattoos as she often loved to do while she watched her for a few minutes, and then she lay down next to her so that they could continue talking. She hesitated, but then began to stroke Besha's flanks gently and Besha thanked her.

"I cannot help you more than this," Yanna said a little apologetically, "my claws, ..."

Besha smiled and shrugged a little.

"It is alright." Besha said as she moved onto her side and closed her eyes to continue. "If you wish to help, then kiss me a little when I ask you for it."

Yanna smiled and promised that she would as she moved herself closer. She sighed as Besha's other hand touched her mound softly a few moments later at the wrong angle and she felt herself swelling there again. She thought about her lesson and smiled again as she leaned her head a bit nearer to whisper, "Is it time? Do you wish for the kisses of a cat-girl now?"

Besha kept her eyes closed and her soft smile grew wider as she nodded. "Yes," she sighed. "I want nothing more than the soft kisses of my dear friend, Yanna."

The sound of it made Yanna very happy inside.

"Then lie on your back, Besha," Yanna said, "I have thought of a use for the strange sprout that I have."

Besha moaned her agreement and rolled the rest of the way onto her back. Yanna gently moved her legs apart and positioned herself so that she could thrust gently against her friend with her mound and slightly protruding little bud.

Besha's eyes flew open with a groan and Yanna carefully lowered her open mouthful of long teeth to kiss Besha in a different way for the first time.

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They sat together sipping the hot broth in silence for many minutes. Besha knew that Yanna had a lot to think about now and so she thought of Sorn and how she could never get enough of him.

"I feel strange," Yanna said.

Besha looked over, "Strange as though you might die now? I hope that it is not so."

"No," Yanna smiled a little, "I wonder about us, that is all."

"There is little to wonder about, my friend," Besha replied, "very little has changed. I know that you still need Illya's love, just as I need Sorn's. We have only changed our friendship a little, and only if you wish to continue, that is all. But if you do not," she said, stretching her legs out in front of her with a sigh, "it is alright too, and thank you for your idea. I have lain like that with women sometimes, but I never felt something so nice as this time was for me. I know that it had much to do with how you are made, but thank you all the same. I felt how hard to tried for me."

Yanna was silent for a time, thinking of how she'd enjoyed it, but she turned to Besha at last and said, "I think that I wish to have this with you again sometimes."

Besha nodded with a warm smile, "We can do that. It is not uncommon among the married women of my people to take each other as lovers while their men are away. They love and comfort each other, and it goes easier to help with the food and the children. Everyone knows it and we are a little famous for it. Men do this as well sometimes if they are close enough for it.

You and I care about each other very much Yanna. It is my honor to be your friend. That you might also love me like this is something wonderful to my heart."

"Well, I do have my uses, Besha," the cat-girl smirked as she very carefully moved herself to lean against her friend so that neither of them spilled any broth, "If our men do not mind it, think of running to my bed on the cold mornings after they leave. The bed will be warm and I have fur."

"Now that is a nice thought and I think they will not mind it at all," the tattooed woman smiled absently as she put her arm around Yanna while being mindful of the hot broth that they each held, "they have spoken of it between them when we were still on the road here months ago. Illya told me that he wanted you to have me as a friend and lover like this when I asked him, and Sorn already knows the way of our people. I have only been waiting very quietly and hopefully for you. I only sought to help you today as you struggled to finish. But here we are anyway."

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It was the middle of the Mesopotamian winter as Sorn rode out along the road to the place where Illya's final test was to take place two days away from Jebel Bishri. The job had been funneled to him from Shahbek especially for Illya as a favor and he'd been gone for almost a week now.

Sorn arrived in the town and took a room before beginning to see if all was going well. He thought about it as he walked, carrying a package on his shoulder and looking for all the world like a lost porter who was having trouble finding the address where he should deliver it to.

He was worried for Illya. The young man had become a close friend to him and Besha along with his wife. He wondered what he'd tell Yanna if things had gone sour and Illya hadn't survived it. There had been previous tests and Illya had gotten through everything with flying colors, but this one was a true test of everything that he'd learned. In a very real sense, it was as much a test of the teacher as it was of the student.

There were two targets here, supposedly a brother and sister, though Sorn had his doubts. When he'd passed by on his earlier trip to see the lay of the land, they looked to him to be more of a middle-aged couple who liked to swap partners a lot and gender wasn't an issue to either of them. But they were important enough to have guards in this place and it was known that they were informants to the local king who was beginning to try to flex a bit of muscle on the local Martu population in the hopes of starting a confrontation with the keep, so that was good enough for Shahbek and Sorn.

He walked past the gardens of the place by the alleyway in behind and noted it after a few minutes as the woman sat in a chair as she tried to seduce Illya. Sorn walked on, satisfied that at least one side of this was in hand.

It took him a few minutes' walk to reach the business of the man. Everything looked calm from the outside, and to Sorn, that meant that either the man and his servants in the place were now dead, or things were business as usual for the man and Illya was in danger. There was no real way to tell without trying to go in himself until he noticed the bars across the doorway, indicating that the place was closed.

He thought to allow Illya a few hours more time so he walked around the town to learn what he could of it before he went back to the inn.

He met Illya on the way.

They didn't speak to each other as they walked. Sorn discarded the empty package behind a hedgerow and with hand signals, he showed Illya the way to where the horses were as he went to the inn to retrieve his things and leave.

Of everything that he'd had to learn, Illya judged his ability in horsemanship to be a dismal failure, though Sorn didn't agree. In a few minutes, Sorn arrived and they saddled up. At the outskirts of the place, they broke into a gallop for a few minutes.

"Well, I see that you were not killed, and at least so far, we are not being chased by guards," Sorn said when they'd slowed to a trot, "I would guess then that you were successful."

Illya didn't answer though he did nod and Sorn knew why. He knew that Illya would have had to kill both targets, one not long after the other, and that would have been enough, but Sorn also thought that there was a fair likelihood that Illya might have had to have some sort of sexual encounter with one target or the other or both. Add a ton of tension to the pile as well as the effort to appear to be relaxed and NOT tense in the slightest while engaging in something that went against one's grain, and it made Sorn remember his own first job like this.

He hadn't spoken to anyone for a week.

But after about a half hour of steady riding after they'd slowed from the gallop, he heard Illya's low whistle. When he looked over, he saw Illya jerk his thumb over his shoulder. When he looked back, Sorn saw the rising smoke from the fire.

"What did you do, Illya?"

Illya's face was deadpan as he told it. "I met the man and asked about work where they handle the parcels. He told me that I could have a job there if he could have me. For three nights, I stayed there and let him have his fun and I made certain that he would be too tired to make his way home late in the evening. I killed him this morning, but before I left, I poured oil everywhere and lit a long taper. Then I left after locking the doors. It is a holy day there and few will be working.

I went to the house then and asked for work gardening and I was insistent enough that the housekeeper began to grow fond of me. She took me to the woman."

Illya shrugged, "I killed the woman in her bed while we fucked, not long after you walked past, but I was careful not to finish and I made it appear so that she fell on a dagger herself in her guilt over having her brother killed in some spite. Then I barred the door and left through a window and here I am.

The taper in the business has burned down low enough to light the oil and by now some of the market is burning to be sure, so everyone will be busy with that for a while."

Sorn thought it over for a while and then nodded, "A little large, Illya, but it is alright, from the number of problems which might have arisen in the escape. You know that both are dead beyond a doubt?"

Illya nodded, "The woman is dead from her own dagger through her heart and the man is dead from, ... well, a thin sword pushed into his body from below. I held him still while I got the angle then gave him one quick stroke in his bed there at the business. I pulled the sword back maybe two minutes after he stopped twitching. Even if his body is not burned, there will be no blood from the hole for another hour at the least."

Sorn stared, "You put it there?"

Illya nodded and they rode in silence. Sorn's eyebrows didn't come back to their normal place for several minutes. They rode through the night and found a quiet dell near to a pond where Illya could wash. Sorn kept watch while Illya slept a few hours and after a meal, they rode on to the keep.

When they arrived, Sorn sat in the common room in front of the fire with Besha lying in front of him with her leaning against his chest. Illya was in Yana's arms and she pulled him to bed minutes after closing the door.