The Trade: Elswyth

"No! No, never. I... do you have to put that on yet?"

He paused, looking at her, then let the shirt fall to the floor before stepping close to her again. "Perhaps you would like to learn some basic grappling?" he asked, his voice thick with want. He went to a knee and slid his hands around her waist to her back, pulling her against his bare chest.

"Grappling?"

"Hand to hand."

"Your hands? Or my hands?"

"Both. Both of our hands on each other," he breathed, leaning in as he lifted her off the floor. He buried his face in her neck and breathed in as his lips brushed her jaw. "Oh, my El..."

Elswyth sat bolt upright in bed, trying to catch her breath.

Dabria laughed, falling back on the bed next to Elswyth and kicking her feet. "You truly ARE a little prude, aren't you? You could not imagine past a bit of nuzzling! How adorable!"

"What are you doing here?" Elswyth cried, distraught.

"Having a bit of fun. Zay is so pouty and brooding, I wanted to know why. See what you thought of him... putting you in one of his dreams was easy, he is so vulnerable and open. It was easy to see what he thought of you!" she giggled.

The door slammed open and Azazel stormed in in a pair of black silk sleep pants. "Get out, Dab! Do not come here again!"

"Don't be so bossy! El and I are friends now, sisters. She needs someone to talk to, to be close to. No one else is stepping up," she smirked.

"Do not meddle in her dreams again, or mine! If you do it again, I will have you stripped!"

"Don't make idle threats," Dabria rolled her eyes as she stood.

"Look at me, Dab," Azazel growled. "It is not idle. I will strip your powers myself if you molest my wife again. Am I clear enough for you?"

Dabria drew up and her feelings looked hurt. "I was only trying to help, Zay, she..."

"I don't care! I don't want you meddling, you have no right and you know nothing! Get. Out!"

Dabria fled, looking chastized and even upset.

Azazel watched her, then turned in Elswyths direction, but didn't look at her. "Are you well?"

"Fine..."

He gave a small nod, then fled himself.

Elswyth couldn't go back to sleep and she had noticed immediately that he hadn't locked the door. She got dressed and slipped out as quietly as she could to go and explore this place. She passed people in the halls and the open rooms where hallways converged, but they mostly ignored her or just smirked at her.

She could find no reasoning to the layout of this place, it was all madness. Rooms with hallways and doors to bedrooms. The hallways all led to another large room with more hallways. Like spokes on a wheel, the hallways spread out and no matter which hall she took, there was another room and more halls.

It was maddening. She couldn't find the large common hall that he had taken her to, or a kitchen or another room like that. It was just hallways and hubs and people laughing at her.

They were laughing at her and she was sure she was passing people more than once. They all looked so similar, but that girl with the high bun and black beads... she could have sworn she had just seen her a couple of hubs back. And that tall man with the open shirt and the scar...

She was somehow going in circles, despite never taking the same hall twice.

Azazel suddenly fell in beside her, walking calmly and looking straight ahead. He was back in his normal leather clothes now. "Was there somewhere you wished to go?" he asked softly.

"I was just exploring," she answered glumly.

"Exploring," he repeated, sounding amused. "You have not been given permissions to go anywhere alone, so you are limited to the five surrounding hives."

"Hives?"

"You know what a bee is?"

"Of course."

"And a beehive as well I assume."

"Yes. Is this like a beehive?"

"No and yes. Catacombs are named as combs of honey from a hive. The shape and relative location. Within the catacombs, we call spaces like this one a hive."

"I was thinking of it as a hub, with spokes of a wheel branching out."

"Apt if it were a single hive, but as they are all connected, you understand it requires different terminology. You are confined to the surrounding hives unless you have someone with you, like me."

"How does that work? I never went..."

"Space is relative here. We just left the hive with Khalida reading a book, yes?" he asked, stopping.

"I saw a woman reading," she nodded.

He turned and led her back the way they had come, but there was no woman with a book. It was the main hub and it was half full of people who were talking and laughing, some playing cards or dice.

"That... that's impossible!" she breathed.

"Space is different here. Intention in the halls is what matters."

"Hello, Zay," Bela called happily, hurrying to him and kissing his cheek. "El," she said warmly, bending to kiss Elswyth on the cheek as well. "I hope you both slept well?" she said, but the question was in her voice.

"We slept fine," he answered, blushing.

She pressed her lips together and shook her head slightly, but smiled at him. "All will be well, Zay. the time will come and it will all work out as it should."

He gave her a terse nod, his face turning more red. "I wish to speak to you alone on another matter," he told her. "El, sit here a moment. Samael, she wishes to have a few books. Speak to her of her tastes and see what you can find for her," he said absently as he sat Elswyth down next to a surprised man, then left with his mother.

Elswyth looked at the man who sat up as he closed his book, looking her over. "You are the Forest queen? I am Samael, but if you are a fellow bibliophile, you may call me Sam. What is your name, child?"

"El," she answered, glancing at the hallway Azazel had gone down.

"El, is it. Small name for a small girl. And how are the two newlyweds doing? Zay is the last of my nephews I would have imagined getting bonded, or volunteering for the Trade, but look at you. He lucked out, didn't he? Heard you two put on a bit of a show. Sorry to have missed it," he chuckled. "Tell me, El, what do you enjoy? Books about trees I suppose? Botany? Flora? Dry as bones lists of herbs and uses and whatnot?"

"What? No! I like stories. Fun and happy stories."

"Love stories?"

"Of course."

"I see. I have a few you might like, but we will have to see how far I can push it. I have heard other stories about you as well," he chuckled.

"What stories?" she demanded.

"Stories that say you might not like a few of the steamier romances in the libraries. Not just love, but passion and desire and more."

Elswyth blushed and sat up in her chair primly. "No... I think I would prefer just the regular stories."

"The ones in the kids section it is," he chuckled.

"I am not a child!"

"Any love stories for adults will be chocked full of sex and..."

Elswyth stood up quickly, her eyes wide. "I... have to go," she breathed, then fled down the hall they had come down. She thought hard of her room and was relieved to see her door. She ducked in and shut the door, then fanned her face and tried to swallow down the shame of that man's laughter following her down the hall.

Odious man!

She paced restlessly, holding her stomach and fretting over what the man would say to Azazel when he returned. Would he say she asked for those awful kinds of books? Would Azazel think she wanted to read things like that? Would he think she wanted things like that?!?

Didn't she?

A little?

She had imagined nights with her husband in a general sort of way, avoiding the details and glossing over them. She imagined a lot of kissing and caressing. Whispering sweet words and smiling. She knew there was more, things that tugged at her in a visceral way, but she refused to focus on those things.

She paused her pacing.

Did Azazel have those sorts of thoughts about her?

She started pacing more quickly, fanning her face.

Her door opened and she spun to Azazel, fear spiking up in her. "Don't you know how to knock?!?" she demanded angrily.

He paused, looking unsure. "I... came to find you. Ask you to come dine with my family and I. Your family. Did Samael say he would get your books?"

He hadn't spoken to him! Relief washed through her. "If you wish," she accepted with a small nod and went out with him.

He watched her warily as if he were actually afraid of her snapping at him again.

To her delight, he led her to a chair piled high with cushions and even a lap blanket. He didn't ask, he lifted her into it and she smiled happily as she sunk down into the cushions and pulled the quilt close to snuggle into it. It was much more pleasant than the hard stone and she didn't ask what was under the cushions to lift her up so high. She knew it was so she would have less trouble eating.

She recognized her meal this time of eggs and oatmeal with honey and raisins. She even managed a happy smile at Bela as she ate and listened to the others talking.

She glanced at Azazel and he quickly looked away, like he had been watching her but didn't want her to know it. That made her self conscious. Was he watching her? What was he thinking when he looked at her? Was it things like Samael had spoken of? Maybe he was still wary and hoping she didn't snap at him again.

That was probably it.

No one sat and thought of those things while sitting with their family.

Like she was this very moment.

She blushed and peeked at him again and he was looking at her curiously.

"Zay," his father spoke, interrupting her thoughts. "I have Aeron taking your duties today so that you may spend some time with your wife."

Azazal sat up straight and stared at his father in wide eyed fear. "You don't have to do that! I can..."

"It is done. Go and enjoy your day with your wife. Your mother told me you had a want to spend time with her."

Azazel scowled at his mother and she gave her husband a fake disapproving look.

Elswyth peeked at Azazel who was refusing to look at her now.

"There was a place you wished to take her, yes?" Bela prompted Azazel.

He grimaced and looked away. "El, come with me," he growled, standing.

El got up and slid off the chair and followed him as he stormed away. "Slow down!" she called, having to fly to catch up.

He glared at her wings as he slowed down and she landed. "You have to swear not to use them," he said vehemently.

"Now? Or Ever? What do you mean?"

"Now. Where I am about to take you."

"Very well, you have my word I will not fly," she agreed.

He stared down at her a moment as if trying to gauge whether she was lying or not, then reached for her. She spun in the void and twisted, her gut wrenching after just eating, then she was standing in a dark cave. She had to grip his arm a moment to gain her balance and fluttered her wings to help her.

"You swore!" he hissed.

"I was only balancing myself!" she chided, looking around. She could hear water and there was light around a corner. "I didn't fly, only course corrected. I won't fly."

"Don't," he scowled. "And... close your eyes."

"On this uneven rock?"

"Close them!"

She closed her eyes with a huff and he bent to lift her, putting his forearm under her bottom so she was sitting on his arm. She held onto his shoulder lightly and let him walk her through the cave with her eyes closed.

"Don't peek," he growled.

"I won't," she answered calmly.

The water sound got louder and she could feel real light on her eyes. More... she could feel a tree close by!

"You're trying to fly!"

"No! No, it's excitement, I can feel it!" she cried, smiling.

"You can open," he told her softly.

She opened her eyes to the stunning scene before her. It was a huge, round cave with an opening high up above. There was a small pool in the cave being fed by a small waterfall from the opening above and in the middle of the pool was an island with a short, stout oak tree.

She wanted down, she wanted to run to it, but he carried her out into the water that only came calf high on him if he stayed on the shelf that could be seen in the clear water. He set her on the island and she rushed to the tree, holding it ang hugging it happily.

Immediately, she began sobbing as the hurt and loneliness bore her to her knees. It had been alone for so long and so far from the sun!

"El! El!!" Azazel pleaded, trying to roll her to face him.

"He is hurting so much! His brothers are above and he is alone and can never taste the sun! He only gets indirect light and he yearns to reach the top but cannot!" she wailed. "He is so lonely and sad!"

"Shhh. Come here. Let it go. Watch," he said gently, pulling her away from the tree.

He reached for it and she screamed. "No! Please! Don't kill him! I will help him, I swear, he won't suffer anymore, I will..."

"Hush, El, and watch," he told her. He reached and put a hand on the tree, then closed his eyes.

Elswyth watched as the tree shifted and grew, it's limbs climbing higher and stretching, filling the open space as it reached ever higher. It stopped just short of the opening and Azazel pulled back looking tired.

"What did you do?" she asked, moving to hug the tree again, the tree that was so much happier but still frustrated with not being able to peek through above.

"Do you wonder, El, why there are only Death Elves and not Life? It is because there is no life without death. Death begets new life, always, it circles around. There can be no life without death and no death without life," he said softly as he laid back on the bank. "Next year the locusts come out of the ground. I did not send him all the way so that he would not be stripped bare when they did," he half whispered before falling asleep.

Elswyth cried happy tears and hugged the tree, letting him know why he was short of the top. To have patience, he would get more sun and get more air. She would come as often as Azazel would bring her and spend her days with him.

He told her of this cave and the things he had seen in his slow moving way. The rapid fleeting things did not interest him so much as the gradual changes. The lengths of the stalactites were a special interest to him.

Eventually, Azazel woke up and she knew when he did. The tree told her he was watching her. She kept her eyes closed and listened to the slow way the tree talked, happy to have someone to talk to.

A hand touched her shoulder and she opened her eyes to look at Azazel.

He looked incredibly unsure as he looked down at her, his eyes flitting to her lips and back to her eyes nervously.

"Azazel?" she asked softly.

"You can call me Zay! Yes?"

"I am so tired," she sighed.

His mouth made a surprised 'O' and he caught her as she toppled against him.

She woke in her own bed in the dark and sighed sleepily as she rolled to her side. Fingertips brushed her jaw as they slid curls off her face, but she was too tired to realize what it meant as she went right back to sleep.

She woke again, her head feeling stuffed with wool as she groaned softly. She had overused herself again. Her teacher told her she gave too much of herself when she Spoke, she couldn't just touch and speak, she had to give herself over to them as well. She got too invested in helping them.

A hand touched her head gently and she jerked back in the darkness. "Who...? Get out! Get out of my bed!" she screeched, rolling off of her bed and hitting the floor with a thump.

The lights came on and Azazel appeared, looking over the edge of her bed down at her as she tried to struggle out of the blankets so she could get up.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "Get out of my bed!"

"I... I did not harm you, El, you did this to yourself!"

"I know what happened! Get out of my bed!"

"El, you passed out, I was just..."

"I don't care! Get out!" she screamed.

He disappeared, blinking away in a black burst of nothing.

Still flustered and upset, she struggled out of the blankets, then shoved them back up onto the bed before getting back in herself. What had he been thinking? Why would he assume it would be alright for him to sleep near her?

Because they were married?

The thought hit her and made her wince. Her head still ached and she let out a sigh as she got up and went in search of the grand hall and something for her headache.

After trying for it a second time, she remembered what he sid about not being allowed to go there alone and she paused in front of a pair of young men who were playing cards.

"Excuse me please? Do you have such a thing down here as a tea that will help with a headache?"

One of them cocked his head at her, smirking, the other looked past her with another smile.

She turned and Azazel was in the doorway, scowling at her.

"She hurts, little brother. Will you not help her?"

"She does not wish my help," he hissed angrily. "El, return to your room."

"No... I came out to find something to drink and something for my headache."

"Then you will ask me for these things POLITELY."

"Why should I ask you when I can get them myself? I could if I were allowed to leave these wretched halls anyway! Allow me to leave here so I can get what I need for myself!"

He closed the distance to her and she stepped back, her feet leaving the ground as she started to take flight. He caught her wrist quickly and yanked her back to her room and swung her in, then slammed the door and locked it from the outside.

She sighed and sat on her bed wearily.

Moments later, he appeared in her room with a tray. It had a large pitcher and a cup on it and he poured water into the cup and thrust it at her. "Here," he snarled.

She took the cup, glowering. "I would have done it myself if you would just allow me access to..."

"Enough! Do you wish healed or not?"

"Do you have herbs?"

"No. You get me," he hissed, clamping his giant hand down on her calf. His eyes went back and the blackness spread across his face, and her pain melted away to nothing.

She let out a breath and blinked, swaying slightly. She opened her mouth to say something, but he was gone as soon as he let her go.

She sighed again, then sipped her water before curling up at the head of her bed.

She noticed then, a stack of books on her nightstand and sat up to look them over. She perused the top two and they were books she knew and loved. The bottom two were ones she had not read yet. She started on the bottom one and quickly realized it was one of the books the man had spoken of, filled with lust and... other things.

She snapped it shut and shoved it away, then opened the other one. It was lighter, but still had much heavier reading than she was used to. A lot more kissing, heavy petting and even... marital beds though that part was glossed over and alluded to and not detailed.

She looked around, guiltily, then pulled out the other book and curled around it, as if hiding it from whoever might pop in. She kept a normal book close just in case, but read the naughty book and felt a little thrilled at her own daring. She also felt other thrills as she read, her heart hammering and her body aching in ways it never had before.

She was so engrossed in the book, she actually squeaked when someone knocked on her door. She shoved the book away under her pillow and grabbed up another, opening it in the middle just as Azazel came in, still looking angry.

"You will come to... what is wrong with you? Why are you so flushed and your heart racing?"

"You startled me," she answered quickly, jumping up from her bed and landing close to him after flying across the room in a hurry. She set the book down so he could see it was a normal book and nothing racy. "Where are we going?"

"Breakfast," he answered, looking down at her suspiciously. "Did you not go back to sleep?"

"No, I must have slept too much!" she answered quickly, pulling her door shut. "I read a book."