The Dragon's Lover (18 page)

Weynild was there amongst the flowers and she fell
into her arms, laughing. The dragon in human form took her to the
ground and rolled her onto her back on the soft moss. Raine stared
up into the golden eyes she loved, feeling impish.

“Sometimes I wish I were not immune to magic.”

Weynild propped herself up on an elbow. “And why is
that?”

“I would have you shape-shift me, and then I could be
on top.”

Weynild chuckled at her mischievous companion. “Oh
really? Hmm,” she said thoughtfully. “That might actually be
enjoyable.”

She glanced about her, looking for raw material, and
found it close at hand. A combination of earth and soft metal that
could be hardened by extreme heat. Raine watched curiously, a grin
appearing as the phallus began to take shape, the grin widening
when Weynild set the object down and blew upon it with a red hot
flame, solidifying its form. She went to pick it up, pulling her
hand away sharply as it was still very hot.

“We should probably let that cool down a bit,” she
said sheepishly.

Weynild's golden eyes gleamed. “Thank you for your
consideration.” She sought further materials and created something
of a belt in order to attach the phallus. Raine watched her
work.

“I did not realize you were such a craftsman.”

“Shut up and put that on.”

It was a surprisingly good fit for such a makeshift
device, and Raine glanced down, the sight of the contraption making
her laugh.

“I see that I am quite well-endowed,” she said.

“Yes,” Weynild said, “one of the advantages of
crafting your own.” She pulled Raine on top of her and helped guide
the device to its intended destination, catching her breath at the
penetration.

For a moment, Raine merely lay on top of her,
enjoying the look in her eyes as they hovered at the beginning of
the act. Then slowly she began to move her hips, experimenting,
enjoying the novel sensation. She received instantaneous feedback
as Weynild's eyes closed at the ecstatic feeling, the fullness
between her legs and her lover's weight atop her. The girl's rhythm
was perfect, her strokes gentle but strong, her skill really quite
exceptional considering she had never done the act before.

Weynild stopped her and with her immense strength,
rolled her over onto her back. She straddled her, the object still
pleasantly inside. “And how is it you are so skilled at this? Have
you done this before?”

The words were more playful than jealous and now
Raine was enjoying the view of those perfect breasts above her
head. “Unless I perpetrated it on you in your sleep, you know I
have not. I’ve been watching you for some time, however, and have
been mindful of your technique.”

As she said this, she thrust her hips upward, burying
the phallus deep inside Weynild and causing waves of pleasure to
wash over the silver-haired woman. Raine continued the motion and
Weynild began to rock her hips so that they moved as one. It was
one of the most pleasant sensations Weynild had ever experienced,
and she decided she liked the position.

“I see I am still on the bottom,” Raine commented
wryly.

“Shut up,” Weynild said, then ensured obedience by
kissing her. She could tell by the quickening of her lover's rhythm
that Raine, too, was enjoying the orientation and would likely
achieve climax in that position. She forcefully tried to contain
her own climax in order to bring the girl along, but Raine seemed
insistent on driving her to pleasure. Weynild would have none of
that and knew how to manipulate her lover. She leaned down to
whisper in her ear.

“I want you to come with me.”

The sensation of the warm breath in her ear and the
whispered endearment, half invitation, half command was all it
took. Raine exploded, all of her energy focused on driving into the
one who straddled her, the one who rode her waves of pleasure until
they were overcome by her own.

For the longest time, Weynild just lay on top of
Raine, enjoying the exhausted intimacy of their positions. Raine
was very much overcome by the intensity of the act, and she held
Weynild tightly. She finally loosened her grip enough to allow
Weynild to roll off of her. Weynild removed the phallus, set it to
the side, then heated it to a white hot flame, which melted it back
into the earth.

“I was growing fond of that,” Raine said.

Weynild kissed her tenderly. “I assure you I will
make you more. I don't want you tempted to use it on anyone
else.”

Raine knew she was teasing, and her eyes darkened to
such a deep violet they were nearly black. “As if that were even
possible.”

Their positions were so comfortable and the mood so
gentle, Weynild despised the fact she had to intrude upon it. But
they needed to talk and so rarely had the opportunity.

“So now you have killed a Reaper Shard.”

Raine was not yet ready to let the mood pass, so
incorporated the conversation into it. “And does that arouse
you?”

“You have no idea,” Weynild said with a deep, throaty
chuckle.

Raine grinned. The flash of renewed desire in
Weynild's eyes told her they would not be talking long, so she
would get to the point quickly. “Of course now Idonea knows of my
immunity to magic, as do the others.”

“It is not Idonea and the others I am concerned
about. It is what was on the other end of that wraith that has me
concerned, the summoner.”

A sigh escaped from Raine. “Yes, especially since I
stood over the Reaper and threatened him or her, or whatever the
summoner is. I told them I was coming for them.”

The admission made Weynild smile and Raine
blushed.

“I was caught up in the moment. I usually am not so
melodramatic.” Raine rolled her eyes at herself. “It just seemed
appropriate at the time.” She sought to change the subject.

“Idonea carries something with her, a magical
artifact, I believe. Do you know what it is?”

“No,” Weynild said, “do you think it's
significant?”

“I don't know,” Raine said, “and I don't know what it
is. But she's hiding something.”

“That does not surprise me,” Weynild replied. She
rolled onto her back, finished with the conversation, and pulled
Raine on top of her.

“Sit up,” she commanded, and Raine sat upright,
straddling her hips, and now it was Weynild's turn to enjoy the
view. The taut stomach, the firm breasts, those violet eyes
darkened with desire. She concentrated, and Raine felt the
penetration between her legs as she shape-shifted.

“That really is not fair,” Raine said, biting her lip
at the startling pleasure.

Weynild held the slender hips tightly as her own rose
upward. Raine clung to her, much as she clung to her neck when
Weynild was in flight in dragon form.

“So, little dragon rider, let's see how long you last
this time.”

CHAPTER 12

Once again they were leaving a pleasant village
behind, weighed down by the knowledge that the nearer they came to
the Empty Land, villages would be fewer and far between, and most
likely with far fewer amenities. Not many chose to live outside the
bounds of the empire for many reasons. The land itself was
inhospitable, unfit for farming and wildlife was scarce. Although
there were areas rich with minerals, there were few resources
available to support full-scale mining operations. A few of these
mining camps bordered the Empty Land, but none set root too far
inside the harsh landscape.

They had fortified themselves but it was a balancing
act between carrying adequate supplies and overburdening
themselves. They had traded out their horses for a set of pack
mules, hardy little burros that would last longer in the rough
conditions. It meant they would have to travel on foot, but could
carry more with them to make up for the longer time it would take
them to cross the desert.

The denizens of the Empty Land were small, grotesque
creatures particularly suited to the harsh landscape. Various
hard-shelled beetles and insects made a life burrowing in the sand.
Certain snakes and rodents also thrived amongst the more rocky
terrain, creating their own little dynamic of predator and prey.
Nothing much larger than that survived in the Empty Land.

The days were hot and the nights were freezing cold.
The heat bothered Lorifal and the four humans whereas the cold
bedeviled the two elves. It was difficult to tell if either
bothered Raine, who set a steady pace, eyes steadfast on the
horizon. They had limited supplies and had to reach the Edge and
pass through the Veil before they ran out.

The “Edge” was a place where cliffs bordered the
Empty Land, and, well, someplace else. Intrepid explorers had found
the Edge centuries before, referring to it at that time as the Edge
of the World. More intrepid explorers followed them, daring to
descend the steep cliffs into the mists below. No one ever
returned. Some speculated that it was because there was nothing
beyond the cliffs, that they descended into a gaping hole, a
swirling vortex of emptiness. The only problem with that theory is
that the Edge seemed to produce the Hyr'rok'kin. They would spew
out from its depths every few decades or so, wreaking havoc until
they were put down by whatever powers could defeat them. Because of
that, most were firmly convinced that the underworld was on the
other side of the Edge.

Now, of course, the Hyr'rok'kin seemed to be spewing
forth without end. Raine was surprised they had not come across any
more armies of the creatures as they crossed the Empty Land. It
made her suspicious, as if perhaps they were now being drawn
in.

They tried to keep moving later into the evening, in
that space where it began to cool down but was not yet freezing. As
much as she wished to keep moving, she was wary of overtiring her
companions and always watched Elyara closely as she was something
of a bellwether. The wood elf never complained so Raine was always
watchful to gauge her fatigue. And she was showing signs of fatigue
right now.

“I think we should stop here,” Raine said.

No one would say anything, but they were all
grateful. They were very tired. And as anxious as they were to
reach the Edge, they were also experiencing that peculiar
reluctance one feels when a theoretical goal begins to become
actual and the reality begins to sink in.

Even the fire they lit seemed to bring little warmth
and Dagna motioned for Elyara to move closer, putting her arm
around the slender elf and drawing her near. Idonea would have said
something sarcastic, but she was huddled next to Bristol,
sandwiched between him and Gunnar. Lorifal was obtaining warmth
from his flask, and Feyden was wrapped in furs, drawing on his
pipe. Only Raine sat in the open. Although her breath came out in
heavy vapor and her skin was bluish from the cold, she stared into
the fire, seemingly oblivious to the deep chill.

Idonea examined the beautiful features, the high
cheek bones that seemed even more pronounced in the light from the
fire. The eyes were a pale blue, but it was not difficult to
imagine them the deep purple that gazed upon Weynild. Idonea
wondered if Raine controlled the color of her eyes, having noted
that when Raine fought, her eyes were very pale, almost gray like a
stormy sky. She wondered what Raine was thinking about at the
moment, since her eyes were nearly as pale as when she was
fighting. A question occurred to her, and she wondered why she had
not asked it previous to this moment.

“Have you ever been to the Edge before?”

The question caught everyone's attention and Raine
knew it was directed at her.

“Yes,” she replied, “I have.”

The silence had already been present but now it
seemed fuller, more weighted. Idonea tried to assess Raine's
expression, but it had taken on that guarded impassivity that was
so frustrating.

“And have you been beyond the Edge?”

The silence was now complete. It seemed that even the
cold wind scuttling across the sand had stopped, and the fire
flickered but no longer crackled or hissed.

“Yes,” Raine said again, “I have.”

A startling number of emotions flooded through
Idonea, mirrored in the faces of those around her. Shock,
disbelief, anger, indignation, and chief among them, fear.

“Were you ever going to tell us about this?” Idonea
demanded.

“You didn't ask,” Raine said, her tone calm but firm.
“And my guess is that had I volunteered this information early on
you would have dismissed it as you dismissed me.”

“What is beyond the Edge?” Feyden asked.

Raine's response was dark and thoughtful. “The
original name of these cliffs was the Edge of the World. And the
early discoverers didn't know it, but the title was apt. Just
beyond the cliffs is an area that does not really exist as we know
things to exist. It is the Veil, the transitory world between life
and death, between our world and the underworld. When the Veil
thins, Hyr'rok'kin and Demon'ai can make their way through from the
underworld into ours. But in order to do so, they have to overcome
the Gatekeepers, and the Arond'ai, although few, are formidable
foes.”

“And what will we face in the Veil?” Gunnar said, his
concern bordering on fear.

“All sorts of creatures thrive there, feeding on
black magic. Reaper Shards are quite common because the Veil mimics
their normal state of being.”

“We don't stand a chance!” Bristol said, and for
once, Gunnar was inclined to agree with him.

“Were you ever going to share this information with
us?” he asked accusingly.

“Yes,” Raine said. “In three days’ time. That is how
long I estimate it will take us to arrive at the edge of the
cliffs, at which time I was going to inform all of you of the
perils you face and give you the option of leaving.” She raised her
eyes icily to the dark-haired beauty sitting across from her.
“Except Idonea.”