Message-ID: <53465asstr$1144390202@assm.asstr.org>
From: Shalon Wood <dstar@pele.cx>
Subject: {ASSM} New Age Dawning 3 (Ff rom fantasy viol blood)
Lines: 478
Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2006 02:10:02 -0400
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Standard disclaimers apply; this story may or may not contain, in any
given part, graphic depictions of lesbianism, homosexuality, group sex,
bdsm, underage (teen) sex, magic, occultism, violence, and biting 
sarcasm.  If you're underage, or if for any other reason it's illegal 
for you to read this, or you're disturbed by the content, please don't 
read it.

Archived at http://pandora.pele.cx, and we've got a web-forum at
http://playground.pele.cx/forums as well, for discussion of both
Pandora and our other stories. 

Comments *greatly* appreciated.

Enjoy,

Velvet
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

With a bit of looking, they were able to find a stream. It was fast-moving,
deep, with ice only at the very edges of the bank. "Here," Adara said.
"Cold, though. You should hurry."

Obediently, the girl waded into the water, teeth chattering, and washed as
best she could. When she climbed out, her hair hung around her, the curls
stretched out by the weight of the water, hanging to her knees like an icy
blanket.

"Cold?" Adara asked.

"C...c...cold!" came the chattering agreement. "M...m...my f...father
_would_ s..sell me to a necromancer in the m...middle of w...winter!"

Adara grinned and held out her hand, palm facing the girl, and heat
streamed from her, warming and drying the water from her hair. Rhishandri
shivered and leaned towards the warmth, a look of bliss on her face.
"Ooooooohhh!"

"Better?" Adara asked.

"Worth it to be clean. But we can't stay out in the open all night... we'd
freeze."

Adara nodded. "Town's not far. Come on."

It was just a couple of miles. The nearest small town owed fealty to the
now-deceased wizard. In theory, this meant that he was responsible for
protecting it. In practice, it surrendered happily to the invading troops
days ago, welcoming them as saviours. Currently, it was full of very...
celebratory... soldiers. They could hear the noise well before they could
actually see the town.

Rhishandri hung back as they approached, unwilling to leave the shadow of
the trees for the open road into town. Adara looked back at her with a
thoughtful frown. "Stay with me. Don't get out of my sight unless I tell
you it's okay. Understand?"

"Um..." The girl bit her lip nervously. "Maybe I should wait here?" she
asked, almost pleadingly.

Adara shook her head. "Then you'd be helpless if they found you. Don't
worry... I can protect you."

Her assurance didn't do anything to soothe Rhishandri's nervousness, but a
life of conditioned obedience made her follow Adara into town, however
reluctantly. Torchlight flickered in the cold, misty air, and raucous
laughter drifted in loud bursts through the chill night. The town was
filled to overflowing -- one huge party.

Fortunately, Adara knew of a nice little inn on the edge of town, easily
approachable from the cover of the forest. It was a clean, well-priced
place, often over-looked and fairly empty because of its distance from the
road. Tonight, though, it was brightly lit and as loud as any of the
others. Rhishandri stared at it with an expression of horror.

A pair of mercenaries stumbled from the door, wrestling with each other.
Several others gathered at the door, loudly shouting encouragement, two
with scantily clad women tucked beneath their arms. The victor roared,
lifting his opponent high and tossing him in the horse trough, to the
cheers and laughter of the others.

Rhishandri cringed, taking a few steps backward. Adara cocked her head and
asked, "Problem?"

"Ah... You want me to go in _there_?" she asked, eyes wide with disbelief.
"With them? _Naked_?"

Adara grinned. "They'll leave you alone -- you're with me. Or else. I
probably won't have to kill even one."

"P...probably? Oh, my," the girl said weakly.

Adara smiled. "Come on." She stepped out of the trees, walking
unconcernedly towards the inn. Rhishandri followed closely, blatantly
hiding behind her as she approached the door of the in. They were nearly to
the door when a voice came from behind them, from the horse trough.

"Well, I dinna think tha bastard hit me that hard, but obviously, he killed
me! For what have I 'ere but a very Singer sent down from Eryn to claim me
soul?" The man crawled from the trough and staggered towards them. "Come,
lovely Singer, and give me yer kiss o' death."

Adara stiffened, fixing the man with a look that had caused grown men to
gibber and wet themselves. "One warning," she said coldly, "Back off."

He stopped, a perplexed look on his face. "What ho? A demon sent to guard
my Singer?" He looked down, to where Rhishandri had ducked behind Adara and
was now peeking from around her with wide eyes. "But for such a prize, a
fight wi' a demon isna such a great price, eh?" He smiled. "Gi' me some
hope, pretty lass, and I'll take on yer great keeper for just tha sweet
taste o' yer lips."

She shook her head frantically and darted back behind Adara, obviously
terrified.

The man frowned, shaking his head with drunken confusion. "Why have ye the
little lass out in tha cold, keeper, and her wi'out a stitch? Could it be
she's not wi' ye by her free choice? Is it ye she be so afrighted of?"

Adara looked at him thoughtfully before choosing to answer. Something about
him prodded her instincts, made her hesitant to simply dispose of him. "I
saved her from that... ass... in the tower," she said at last. "There
wasn't time to go back and get her clothes before--" She jerked her head
towards the multi-colored glow on the horizon, still flickering as new
magical explosions occurred, "there wasn't any back to go to."

He blinked, some of the alcohol clearing from his head. "Didja now? None o'
us know how tha monster met 'is fate, and rumor has it, the high muckety
mucks don' know any better 'n us peons. If ye're willing ta share yer tale,
I'll buy ye both dinner and room for tha night, though, to tell ye true, ye
take her in there, like that, and there'll be a riot such as ta keep anyone
from getting food or rest. Not all o' me comrades be gentlemen like meself,
ya see."

Adara considered, then nodded. "Deal, if you'll ask one of the bar-girls
inside to send out clothing for her."

He bowed extravagantly... far more gracefully than he should have been able
to manage for his apparently drunken state. "It'd be my pleasure, lady
demon," he said cheerfully, then sauntered into the inn. He returned
shortly, after changing his own clothes for something dryer, and presented
Adara with a small bundle. "None o' tha maids had aught to spare, but me
lord's squire is a small lad, and likely closer to her size than any o'
that overblown lot. Likely cleaner, too, truth be known. Will this suit?"

Adara unfolded them to reveal loose trousers, gathered at the ankle, a
long-sleeved shirt, and a small, belted vest. She nodded. "Yes," she said,
and passed the clothes to Rhishandri who took them gratefully and dressed
behind her. 

The man grinned and turned partially away, pointedly resisting peeking.
"Sorry to say, tha lad has huge feet, so no shoes, but if ye've coin, ye
can find slippers or boots for her readily enough in tha morn."

"I think I can manage that," Adara said with a slight grin.

"Well, come then, and we'll see what this fine establishment has t'offer,
aye?" He held the door open with a flourish.

Adara stepped inside, but the girl following her stopped, taken aback by
the wash of noise coming from the opened door. Rhi took a deep breath and
followed Adara in, the warmth of the place beguiling despite the noise.
Adara paused by the doors, looking around for a suitable table. The
atmosphere inside was as wild as the noise from outside hinted, and most of
the tables were occupied. As they walked in, though, a pair of men
occupying a corner booth stood, one of them scooping the barmaid from the
tabletop and carrying her towards the stairs as the other followed,
laughing. Rhi watched them wide-eyed, but Adara smiled. The table was
secluded, nestled safely in the corner, and had a good view of the door.
She lay her hand on the girl's shoulder and led her to the booth, placing
her on the inside and sliding in beside her.

The man caught a barmaid and talked with her a moment, snagging the pitcher
of ale and three mugs off her tray. She looked outraged, then laughed as he
batted his eyes at her and said something teasing. She shook her head as he
walked away. He slid into the seat across the table from Adara and Rhi and
plunked down his 'catch'. "She'll bring plates soon. Have a drop ta wet yer
throats," he said cheerfully.

Adara nodded, taking a mug of ale. "Thanks," she said, and looked down to
see Rhishandri sniff the ale and turn vaguely green as she stared down into
the cup. "Don't drink it if you don't want," Adara said quietly. "Gods know
what that bastard did to you."

The girl nodded just a bit, and whispered back, "I don't think I _can_."

"So," the man said, brightly. "There's no room ta be had, but I'll gladly
let ye have me own, if ye don't mind sharin' a bed w'each other. Grateful
I'd be for a spot on the floor by the fire, though, if ye're of a mind, but
required it isna. Just yer tale is all I ask."

"We'll see," Adara said, taking a drink. "Story's fairly simple. I hired on
as a bodyguard to that ass. Paid well... most people wouldn't work for him,
of course. He bought Rhi here as a sacrifice for some ritual or another.
Maybe to use her soul to create another monster, or maybe something more
powerful. Anyway. I'm outside, when I hear chains snapping, him screaming.
Rush in, he's trying to hold the creature off." She smirked. "Apparently,
he broke the spells that allowed him to control it, or something. Rips his
heart out and crushes it." Another satisfied smirk. "Powerful as he was, he
couldn't survive that."

The man raised an eyebrow and his eyes flicked briefly towards the girl
hiding in the shadowy corner of the booth, then away. "And what manner o'
creature was it that killed him?" he asked, his voice carefully casual.

Adara shrugged. "I'm honestly not certain."

"Well, what did the beastie look like, eh? I've a bit o' experience in that
sort o' thing. Maybe I could shed some light on the subject."

She grinned wryly. "It was covered in blood, so I didn't get a really good
look. I think, maybe, it was intended to be some kind of variant on a
vampire, but it didn't try to drink his blood... it just wanted to kill
him. Once it'd done that, it just wanted _out_ of the tower -- went out the
window."

"Uh-huh," he said, skeptically. "Flew, did... it?" The hesitation was
small, but she caught it.

She shrugged again. "Maybe. I wasn't really looking -- being a bit more
concerned about getting out myself. Being at the top of a tower that's
collapsing isn't high on my list of things I like to do, you understand?"

"Aye, I can see how that might be tha case." He settled back in the booth,
lifting his glass and peering at it thoughtfully. "I hope, though, that tha
beastie doesna take a mind to continue h.. its master's work."

Adara snorted. "From what I saw, the only thing on its mind was getting the
hell away from there."

"Aye, but if it's dangerous, and starts to be a problem with tha common
folk round here, likely me unit'll be the ones tapped to hunt it down and
destroy it."

Rhishandri scrunched back in the seat, hiding in the shadows as best she
could.

Adara shook her head. "I doubt that'll be the case," she said firmly.

"I hope not. I'd feel rather guilty, killin' tha puir beastie that done us
such a right good turn. Ah, 'ere's our dinner now." 

The barmaid set three loaded plates on the table and asked, "Will that be
all?"

He smiled up at her and handed her a coin. "Aye, lass. Keep the extra for
yer trouble, hear?" She giggled and tucked it into bodice before departing
with a sultry look over her shoulder.

Rhishandri looked down at the food and turned even greener as she pushed it
around on her plate. Adara watched her for a moment, then asked, "Not
hungry?" The girl shook her head, keeping her eyes down. "That's okay,"
Adara said quietly. "I'll eat yours, then." Rhi pushed it over with a look
of abject relief.

The man pretended not to notice the exchange. "So," he said, "There be lots
of changes happening around here soon. Are ye just passing through, or are
ye looking for work? Ye've the look of experience. Might ye be signing on
after ye settle the lass back with her family?"

Adara gave him a lopsided frown. "Not taking her back. Bastard sold her
once, he'll do it again. She's going to stick with me for a while." She
paused thoughtfully. "Don't know about signing on. People might hold
grudges."

His eyebrows raised again, and he looked from Adara to Rhishandri and back
again, his face betraying the assumption he'd just come to, and Adara
laughed. "Not like that," she said. "Can't defend herself yet. I can teach
her." Rhishandri looked up at her, puzzled, but quickly dropped her eyes.
"Now," Adara continued, "If your lord were to need someone to act...
independently... I might could do something."

"Ah," the man said, looking a touch embarrassed. "Yer business, not mine."
He smiled, embarrassment gone and blue eyes twinkling as he looked at Rhi.
"Thought I canna say I wouldna _like_ it ta be mine. But ye may be right
about the grudges, though we all know what it is t'work for such as we have
no stomach for. In truth, these days one mage seems much like any other,
and I'm nigh fed up wi' them all."

Adara snorted. "Indeed."

"But they do pay well, canna argue that," he said with a sigh. "However, a
nice stretch as a caravan guard, or mountain guide looks a bit better each
morn." 

Adara nodded. The mountains were officially "No Man's Land", claimed by no
mage, no warlord. 

"Where do ye think ye'll be headed?" the man asked casually.

She shrugged. "No idea yet."

He frowned for the first time, and looked down at his mug. "I shouldn't be
sayin' this, but... it may be best ta take tha little lass as far from here
as ye can. I meant it when I said I was fed up wi' tha bloody wizards. What
one would want, the others might also covet, ye ken?"

Adara nodded solemnly. "I know."

He looked into the shadows, and Rhi drew back to avoid his eyes. "And
people are like to notice things," he went on, looking at the untouched cup
in front of the girl. "There's many folk here that still fear him as was in
the tower, even now, and anything that were touched by him."

Adara nodded again.

"I wouldn't recommend staying long, unless you plan to stay permanent," he
finished.

"You know what conditions are like out there?" Adara asked. "Any good
places to head?"

He smiled quirkily. "Conditions are bad, just about everywhere. Specially
near the high lords. Were it me, and I wanted to avoid em all, I'd head
into the mountains. Rough terrain, and dangerous unless ye know them well,
though. But them that build the towers, they stay out of em."

She nodded. "True. I've never been one for the wilderness much, though."

His eyes took on a secretive look. "For them that know, it isn't all
wilderness," he said quietly. "There be places nestled in those mountains,
places like most men never dream of. But ye've got to find them, ye've got
to know how to _look_."

Adara raised a brow curiously. "People?"

"Of many sorts, not all as look like me an' thee, but people none tha
less."

She shrugged. "Who cares what they look like."

He laughed. "Many folk, but not I. And I think not ye, as well. Ye won't
find them by yerself, though."

"Oh?"

He shook his head. "Nay, they're well hidden, where none would think ta
look, and protected by spells such as the puir fools here below only _wish_
they could master."

Adara grinned, delighted. "Interesting."

"Ye'll need a guide who knows tha passes and tha codes, if ya plan on
seeking them."

"And you know where I could find one," Adara asked with a knowing smile.

"Aye, that I might, if ye be able to pay him. A man must eat, ya know."

She grinned again. "I think I can manage that, though I'll need to find a
place to sell a few things."

"Welllll... might be able to help ye on that a bit. Know someone who'll pay
good prices for trinkets you might have picked up along the way,
particularly if they have a bit o' magic about them."

She smiled again, wondering what it was about the man that was so strangely
intriguing. It wasn't anything obvious, just something about him made her
feel inclined to give him a second look, judge him a bit more positively
than was her normal habit. He seemed honest enough, though. "They do," she
said.

He smiled, his blue eyes sparkling. "Then perhaps we should discuss this
matter wi' a bit more privacy, aye?" he suggested.

She nodded. "A decent idea."

He filled his glass and Adara's and stood. "Then I'll show you ladies to
your room."

The room was larger than Adara had expected. Obvious their new 'friend' was
a man of some rank. There was even a small table and chairs by the
fireplace. A fire was already lit, and Rhi moved over to it gratefully.

He sat, motioning Adara tot he other chair. The girl remained kneeling in
front of the fire, bathing in the warmth, practically purring. "So," he
said, "I'm Conor Delan. What names shall I call the two of ye by?" he
asked.

"I'm Adara." Her eyes were on Rhishandri, who was totally immersed in the
fire; she didn't seem to even be hearing them, so caught up was she in
luxuriating in the warmth from the flames. 

"And the little lass?" Conor asked.

"Call her Rhi."

He nodded. "All right, then. Let's put our cards on the table. I've got
what ye need if ya want to find the Mountain Cities. Ye may be my way out
of this damned unending war, if ye've got the coin. But, before I can be
comfy wi' me fragile self bein' alone wi' you two ladies, I need ta know
just what the lass is, eh? I've no desire to be a walkin' larder, no matter
how pretty the feaster," he said bluntly.

Adara shrugged. "I don't really know. But I'm fairly sure it's not what the
ass intended."

"Aye, I can see that "somethin' that'll eat me face" isna like ta be what
he intended, that's sure enough. But what is she like to eat now?"

"I'm not sure." Adara seemed unconcerned. "She _might_ have drunk part of
his blood, and eaten some of his flesh, or that might have just been a side
effect of how violently she was attacking him."

"That's not too reassuring, if ye don't mind me saying!"

Adara grinned. "You'd have been doing the same, I think, if you'd been in
her position. He was trying to drink _her_ blood, after all."

"Ah, so those rumors were true, then. Still... the question remains. How
can I trust that tha lass won't take it in her pretty head to eat ol'
Conor?"

She shrugged. "I won't let her."

He raised one skeptical eyebrow. "Lady, ye're large, and have a capable
look about ye, but... Varelli was a powerful mage, and a vampire to boot.
If she could do _that_ to him, what makes ye think she couldn't do the same
to ye if she gets a might... peckish?"

Adara grinned again. "Rhi? Toss me the poker, would you?"

The girl looked up, her eyes dreamy. "Mmm? Okay," she said. She handed it
to her, then lay down, curling up on the carpet with her back to the fire
and closing her eyes, a blissful expression on her face.

Adara took the iron poker between thumb and first two fingers of each hand,
then easily bent it into a U, her smile never wavering.

Conor's eyes widened. "Well then. Are _you_ likely to decide to make a
snack o' me?"

She shook her head. "Game will do for me."

He seemed to consider this seriously for a while, then nodded. "All right,
then. It's a risk, but no worse a one than breasting the next tower wall.
What ha' ye ta offer?" 

Adara untied the makeshift sack. "We brought this with us."

He let out a low whistle. "My oh my. How lovely." He prodded through the
items carefully, then pulled out one ring, looking at it. "This is a
necromancer's ring. No good to those who don't have the skill. It be worth
enough ta pay me and outfit all three o' us admirably for the trip as well.
The rest, ye'll be better off holdin' onto until we arrive. If ye're of a
mind ta trust me, I'll take this to the buyer I know about, and get us set
up and ready to leave by lunch time tomorrow."

Adara nodded. "Works." 

They discussed a few more details before Conor departed for the night, and
after he'd left, she looked down to find that Rhishandri had fallen asleep
in front of the fire, curled up as bonelessly as any cat. She smiled, and
bent to scoop the girl up and carry her to the bed.

She was hot to the touch, far hotter than a human would be. Adara frowned a
bit, wondering if that was normal for her. The girl shivered, then blinked
sleepily. "Mmm?"

Adara smiled down at her. "Bedtime."

Her eyes fluttered closed again, and she turned, cuddling into Adara's
chest. "Mmmhmm."

Setting the girl on the bed, Adara crawled in beside her, tugging the
blankets up over them. "Night," she said quietly. Rhishandri made no sound,
just shivered and cuddled as close as possible. Adara looked down at her
for a moment, then shrugged and slid an arm around the girl's waist before
closing her own eyes.

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reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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