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"Black Dragon Rising" is a dark fantasy medieval romance.
There are many story extras including a map and artwork at my website link above.
Chapter Three
I awaken a bit stiff from sleeping on hard ground but at least I'm well rested. Talen's arms are wrapped around me from behind, and the combination of our body heat has left me broiling and sticky with sweat. However, the way he's latched onto my body, spooning as it were, leaves me feeling protected as if he treasures me more than anything in the world. Briefly, I raise his fingers to my lips and caress them, bestowing a few light licks with my tongue. He squirms a little, and I feel him nuzzle my neck; the hot breath from his little nostrils fluttering against my skin. He's such a quiet sleeper. Honestly, Talen's cuter than a puppy.
Angelaria's still asleep in front of me. She's wearing a delicate night shift, refusing to bed naked with the two of us. I think it's more of a precaution really: a thin piece of silk is now a barrier to protect her from my roaming cock. Well, it might as well be made of iron, because I never go where I'm not wanted. It makes me think that maybe she really was just testing us when she asked if we'd like a menage. Or...here's another thought...was she just testing me? In other words, do I WANT a menage?
By Tethyr, I think I'm onto something. It's all a game, see? That's how relationships work; it's part of the fun trying to figure out what may or may not happen. But I have a couple of thoughts. First, are ALL girls this complex? And second, how can I get out of bed without waking Talen? I need to pee so badly, and my dick is so hard I could crack walnuts with it.
I carefully untwine his fingers, and he rolls onto his back, eyes moving rapidly behind closed lids. His gleaming chest catches what little light peeks in through the slats of our tent and highlights a six pack of glorious abs, trapezoidal-shaped pecs, and a perfect belly button. As dexterously as I can manage, I slip through the canvas and stride naked over to a tree. Steam from the hot spring floats by me and paints my white skin with droplets of clear dew. But it's a chilly morning, and the small pebbles under my feet hurt if I don't step lightly. Combined with the cold it's like a slap to the face, and I realize I'm not getting back to bed. So once I do my business, I take a quick dip in the hot spring so that I can style my hair somewhat and not just leave it in a rat's nest of tangles. By the time I dry off and am putting on my armor, the others are starting to wake up.
Angelaria emerges first.
"Good morning," she says.
While I brush my teeth, she immediately begins rummaging around in her pack. I see her pull out a pot and she mumbles a few words to get a fire going. Then she fills it with water and starts to brew coffee. I finish putting on my breastplate, adjust my codpiece, and slip my boots over my naked feet. The armor feels cold, but only for a few minutes. My body quickly warms it from the inside.
"Good morning," I reply albeit a bit late. I grab one of Talen's shiny greaves and use the reflection to coax my still damp hair into place with my fingers.
She smiles and pours a cup of coffee for herself and takes a drink. "Would you like some?"
I nod. She pours me a cup and hands it to me, and I've to admit, it's exactly like Talen said: sweet, thick, and quite delicious.
I get a refill and slip into the tent. Talen blinks the sleep out of his eyes and sits up on his elbows. I hand him the cup and he takes a long drink all the while grinning at me from across the tin.
"You're amazing," he says. Then he kisses me. I look down at the thin blanket that he's pulled up over his waist and see a morning hard on has pitched a tent right below my chin.
"Am I? Well an amazing boyfriend should do his duty, right?" I say this as playfully as possible, but it still causes him to raise one eyebrow.
I motion for him to lie back and gently take the coffee tin from his fingers.
"I dedicate this morning to you," I whisper. "I'm your slave, sir." Then I carefully pull his blanket down and slip his erection into my warm soft mouth. I massage his shaft with gentle squeezes and he turns his head into the little pillow we share, white teeth gleaming from the roof of his open mouth.
"Kian, that feels so good," he says.
A second later, he slides his muscular thighs a little farther apart, and I work his glans until it lathers up with a combination of precum and my spit. He lovingly combs his fingers through my blond hair, sometimes taking a fistful and at other times smoothing it over my ears. I suck until I feel my teeth might cut through the back of my lips. No pain is too great for my Talen. Ten minutes later, my boyfriend gasps, his belly contracts, and his balls tighten. Four hot squirts splash the back of my throat and Talen quivers like jelly in the aftershock of nerves made hypersensitive by my attention.
"That's the best goddamned good morning I've ever had," he says, sweat dripping from his bangs.
I kiss him and he's suddenly giggling. That goes on for a while, with some added tickling for good measure.
"So are you going to get dressed anytime soon, or are we just going to lie around all afternoon?" I ask. I do so while trailing one finger up his stomach.
He blinks. "Fine. I'll get dressed. But tomorrow morning it's my turn to be your slave...to show you thanks."
I hold his head carefully in my gloves. "You've done that already. My thanks IS seeing you every day, Talen. That's all I ever need...it's all I ever want."
"Tethyr's teeth you're going to make me cry. I demand that you stop it." Then he pecks me on the nose and slips out of the tent to wash up and don his killsuit armor. I press my nose to the pillow because his scent lingers there like a sweet musk. I can't get enough of him.
Dawn is so beautiful here in the mountains. I root around in my pack for something to eat and find the remains of a ham that I packed for the three of us. Talen breaks out some slightly stale bread and we make do, passing the food between us.
"I wish I had some gravy," I lament.
"If wishes were fishes the sea would be full," Angelaria states.
It's a curious saying, and I imagine an entire ocean filled with fish.
"We've got a few potatoes left, a bag of dried fruit, and a small block of cheese," Talen says to no one in particular. "But no more meat. We should fish if we come across a stream."
"I thought about that down there at the plunge pool," I say. "But I've no equipment...no fishing rod...no hook."
Talen giggles.
"What?" I ask.
"I can make the equipment, silly. All I need is some string, a rod and a hook. There's plenty of trees around if you haven't noticed, and I'm sure Angelaria could come up with a sewing needle and thread."
"Oh really?" she asks. "Is that because I'm a girl? I've tits so I'm just naturally supposed to have a needle and thread. That way I can sew for my two boys when their pants need mending, right? If you expect me to be barefoot and cook what you bring home for dinner, you've got another thing coming."
This time, it's my turn to chuckle. "Well do you?"
"Do I what?" she asks.
"Have a needle and thread? It's a simple question. I'm just taking a poll."
She frowns. "I'm the only one allowed to take polls. And to answer your question, I might but it's my motto to 'be prepared.' This has nothing to do with the fact that I've a vagina between my legs."
Talen smirks at her comment; then quickly catches himself.
"What?" she asks. "I GET him, but I don't get you."
Talen shrugs. "Nothing. I'm just grateful that we have someone like you along. You think of things that we don't, and that's a good thing." Then he smiles. "Sorry if I come across rude or chauvinist. I don't mean to...honest."
Angelaria stands still for a moment, considering Talen's heartfelt answer. "Well, you're welcome," she says.
I brush my long bangs out of my eyes; I'll need to get Talen to cut my hair again soon. While he packs our tent away, I look back down the meadow. The sunlight streaming just over the peak to the east highlights flowers bursting with color amidst knee-high emerald grass. The sky above is a gorgeous robin's egg blue.
"We can't go into the mountains," I state. "Not without re-provisioning somewhere. Maybe there's a trader's outpost nearby or a town." I watch the tree line about three miles down from where I crouch, thrumming the tops of grass blades with the tips of my fingers. Suddenly, a figure emerges from the trees; it's gaunt and skeletal and instantly familiar.
A war ghul.
But Luck told us they wouldn't climb the Stairway. He was certain of it, yet here one is plain as the sun on my face.
Before long another appears followed by a third. I stop counting somewhere around ten. There are so many, and just seeing them sniffing at the ground for our tracks makes my blood thicken into slush. One bends his nose to the earth and howls to the others. Its cry shakes the trees, and I hear it moments later when it rebounds off the rocky slopes all around us.
"We don't have a choice," Angelaria says, gripping my arm to spin me around.
The mountain to the south bears a huge gash as if from a gargantuan axe thrown from the heavens. It scars the rock face only a few hundred feet away from our present position, but it looks to be a tight squeeze.
"Let's head for the ravine," Talen orders. "I'll take lead."
He sprints away on his feet, jumping to several moss-covered boulders that rise above some runoff from the hot spring. I don't move for several seconds, transfixed on the movement of the monsters. More howls bounce off the granite peaks around us; the whole lot seems to lurch and shift like a single organism, trampling everything in its path. Having their next meal so close to them injects haste into their loping gait. They look like black flies racing across a green blanket.
By the time I unfreeze, Angelaria's back is already disappearing up the crag to the south.
I swear and sprint after them, clearing several of the holes and steaming tributaries that flow across the meadow. Once I reach the ravine, I grasp a hold of the rock and propel myself forward, scraping my armor against the unyielding stone. Walls of granite squeeze my body on both the right and the left, and the climb is even steeper than I feared. It's filled with treacherous footing on loose rocks and pebbles. I catch up to Angelaria and assist her when she slips. She's scraped her leg against a rock and torn a hole in her leather breeches; I spot a bit of blood on the stone.
Talen calls out for us to stop.
I gaze past him and note a large chasm at the front of his boots. I can hear the sound of rushing water coming from the bottom of this gorge, but it's so deep that I don't want to imagine falling into that place of darkness. If I survived, I'd be swept god knows where.
"We're in trouble," Talen says.
"How far's the jump?" I ask.
"It's at least twenty feet wide, but we might have a chance if you remembered to bring the rope we used in Varkir. There's a boulder the size of a small house, directly in front of me."
I follow his finger and see where the path continues on the far side. The boulder has plugged the path and rises another six feet over Talen's head forming a makeshift shelf. Its awkward angles afford many areas where a grappling hook could take hold.
Behind my back I hear claws scraping against rock. Howls soon follow.
I reach into my pack and remove a coil of silk rope along with a six-inch rod I've carried with me since we left the coast. Previously, we used it to scramble over the rooftops of the Varkir Souk to avoid patrols while looking for other Tethyrites. I never expected to use it again so soon and under such desperate measures. Without hesitation, I snap the rod, form a hook out of it, and then tie it to the rope. I hand it to Talen.
"A Black Dragon Assassin is never without ropes and knives," I say.
"Amen to that," he states, taking the rope into his hands.
I turn around, watching the ravine with fear. It's so narrow; I could possibly take them on one at a time and buy Talen and Angelaria enough time to get away. That's all that matters. Talen has to be safe. He means the world to me.
More scrambling and then...the first of the undead monsters appears. It's hundreds of feet down the slope, yet it pauses long enough to regard me with a pair of soulless eyes. I swallow hard, watching it, mesmerized by the blackish skin stretched tight over ropy muscles and veins of putrid yellow puss. Then another of them appears, followed by a third and a fourth. But the point of the ravine just below us is too narrow for them to pass. These things have exceptionally broad shoulders and thick waists. When something unexpected happens, I thank my lucky stars. But my elation is short-lived.
The first ghul lunges forward and gets stuck in the wedge between the granite walls. It howls in frustration and pain. But the others behind it don't slow. They plow into the first and its eyes grow wide. I hear flesh tearing, bone snapping, and blood splattering the walls. Its hide starts to stretch eventually tearing in several places. Red gore and smelly bile spills all over the rocks. Bones shatter with horrific snaps; they send chills down my spine. Right before my eyes, the ghuls reassemble into a taller and thinner skeleton with huge sweeping arms. Multiple eyes and faces emerge from its head in a horrendous melding of grotesque flesh. It roars at me and amazingly, starts to move forward, leaving bits of itself behind on the stone.
At my back, Talen swears repeatedly, the makeshift grappling hook falls short with his latest effort. It clangs against the boulders, and I swear it sounds like a death knell.
"Try again," Angelaria says. "Concentrate!"
"How can I concentrate?" Talen asks. His hands are shaking. "There's a monster coming up the ravine behind me, and you're telling me to be calm. Right. Like that's going to happen."
"Talen," Angelaria says, placing her hand on his arm. "If you don't do this, you're going to see Kian ripped apart in front of you. Then it'll be me. And when we're gone, they'll come for you."
Talen stares at my frightened eyes, and I see steel resolve grow behind his pupils.
He turns and swings the rope underhand and gives it a strong upward curve. This time it catches on the boulder. He tests it only a second before swinging across. The hook slips an inch, but holds Talen's weight. He pulls himself up, gripping a hold of the boulder with feverish claws. Once on top, Talen plants the hook deeper with a swift kick and then tosses the rope to Angelaria. She ties it about her waist and swings out over the gorge. Talen pulls her up in a matter of seconds, the flex of his biceps causing his armor to bulge in places. Sweat falls from his pale face in droplets.
The huge war ghul has become a twelve-foot tall one foot wide monstrosity, and it's now twenty feet away. It will be on me in just a few seconds. I race to the edge of the chasm with the monster scrambling over rocks and pebbles, snatching at my heels with elongated arms and fingers. Talen struggles to loosen the knot around Angelaria's waist but fails. Finally, he gives up, slams his visor shut, and springs the blades on his armor.
"Hurry," she says, all the while still picking at the knot.
Talen cuts through it with one swing of the cibrian wrist blades.
The hideous, slavering thing raises its claws to grab my feet and yank me into its mouth. I turn and leap into the gorge and barely catch the rope mid-flight, my sudden weight causing it to jerk and dislodge pebbles and fine grains of sand that rain down over my face. I slam into the wall on the far side while the ghul skids to a halt. Above me, Talen grips the rope, pulling on it with all of his strength.
The war ghul stands on the precipice a full twenty feet away. I can only imagine its frustration to see its food getting away when it reaches up to its face with both claws and rips itself apart. I avert my gaze just in time as the ghul showers the chasm with bits of flesh, blood, sinew, and bone. Individual ghuls assemble from the whole and crowd the precipice. One particularly hungry one leaps at me with teeth bared.
"Watch out!" Angelaria yells.
I swing to the side, dangling from the rope that's now got me placed in the overhang of the gargantuan boulder. It misses me with a huge sweeping claw and instead slams against the rock face. Before it can fall to its death, its grasping hands catch hold of the silken cord beneath my feet. I look up into my boyfriend's eyes.
"Talen!"
The line snaps taut and breaks under our combined weight. Desperately, I jump upward and my fingers catch a crack that's barely an inch wide while my whole body dangles over empty space. There I am, hanging, suspended between life and death. I watch the undead monster swallowed by the black at my feet, arms and legs flailing about uselessly, and its screams filling the canyon.
My companions can't see me from where I'm hanging. And my two fingers holding my weight are already growing tired.
"Kian!" Talen calls out.
"I'm here!" I respond. I pull myself up, painfully, thrusting my other fingers into the crack that bares my weight. Talen leans as far over the gorge as he can, Angelaria holding onto his feet, and manages to grab me by the wrist.
"I've got you buddy," he says.
I nod and release the boulder so he can pull me to safety. For a moment there's the sensation that I'm falling, but Talen doesn't let go. I put my arms around him lovingly, my body shaking with a combination of adrenaline and fear. When both of us are finally safe, we slide down the far side of the huge rock and onto the path. He removes my helmet and runs his hands through my sopping wet hair and just holds me.
"Tethyr's teeth don't ever scare me like that again," he says kissing me over and over.
"I'll try not to," I say. But I can't disguise the fact that my body's trembling. And it's only a matter of time before the ghuls figure a way to cross and are upon us once more.
Here ends Chapter Three. Tune in next week for Chapter Four. I'm still working on that colored drawing of Talen I promised. I got him completely done, but I'm wanting to put some kind of background behind the painting before I post it online on my website. He looks absolutely gorgeous. I could probably be persuaded to show you the rough drawing pre-Photoshop enhancement if you pester me enough.