Disclaimers** For this story there is going to be cursing, possible sexual situations involving consenting adults and innuendo, also the potential for carnage and blood. I recommend that you are of consenting age before getting into it.
*Note , this will be part 1 in a series. Hope you enjoy! Comments can be forwarded to the author at dreamerin2003@yahoo.com Thank you!
Her breath was coming in ragged breaths now. Beads of sweat spread over her temples and slid down her neck to settle between her breasts. The thin, pale gown she wore flapped behind her, the airy material growing steadily damper and clinging to her skin in places.
Karaya spared a glance back at her pursuer. He was tall, largely muscled, dark, and shouting her name over the sounds of the city. She couldn't let him catch her. She just couldn't. She was hopping from roof top to roof top, the buildings were close enough together and made out of sand bricks. That is one thing in abundance in the desert, dirt and sand. She continued to run from her pursuer until panting, she skidded to a halt. She stared at the gap with wide, expressive eyes. The jump would be too far.. Way to far…
“KARAYA stop this! You are my wife!”
Long tails of her dress flapped around her ankles, her long dark hair billowing around her face. Karaya turned to glance at the huge man, feet away from her and smiled. “Over my dead body.” With that, she threw her arms in the air, the shiny stones of her bracelet winked in the blazing sun. She let go, tumbling backward from the three storied building. Briefly, she heard him call her name, but the magic took over, cushioning her fall and she landed on her feet, in the dry, sandy street. She grinned up at the shouting man looming from the top of the building, then turned, and dashed into the crowd.
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She'd lost him. Chest heaving, Karaya placed her back against the brick wall. It was cooler here in the shade.. just barely. She smoothed her dress with her hands. It was white, and settled around her ankles now that the breeze was gone. For how long she lost him, she didn't know, and she groaned at the prospect of continuing her run.. She needed a temple, a shrine, an alter.. something…
“Hey this is a business, no loitering.”
Her dark eyes lifted to meet an unusual mishmash of colors, green and blue, like grass and sky, melding into one.. “I am not loitering. I've only just arrived.”
There was a woman leaning inside a door frame. Her coppery hair was chopped unusually short, and a white turban sat on her head. Her strong jaw tilted to the side as she raked her eyes over Karaya speculatively. It made Karaya feel like a rich desert, rather than the sweaty sack of bones she felt like. The woman spoke again. “Who you running from?”
Karaya knitted her brows irritably. “What business is that of yours?” Did the woman's gaze HAVE to pursue her breasts so shamelessly? She was beginning to feel less like desert and more like warm chili paste. The woman stepped further from the shadows and out into the light, and Karaya's gaze snapped to the pendant hanging around her throat. It was a swirling thing, made of hammered silver with an emerald stone right in the middle. “You are a druid” She breathed the words, suddenly relieved. “Please, show me your altar.” It's exactly what she needed; druid magic was a curious mixture of the elements, her earth magic would work well at a druid alter.
The other woman's copper eyebrows shot up. “Even if I had an altar, why would I show you? You won't even tell me who you're running from, or why.” Danu couldn't stop looking. The way the other woman's lips parted, moist and pink from her exertions, the way her full breasts strained against the fabric of the thin gown. .. A priestess's gown no less, well, an acolyte. It cut into a very inviting v and clashed wonderfully against her tanned skin. She was saying something so Danu straightened a bit more to keep her eyes trained on the woman's mouth, which brought her back to the lips..
“HEY did you hear me? My name is Karaya, I am being pursued, he will find me if I don't access temple magic and fast. Your druid magic is good enough. Please, let me use your alter? It will only take a few minutes..”
Oh, she could use more things than an altar… She could definitely – Danu stopped her internal dialogue and merely gestured for the other woman to follow. A priestess, though she appeared to be no threat was indeed a massive threat, depending on who she followed. The girl wore a thin cuff on her right arm in the form of a snake. It was gold, and the snake had tiny ruby eyes. If Danu had to guess off hand, Karaya, as she called herself, was likely an acolyte at the temple of Isis, a mother goddess. Mother magic was strong stuff. Not just because mother represented the womb of all things, but because of the attributes it allowed one to have. Unlike many of the other cults and temples, Karaya would have access to nature magic, blood magic, death magic, and quite possibly some form of fire. Danu could barely detect the sound of Karaya's sandals hitting against the cobblestone as she lead her through the alley, and into the back door of an abandoned building. As a druid, Danu's magic centered primarily on nature magic, that is, the sky, the trees, the soil, and water. In the desert as she was, most of these things were in limited supply. Her alter as a result was a simple affair, her family's tartan draped over a wooden crate, an old branch from the willow tree, a sacred stone, and some dried sage that she burned for ritual. She found that well water in a small silver bowl worked well for her purposes too. Danu led Karaya to the third floor of the building. There was nothing in the way of furniture but the few things that were hers, a rolled up mat for sleeping, her pack, and a small skillet for cooking.
“Thank you” Karaya breathed as she slowly approached the altar, which was placed carefully facing west and just under a window.
“Yeah, just don't defile it.” The druid had no worries, even now the faint trace of wind she seemed to always be connected to was whispering in her ear. Do this thing, and you will both regret and not regret it. The wind was like that, always giving and taking in the same breath. However, if they cared enough about the acolyte here, then there was a reason for it. Who knows? Maybe Danu could get a little use out of her.
Karaya smiled a beautiful smile and nodded. Gracefully she dropped to her knees and put her hands together, whispering words in an old language quietly. Danu assumed it was a request to appease her ancestors. If Karaya had not done so, Danu's ancestors could become offended and purposefully make her magic go astray. Danu had to smile to herself. Some of her ancestors had been warlords and berserkers, and one of her frequent spirit visitors was a real lecher. She almost thought they'd give Karaya a hard time just for trying. To her surprise, a pale light lit up the small alter and died down, a sign of her ancestors' acceptance of Karaya's energy.
Karaya began to clap her hands, humming an ancient, rhythmic chant. It reminded Danu faintly of the sound of dozens of insects buzzing about. A ray of sun cut through the broken slats in the window, highlighting the dusky tinge of Karaya's skin. Danu's eyes took in the sleek planes of Karaya's collar, and suddenly the thought of biting at that little piece of flesh filled her gut with hot gravel. She took a step forward unbidden and lifted a hand to reach out, and then she checked herself, shook her head and took a step back. Good thing she did that, because just then several ribbons of magic unfurled from Karaya's body in shades of green and purple, then disappeared like fading mist.
“There.” Karaya placed her hands firmly together and rested her forehead there for a moment, offering a prayer of thanks before she lengthened into a standing position. “That should keep him off of me for a few days.” She bowed to Danu. “Thank you.”
Danu, uncomfortable with the praise gave a roll of her shoulders. Suddenly the light tunic she was wearing felt incredibly hot and she turned to open a window. “So some guy huh? What guy?”
The voice behind her was sharp with bitterness. “I was a training priestess in the temple of Isis, just outside of the Sun Kingdom. He came from a wealthy family, war worshipers. He carried a dagger at his waist and a sword on his back, and the minute I lifted my veil he would not leave me be.”
Danu couldn't blame the man. Karaya's dark eyes were wide, almond shaped, and framed in thick dark lashes. Her lips were slightly full and begged to be kissed. Her skin was smooth and flawless, with a little dimple in her chin.
“Anyway,” Karaya continued “he stole my medallion, and broke it over the alter of Sumar. He claimed the right of taking. Someone in the temple betrayed me and drugged my wine goblet during the fertility feast, and I woke up with him in the blankets next to me. I knew from the pain and from the band around my finger that my virgin head was gone and he had bonded me.”
Danu felt her stomach churn at that and whirled around. “Did you try to kill him?” Legends in her clan survived of women who had castrated for less, however Danu had come to find that some of these women in the hot sands held little to no real power against their male counterparts, even in the esteemed position of priestess. Karaya's eyes were turned down and to the right, she swayed slightly, as if lost in the memory.
“In all accounts he was my husband. I could not kill him, though I wanted to. I was under a vow not to kill. So I hit him over the head with an oil lamp, and I fled to the temple of sanctuary only to find the temple had shut its doors against me. From there I could do nothing but run.” Her shoulders rose in a shrug. “My family approved of that sham marriage or it would not have been able to happen. He took my medallion, even though it is broken, he can use it to search for me. It is how he keeps finding me. “In a move Danu had not expected, Karaya lifted a hand and fingered a lock of her ebony hair, much like a girl would. “Anyway, I thank you, but I must go.”
Karaya turned to leave but was surprised when a strong hand gripped onto her shoulder. “Wait..” Karaya shivered, not just from the sound of the unfamiliarly accented voice brushing against her temple, but also from the strange rippling sensation that pulsed from that hand and into her body. It was not that the other woman was a druid and it was not mere attraction, Karaya feared thinking about what the source of that pulse was, she was rooted to the floor. The taller woman stepped in front of her, gazing at her intensely with those unusual eyes.
“If what you say is true, then the best thing to do is to leave. You said it yourself, no one will support you. “Danu couldn't believe she was doing this. She liked being alone, mostly. She didn't need the added distraction. She was after a murderer; the priestess would slow her down. Still, she found herself saying words she'd never thought she would say to another being again. “Stay with me for a while. Travel with me. Maybe we could help each other?” The other woman's warm skin melted beneath her grip and Danu lightened the grip just in case it was uncomfortable. She mentally noted that she did not let go. It wasn't a good sign.
“Okay” With that simple word Karaya knew she'd changed their combined fates, for better or worse. There was a strange sense of resolution inside of her, and for reasons unbeknownst to herself, she rose to her toes and pressed her lips lightly to the other woman's. It was intended as a thank you, a light, affectionate peck. However, as soon as their lips met the resulting electricity caused Kara's legs to buckle and her body to sink into the other. Faintly, she heard a groan and arms gripped her tightly, a soft, moist tongue slipped between her lips, causing a new surge of hot warmth to spread through her belly and pool between her legs. The air took an unnaturally surreal quality to it and Karaya found herself sinking deeper and deeper. She clutched at Danu's shirt, rubbing against the taller frame like a cat in heat.
“Mother!” Danu broke from the kiss first and the women gazed at each other with intense desire and awe. Her chest heaved in the effort to breathe, her blood rushed passed her ears. “What are you woman?”
Karaya licked her lips, aware of the flush of heat in her skin and stared at Danu's lips. She wanted another kiss. She wanted a dozen other kisses! “I told you. I was a training priestess. I didn't know kissing could be so..” Granted, she'd kissed before, but they'd been curious, exploratory things, nothing with a fraction of the passion she'd just shared with this near stranger. When Danu's mouth opened to say something more Karaya dove in for another kiss, this one not as earth shattering but still just as powerfully addicting. Her hands began to do an exploratory search on the other body. Danu was like marble, hard and smooth, Karaya groaned and was about to explore the round globes of flesh at her backside when the taller woman suddenly broke away again, taking several steps back.
Normally Danu was all for this sort of thing, especially with a beautiful woman like Karaya. However, Danu had a feeling that once they started, they wouldn't stop for a long, long time. She also didn't like the feeling of their auras weaving together. They were bonding on the soul level. She didn't know if Karaya knew it, but as a druid Danu could feel every tug as their souls gripped at each other. It was dangerous, what they were doing. Reluctantly, she forbade it. The look of desperation on Karaya's dark eyes made her ache, but she reasoned with herself, this was for the best. She'd made a promise, and she was going to keep it.
“Why not?” Karaya managed to croak the words out after several moments of agitated breaths.
Danu straightened and turned to pack her things. “I have made a solem vow to do something. Until that vow is complete; I cannot make a permanent promise to anyone. My life is my mission.”
Karaya felt her back stiffen. “It's not like I asked you to marry me. In fact, I plan to move on anyway. Sex is sex.”
Danu snorted. “I don't think you believe that”
The two stood in silence for a while, the only sounds were of Danu moving things about and finally rolling up her pack. When she'd settled the thing around her shoulders and adjusted her cap, she brushed past Karaya to the door. “Come along then, if you want. We can probably make the next city by nightfall. There we will get supplies.”
Feeling rejected, and not a little confused, Karaya silently followed the taller woman. Do what you say, say what you mean? Was that not a code to live by? She'd agreed to travel with this woman, nothing more. If the woman didn't want her, she would no longer press. She felt uncomfortably needy and gritted her teeth against it as they pressed out into the streets. She comforted herself with the thought that this would be penance, a lesson to remind her why she should never touch the druid again.
Danu for her part was paying her own penance as she easily brushed past the smaller native peoples of this land. She burned, literally burned to be back in that cooler loft and basking in the smaller woman's body. How long can you keep this up? A voice echoed in her head. She grimaced and gave a stubborn man a particularly hard shove, sending him sprawling into another. “Shut up” She muttered. You want her, daughter. The voice was brusque, masculine. Damn nosy ancestors.. “Doesn't matter, it won't happen.” Inside of her, her own voice silently added. You won't be able to resist again Danu. As if her ancestor heard her internal voice, though she knew he couldn't, he added one last remark. “You won't be able to last long, daughter.
Out of the pure stubbornness famously known in her clan, Danu refused to admit the bastard was probably right.
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