========================================================================
Inverness - Part I - Endings
(FF, fantasy)
========================================================================
(c) Copyright - February 2001
All Rights Reserved
Crimson Dragon
(dcrimson@yahoo.com)
========================================================================
The bartender at The Portal could have passed as a professional
wrestler, but the bar refused to shiver as he settled his weight onto
his forearms in front of the girl sitting alone at the far end. She
hesitated a moment, fully aware of his presence, before she raised her
green-grey eyes slowly to capture his.
He faltered for a moment withering under the intensity of her gaze,
but eventually found his tongue.
"You look lonely, tonight, Alison," he observed in a voice only raised
loud enough to overcome the amplified strains of Soft Cell and the
revellers dancing frenetically behind her.
She slowly shook her head, her black tresses dancing about her
shoulders. Her eyes never left his. After a time, he lowered his
eyes, almost as though ashamed of disturbing the girl. A brush of her
fingers on his forearm pulled his eyes back to her face.
"Don't want to talk about it, CL. Not tonight." Her indifference was
unusual, as was the lack of a smile upon her lips.
He nodded understandingly, a gesture honed by years of serving drinks
to friends and strangers alike. Without asking, he topped her wine
glass with a golden mead brew unique to the Portal. He gave her a
weak smile and straightened himself.
Alison watched the big man as he ambled back down the bar, nodding at
happier clients and passing out bottles of Molson's or Labatt's to
clutching hands. The bartender set the flask of mead almost tenderly
onto the smoked glass shelves behind the bar, before laughing and
mixing an evil looking concoction of Sambuca and Vodka for a girl that
barely looked old enough to drink.
Alison sipped at the sweet liquid in her glass, sighing. Her eyes
returned to trace the grain in the bar. Her lips followed Soft Cell
in their final refrains.
"Where did our love go?"
<---===***===--->
Alison rubbed at her eyes. The smoke hung like a palpable fog in the
atmosphere of the bar. She coughed gently, covering her mouth with
her left hand. Her fingers had worked most of the stinging from her
eyes, but she knew that she would have to take a long, hot shower to
rinse the stale reek from her hair when she finally summoned the
courage to leave her sanctuary. And her clothes were going to need to
be dry-cleaned. She shrugged and sipped the last drop of mead from
her glass.
Patrons now filled the bar, bodies jammed together like sardines in a
tin. Though she had some breathing room at her corner of the bar, the
dance floor was brimming with nubile bodies gyrating to the amplified
music spun by the female disc jockey. The DJ had an unusual name,
spoken once in one of her infrequent interruptions of the music.
Alison struggled to remember it, grasping at names as they flipped
through her mind. Chantal? Celia? Yes, Celia.
Celia was currently spinning an oldies set, the dancers far too young
to remember the artists, but loving the music anyway. Del Shannon,
followed by Buddy Holly, followed by the Supremes, followed by the
Bobby Fuller Four. If she remembered Celia's patterns, she'd probably
drop into an 80's set after her four-song oldies indulgence.
The man entered The Portal as Bobby Fuller discovered that fighting
the law wasn't always a winning strategy. Alison wasn't the only
woman to raise her eyes to the entrance to watch the tall, lean
presence saunter into the establishment; however, she was the only
woman that the man lifted his eyes to capture. She shivered under his
gaze for a moment, but refused to look away. He flashed Alison a
quick smile with a slight incline to his head, then slipped
effortlessly through the crowds of inebriated patrons, finally
settling into a miraculously unoccupied booth. She blinked, sure for
a second that the smoky haze of the bar had parted for his passage.
His image shimmered, almost as though he weren't fully in this plane
of existence, then solidified.
Before she could determine if she was hallucinating, a slurred voice
broke her out of her daze.
"Exchuuuse me, mish, I...I couldn't help noticing you sitting all by
yourshelf over here." The man speaking to her smelled heavily of Jack
Daniel's, his mouth only inches from her face. She recoiled a little,
then composed herself. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed CL
stand up a little straighter, his posture becoming more severe and
protective. She'd already let two suitors down easy and they'd
wandered off without too much trouble. In other circumstances she
might have been flattered by the attention, even by drunken idiots
with lame pickup lines, but tonight she simply wasn't in the mood.
She debated letting CL take care of this one for her; CL had a certain
finesse with especially drunken or persistent slobs. Instead, she
held her fingers up in a steady pattern. CL relaxed, but she could
tell that he was still watching her.
"I like being alone."
The drunk considered that for a moment, actually leaning in closer.
Alison gagged at his breath, backing away, somewhat afraid that the
guy was going to plant one on her. CL began to walk towards her end
of the bar. She was dimly aware of other patrons around her,
beginning to stare.
"Sooooo," he oozed, undeterred. "Do ya wanna fuck me, then?"
Without thought, her fist rose, connecting solidly with his jaw. He
staggered back, rubbing at his face. She stroked at her closed
fingers, trying not to cry out at the pain that had blossomed there.
"Bitch," the man exclaimed before staggering away from her, still
rubbing his injured jaw. She turned back towards the bar, seeing CL
motion discreetly towards the entrance where the bouncers stood at
ease, scanning the crowd. After getting the attention of one of the
heavily muscled men, CL pointed at the oblivious drunk, stumbling
against other patrons.
"You okay?" CL asked as he ambled up to her.
She nodded, tapping her glass. He had the flask with him, and
automatically poured some of the mead into her glass at her request.
"Never seen you hit one of them before. Not even a ladylike slap," CL
noted absently, but with some admiration.
"He'll live."
CL nodded, glancing over his shoulder. The crowd that had watched the
drunk get tossed had turned back to the bar, clamouring for more
alcohol once the diversion had exited.
"Gotta run." CL jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "But I'll be
back."
<---===***===--->
Alison looked up as CL dropped two wine glasses in front of her. She
tilted her head, letting her eyes enquire.
"The Bomb." CL grinned.
"Should I ask?"
"You don't want to know what's in it. But the name's appropriate."
"Then let's try 'why'?"
"Because he bought it for you."
"Huh?"
CL jerked his head towards the mystery man still seated at his booth
on the other side of the bar. Alison had surreptitiously been
glancing over at the tall man since he'd swept into the place.
Feigning interest, Alison followed CL's motion, squinting through the
haze. The man wasn't watching her, hadn't so much as glanced in her
direction since his entrance as far as she could tell. Instead, his
head was turned towards the collection of dancers behind her. Celia
was spinning The Bad Touch. The song always made her smile, but
instead of following the mystery man's gaze, she returned her eyes to
CL.
"Who is he?"
"I suspect you'll find out."
"Why'd he buy me a drink?"
CL shrugged, and raised his eyebrows with one of his patented
do-I-need-to-answer-such-a-stupid-question looks.
She ran her teeth across her bottom lip.
"The Bomb, huh?"
"Said you might need it. Supposed to shoot the first one, then chase
it with the second. Then, if you are still standing, eat the orange."
She gingerly pushed the wine glasses back to the inside edge of the
bar with her fingertips. A quick smile played across her lips, the
first one all day.
"Tell him...I don't need it, and I'm not interested."
CL nodded, picking up the glasses, one in each hand.
"I already did, but he insisted."
She slowly raised her mead and sipped at the sweetness. She glanced
back at the booth. As far as she could tell, the stranger hadn't
looked at her throughout the entire exchange.
<---===***===--->
She watched the waitress thread her way through the packed patrons
towards the booth. Alison didn't want to watch, but her eyes were
drawn to the girl's back as she raised her tray with the two wine
glasses and the slice of orange high above her head with a practised
ease.
The tall man didn't look surprised at the waitress' presence. He
merely accepted the drinks with a hint of a smile, and tipped her.
Her face was aglow on the return trip through the crowd.
When Alison returned her eyes to the booth, the man was looking
towards her. She started a little, but didn't drop her gaze.
With a smile, the man raised one of the wine glasses and downed it in
one long swallow. His image shimmered for a moment, then the
remaining contents of The Bomb disappeared. He popped the orange into
his mouth, and as though dismissing her, he turned away to resume
watching the dance floor.
Alison shook her head, and turned back towards the bar.
<---===***===--->
Alison shivered as her booted foot touched the concrete. Small chunks
of ice crunched under the soles of her feet. The pounding of the bass
stretched through the doors and spilled over the sidewalk, echoing
through her ribcage and rattling her lungs. She wrapped her arms
around herself, hugging herself despite the faux fur coat she had
donned before exiting the bar.
It was too early for taxis, and besides, the cool air would do her
good. The apartment would be far too empty tonight, but she had
nowhere else to go, and it wasn't a long walk.
Once outside of the influence of the bass, her footfalls echoed up and
down the nearly empty street.
<---===***===--->
========================================================================
Inverness - Part II - Enter The Dragon
(FF, fantasy)
========================================================================
(c) Copyright - February 2001
All Rights Reserved
Crimson Dragon
(dcrimson@yahoo.com)
========================================================================
There was no menace in his stance, no indication that he was any
threat to her well-being. Nevertheless, she stopped abruptly as she
spotted him sitting casually on the steps of her apartment.
Twenty-five years of being female instilled an instinct of caution.
He didn't wear a coat, seemingly oblivious to the cold of the December
night. His eyes weren't travelling her body; in fact, they were
watching the light traffic in front of the street, seemingly ignoring
her and her unease.
At last he glanced towards her, his eyes capturing hers, not resting
on her breasts as most did.
"Alison," he began. His voice was firm and sure, but somehow
androgynous.
She was taken aback that he knew her name, but she supposed that CL
might have told him. But she doubted it. Trying not to show her
discomfort, she managed to keep the waver out of her voice.
"I appreciate the offer of the drink, but I thought I was pretty
clear."
The man nodded, not taking his eyes off of her.
"You were. CL didn't tell you who I am, did he?"
"You know CL?"
The man nodded. "He's...an acquaintance."
She glanced about nervously, planning possible escape routes.
"You realise that I'll scream to wake the dead if you move any
closer."
The man laughed softly but not unkindly. "Alison, I'm not here to
rape you, or harass you. You've obviously never been to Inverness.
Tell me the word, and I'll disappear. Forever. You'll never see me
again. There isn't any need to scream."
Alison relaxed a little, but still warily kept her eyes on the man.
"Aren't you cold?" she asked. She was having trouble keeping her own
shivering at a standstill since she had stopped walking.
The man shrugged. "Dragons don't really get cold," he murmured.
The remark made no sense, but she chose to ignore it for now. She
took a deep breath.
"I'm not going to stand here all night," she sighed. She shifted her
weight from one booted foot to the other. The man began to walk down
the stairs, carefully keeping his distance from her. She stepped up
on the first step, tensing as he passed.
"Alison?"
She stopped, three steps from the entrance.
"There is magic, you know?"
The man had bought her a drink, had bothered to find out her name, and
remembered it, and hadn't done anything untoward, hadn't even tried
any lame pickup lines on her. She wasn't really interested in
company, especially not the kind of company one finds in The Portal,
but the apartment was going to be unbearably empty tonight. A whole
lot of girls in that bar were probably sleeping tonight with the first
somewhat attractive guy who had said, "You'll do."
She sighed softly.
"Mystery man?"
She turned as she reached the top step. He was waiting patiently at
the bottom.
"You want a coffee?"
Silently, he nodded and slowly climbed up the steps after her.
<---===***===--->
She hesitated a moment before unlocking the door, her hand resisting
turning the key. Then she shrugged and plunged, pushing the door open
with a quick motion. The man followed her in, closing the door
behind, but not letting it slam.
"So, where's Inverness? Isn't that in Scotland?" She kicked off her
boots, and hung her coat in the small entrance closet. She turned to
face the stranger.
He nodded. "There is an Inverness in Scotland; beautiful place."
Alison sighed. "I guess I should know your name, since you seem to
know mine."
At this, the stranger smiled. "I'm known by many names, but lately
Crimson Dragon seems to suffice."
She stared at him. "You're kidding."
"You can call me what you wish. When one is enigmatic, one must
accept the consequences."
She sighed and began to walk towards the end of the hallway. "Well,
Mister Dragon, you'll have to excuse the mess."
The small apartment was far from messy -- merely lived-in. Crimson
settled easily into an overstuffed armchair. Alison remained
standing.
"What would you like to drink?"
"You have ice water?"
Alison looked at him strangely. "Cheap date?"
Crimson shrugged easily and grinned. "Not sure this is a date, but if
we're going to be doing tricks tonight, I'm not sure I want any more
alcohol, and I don't drink coffee."
Alison shrugged and padded into the kitchen, returning a moment later
with two tall glasses of water. She handed one to the man, who
accepted it with a nod of thanks. Curling up in the corner of the
sofa, she turned her attention to the mystery in her armchair. She
tilted the glass against her lips.
"Crimson Dragon, huh? Where does one get a handle like that?"
"I'm an author," he smiled.
<---===***===--->
The two water glasses sat empty on the carpet.
"Josh left, you know? Three days before Christmas. Nice huh? We
talked for hours, staring up at the ceiling, knowing the sun was
coming up, knowing how it was going to end. He slipped out from the
sheets, kissed me, dressed, gathered up his things, and...just left."
Her tears had long since dried, her voice a monotone, her eyes
scanning the whiteness of the ceiling for irregularities.
She turned to Crimson, who was still listening intently to her.
"Glad you asked?"
The man took a deep breath and nodded as though he had been fully
aware of her story before asking about it.
"You needed to talk, methinks. Are you feeling better?"
She shook her head. "Not particularly."
He smiled at her. "You will."
She gathered her thoughts and pulled her knees up to her chest,
hugging them. She had made her decision long ago, but even so, her
voice wavered.
"Do you...do you want to...go to bed?"
The man considered her words for a moment, and then slowly shook his
head. "Alison, I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but...I'm
not right for you. I'm only a messenger, a chauffeur if you will."
Puzzled, she looked at him. Suddenly, an inexplicable anger suffused
her. It wasn't so much the gentle rejection as it was a selfish
reaction. She hated the internal forces, but was helpless to stop her
fingers. With a set look on her lips, she slowly released the
buttons, her fingers moving from her chin between her breasts to the
base of her blouse. The cloth dropped from her shoulders to fall in a
crumpled heap on the carpet by the base of the sofa. Her naked skin
glowed in the indirect light from the streetlight outside her window.
Crimson smiled at her, his eyes still upon her face. She could feel
tears beginning to well as her anger melted. She reached for her
blouse. "I shouldn't have done that," she murmured.
His words stopped her. She raised her eyes to his.
"Alison, I understand, truly I do. Did you know that today is
Solstice?"
She brought her fingers back from reaching for the discarded cloth,
but crossed her arms protectively across her exposed chest. She shook
her head negatively, confused by the question. Crimson didn't seem to
notice her actions or her nudity.
He glanced at his watch. She blinked away her tears, sure that the
timepiece had shimmered from a rather masculine digital watch to a
dainty gold woman's watch. When she opened her eyes again, it had
changed back to the original digital watch.
"You've never been to Inverness," he stated. "It would do you a world
of good. Forget Josh."
"Not Scotland?" Her voice wavered.
"Not Scotland."
"Where then?"
"I suspect you'll find out."
She pressed herself back into the sofa. Fascinated, she watched as
his left hand shimmered, losing its human flesh and was briefly
covered by scales the colour of blood. As she blinked, the hand
morphed into a slender female hand, its nails painted the colour of a
candy apple, before returning to the large, strong masculine hand it
had been.
Instead of commenting on her hallucinations, she merely asked the
creature, "When?"
He looked up at her, his expression serious.
"Any time you're ready. Solstice just passed."
<---===***===--->
He lay easily on his back on her bed, as shirtless as she had been
only moments before. His hands entwined behind his head, raising his
pectorals and defining his biceps. She found herself wanting to run
her finger down his skin, to touch him, but she stood with one hand on
the far bedpost, balancing on one foot, watching him. Her blouse hung
loosely off her shoulders, two buttons securing it carelessly between
her breasts.
His lips moved silently, eyes closed, words indistinguishable.
She gasped as a light wind plucked at her jeans at her calves. A
light, as bright as a sapphire, swirled on the edge of her vision.
"It's a portal." His voice was warm and surprising, tickling her ear.
She turned towards the blue wind that was not wind, and then back
towards the Dragon.
"Ready?" he asked.
She nodded silently, and allowed him to guide her to the swirling blue
light. Beyond, she could see glimpses of rich browns and greens, and
sunlight.
"Inverness?" she asked.
The creature nodded.
"How will I get back? Are you coming with me?"
The Dragon smiled kindly. "I...have other invitations to make. A
particularly wilful one that won't be easy. The Queen."
He made no sense, but she didn't really care. She turned towards the
portal, feeling the gentle tug of the breeze generated by the heatless
light.
"How will I get back? If I go?"
"I will be there shortly, whether the Queen agrees or not. Or you can
ask any of the writers. They can all return you. But it is Solstice;
the celebration will be tonight. Enjoy."
She pondered that for a moment, then she glanced at the empty bed,
rumpled where the Dragon had enchanted. In a burst of
self-consciousness, she reached up on her toes and brushed the man's
cheek with her lips.
Without another word, she stepped firmly into the blue fire and fell
off the edge of the world.
<---===***===--->
========================================================================
Inverness - Part III - Falling
(FF, fantasy)
========================================================================
(c) Copyright - February 2001
All Rights Reserved
Crimson Dragon
(dcrimson@yahoo.com)
========================================================================
She was screaming, her eyes squeezed shut, as she noticed the nature
of her tumbling subtly change. She let out another yelp and landed on
something soft and yielding. The smell of freshly cut hay suffused
her as she opened up her eyes to bright sunlight. What looked
suspiciously like a hayloft door opened in front of her, giving her an
unobstructed view of unspoiled country. A cloudless, blue sky
extended as far as she could see, speckled by fields and forests of
emerald green. She slowly checked her arms and legs for damage, and
finding none, crawled slowly to the doorway. The sweetness of the air
filled her lungs and she sighed, settling back into the piles of dry
hay.
The hay tickled her nose and she sneezed softly, covering her mouth
with her hand.
"Geshundheit," a gentle female voice spoke behind Alison.
Alison spun in surprise, rising up on her knees. She stared at the
girl casually sitting against the far boards that made up the wall to
the loft. The girl was in her late teens, perhaps early twenties,
brunette hair cascading over her shoulders. And she was completely
and utterly naked. Her bare legs extended easily into a patch of
sunlight streaming through the hayloft door. Another stripe of light
streaming between the wallboards cut across her bare breasts,
bisecting her right nipple.
Her mouth was set in a friendly grin, and she didn't seem bothered by
Alison's open stare.
She laughed quietly. "Most people say 'Thank-you'."
Alison opened her mouth, and snapped it shut again.
The girl rose to her knees and shuffled through the hay towards
Alison, her feet making shallow indents as she moved. She stuck out
her hand in mock seriousness.
"You must be Alison."
"How...?"
"I'm Mercury, and Crimson asked me to wait here for you. I see that
he's up to his old tricks again. Knew it was going to be trouble when
that portal opened so high. Janey just about killed the creature last
time the Dragon did that to her."
Alison glanced up to see the portal closing slowly about two metres
off the ground.
"Mercury? But you're...you're..."
"Naked?"
"Um. Yeah. Don't tell me that creature dropped me into a nudist
colony. I only took my shirt off because..." Alison's voice dropped
off as she realised that she was telling this stranger far more than
was necessary. Somewhat belatedly, she realised that her hand was
unconsciously gripping her blouse that remained buttoned, but loosely,
between her breasts.
But the girl was so very naked.
Mercury laughed quietly. "You've never been here before, have you?"
Alison shook her head, suddenly feeling like her first day in
University -- a little lost and very confused.
Mercury continued, "It's pretty laid back here. If you want to wear
clothes, you do. If you don't, you don't. Pretty simple." She eased
herself back down into the hay, entwining her fingers behind her neck.
"And you don't."
Mercury smiled up at Alison, gently shaking her head. Bits of hay
dotted her brunette hair.
"No. I don't, though when Miranda insists..." her voice trailed off.
"Who's Miranda?"
Mercury propped herself up on her elbows. "Miranda sometimes thinks
that I should be more modest when meeting newcomers. But they all get
used to it eventually--if you want, I can put on my clothes." Mercury
waved over towards the far side of the loft where a set of jeans and a
white blouse lay crumpled in the hay.
"Doesn't bother me...I...was just concerned..."
Mercury laughed quietly. "Crimson didn't tell you anything about
Inverness, did he? That creature can be insufferable."
"He said that I should enjoy some sort of celebration...Sol..."
"Solstice."
"Yeah."
"You'll enjoy Solstice. More food, women, and song than you've ever
seen. Solstice is a magic time, but really it's more of an excuse to
party." Mercury grinned as if fondly remembering.
Alison relaxed a little, shifting and leaning back against the boards,
feeling their roughness behind her back. Her legs were warming in the
sunlight.
"Where's the snow? It's like early summer here."
Mercury spoke to the barn roof, shrugging her shoulders into the hay.
"So you came from a cold December, then?"
Alison nodded, but Mercury missed the cue.
The naked girl continued obliviously. "I'm not a writer, but it's
always like this -- like late spring. Sometimes Mat or Celeste wants
a rain shower, but mostly it's clean and warm. Makes it nicer for
those of us who prefer to run around bare."
"The air smells...different."
Mercury inhaled deeply, her breasts rising. She smiled.
"No pollution here. The air is the way it ought to be. Clean. You
must come from a city."
Alison sighed, nodding quietly. "One second I'm in my apartment, the
next, this guy, who isn't a guy, is making a portal in my bedroom."
Mercury raised her eyebrows. "Bedroom?"
Alison blushed. "Wasn't like that. Really."
Mercury turned a sceptical look at Alison.
"Really," Alison repeated almost wistfully.
Suddenly, Alison didn't want to admit that she was the one that had
been rejected, that the Dragon hadn't done or said anything
inappropriate.
"Crimson is a different breed. Sometimes I wonder if she runs the
place," Mercury mused.
"She?"
Mercury gave Alison a puzzled look, then grinned. "Crimson isn't
always what she appears."
"Crimson is female?"
"When she wants to be. Depends on the mood of the Dragon."
It made no sense, but the image of the female hand with the
candy-apple nails resurfaced in her mind. "Damn funny looking lady,"
Alison muttered.
Mercury smiled. "You've never seen Crimson in female persona, have
you? Funny looking isn't quite appropriate." Mercury paused
reflecting on something private, then continued. "Maybe she will be a
he for Solstice. Ought to be interesting. So, you want to explore
the place?"
Alison glanced down at her wrist where a watch should have been.
"I think Crimson stole my watch."
Mercury's brows furrowed a little. "The worst crimes here are
spamming, and some thievery, though why people steal is beyond me.
All of value is free here. Anyway, Crimson isn't a thief. Or at
least I don't think she is."
Alison swallowed. "I...I didn't mean..."
Mercury turned her head to face Alison, laughing a little. "Did you
say 'watch'? Crimson probably just conveniently left it topside when
you dropped. Last time Crimson brought me here, I conveniently lost a
wardrobe." She paused for a moment. "You don't need a watch, Alison.
Very little depends on a clock, at least here. Whereas people won't
blink if you wander around in your birthday suit, they will wonder why
you are wearing a timepiece."
"My body feels like it's four in the morning." The weariness in
Alison's body began to protest the idea of exploring. By the look of
the place, it wasn't a small territory.
"Probably is, for you. We can stay here, if you like. I don't have
to be anywhere until later, closer to the celebration. You want to
sleep? Hay is always comfortable." Mercury stretched out in the sun,
her bare body reminding Alison of a contented feline.
Alison nodded, her desire to understand not overwhelming the need for
some rest. Her eyelids scratched across her eyeballs. She watched as
Mercury closed her eyes, sighing.
Alison lay down, pulling her knees up and cradling her head against
her hands. Sleep came quickly.
<---===***===--->
She was naked, the sheets tangled around her legs, her nipples
pressing against satin. Josh dressed silently beside the bed. She
watched him, determined not to allow the tears to fall.
"Good-bye," he whispered as he leaned down to kiss her. Without a
word, she turned aside, feeling the lips brush against her skin.
As he moved away from the bed, she watched his retreating back until
the bedroom door clicked shut. Then the tears slipped silently down
her cheek, burning the place where his lips had touched her.
<---===***===--->
The door creaked open.
"Josh?"
And she was there. A diminutive girl, naked, barefoot, her brunette
hair wrapping around her shoulders and obscuring her exposed breasts.
She padded to the chair, sitting silently, regarding her with sadness
in her eyes.
She turned her attention back to the doorway. The Dragon stood in the
entrance, blood scales shimmering in the pale light of the hallway.
While she watched, the creature morphed into a tall woman, red hair
cascading damp across her bare shoulders. A red towel wrapped her
from her breasts to kiss the tops of her thighs. Her fingernails were
painted the colour of candy-apples. The woman was barefoot, her mouth
set in a reassuring smile.
"Josh?"
She sat up, oblivious to the satin falling away from her bare breasts
in a puddle of sheerness.
With the hint of a smile, the Dragon morphed again, assuming the tall,
dark male from The Portal. His blue jeans fit snugly, his chest bare.
Slowly, gently, he moved forward, until he knelt on the bed beside
her.
The other girl was gone, disappeared as if by a magician's hand. The
desk chair watched empty as the Dragon bent, his lips falling,
brushing at her own. She felt heat suffuse her body, her nipples
tightening, her clitoris throbbing, beating to a desire that she
didn't even know she had.
<---===***===--->
Alison awoke with a small scream, her hands reflexively pressing the
soft, bare skin from her. Gentle, precious lips left her own with a
sigh, but she wanted them back. Badly. Her hand entwined behind his
neck, entangling in long, dark hair, pulling him forward.
The softness of the lips touched hers, and she kissed back eagerly.
"Well, I see you're awake," a female voice spoke quietly when the kiss
broke. Alison could feel warm, sweet breath against her face. The
smell of clover, honey, and hay infused her. She felt a stab of
desire rush through her body and she opened her eyes, at last.
Alison screamed, scrabbling back until her back pressed into the wall
of the hayloft. The small cracks between the boards were not large
enough to admit her. Hay scattered from her frantic flailing.
Mercury knelt, still gloriously naked in the elongated, but
attenuated, patch of sunlight streaming in through the hayloft
doorway.
"I'm sorry," Mercury whispered. "I...I didn't mean..."
Alison caught her breath, the vestiges of desire still pounding in her
chest.
"You..."
"Kissed you. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have. You weren't ready. And
you were asleep. I...shouldn't have." The girl seemed ready to cry,
tears brimming in her lower lids.
Alison licked her dry lips. "It's all right." She didn't know if it
was, or even where she was, or what was real and what not. All she
knew was that her body was aching.
A tear slipped down Mercury's cheek, her hands twisted together in her
lap.
Alison raised her eyes, her voice a little stronger now.
"Mercury?" The naked girl looked up slowly. Alison plunged on, not
sure why, or how. "I...I didn't mind. I. I just thought it was
someone else."
"Josh?" Mercury's voice hitched.
Alison nodded, agreeing to the lie. It was easier than telling
Mercury the truth.
Mercury wiped away the wetness on her right cheek, swiping at her eyes
almost savagely.
"Alison, I am sorry. I'm just more used to Inverness. Usually, I'm
better at this -- maybe that's why Crimson asked me to wait for you.
But you were whimpering, calling Josh, and I...just didn't think. I'm
sorry. I'll leave, if you want, get someone to take care of you."
Alison's finger against her lips shushed Mercury. Alison wrapped her
arms around Mercury, her chin resting on Mercury's shoulder. The
sunlight had dimmed considerably; dark clouds formed across the
horizon.
"It's going to rain," Alison whispered.
Alison slowly pulled back, looking into Mercury's eyes. The girl had
stopped crying, but her breasts were still hitching.
Was it only a few hours ago? Unlike the events on her sofa, this time
there was no anger, no selfishness. Alison's fingers shook slightly,
but the buttons between her breasts unclasped easily and without
protest.
"I've never been with a woman, before," Alison began.
Her nipples had tightened, and her clitoris screamed for attention.
Mercury, nodded, free. Her fingers tickled the back of Alison's neck,
drawing her closer. Bare nipples touched as Alison's lips brushed at
Mercury's. Soft. Yielding.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the first drops of rain struck
the worn boards of the roof with a sound that reminded her of a
girlhood summer home in spring. The girls lowered themselves into the
hay.
<---===***===--->
The constant patter of raindrops against the boards of the roof eased.
To the east, the sky was lightening noticeably. Alison could hear a
single drip of water from the roof above, falling steadily but slowing
as its source dried. The monotone reminded her of water falling
through forest leaves.
She lay with her chin propped in her hands, her bare breasts pressing
into the soft hay. Her bare feet rocked slowly through the air. The
green, wet, countryside spread out in front of her like an idyllic
panorama. Hay and the light scent of clover filled her senses. She
glanced to her left. Mercury had settled into an identical pose
beside Alison, only centimetres away. Alison reached out, gently
running her finger through Mercury's hair.
"Wow," Alison whispered.
Mercury sighed, turning on her side to face Alison, propping her head
up on her left hand. She smiled.
"I think...I think you'll fit into Inverness just fine."
<---===***===--->
========================================================================
Inverness - Part IV - Journey
(FF, fantasy)
========================================================================
(c) Copyright - February 2001
All Rights Reserved
Crimson Dragon
(dcrimson@yahoo.com)
========================================================================
Alison watched as Mercury pulled blue jeans over her hips and slipped
a white blouse over her shoulders. Mercury didn't bother to button
the shirt, and as she moved, enticing flashes of skin presented
themselves. Alison shook her head, trying to quell some of the
shivers. Mercury looked up, raking her fingers through her locks.
She grimaced.
"I know better than to make love in the hay..." she mumbled. She
absently picked bits of hay from her hair. She turned her eyes
towards Alison who remained sprawled, naked, on her back. "Aren't you
going to get dressed?"
"Do I have to? Can't we stay here?"
Mercury grinned and sank to her knees. She shuffled towards Alison,
picking up the girl's clothing as she went. She pressed Alison's
jeans and blouse into her hand, bending easily to brush at her cheek.
Then she straightened and peered into Alison's eyes, smiling gently.
"Well," Mercury began with a gentle grin, "you certainly don't have to
put the clothes on. And we are certainly free to stay here if you
really want to." She paused, her eyes focusing beyond Alison's face,
as though on a distant memory. She continued, "But, we'd miss the
celebration, and I need a shower, and we need to meet with Mat, maybe
Celeste, maybe Celia, and..."
Alison sat up, suddenly conscious of her nudity. And the name
'Celia'. Why did that ring a bell? She spoke hurriedly as she pulled
her blouse over her shoulders and buttoned it loosely between her
breasts.
"All right, all right, I get the idea...but it would be nice to stay
here. Where's my underwear? And socks?"
Mercury smiled and gave her another quick kiss on the lips before
rising to her bare feet. She absently kicked at the hay, stirring up
motes that danced through the returned sunlight. "First of all, it
would be wonderful to stay here. I love it here. Secondly, I think
we lost your panties sometime after your first climax, and without
shoes, what are you going to do with socks?"
Alison bit at her lower lip, thinking. "Can we buy shoes, here?"
Mercury laughed and shook her head, "If you like, when we see an
author, perhaps we can ask. Maybe Crimson will show up, and give you
a new wardrobe." The last comment generated an easy, knowing smile on
her lips. "If you get a choice in the matter. Besides, you'll be
freer without shoes. I dislike 'em myself."
"You hate clothes, in general."
"True."
Alison stood and pulled the faded blue jeans over her hips, buttoning
them and smoothing her top over the waistband. Mercury was bent over
near the wall where Alison had first seen the girl. She was hunting
through the scattered hay for something. With a satisfied grunt,
Mercury straightened, pulling a metal ring set into the rising floor.
"Voila."
Alison walked through the hay to Mercury. The trapdoor led downwards,
a solid wooden ladder extending into the dim interior of the barn.
<---===***===--->
A rainbow shimmered to the west. It shifted from crimson red, to
emerald green, to ocean blue as the girls stood outside the barn
watching in awe. Like the colours of the soul, Alison thought to
herself as Mercury silently reached for and clasped her hand.
Under other circumstances, she might have been self-conscious of
holding a stranger's hand in public, especially another woman, but the
land seemed to invite the openness. When in Rome...
The air smelled like rain in the Kawarthas, a sweetness and freshness
suffusing the breeze. Shades of green surrounded the barn, though any
crop cultivation seemed foreign. Forest and fields of grass, hay, and
wildflowers appeared to be the purpose of the farmland where the girls
stood.
The ground was solid and dry beneath her bare feet, the humid air the
only indication of the spring storm.
Mercury's voice broke her out of her trance.
"Judy!"
Mercury waved her hand in the direction of one of the fields with
wildflowers. As Alison followed the direction of the wave, a blonde
head of hair rose from the lush green.
"Mercury!" the girl shouted back, raising a hand in greeting. "I'll
be with you in a minute." She ducked back down, out of sight, amongst
the flowers and grass.
Mercury grinned, turning back to Alison. "Toby's in there, too,
methinks."
"Who's Toby? Who's Judy for that matter?"
A muffled female cry rose from the general direction of where Judy had
disappeared. Alison couldn't tell if it was a cry of distress or
passion. She wasn't sure that she particularly wanted to find out.
"Toby was with Judy when I arrived. Judy hasn't been here long
either. Crimson mumbled something about her needing a diversion, and
then disappeared. I left them alone. See what they get up to?"
The blonde girl had risen, like a child of the field, her hair
decorated with wild flowers. She looked flushed, a pale wine colour
infusing her cheeks all the way to brush at the top of her nude
breasts. A male head briefly popped into view at Judy's thigh, just
long enough to wave a greeting to Mercury.
"Yup, Toby," Mercury whispered to Alison.
Judy walked swiftly through the field to where Mercury and Alison
stood, still with linked hands.
"I hope I didn't rush you," Mercury called to Judy as she approached.
Judy shook her head, losing a few flowers on the track to the barn.
"Toby wasn't going to last much longer anyway." She sighed. "And
Celeste's rain kind of cooled us off a while back." As she had
emerged from the field, she revealed her complete nudity, from her
toes to the top of her head. She didn't seem self-conscious at all.
As she approached, she gave Mercury a quick kiss on the lips. "You're
wearing clothes."
Mercury frowned. "Yeah, Miranda threatened me, again. So Celeste was
responsible for that little storm?"
Judy laughed. "You know Celeste. She said something about rain being
sexy, and the next thing we know, downpour. I'm sure that she had fun
with it, somehow. And the rainbow was a nice touch...since when do
you listen to Miranda?"
Mercury laughed, "I don't, but I thought it would make Alison a little
more comfortable. We've got some people to see." Alison slowly shook
her head, a flush beginning to invade again.
Judy turned to Alison, holding her hand out. Alison shook the
proffered hand. Judy had a strong sure grip. "You must be Alison.
Crimson told me he was going to bring you to the celebration. Did you
have fun in the hayloft?"
Alison blushed, sure that her face was going to burn her. She
released Mercury's hand with a stab of guilt. Judy whispered
conspiratorially, "I love the hayloft."
Alison glanced over at Mercury. The girl was smiling gently, but
she'd stiffened a little as Alison had released her hand. A soft
touch guided her hand back to Mercury's. Her fingers automatically
interlaced with Mercury's and she could feel some tension drain from
Mercury through the touch. She looked down to see Judy's fingers
leaving the joining.
Judy smiled at Alison. "Mercury might be a little wild, but she's
pretty choosy about who she f...befriends. And as you'll discover,
that means something around here." Judy turned to Mercury. "They're
expecting you two back at the castle, I think. Sondra wanted to talk
to you and Celia, something about the music, and timing of the
entrance."
Mercury grinned. "We both need showers anyway."
"Sondra said that she'd meet you in the showers."
"Figures. Listen, you'd better get back to Toby before he dies of
blue balls, or something."
"Oh, he'll be fine, I'll make sure of it, but he's fast asleep by
now."
"You can come with us," Mercury offered.
Judy considered it for a moment, then shook her head. "Naw. I can
use a nap too. Probably going to be a long night. You'll both be at
the celebration, won't you?"
"Have I ever missed one?" Mercury grinned.
Judy laughed. "Nice to have met you, Alison. I'll see you tonight."
With that, Judy turned around and began to walk back into the field.
As Mercury and Alison began to walk towards the west, the rainbow
shimmered once, turning a perfect shade of royal purple before easing
back into clouds that were breaking up over the horizon.
<---===***===--->
The castle spires reached for the clouds, beckoning to unknown worlds
above. Sunlight sparkled off a clear turquoise moat surrounding the
stone walls of the structure.
Alison halted as the girls emerged from between the forest trees.
Mercury stopped ten steps ahead as she realised that Alison was no
longer beside her.
"That's where Crimson lives?" Alison whispered.
Mercury laughed gently, retreating back to where Alison stood
transfixed.
"It's where we all live. Sort of."
Alison lowered herself to sit cross-legged on the path. Her fingers
absently brushed the dust from her bare soles and massaged them. Her
eyes never left the castle.
"Are you his mistress?" Alison asked.
Mercury laughed again. "There you go with that 'his' again."
"Are you her mistress?"
Mercury slowly lowered herself onto the path facing Alison. She
slowly shook her head. "Despite what you might hear, I am not
anyone's mistress."
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."
Mercury touched the girl's hand gently. "I'm not easily offended. I
just wanted you to know."
"It's just that..."
Mercury cocked her head slightly, almost like a cartoon character
illuminated by the proverbial light bulb. Her easy smile faded
slightly.
"Alison, sweetheart, there's something you need to know..."
Alison interrupted with a slight smile. "Um. Male. Female. It
doesn't really matter to me." She grinned shyly as a flush rose
through her cheeks. "Well, not anymore."
"It's not that..."
Alison suddenly looked worried, her smile fading. "Me and you? But
I...I barely...I didn't think..."
Mercury sighed and reached forward, gently picking up Alison's
unresisting hand in her fingers. She gently pressed Alison's skin to
her lips, brushing the girl as a lover. "I love all my partners,
truly and deeply, but no, one cannot be jealous in this land." She
waved her arm vaguely in an all-encompassing motion. "Inverness
isn't...built that way. There is magic here." She paused, closing
her eyes, almost as though wishing for something that could not be.
She continued quietly, after a few moments, eyes remaining closed.
"Crimson. Crimson isn't available."
Alison was quiet as she contemplated the distant spires.
"You aren't..."
"No."
"Have you had him? Her? Whatever?"
"Had her? Like known her? Had sex with her?"
Alison nodded, her eyes not leaving the castle.
"Neither," Mercury replied in a quiet voice. "We've have plenty of
fun, and I wouldn't trade it all for the world, but I really don't
think anyone ever really knows her. Except maybe for one person, and
she isn't here. Not in Inverness."
Mercury's fingers gently guided Alison's chin until their eyes locked.
Alison was a little surprised to see dampness near the corners of
Mercury's eyes.
"I just don't want you to get hurt. Inverness isn't about hurt."
Alison forced her lips into an easy grin, and nodded her head.
"Thanks," she mumbled.
Mercury rose to her bare feet in one easy motion without using her
hands, like a lioness ready for the hunt. Once steady, she extended
her hand down to Alison who grasped it and pulled herself to her feet
with a grunt.
"God, I wish I had my shoes." Alison shifted her weight from one bare
foot to the other.
Mercury smiled as she reached for Alison's hand and they continued
their journey.
<---===***===--->
========================================================================
Inverness - Part V - Challenge
(FF, fantasy)
========================================================================
(c) Copyright - February 2001
All Rights Reserved
Crimson Dragon
(dcrimson@yahoo.com)
========================================================================
The number of people that they encountered steadily increased as they
approached the castle. Some were garbed in tunics, some in modern
dresses, or jeans. Some were nude, some topless, some bottomless,
some wore strange translucent robes. Mercury waved to all, calling
most by name as they passed. Many commented jokingly on Mercury's
state of dress.
"Hey, Claudette," Mercury waved easily to a naked girl of about
fourteen approaching along the path.
"It's good to surprise them once in a while by wearing clothing," she
whispered to Alison as Claudette waved once and performed a
double-take as she skipped passed. "Most of them have to check again
to make sure it's me." Mercury seemed to enjoy the notoriety she was
generating. Alison, for her part, was beginning to get used to the
casual nudity abounding. While she wasn't sure that she would be
prancing around in her birthday suit anytime soon, she was certainly
getting used to seeing people unashamed about their bodies.
As they approached the drawbridge, Alison again stopped, and it took a
moment for Mercury to realise that Alison was no longer beside her.
"What?" Mercury asked as she turned and trotted back. She followed
Alison's gaze towards the east. Mercury laughed, gently pressing
Alison's jaw up until he girl's teeth clacked together.
"You want to try that?" Mercury asked quietly.
Alison shook her head slowly, unable to tear her eyes from the scene.
A copse of birches stood a number of metres from the main path. A
petite brunette stood with her back firmly against one of the trees.
Even from this distance, the whiteness of the ropes that criss-crossed
her body, between her breasts, around her bare thighs, was acutely
visible. Her face radiated tranquillity and peace. A naked redhead
knelt in the grass at the tied girl's feet, her fingers caressing the
restrained girl in front of her.
"Is she OK?" Alison whispered. "The brunette?"
Mercury laughed gently, tugging on Alison's fingers. "Oh, I think
she's just fine."
A nagging throb raced through Alison as she accepted the guidance of
Mercury's fingers. She glanced back once as they moved further down
the path. She thought she could hear a faint moan cross the distance
between the pairs of girls.
"If you catch their attention, they'll probably invite you to
participate," Mercury whispered with a grin.
"Yuck."
Mercury's features settled into one of her understanding looks.
"We can try it later, perhaps less publicly, if you want."
Alison didn't reply, but the throb beat an insistent rhythm between
her legs.
<---===***===--->
"Most of the people here are women," Alison commented as the
drawbridge drew close.
Mercury shrugged and leaned in conspiratorially. "It's much quieter,
don't you think?"
The warmth of rough boards of the drawbridge was a welcome change to
the hot dust of the path. Alison sighed as her bared feet noticed the
change of texture. Mercury straightened and continued, but quietly.
"There are plenty of men around, though. This isn't Lesbos, after
all. Women just seem to be better at adapting to Inverness. More
susceptible to magic, and more open, I suppose. At least that's what
Crimson says. Personally, I think she just prefers the company of
women and tends to offer them more passage to Inverness. You're here,
aren't you?"
Alison nodded, but looked up at a sudden interruption from above. A
male voice boomed a challenge from the ramparts above the drawbridge.
"Who goes there?"
Mercury stopped and looked up toward the voice; her lips broke into an
easy smile.
"Malinov, you old dog, you know damn well who we are. And Inverness
is a free port. Why the hell are you on guard duty?"
"My lady, I know not of what you speak. Identify yourself."
Mercury turned to Alison shaking her head. She had to contain a quick
laugh at the look of dismay on Alison's face.
"Don't worry, Malinov is always cooking up one scheme or another.
Says it makes for good stories, and his works are in the library.
I've read 'em. Worth a look." Mercury uptilted her face again.
Sunshine illuminated her features.
"My Lord," she spoke in a clear, strong voice tinged with a mild
humour. "By what authority do you challenge us?"
Alison noticed a few people gathering on the near side of the
drawbridge apparently waiting for Malinov's game to finish. Alison
shifted awkwardly from foot to foot.
"Strange lady, there is a security ordinance. Please identify
yourself and your compatriot."
"You know damn well who we are," Mercury repeated under her breath
then raised her voice again to the unseen male. "We are neither
thieves, nor spammers, and you know it."
The male voice continued. "All unknown travellers must identify
themselves. See-el's orders."
Mercury turned towards Alison lowering her voice, again. "Now you see
why there aren't many males around? We could just walk in." Alison
could see a large, green courtyard just beyond the portcullis. Some
people within, in various states of dress and undress, were watching
the exchange with some interest.
Alison shook her head. "Why don't we then?"
"The game is fun," Mercury replied enigmatically. She again faced the
wall.
"Malinov, you know damn well who it is. It's Mercury, and a guest of
Crimson's, Alison. Now, let us through. We need to start preparing
for Solstice. We're tired, and dirty, and..."
"Solstice?" the male voice boomed.
"Solstice. And don't tell me that you don't know what Solstice is."
"My lady, you are not the Mercury that we know and love."
"Huh?" Mercury glanced down at herself at though expecting a
different image than the petite brunette that remained standing
barefoot in the middle of the drawbridge.
The voice continued in a firm baritone. "The Mercury that we know
wouldn't be crossing the drawbridge in that state."
Mercury shook her head in mock frustration. "Sometimes you authors
can be frustrating, you know that? If you wanted a view, why didn't
you just say so?" She actually stamped her left foot against the wood
of the bridge.
"And your compatriot. Clementine, was it?"
"Alison," Mercury corrected. "You know who she is as well as I do.
And she's not going to flash you, so forget it." Mercury's fingers
began to fumble at the buttons at her breasts. After leaving the
barn, Mercury had fastened two buttons loosely between her breasts to
stop the translucent fabric from flapping in the wind. With a smile
on her face, she released the buttons and held the fabric apart,
thrusting her bared chest towards the unseen wall. She sighed. "Good
enough?"
A kind chuckle issued forth from the wall, and a dark-haired head
sporting a helmet reminiscent of the Vikings emerged from behind the
upper ramparts.
"Why are you wearing clothes, Mercury? Miranda finally get your
goat?"
Mercury snapped the fabric back across her breasts, quickly
re-fastening the buttons; her bare skin hid amongst the folds. She
nodded. "Maybe I decided to regain my modesty."
Malinov laughed. "Modesty? You?"
"It's been known to happen," Mercury said with a wry grin. People
began to pass the two stationary girls, apparently determining that
the game had played its course.
"What about Clementine?"
Mercury glared up at the writer-guard. Alison trembled a little.
Exhibitionism wasn't really her game, either. Though around here, she
might have been tempted to follow Mercury's lead, if it were necessary
to pass into the castle. Malinov didn't seem to be perturbed by the
others now passing the girls and entering below the portcullis
unhindered. Mercury's hand entwined with Alison's, giving her a
squeeze of reassurance.
"She's not flashing you, Malinov. She's new here, as you well know.
And her name is Alison."
Malinov's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Clementine, my lady, welcome
to Inverness." The man above tilted his head in greeting. "Don't let
Mercury get you into too much trouble."
"I won't, sir," Alison replied.
"Sir? Christ, I'm not that old," Malinov muttered. "Call me Malinov.
Everyone else does."
"May we go in now?" Mercury asked in an exasperated voice.
"Sure, what's stopping you?"
Mercury shook her head with a smile, and tugging on Alison's hand,
resumed walking under the guard.
"We'll see you tonight, Malinov," she called up as they passed. "And
I'll be more in the state you are accustomed to."
"Happy Solstice," he replied with a small wave before disappearing
into the wall.
<---===***===--->
After passing under the entrance to the castle, Alison sighed as her
feet encountered soft, green grass. Perhaps ten couples were spread
across the small entrance courtyard, most lounging under trees, or
lying on the grass together. Some were naked, others were dressed in
more modern attire. One couple was kissing under what looked like an
old oak tree. One group of three naked girls, sitting cross-legged in
the grass, waved a greeting to Mercury and Alison as they entered, but
then turned back to a conversation involving a great deal of quiet
giggling.
"Who the heck is Malinov?" Alison asked as they made their way across
the grass towards another archway on the other side of the court.
Mercury stopped, tilting her face upwards into the sunlight. She
answered to the sky. "Malinov is one of the writers around here."
"So he could have given me shoes?" Alison worked her toes into the
grass, not sure anymore that she still wanted shoes anyway.
Mercury laughed. "Didn't you hear him call you Clementine?"
"I did." Alison's voice conveyed her confusion.
"Why do you think he did that?"
Alison shrugged.
"Malinov has a warped sense of humour, sometimes. If you'd asked him,
he would probably have given you the shoes."
"Would I have had to flash him for them?"
Mercury laughed. "You think he demanded to see my chest before he'd
let us in here?"
"Didn't he?"
"Alison, no dear. We could have walked right past, and the worst that
would have happened is that Lord Malinov might have been a little
disappointed. Well, if he had been serious in the demand, he'd
probably be banished. Inverness isn't like that. We are all free
here. Writers really aren't any different from you or I, they merely
can create magic -- give you a new wardrobe, for instance, whether you
want one or not. But other than that, they aren't any different from
us. No, Alison, Malinov asked me because he knows me. Knows that I
don't mind playing his games, and would gladly show nearly anyone my
boobs in a heartbeat. I normally walk around buck naked, remember?
Hell, I would've stripped for him, if he'd asked. If it makes him
happy, and it's fun, why shouldn't I? And besides, he'd be the first
one defending my honour if someone was trying to take advantage of
me."
Alison nodded, but wasn't quite sure that she fully understood.
"So, I wouldn't have to expose myself for shoes?" Alison made a
gesture to walk back towards the drawbridge. Mercury's hand on her
shoulder gently stopped her.
"You wouldn't have to pay anything. No. And Malinov up there would
give you what you asked for in a heartbeat, with a twinkle in his eye.
But you probably would end up with boxes without tops's that you
couldn't remove from your feet until he took pity on you, sometime
after midnight."
"Huh?"
"Malinov's humour. And besides, you've done without for the walk
here, and you certainly aren't going to want them where we are headed.
Ask Crimson when the infernal creature returns. Okay?"
Alison nodded as the girls continued to cross the courtyard.
"Where are we going, anyway?"
<---===***===--->
========================================================================
Inverness - Part VI - Cleansing
(FF, fantasy)
========================================================================
(c) Copyright - February 2001
All Rights Reserved
Crimson Dragon
(dcrimson@yahoo.com)
========================================================================
The smell of peaches and damp mist touched Alison's senses as Mercury
held the heavy oak door open for her. She stepped through, a little
self-conscious of the warm stone beneath her bare feet. She was far
more used to 'No Shoes - No Service' signs than the more welcoming 'No
Clothes - No Problem' attitudes in Inverness.
"May I take your clothing?"
The voice belonged to a small Oriental girl seated behind a long
polished counter that reminded Alison of the bar at The Portal. The
girl wore a simple, white tunic draped over her shoulders, though in
the humid, warm air, it clung to her small frame like a lover's
embrace. Alison felt Mercury's presence beside her as the entrance
doorway quietly closed behind them.
"Huh?" Alison uttered in confusion.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Mercury edge around her and
approach the counter with a smile. As Mercury walked, she shed her
blouse as if that were the most natural thing in the world to do.
After the drawbridge, Mercury's display didn't exactly surprise
Alison. Mercury's jeans slipped daintily over her hips, leaving her
as bare as when the girls had first met in the hayloft. After
carefully folding her clothes, Mercury handed them to the girl behind
the counter.
"Here you go, Daphne," Mercury said as she gave the girl a smile.
The girl laughed. "You're wearing clothes?"
Mercury muttered something under her breath, then turned to regard
Alison.
"You can't shower like that..." Mercury began. Alison shook her head
slowly. Mercury grinned and continued. "Actually, it might be
interesting to see that top plastered to your skin."
Alison slowly approached the counter, placing her hands on top of the
gleaming surface. The girl holding Mercury's jeans and blouse smiled
gently. "You're new here, aren't you?"
Mercury performed the introductions. "Daphne. Alison." She turned
towards Alison. "Daphne won't lose your clothes. I promise."
"But..."
"Showers are better naked, you know."
With a sigh and a blush, Alison began to unbutton her clothing. The
blouse slipped from her shoulders, and the jeans slipped down her legs
to pool around her ankles. She was about to step out of them when the
interior door opened with a blast of steam. The smell of peaches
intensified for a moment. A naked man stepped through the doorway,
dripping water onto the grey stone of the lobby. He shook his head,
spraying warm water. Alison quickly slipped one arm across her
breasts, her other covering her exposed pubic region. She flushed
bright red, could feel the heat suffusing her breasts.
A moment later, the doorway opened again, a tall, slim, nude and just
as wet woman stepping through to link arms with the man with a laugh.
"There's men in here," Alison whispered urgently towards Mercury.
Mercury glanced over her shoulder and was laughing as she turned back
around. "Um. Yes. So? It's only Mat. And Theresa, I think." She
tried to pry Alison's arm gently from her chest. Alison resisted.
"Uh...naked men, naked women, what do you think will happen?"
Mercury laughed again. "Are you the same woman that walked with me to
the castle? You can still ask that?"
"Yeah, I wasn't naked at the time."
"You were naked with me."
"That's...different." Her voice wavered a little.
"What's the worst thing that would happen?"
"He'll look at me."
Mercury grinned evilly. "No, the worst thing that would happen is
this." She raised herself up on her tiptoes and planted a moist kiss
right on Alison's lips. Alison moaned quietly, at both the unexpected
kiss, and the touch of Mercury's bare skin against her own.
"And even if Mat did that, which he wouldn't without invitation, his
lips wouldn't hurt you any more than mine did." With that, Mercury
turned around. She waited for a moment, waiting for the guy to stop
kissing the naked girl he was with.
"Mat, my dear?"
Mat released Teresa, who looked none too pleased, and smiled at
Mercury, who strode purposely toward him. They embraced quickly,
spoke a few words. Teresa and Mercury exchanged a brief kiss. Alison
noted that while Mat and the woman were still dripping, the water was
either absorbed or disappeared where it would have touched the stone
of the floor. Strange.
To Alison's horror, Mercury led the couple back towards Alison, who
was still standing awkwardly protecting her modesty as best she could.
The man named Mat smiled at her. "Mercury tells me you're new." He
stuck out his hand towards Alison. Alison gazed at the hand, not
removing her arms from their protective posture. She almost glared at
the man, as if aware of his tricks.
Mat sighed. "Still not used to Inverness, eh? I understand. Janey
is like you, too. And I was a little unnerved the first time I was
here. Not really used to this public exposure thing." Alison relaxed
a little. Like her earlier encounters with the Dragon, Mat's eyes
never left hers, not dropping to inspect her nearly bare body at all,
no threatening gestures.
"Glad to meet you," she mumbled.
"Mat generally introduces Solstice, with Crimson. Holds quizzes.
Edits strange publications," Mercury said. She turned towards the
man. "You are going to introduce the Solstice, aren't you?"
Mat nodded. "At moonrise. As usual."
"Who's the Queen?"
"You mean Teresa?"
Mercury laughed, and performed a small courtesy. Mat's companion
nodded and smiled, but didn't say anything. "Teresa's the Solstice
Queen?"
Mat shook his head. "Don't know. Maybe Janey, if Crimson can
convince her to come, and agree to lead the ceremony. Maybe Celeste.
Maybe Katie. We won't know until the library."
Mercury nodded.
"Are you coming to the library this year?" Mat asked.
Mercury shook her head. "And miss the pre-moon celebrations. The
library is for the writers. You know that."
"You've got an open invitation. Even if Crimson doesn't invite you
this year, I certainly will." The girl behind the counter handed Mat
two bundles of clothing and two towels, one of which he handed to
Teresa. They each casually wrapped the towels around themselves.
"I know," Mercury said. She glanced over at Alison who was still
blushing and shivering.
Mat casually waved his hand at Alison. She didn't notice the jeans
rise, but suddenly they were again buttoned snugly at her waist, not
pooled around her ankles. She remained topless, but her arm still
protected her breasts from view.
"I truly am glad to meet you," Mat murmured to Alison, brushing her
cheek with his lips. The touch reminded her of Josh, and she fought
for calm. "I hope that you'll take those jeans off before going in
there. You'll be much more comfortable." He tilted his head towards
the doorway.
His fingers brushed at her arms, now both crossed across her chest.
She allowed him to press her arms away, exposing herself. She noted
the small smile that graced Mercury's lips as her body became less
covered. Her nipples crinkled involuntarily as they wandered into
view.
Mat's eyes never dropped from her own, even as her arms lowered.
"You aren't anything to be ashamed of," Mat murmured quietly.
<---===***===--->
The air was cooler here; in fact, she could feel her nipples reacting
to the cool as she followed Mercury from the steamy showers into a
wide room through large wooden doors with iron hinges and handles. It
was quieter here, too, leaving behind the pounding of many showers and
the moans of activity from the communal shower area.
The room was furnished in red, from a thick, red carpet beneath her
bare feet, to the mirrored ceiling reflecting the carpet from below,
to the Victorian chairs placed in the corners of the room. The chairs
were unoccupied, but the room seemed to exude a presence of some sort.
Alison dripped onto the carpet, but like the lobby floor it seemed to
dissipate the water. Her feet weren't standing in a sopping wet
carpet.
The centre of the room was dominated by a large hot tub, full of
bubbles. Tendrils of steam rose from its surface, inviting and warm.
A girl, no more than twenty, rose from the mountains of bubbles like a
naked Madonna. The bubbles covered her to the throat, her breasts, if
bare, hidden from view. One bare foot sat propped on the side of the
tub, emerging from the bubbles. The girl's head tilted back, eyes
closed. At first, Alison assumed that she was asleep.
The girl's voice was cheery, inviting.
"Mercury. Alison. Lots of room."
Mercury smiled as she knelt beside the girl's head. She kissed the
girl on her lips before sitting down on the edge of the tub, swinging
her legs through the bubbles.
"You were expecting us, Sondra?"
The girl raised her head, her blonde hair damp but still attractive.
She opened her eyes. They were a deep shade of brown.
"Have you ever missed a Solstice?"
"Before Crimson invited me."
"That doesn't count, and you know it." Sondra's finger traced
Mercury's thigh. Mercury motioned Alison to come and join the girls.
Alison stepped forward, seating herself beside Mercury. The water in
the bath was far warmer than the showers had been. Her calves and
toes sighed at the warm, intimate touch. The bubbles smelled strongly
of peaches.
"Crimson told me you both were coming, earlier," Sondra began. "At
least this time, Janey didn't fall on me."
Mercury looked at the girl strangely, and then shook her head.
"I don't want to know."
"One of Crimson's portals."
"Ah."
Mercury grasped Alison's hand and pulled her gently into the bubbles.
The warm water pressed into Alison's skin. She sighed. There seemed
to be room for twenty in the tub. Alison tilted her head back, in the
posture that Sondra had adopted when they'd entered. She closed her
eyes. Flashes of conversation, some nonsensical, touched her.
"...See-El out tracking some spammers with Anne..."
"...hayloft out at the old barn..."
"...Malinov made me flash him, too..."
"...Clementine..."
A soft laugh.
"...banquet. Lots of mead..."
"...Celia jockeying mostly. Crimson might perform..."
"...girls walking through the canyon..."
"...Queen...Janey..."
The voices faded.
<---===***===--->
Peaches.
Disoriented, she awoke to a warm sensation suffusing her body. It was
a moment before she realised that she was still encased in bubbles,
hot water touching her intimately. She moaned quietly.
A finger. Then another softly stroked her bare breasts, lightly
twisting the rapidly hardening nipples under the surface of the water.
A pair of lips brushed at hers, then another, slight smells
differentiating the two women that had kissed her in quick succession.
A tongue traced the contours of her lips.
Her hands rose as if of their own volition, her fingers touching bare
breasts, midriffs, vaginal lips.
A finger traced her thigh somewhere below, caressing her calf, playing
with her toes.
A pair of fingers entered her.
A tongue, impossibly underwater, caressed her throbbing clitoris.
She cried out.
Peaches.
<---===***===--->
The orange glow of the setting sun lit the room like a huge bonfire,
the light flickering, and shadows elongating.
Sondra slept quietly, her head cradled in the crook of Alison's arm,
her bare skin curled up against Alison, her blonde mane still slightly
damp and smelling of peaches. Her breath was warm and comforting
against the bare skin of Alison's right breast.
Alison turned her head, feeling her hair drag against the softness of
the pillow. Through hazy white gauze, she could see Mercury seated
naked in one of the room's three chairs, her elbows resting on the
windowsill. The girl seemed lost in thought.
A fresh breeze fluttered the canopy, and Sondra shifted position
slightly.
She wondered where Josh was? What he was doing? Did she care?
Anymore? She stared up at the canopy, its undulating whiteness
soothing.
The Dragon? Where was he? Surely he would return before the
celebration.
After four climaxes, not counting the hayloft, she didn't think that
she could be aroused ever again, her body aching pleasantly, but
satisfied. But there it was, a low heat down below her waist. She
could see him, seated in her armchair, so far away, curled up,
listening to her cry. So long ago, and yet, so close. She shifted
her position slightly, pulling her thoughts from the Dragon.
And she was surprised to realise that she was hungry.
She laid back her head and closed her eyes, sleep not encompassing
her, but the rest welcome.
Presently, she felt Mercury's slight weight settling back into the bed
beside her.
"Celeste's rain caused a spectacular sunset," Mercury murmured.
"That's probably why she did it."
Alison nodded, opening her eyes. The naked girl sat easily on the
side of the bed, the canopy wrapping itself around her nudity.
Mercury leaned down and brushed at Alison's lips, igniting yet another
tingle through Alison's spine.
"Are you all right?" Mercury asked quietly.
"Fine, now," Alison whispered back.
"Crimson said that you needed Inverness."
"I...I think that I did," Alison closed her eyes again. She felt
Mercury shift to lie down on the pillow beside her. Mercury's breath
caressed her cheek, and her fingers gently stroked the bare skin of
Alison's shoulder.
"It'll be dark soon. The celebration will be starting."
Alison nodded. Her free fingers reached for Mercury, who sighed as
they traced the curve of her breast. Mercury reached up and entwined
her fingers with Alison's, stilling the touch.
<---===***===--->
========================================================================
Inverness - Part VII - Celebration
(FF, fantasy)
========================================================================
(c) Copyright - February 2001
All Rights Reserved
Crimson Dragon
(dcrimson@yahoo.com)
========================================================================
The room had darkened considerably when a soft tapping at the door
disturbed her. She opened her eyes, feeling Sondra stir and roll away
from her shoulder. Pins and needles pricked at her arm as the nerves
there reanimated. A cry nearly escaped her lips, but she managed to
stifle it.
She sensed, rather than saw, Mercury rise from the bed beside her,
swinging her bare legs to the floor. Mercury recoiled a little with a
hiss as her bare feet touched the stone.
"Going to be cool tonight," Mercury muttered.
Alison reached for the down coverlet and pulled it over herself,
snuggling beneath. She tucked the edge around Sondra who snuffled,
but didn't completely wake.
Mercury didn't bother to bend for her jeans or blouse, but slowly
unbolted the heavy oaken door, peering around it.
"Crimson," she whispered, opening the door wide.
Alison's eyes widened as the tall man pecked Mercury's cheek and
slipped into the room. A tall, dusty blonde woman, dressed in a white
tunic, but barefoot, followed the creature in. The woman shifted her
weight from foot to foot, as if her feet were cold, but she leaned
forward to give Mercury a full embrace and a lingering kiss. The
women whispered for a minute, and then Mercury twirled quickly
stepping to where Sondra slept.
Sondra's eyes fluttered open as Mercury gently shook her shoulder.
She rubbed at her eyes slowly, and stretched like a cat.
"I was sleeping," she mumbled.
Mercury tugged insistently at Sondra's arm, coaxing the girl into a
sitting position. The coverlet fell from her chest. As usual, Sondra
didn't mind the exposure, but merely yawned and stretched again,
oblivious to the male presence in the room.
"It's cold," Sondra complained, wrapping her arms around herself.
Even Alison could see that Sondra was cold.
"You'll be warmer soon." Mercury turned to Alison who remained curled
up under the covers. Mercury whispered to Alison, "Sondra and I are
going to take another quick shower with Janey, okay?"
"You're leaving?"
Mercury shook her head and leaned over Sondra, who lightly protested.
Mercury brushed at Alison's cheek with her lips.
"We'll be back, soon. Promise."
She straightened, and waited impatiently for Sondra to rise, her arms
crossed under her breasts.
Alison pulled the covers up to her chin and sighed as the other girls
padded out of the room. The door closed with a quiet click, leaving
her alone with the Dragon.
<---===***===--->
A faint blue aura surrounded the creature as he lightly moved around
the room. She saw no matches, but as he passed a hand over the
candles, they lit as if by magic. The candles didn't shed much
luminance, but the flickering of the light seemed to warm the room.
The Dragon settled into the chair formerly occupied by Mercury,
sitting as she had, elbows resting easily on the window ledge. He
gazed outwards, but seemed to be looking further than Mercury had,
seeing something beyond the realm of mortals.
"They are beginning to gather," he whispered.
Alison shivered and closed her eyes. Her mind awhirl, she visualised
Mercury sitting cross-legged in front of her, her lips moving,
"Crimson isn't available."
She sighed and opened her eyes.
"The offer is still open," she spoke quietly across the distance from
the bed to the chair. The Dragon shifted slightly, turning his frame
toward the girl who remained under the covers. He took a deep breath,
a vast weight pressing onto his shoulders. His words were kind, and
almost apologetic. He had understood her offer.
"You honour me, m'lady. But you know that I am merely the messenger,
the chauffeur." His words echoed a time that she could barely
remember. A pang of homesickness briefly welled through her.
Deliberately, she pushed the covers down, away from the base of her
throat, her eyes never leaving his. Her nipples crinkled as the
cooler air of the room caressed them. His eyes never wavered from her
face.
"You created this place, didn't you?"
The Dragon leaned back into the depths of the chair. She could see
the shimmering of his form tripping from soft female curves, to
glistening scales, and back to the hard masculinity that he embodied.
It didn't take her aback as it had the first time she'd seen it.
"Partly. I created some of it."
"You control it."
"Partly."
"Who else?"
"Many. Few." The Dragon paused for a moment. "You."
She thought about that for a moment, had to fight the desire to pull
the covers back over her breasts. Slowly, she nodded though she
didn't completely understand.
"Why did you bring me here?"
"You chose to come here. I only gave you the means."
"You sat on my stairs in the middle of winter and gave me exactly what
I needed. Why? Why me?"
"Because you needed it." The Dragon shrugged.
She sighed. The creature was infuriatingly enigmatic.
"The offer is still good." She felt the fingers of her left hand
lightly trace her bare breast. She shivered.
The Dragon turned away, gazing out the window. A light bass beat
filtered past, tickling Alison's ears. She sighed again.
"Did you enjoy yourself? With Mercury?" he asked her, though he spoke
to whatever lay beyond the window ledge.
Alison blushed a little. "And Sondra. Yes," she spoke quietly.
Fresh hay. Thunderstorms. Bubbles. Satin sheets and down coverlets.
"But I wanted one other," her eyes stared at the creature.
Crimson turned back towards her, cocking his head to the side, his
mouth turned in a small, teasing smile.
"Josh?"
She shook her head negatively, a serious expression on her face.
"M'lady," he spoke as he rose to his feet. "Would that I could. I am
truly sorry." His head parted the canopy, his lips brushing at her
cheek, easing the rejection.
"Why?" she asked simply.
He brushed her cheek again, a fire burning where he had touched her.
"Lady Alison, you know why."
She nodded. She supposed that she did.
<---===***===--->
The floor was cold against her bare feet. The candles flickered
against her curves as she stood easily, one hand resting upon the
canopy support. Her nipples ached.
Crimson regarded her with a little more interest as she bent to pick
up her blue jeans, where they had been discarded in the early
afternoon. Her blouse, she plucked from atop the canopy.
Clutching her clothing in front of her breasts, she glanced back at
the Dragon, allowing a small smile of satisfaction to creep into her
features. The man wasn't dead, at least. She'd caught an
appreciative glance as she'd bent to retrieve the jeans.
"One last chance." She didn't really expect a positive answer, and
wasn't disappointed when he again shook his head. She bent to slip
the jeans over her bare foot.
"Alison."
His words stopped her with the jeans midway up her calf. She raised
her head to look at him again, her eyes silently questioning. A
shiver passed through her thighs.
"Don't dress, yet. Please?"
She considered for a moment, then lowered the jeans back to the floor
and lightly stepped out of them. Suddenly, she felt self-conscious
being the only one naked in the room. Her arms desperately wanted to
cover her; she willed her arms to remain awkwardly at her sides.
"Changed your mind?" The creature smiled indulgently at her. And she
sighed again. "I suppose not. Why did you want me unclothed, then?
It's nippy in here, in case you hadn't noticed." She glanced down
pointedly at her nipples.
He nodded. "Indulge me."
She shrugged and waited. He watched her for a moment, then waved his
hand towards her, speaking in ancient tongue.
The dress hadn't pulled over her head, or slid up her body, but rather
it was simply there, suddenly encasing her bare body. It was midnight
black, fitting her curves perfectly. Her shoulders remained bare, the
light fabric swirling around her ankles. She turned slowly.
"Do I have to be home by midnight?" she asked quietly.
The Dragon laughed kindly. "You certainly do not. Indeed, you don't
have to wear it, if you don't want to."
"I'm not sure I want to go naked."
"You look nice naked, but I meant..." And he pointed to her old
jeans, and blouse, which lay still crumpled at her feet.
He rose to his feet, crossing the distance between them swiftly. She
held her breath as he kissed her lips. She kissed back, and then his
lips were gone. Throbs pulsed through her body. She opened her eyes;
he was standing with his back against the door.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm late for the library gathering. I have to collect a Queen that
will not be, and prepare for the celebration."
She'd nearly forgotten about the celebration.
"I'll see you there?" she asked quietly.
He nodded with a huge smile. "I guarantee it."
As he opened the door, she suddenly remembered.
"Crimson?" she called out.
He turned under the doorframe.
"Glass slippers. You forgot to give me shoes."
The creature flashed her a knowing smile and turned back into the
hallway. She watched barefoot, as the door snicked shut behind him.
<---===***===--->
The chair was as comfortable as it looked. She sighed as she lowered
her body into it, leaning forward to gaze out the window into the
early evening. Her bare toes brushed at the cold stone of the floor,
the edge of the gown pooling at her calves.
The sky hadn't completely lost the faint glow of sunset, but the
traces of luminance would disappear in the next few minutes. Tracers
of pink and mauve streaked the sky, chasing one another across the
heavens. She idly regretted the view she'd missed, and that Mercury
had witnessed earlier. The sunset would have been spectacular.
The forest spread out below the window, dark and green, stretching
from the edge of the darkened moat to the horizon. She could hear
sounds filtering through the air, faint but audible. An underlying
bass beat, something almost techno, appeared to be issuing from
somewhere in the forest. The occasional soft laugh and the steady
drone of conversation reached her ears.
Once in a while, bright flashes of white light emerged from below the
trees.
In the fading light, she watched as small groups of people trickled
across the drawbridge and along the path into the forest. She
couldn't determine if they were clothed, or unclothed, but their
excited voices touched her. Her heart began to beat faster in nervous
anticipation.
She heard the door creak, but she didn't turn to see who it was. Only
Mercury, or Sondra, would enter her sanctuary without knocking. One
set of bare feet padded towards the bed, while one approached her
chair. The unmistakable sounds of clothing slipping over skin reached
her ears from the other side of the room. Alison peered out into the
darkness, ignoring the flashing from the forest floor, straining to
see whatever Mercury and Crimson had seen so very far away. The last
of the streamers of light faded from the sky above. She sighed.
Fingers slipped through her hair, pulling gently at the few tangles
that remained there.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
"Is it real?" Alison whispered. She tilted her head slightly.
Mercury's fingers continued their slow cadence through her hair.
Mercury pursed her lips. "It's magic."
Alison remained silent. Soft blue lights glowed beneath the moat
waters, throwing tendrils of luminance across the stone of the castle.
Mercury kissed the top of Alison's head gently.
"She didn't, did she?"
Alison shook her head, suddenly feeling like crying. Mercury kissed
her head once more. No I-told-you-so. No recriminations.
"There is only one," Mercury whispered.
The girls remained silent, even after Sondra joined them, her lips
brushing quickly at Alison's.
<---===***===--->
========================================================================
Inverness - Part VIII - Torchbearer
(FF, fantasy)
========================================================================
(c) Copyright - February 2001
All Rights Reserved
Crimson Dragon
(dcrimson@yahoo.com)
========================================================================
"It's time," Mercury whispered.
Alison sighed, rising to her bare feet. She was surprised to see that
Mercury was wearing clothing: a bright pink shirt and blue cut-off
jeans. Her feet were bare. Sondra wore a gown of shimmering white
that reminded Alison of a Roman toga.
Mercury laughed as Alison rose.
"What? I look ridiculous," Alison murmured. Her fingers toyed with
the neckline of the evening gown that Crimson had bestowed upon her.
Mercury shook her head. "You look stunning. Honestly."
"I'll be out of place."
Sondra touched Alison's bare shoulder for a moment. "Alison, there
will be people dancing naked tonight, including her," Sondra nodded
towards Mercury, who stuck her tongue out in response. "You will
hardly be out of place." She paused for a moment. "Sweetheart,
you're the Torchbearer."
"Huh?"
Mercury laughed again, addressing Sondra.
"She didn't tell her. That infernal creature."
"He said that I didn't have to wear it," Alison said.
Sondra shook her head. "I'm sure that you don't. Doesn't change the
fact that you will bear the torch. She chose you, that's why you get
the dress."
"Dress? Torch?"
"Someone's got to light the fire..."
<---===***===--->
The voices were closer and louder as they moved through the courtyard.
The grass had been a welcome change to the rough stone of the castle
floors. Mercury waved to the people they passed; all wore smiles,
most wore some bright clothing. An excitement encompassed everyone as
the girls moved towards the drawbridge. Alison could feel eyes
tracing her black dress, tracing her movements.
Once again, rough wood appeared under Alison's feet as the sounds of
their steps echoed over the water of the moat. She glanced upwards,
expecting the harsh sounds of a challenge, but none were forth-coming.
Alison broke from the others, leaning forward onto the rail. She
stared down towards the blue tinged waters of the moat. Further down
the way, a laughing couple splashed happily on the far bank.
As she watched the turquoise water below, a small dark creature with a
sleek coat swam lazily out from below the drawbridge. Alison gasped
quietly, but the animal seemed docile enough, and it was far enough
away that it posed no real danger.
Seemingly without direction, the swimmer found its way to the near
bank directly under the castle ramparts. There, in the shadows, a
blonde girl in shimmering white stood, her back touching the stone of
the wall. She smiled as the tiny animal slowly climbed from the
turquoise with an almost imperceptible splash. The girl bent, running
her hand over the fur that somehow was no longer wet. With a silent
touch of her lips, the creature morphed into a man, like the
proverbial frog turning into Prince Charming. With a bow, the man
swept the girl, giggling, into his arms.
Alison blinked, but the man remained, kissing the girl cradled in his
arms. She didn't think the man had seen her watching, but with a grin
and a wave, he called to the trio on the drawbridge.
"You're wearing clothes?" he asked.
Mercury, from a short distance behind Alison replied.
"Shouldn't you be still wearing fur until moonrise, Mink?"
The man blushed for only a moment. "And miss this? She kissed me. You
know the rules."
"Yes, I suppose that I do," Mercury murmured. The mink turned back to
the girl in his arms with another kiss.
As Alison watched, the couple faded into the shadows, or perhaps they
had melted into the air. She was quiet for a few moments, and she
could sense Mercury and Sondra waiting patiently behind her. Then she
sensed the slow movement behind her of bare feet on wood.
"Wish I had a quarter," she mumbled as Mercury and Sondra joined her,
one on each side.
"No money, here. Don't need it," Mercury sighed. "Well, unless you
count the play stuff for the girls that like playing night walker
games."
Alison turned and stared. Mercury laughed a little. "Relax.
Everyone has fantasies. Even you."
Alison blushed, and turned back to the water. It flowed forever under
the bridge. She was about to rise when a light, warm roundness filled
her right palm. She gasped, prying open her clenched fingers to stare
at the quarter within. Instead of a familiar moose, the coin featured
a dragon silhouetted by a rising moon.
"How?"
"One of the authors is watching," Mercury murmured, "or heard you."
Alison looked about, even glancing up at the abandoned ramparts above
the drawbridge. Then she glanced down at her gown, which was still
intact.
Mercury, as if reading her mind, spoke. "Relax. Malinov is in the
library by now, and none of them will use their X-ray vision on you.
I promise."
Alison looked sideways at Mercury, then down at her breasts, making
Mercury laugh. "They can't...they don't..."
"They can, but they won't."
Alison shook her head.
"Make a wish," Sondra whispered.
And she did.
The quarter sank slowly beneath the surface of the moat, catching the
underwater luminance as it tumbled through the water.
Mercury and Sondra linked arms with Alison, and the girls' footsteps
echoed off the far edge of the bridge.
<---===***===--->
The carpet of pine needles was warm and soft beneath her bare feet.
Crickets chirped as they passed, and even a cicada marked their
passing with a cry.
They had passed nobody as they moved swiftly through the darkened
forest. Alison wondered how Mercury and Sondra could find their way
through the darkness, but after they had deftly guided her around
various small trees, she relaxed and allowed them to ferry her towards
the clearing.
Alison gasped as she stepped out from the cover of the trees. A large
clearing stretched from the entrance path. Sondra and Mercury
released her arms, allowing her to take two steps forward.
A large raised stage covered the far side of the clearing. Banquet
tables ringed the clearing, piled high with food and jugs of liquid.
Lights, bright, but not electric, hovered near the treeline, casting a
bright glow across. People of all shapes, colours, and sizes stood
quietly around the edge of the clearing, seemingly with their eyes
glued to Alison.
Her eyes finally stopped against an enormous pile of wood and brush,
which lay stacked within a ring of stones dominating the view.
"Wow," she breathed.
She turned slowly, acutely feeling the pine needles beneath her feet.
Couples and single people filed in slowly behind her, waiting quietly.
As she turned, a large, but familiar, shape materialised in front of
her, an old torch flickering in his paw. She looked up, a smile
gracing her lips.
"CL!"
The big man grinned, holding out the torch for her fingers.
"How?"
He bent and gently kissed her cheek. "Later," he whispered to her.
He held out the torch to her again. "Crimson said you might need
this."
Suddenly, Mercury was at her ear, whispering urgently.
"Like I told you. Okay?" Her lips kissed Alison's ear.
Alison struggled to calm the butterflies flitting about in her
stomach. She curtsied, smiling at the familiar bartender. As she
rose, her fingers grasped the wooden handle of the simple torch. She
glanced around. Everyone was watching her.
She turned to Mercury.
"I can't. I abdicate. You..."
Mercury smiled. "You ain't the Queen, thank your lucky stars. You
can't abdicate. Go light the blessed thing before I starve to death."
She gently pressed a finger below Alison's throat.
Alison inhaled deeply, and turned. She lowered her eyes, not looking
at the audience.
The distance seemed to stretch on forever, but at last her bare feet
stopped at the circle of stones. She raised her eyes. The magical
lights dimmed, perhaps at the touch of an unseen finger.
She sighed, wishing that she had known that she would be standing
here.
"Happy Solstice," she whispered. She closed her eyes and tossed the
torch upwards. When she opened her eyes, she watched the torch spiral
flawlessly onto the top of the pile far above.
As the flames began to lick at the fuel, a deafening roar from a
thousand voices swept her senses. As the cheering swept past its
crescendo, Buddy Holly issued from unseen speakers, singing about the
Day-ay-ay That I'll Die.
People slowly surrounded the bonfire, dancing and laughing and
cheering.
In the middle, the heat warming her skin, Alison slowly bent her head.
<---===***===--->
She felt like a barbarian eating with her fingers, but she swore that
the food tasted better than any that she'd tasted before. Unknown
sauces coated her fingers as she ate as daintily as she could.
Mercury, beside her, laughed easily as someone, probably CL, related
yet another off-colour joke. As Alison dropped the latest bone to her
plate, she absently sucked at her fingertips to clean the worst of the
sauce from them. Mercury smiled at her, gently guiding Alison's
fingers to her mouth. Alison closed her eyes as Mercury's tongue
slipped over her skin. When she re-opened her eyes, CL was watching
her with a bemused expression on his face.
"I...you know that I..." Alison stammered, distracted by Mercury's
laugh. Alison flushed and made to rise to her feet. CL reached
across the table, gently motioning her back to the bench.
"Alison, dear, I won't tell anyone. I promise." The big man managed
to keep a solemn look on his lips.
Alison lowered herself back to the bench, self-consciously licking the
back of her hand.
CL grinned and reached to the end of the table. He lifted a huge jug
as though it weighed nothing. The goblets weren't made of glass, or
metal, but a dark hardwood that reminded Alison of cherrywood. CL
filled four to overflowing, and then passed one each to the three
girls, and then placed one in front of himself.
Sondra leaned over and whispered a warning.
"Don't drink it as fast as he does, or we'll be picking you up off the
floor."
Alison nodded, lifting the goblet to her lips, carefully tasting.
"Mead!" she cried. CL nodded in response, tilting his own cup upwards
and draining it in one swallow. Mercury shook her head at the feat
and daintily sipped her own.
The liquid was significantly stronger than that of the bar, but it was
recognisable. She turned to CL.
"How?" she asked.
"We bring some when we cross." He looked puzzled.
"No, not the mead," she shook her head almost in frustration. "How
are you here?"
CL shrugged. "Shouldn't bartenders be here?"
Mercury scowled at the big man. "Quit teasing her."
CL sighed. "I know how to brew mead, and I like showing up here once
in a while. Needs law and order, don't you know? And besides, I
write a little."
Mercury scowled at him again, and then turned to watch the revellers
dancing around the fire with wistful eyes.
"Like Malinov?" Alison muttered, then made the association with a
shiver. "See-El..."
The big man grinned, only to lose the grin in response to the frown
appearing on Alison's face. He turned to Mercury for help, finding
little.
"Malinov made me flash him, apparently on your orders."
See-El laughed. "Made you? Can you be made to do anything, Mercury?"
Mercury lost her battle to control her grin. She nodded.
"Sometimes."
"I told Malinov to watch for spammers."
"He thought we were spammers."
"Never, m'lady. Never."
"Will you be going back with me?" Alison asked quietly.
"Perhaps." See-El looked at Alison for a moment, and as if reading
her mind continued. "We all have to go back, eventually."
Alison shook her head slowly and raised her cup back to her lips. The
mead was sweet and intoxicating.
<---===***===--->
========================================================================
Inverness - Part IX - Solstice
(FF, fantasy)
========================================================================
(c) Copyright - February 2001
All Rights Reserved
Crimson Dragon
(dcrimson@yahoo.com)
========================================================================
The sky lightened slowly in the east. The moon, fighting against the
heavens struggled to rise.
A familiar voice broke through the hard rocking of Collective Soul
announcing the moonrise and the celebration. The music rose again
into Bobby Fuller.
Alison turned towards See-El, her eyes questioning. Deja vue infused
her.
"Celia," he mouthed and she nodded. The DJ's voice was the same as
the woman who drove the music in The Portal.
Alison glanced around her, sure that a tall, dark man would be
slipping through the crowds, parting the smoke before him.
Suddenly, a tugging on her arm caught her attention. Mercury, her
body moving to the beat of the sixties, already had recruited Sondra.
Alison rose to her bare feet, wondering just how she was going to
dance with the evening gown on, but followed Mercury and Sondra as
they wound through the crowds of dancers into the close light of the
fire.
The music grabbed her, and she laughed as the three formed a small
circle, abandoning themselves to the law that would always win.
<---===***===--->
She missed the music as the last strains of amplified guitar faded
from the atmosphere. Her legs halted, and she stood hushed, like the
rest of the crowd, her hands resting against her thighs. She looked
up.
Through mist that had appeared as if by magic, she saw the tall, dark
man and the man she remembered from the shower lobby slowly leading a
small parade of women and men. The woman from the room, Janey, she
thought, walked between them looking faintly bemused.
As they reached the edge of the stage, she thought she spied See-El.
The big man smiled to her, and she waved back with a small movement of
her fingers.
The men retreated, and Alison watched as the tall woman raised her
arms towards the sky. From the east, a beam of pearl broke over the
canopy of the trees to illuminate her.
Janey's voice echoed across the clearing, clear and resounding.
"We celebrate the coming of the Solstice. May fantasy remain with us
forever." She paused, as if uncertain about dignity, and then tossing
concern to the wind, announced, "Now, let's party!"
As her arms lowered back to her sides, the crowd around Alison cheered
as the music fell into Savage Garden.
Alison watched as the people on stage slowly dispersed, joining into
the crowd, or finding the endless food that Inverness had provided.
As she turned back to the group, Mercury grinned as her pink top
sailed easily into the bonfire. Bare breasted, she moved, dancing
with abandon. Alison shook her head, grinned, and joined with the
dance.
<---===***===--->
She was dancing with Mercury to one of the infrequent slow songs that
Celia allowed. Chris Isaak sang about wicked games while the girls
moved easily together. Alison wasn't used to dancing with a girl, and
she continued to step on Mercury's toes, but her partner didn't seem
to mind.
Mercury's bare breasts pressed comfortingly against Alison's, and
where she may have been self-conscious when Mercury guided her into
the embrace at the beginning of the song, she was no longer. They
kissed, lightly but passionately.
"See," Mercury whispered. "It's not so bad."
Alison shook her head, and continued to turn until Josh fell into her
vision. She blinked, sure he was an illusion. Not here. Impossible.
"What is it?" Mercury asked, moving slightly away from Alison.
Alison blinked again, focusing her eyes where the man had been
swallowed by a pair of twins wearing gaudy Hawaiian shirts. As the
Hawaiian twins danced around a stopped figure, Josh re-appeared. Any
hope of melting back into the crowd vanished as his eyes lit upon
Alison, his mouth dropping slightly as he noted Mercury.
"Josh," she whispered. Butterflies to rival the torchbearer ones
flittered against her stomach.
Mercury turned her head, her eyes searching the crowd.
"He shouldn't be here."
Alison shook her head.
"No," she replied. "He shouldn't."
Such a Wicked Game we play. To make me feel this way.
<---===***===--->
Mercury and Sondra continued to dance, but less frenetically, near the
fire's edge. Firelight glistened off Mercury's bare breasts as she
moved, her body effortlessly keeping the rhythm of the music. Her
eyes flicked occasionally towards Alison, through the crowd, but
continued to be distracted back towards Sondra by a quick word or
gesture by the blonde.
His lips had touched her cheek in a semblance of intimacy, but there
was no burning like the last time he'd touched her, in her bed, so
long ago.
"Why are you here?" Alison asked quietly. Her fingers toyed with the
rough wood of the table. Her eyes didn't meet Josh's.
"Does it matter? I'm here."
Alison nodded slowly. "It matters."
"Why were you dancing with...her?"
She looked up, startled. That tinge in his voice, something new,
unexpected, uncertain.
"Mercury?"
"If that's her name. The topless one."
Alison's eyes flicked out towards her. Sondra had managed to coax
Mercury into dancing out of her direct line of vision. Only the
occasional flash of Mercury's arm was visible beyond the back of
Sondra's body.
"Mercury. Yes. Why are you here?"
"Why are you here?"
Alison blushed for a moment.
"I...apparently needed it. I was invited."
Josh inhaled deeply, shaking his head. "I guess I did, too. I needed
it. But you...weren't supposed to be here."
Alison lowered her eyes, nodding in agreement. She looked up again
rapidly as the music shifted. Soft Cell, but not quite, began slowly
with a hint of live keyboards. Her eyes flicked to the stage where
the tall, familiar shape of the Dragon had taken centre stage. His
voice mimicked the eighties group, and the power swept through the
crowd as the music began to gather tempo. Others, probably other
writers, joined the Dragon on stage lending their voices to re-create
the familiar music.
Alison's eyes automatically checked the fire, to see Mercury falling
in with the crowd. Mercury looked up as if aware she was being
watched, and flashed a quick smile towards Alison.
Alison turned towards Josh.
"I have to go."
Josh shook his head, touching her arm gently, urging her to stay. She
indulged him, remaining seated on the bench.
"Alison. I...do you love her? She's...she's...a woman."
"Mercury?"
Josh nodded. Alison paused for a moment, thinking.
"She's kind, and she didn't walk out on me. Not yet."
Josh recoiled, stung a little. Alison regretted her words, but didn't
quite know what to do about it.
"I'm sorry, Alison. But we had...have...something. We can try again.
Can't we?"
She felt tears forming where her eyes should have been. She wiped
them away savagely. She glanced up at the man singing on stage, then
at the woman dancing now with child-like abandon near the fire, her
brunette hair swinging around her bare shoulders, free. Her eyes
returned to the man she'd loved. She slowly shook her head.
"We ended it last night, Josh. You walked out that door. I'm sorry."
She rose to her bare feet. The pine needles beneath sighed at her
presence.
Swiftly, without thought or purpose, she pulled the gown over her
head, laying it neatly on the bench where she'd sat but a moment
before. She was faintly bemused at the expression on Josh's face,
almost a longing of pleasure lost.
Her eyes left Josh, raised to the Dragon. Surprised, she found the
singer's eyes resting on her. The tall creature smiled, almost
singing to her. She waved slightly and was gratified to see a small
acknowledgement in the tilt of his head. Her lips automatically
followed his.
"Where did our love go? Where? Where? Where?" she whispered.
She leaned down, pressing her lips lightly against Josh's cheek, then
straightened.
Smiling and unselfconscious of her nudity, she threaded her way
between the dancers to rejoin Mercury and Sondra.
She did not look back.
<---===***===--->
It was as though her nudity had sparked an awareness within the crowd.
Many dancers, as though emboldened by the torchbearer's exposure,
shed some or all of their clothing, continuing the dancing.
The Dragon continued to lead the music, shifting personas as necessary
to achieve male or female vocals. The Dragon, currently a stunning
redhead draped in a form-fitting outfit, grinned as a final rendition
of "Heart and Soul" wound down.
The Dragon on stage shimmered from the redhead, settling back into the
tall man with whom Alison was more familiar.
Mercury, miraculously still clad in her cut-offs, twisted as the
silence of the music stretched.
"Watch out," Mercury whispered.
Alison shivered as the creature's eyes again rested on her. Suddenly,
she felt self-conscious again, and she had to will her hands to remain
at her sides.
I used to live in New York City. Everything there was dark and dirty.
Without warning, the Dragon crossed his hands in a flash of blue
light. Alison blinked.
<---===***===--->
========================================================================
Inverness - Part X - Young Girls Are Coming To The Canyon
(FF, fantasy)
========================================================================
(c) Copyright - February 2001
All Rights Reserved
Crimson Dragon
(dcrimson@yahoo.com)
========================================================================
Bluffs, like the sheer sides of a long valley, grew up where the trees
had formerly stood. Alison shook her head, and blinked again. Her
feet rested in warm sand, the pine needles replaced by the banks of a
narrow river. Her toes sensed dampness in the sand there; humid salty
air assailed her nostrils. The bonfire still burned, somehow
suspended above the centre of the water.
"Told you to watch out," Mercury laughed from somewhere close.
Without surprise, she sensed the black gown return to embrace her bare
body. Sondra, too, regained her long lost white toga wrap. Again,
without surprise, she noted that Mercury's top had not reappeared, but
that her shorts remained about her hips.
Crimson's voice continued from the centre of the stage that lay
suspended in the middle of the river. His was the only male voice in
this new valley. With a start, Alison realised that no men remained
near the bonfire, only women dancing in its flickering light.
However, the women that remained found the rhythm and danced through
the sand without missing a beat.
Alison craned her head upwards. The males lined the tops of the
cliffs above, staring wistfully down at the dancing girls, some moving
to the sounds of the music from below.
"How?"
"Magic," Mercury cried back, her voice carried away by the music.
Alison resumed her dancing, suddenly thankful for the black garment.
Young girls are coming to the canyon...
<---===***===--->
I saw her again last night. And I know that I shouldn't...
The changes became a blur, shifting from cityscape, to wilderness,
from mountains to ocean. The crowd danced in abandon, celebrating the
Solstice like pagans immersed in festival, which she supposed it
wasn't far from.
The rapid shifts in scenery had disoriented her at first, but the
novelty of dancing on pavement and then on water, within seconds,
ultimately fascinated her. She abandoned herself to the magic.
And as quickly as it had begun, the clearing returned, pine needles
cushioning her bare feet, firelight cast by the bonfire that she had
lit an eternity ago.
Sondra had twirled away with Janey somewhere in the middle of the
shifting scenery, leaving her with only Mercury.
As the music paused, Mercury grinned at Alison, her face flushed with
exertion and pleasure. Perspiration trickled down the side of her
face as her breasts rose and fell with her heavy breathing.
Mercury extended her hand. Alison's fingers entwined with Mercury's.
Alison glanced up towards the stage. Crimson, without missing a beat
waved cheerily at her.
To string her along, just ain't right. If I couldn't I wouldn't...
<---===***===--->
The black gown lay crumpled on the stone, lit by flickering
candlelight. A pair of blue cut-offs kept the gown company.
Bass beats from the forest wafted through the open window, carried by
the breeze. The sounds of a thousand revellers continued somewhere
far below.
Her body ached as she slipped back against the pillows. Her legs,
arms, and nipples cried out in protest. Mercury's skin slipped over
hers. Shivers.
Fingers touched her nipples, gently twisting. She moaned.
Mercury's mouth floated millimetres from her lips. She wanted those
lips. Her body shouldn't have wanted sex, couldn't have wanted sex,
but she did. She reached up, fingers entwining in Mercury's damp
hair, pulling her close.
Fingers entered her, gently. Lips brushed at her nipples, her lips
brushing at Mercury's soft skin.
She cried out.
<---===***===--->
Sunlight splashed across her face, waking her gently. The canopy
fluttered above her in the cool, morning breeze slipping through the
window.
Mercury lay asleep with her head cradled in the crook of Alison's
shoulder. Sometime in the night, Sondra had crawled into the bed, and
she was curled up, too, her bare arm goosebumped, one hand cupping
Mercury's breast from behind.
Alison squirmed out from beneath Mercury, gently lowering her head
onto a pillow. Mercury mumbled something incoherent, one hand
reaching for the coverlet that wasn't there. She curled back up,
snuggling back into the warmth of Sondra.
Alison rubbed at her eyes, swinging her bare legs out of bed. Her
back teeth were floating, and she automatically clenched her legs
together. She ached all over, her muscles protesting her activity of
the last day or so.
Instead of stone, her bare feet touched softness. She leaned beyond
the canopy, gathering up the coverlet that had dropped there sometime
during last night's lovemaking.
She carefully covered up Mercury and Sondra, then padded to where her
gown graced the floor.
Smoothing the fabric, she debated simply not wearing anything, but in
the end decided to slip it over her head.
She leaned briefly on the windowsill, breathing in the clean air. The
sun lit the green of the forest across the countryside in front of
her. Smoke rose lazily from a wide clearing below her and to the
right. She shook her head slowly, and retreated from the window. Her
bladder screamed at her, and she padded barefoot to the doorway.
<---===***===--->
The hot water had transferred relaxation into her muscles. Her hair
dripped onto her shoulders, dampening the green towel that she'd
wrapped around her torso. The black gown lay draped over her right
arm, still miraculously unwrinkled.
As she opened the door, she spied Mercury sitting naked on the floor,
the coverlet under her. Sondra sat cross-legged on the bed. They
both turned as she entered.
"What's wrong?" Alison asked as she stepped into the room. She smiled
as she saw the tall man seated in the chair, his face reflecting a
sombre mood to match the girls.
"I didn't know you could sing," Alison remarked to him without waiting
for an answer from the girls.
The Dragon smiled. "I didn't know you could dance."
Alison blushed, could feel the blood rushing to her toes even. She
shook her head.
"I'm sorry about Josh. Sometimes the authors don't talk to each other
as much as they should."
Alison shrugged. "'tis all right. We sorted things out. We would
have seen each other eventually."
"You did the right thing, if that means anything."
"I know," she whispered. The room lapsed into silence for a moment.
"Quite a trip," she remarked.
"All trips must come to an end," Crimson sighed.
Alison stopped walking, glancing at Mercury and Sondra, and then back
at Crimson.
"Now?"
He nodded slowly.
"Can I stay?"
Mercury rose to her feet, stepping quickly towards Alison. She
embraced the girl, her lips reaching for Alison's.
"You needed this, but you also need home."
"I want to stay."
"And we want you to stay," Mercury whispered, her finger gently against
Alison's lips. "Sondra and I are heading home, too, after you go.
Living one's life in a fantasy isn't the healthiest thing in the world
to do."
"It's real here."
"It's magic here," Mercury gently corrected.
Alison fought back the tears. "Will I see you again?"
Mercury smiled and hugged her tight. "Oh yes. I can promise that."
Alison broke the embrace and walked over to Sondra.
"Thank you," she whispered. Sondra smiled and offered her lips.
Alison returned to Mercury. "And thank you."
"We had fun." Mercury kissed her deeply, her body inviting, sending
throbs again through Alison.
Alison released Mercury, resting her eyes on Crimson. She wiped at
her eyes, and then found a smile. She dropped the towel, cocking her
head to her right shoulder. The Dragon grinned, but kept his eyes
upon hers. Without a word, she slipped the dress over her head,
settling it around her body.
She raised her hand. He took it, guiding her slowly to the doorway.
As she passed through, she turned and waved.
<---===***===--->
"Torchbearer!"
She looked up as she entered the vast room. She'd never been in a
library quite like this, shelves and shelves of books stretching on
forever. Green, comfortable reading chairs stood beside soft lights
on ornate end tables. See-El rose from one of the easy chairs,
dropping the manuscript that he was perusing. She ran lightly across
the brown carpet to embrace the big man.
"Thought I'd lost you."
"Never." He released her.
"It's time to go home," she looked up at him, almost pleading with him
to tell the Dragon that she'd prefer to stay here.
He bent his head with a wink. "We all need to go home once in a
while. Reality isn't that bad, you know."
She turned to the Dragon who was watching quietly from near the
doorway. For some reason, his face reflected an old pain, like
someone witnessing something that she cannot do, but so desperately
wants to.
She grasped the barkeep's hand and guided him back to the Dragon.
"I...I'm ready. I think."
The tall creature nodded, his hands defining the shining portal
shimmering near the chair from which See-El had risen.
Alison released See-El's hand, rising up on her tiptoes. She kissed
the Dragon full on the lips. To her surprise, the Dragon responded,
kissing her back, but for a moment.
"And thank-you, most of all," she whispered. The Dragon nodded in
quiet acceptance.
She turned, slipping her hand back into See-El's grasp.
Together, they walked towards the shimmering, heatless blue light.
<---===***===--->
========================================================================
Inverness - Part XI - Return (Epilogue)
(FF, fantasy)
========================================================================
(c) Copyright - February 2001
All Rights Reserved
Crimson Dragon
(dcrimson@yahoo.com)
========================================================================
"I'll come by. I promise," she promised the big man in a hushed
voice.
She waved to the bartender as he disappeared into the elevator.
As soon as the doorway clicked shut, she automatically slipped the
black gown from her body. She stared at it, then down at her boots
that remained haphazard in the hallway where she'd kicked them; was it
only last night?
She ached, and despite having just slept in Inverness, she was
unbearably tired. The streetlight provided dim illumination to the
apartment, its light reflecting off her bare skin as she padded into
her living room. The two empty water glasses stood sentinel on her
carpet.
Carefully, she smoothed the fabric of the gown, her mind wandering
from a hayloft to a forest clearing so far away.
"Crimson, what have you done to me?" she asked no one in particular.
She placed the black gown down on the floor. She padded out to the
kitchen, foregoing the light switch. Dimly, she made out the flask
sitting on her sparse kitchen table. She smiled, pulling out a wine
glass from a cupboard and filling it halfway with golden liquid.
Still naked, she settled into the corner of the sofa, sipping at the
familiar mead. Her fingers fumbled at the control to her stereo.
The apartment remained so very empty, but suddenly it was all right.
Equinox would be upon her faster than she might imagine.
Her fingers flipped on the stereo, cycling down the volume.
The familiar sounds of The Mamas and Papas filled her senses. She
rose, moving to the armchair. She shifted the chair's position until
it sat under the window. Her toes brushed at the carpet as she idly
swung her legs, elbows resting inside the panes of glass, but upon the
windowsill. Cold radiated off the window, chilling her bare breasts.
She didn't notice the cold.
The moon floated overhead, full and bright. She blinked, sure she'd
seen a figure winging in silhouette across the face. When she
returned her eyes to the moon, the image was gone, a fleeting image,
perhaps magic.
The tenth track issued from the stereo. Images of Mercury danced
across her closed lids.
I saw her. I saw her. I saw her again, last night. And I know that
I shouldn't...
Equinox would be here soon.
|
