The Cowboy Way Ch. 05
“Let me give a brief re-cap for all of you who are just tuning in to the story. Ryley Hale, our cowboy, was betrayed by Britney Spears, whom he thought he was in love with. So he left her and found a job in southern California, patrolling a large ranch where dozens of celebrities keep their horses. Ryley met up with Brooke Burke, an old love of his and they re-lit the fire they had once shared. They came close to running off together but Ryley dissuaded her from doing so. Enjoy this chapter, and I”d like to persuade you to email me your ideas and ask you to vote so I get an idea of the overall attitude towards the story- the cowboy”
Ryley walked down the stairs from the loft he had been living in at the ranch. The warm, musty smell of the horses reached his nose as he opened the door from the stair well and stepped into the main causeway that ran through the barn. He placed his Stetson on his head and brushed off his faded jeans, trying to make himself presentable to the half a dozen curious female faces that turned towards him.
Walking down the row of stalls, Ryley looked in at each and every horse, admiring the sleek and powerful lines of some very expensive animals. Several of the horses that had come to know Ryley stuck their heads out, earning a quick rub down from Ryley. Eventually he made it out of the barn, despite the looks of some very good-looking girls.
For some reason Ryley wasn”t interested in them. It wasn”t that he didn”t like women or the ones that cast him the looks they did. But he could tell they saw him as a toy, something to play with, have their fun and then put back where they found it. Sometimes that was fine, but Ryley wanted something more, a relationship, romance and affection. These were thoughts that Ryley kept to himself most of the time, because a guy like Ryley was supposed to be free, a rebel, you know a cowboy.
Well Ryley definitely was a cowboy, but he needed a woman, someone he could give his heart to. But at the moment he needed to clear his head, so he pulled the keys for the Camaro out of his pocket. Rounding the corner of the barn he saw the car, glistening in the early morning sun. Climbing into the driver”s seat, he started the engine and shifted into gear.
He flipped on the CD player, cranking up the music so he could hear it over the sound of the motor. Ryley drove slowly down the driveway and onto the road. Once he had the rear tires on asphalt, Ryley gunned the motor and guided the car into a long, loud and graceful sideways power-slide. Straightening the car, he drove hard and fast along the back roads, which cut through a very rolling, rural area.
Ryley drive so hard and so precariously that every turn was accompanied by the sound of squealing tires. He hung the car on the edge of control, daring physics to take control of the Camaro. This was a dance, one that Ryley knew well and always lead.
Finally, Ryley turned onto a four lane county road with other cars, houses and businesses. He cooled down, dialing back his speed for the sake of those around him. Sitting back in his seat, Ryley stopped at a red light and watched the cars crossing in front of him along with some pedestrians.
From behind the Camaro, Ryley heard the sound of a nicely tuned engine and he swiveled in his seat to see what it was. Waiting right behind the Camaro was a metallic blue 1967 Sting Ray. Ryley could clearly see the big-block hood, so he knew the car had a 427 sitting in the engine compartment.
The driver was a middle-aged man, who smiled at Ryley and revved his engine, the deep-throated roar proving that the car had a big block. Ryley revved his engine, letting the Corvette driver hear the turbo”s spool up and the wicked whistle of the blow off valves releasing the compressed air. Ryley saw the man raise his eyebrows and give the thumbs up.
In the next moment the automotive serenity that surrounded the Corvette and Camaro was shattered by the incessant buzz of a souped up import. Ryley turned to his left as a white Supra rolled to a stop. The window rolled down and Ryley saw . . .
” Son of a bitch,” Ryley said.
He couldn”t believe it. It was the same kid that had raced Britney the day they had gotten her Camaro. The kid sneered at Ryley, obviously not remembering who he was. He obviously didn”t hear the subtle whine of the twin turbo LT4 either.
” Nice Camaro, man,” the kid called.
Ryley nodded.
” Wanna see how fast it is?”
Ryley smiled. ” I know how fast it is.”
” Okay, then how about if it”s faster then my ride?”
Ryley nodded. ” Sure, when the light turns green.”
The kid smiled and revved his engine. Ryley shook his head and merely brought the RPM”s up in the Camaro, holding it steady. He watched the opposing light and when it turned orange he fed the Camaro more gas, spooling up the first turbo.
The green light flashed on and Ryley dumped the clutch. The rear tires of the Camaro went up in a haze of smoke, as Ryley knew they would. The Supra, also spinning its tires jumped ahead by a car length, as Ryley eased up on the gas pedal. Now freshly heated, the rear tires of the Camaro caught the pavement and propelled the car forwards as if shot from a cannon.
Shifting quickly into second, Ryley pulled abreast of the Supra and passed the car like it was standing still. Ryley heard the engine of the Supra roar and the car passed him after inhaling a healthy dose of nitrous oxide. Working the gears, Ryley began to pull again on the Supra when the car suddenly swerved into his lane.
” Fuck!” Ryley swore and slammed on the brakes.
The rear wheels locked up at eighty miles an hour, throwing up twin plumes of dense white smoke and filling the air with the sound of squealing rubber. Ryley struggled to control the Camaro as it turned ninety degrees to the left, forcing Ryley to counter steer wildly. Ryley now faced the very real possibility of the Camaro crashing into a building and injuring or killing an innocent bystander. As he struggled to control the Camaro he saw the kid in the Supra flip him the bird.
That did it; Ryley”s instincts took over. He whipped the steering wheel to the left and downshifted, gunning the motor. The rear tires spun, viciously and the Camaro spun counter clockwise, now facing the way it had been going. Ryley brought the car back under control and fed the beast, watching the speedometer climb past ninety miles an hour.
The scenery around him began to change, becoming more rural, the road surrounded by fairly flat plains of scrub grass and sagebrush. Up ahead, Ryley saw the Supra still cruising at a fairly high rate of speed. Gritting his teeth, Ryley punched the accelerator and the Camaro roared up alongside the Supra. Ryley glared over at the other driver whose face had gone deathly pale.
Ryley pushed the Camaro past the Supra and cut across the other lane. The Supra swerved to avoid the Camaro, fishtailing wildly. Suddenly the Supra spun out of control and went right into the ditch alongside the road. Sticking his hand out the window, Ryley flipped the kid in the Supra the bird. Smiling to himself, he brought the Camaro back down to a more acceptable speed.
Suddenly, the Corvette that had been behind the Camaro at the stoplight before, roared up next to Ryley. The driver was shouting something over the roar of the engines but Ryley couldn”t hear him. Putting in the clutch and letting off the gas, Ryley lowered the noise from the Camaro.
” Pull over,” shouted the driver.
” What for?” Ryley shouted back.
” I need to talk to you.”
Ryley nodded. ” Follow me.”
The Corvette fell back behind the Camaro and Ryley drove for a few more miles until he saw a roadside diner, with a few gas pumps. Ryley pulled into the parking lot and stopped the Camaro next to a row of motorcycles. The Corvette pulled up next to the Camaro, also cutting its engine.
Ryley stepped out of the Camaro and closed the door. The other guy also climbed out of his Corvette. Ryley saw he was wearing a pair of jeans, boots and a sport coat. He smoothed his hands through his short gray hair.
” So what”s up?” Ryley asked.
” That was some of the best driving I”ve ever seen. Where did you learn to drive like that?”
” It”s a long story.”
The man nodded. ” Buy ya a cup of coffee?”
” Why?” Ryley asked.
” I have a business proposition for you.”
Ryley walked into the diner and sat down at the counter with this guy. They each got a cup of coffee and Ryley ran the guy through his entire career of building and racing cars. The man actually took out a notepad and jotted down a few notes, which amused Ryley to the point where he had to suppress a laugh.
” So were you in control of that slide the entire time?”
” I”m sorry, what”s your name?” Ryley asked.
The man extended his hand. ” Steve Benedetti.”
Ryley shook his hand. ” Ryley Hale and yes I was in control of the entire slide.”
” Would you like a job?”
Ryley gave the guy a look. ” Doing what?”
” Driving cars.”
” Mister, I just told you that I was black flagged, except maybe for a miracle I”ll never drive again.”
Steve shook his head. ” I didn”t mean on a race track.”
Ryley grew suspicious. ” Look, I”m not a wheelman, okay?”
Laughing, Steve shook his head. ” Listen, have you ever been to a movie?”
” Of course.”
” Have you ever seen a music video, or a commercial.”
” Yeah.”
” Have you ever seen how many car chases, power slides, burnouts and road races there are?”
Ryley began to understand. ” Yeah, a lot.”
Steve nodded. ” I”m an agent. I represent several celebrities, but my main area of expertise is representing stunt doubles and stunt men.”
” Okay, go on.”
” So right now I”m looking for a driver. I have a couple, but none of them have ever exhibited the kind of precision and control that you just did.”
Ryley thought about it a moment. ” What would I be doing?”
” Well I get contacted by producers and they tell me what they”re looking for. I send you. You”ll work with them; advise them on anything related to the scenes they want you for. Then you”ll set up the cars if need be and then shoot the scene. Some jobs take longer then others, but the pay is extremely generous.”
” And what is your take?” Ryley asked.
Steve sipped from his coffee. ” Four and a half percent.”
Ryley looked out the window, running his hand over his goatee.
” Ryley, it”ll get you back in a car doing what you”re good at,” Steve said. ” Who knows it might even open up the doors and get you back on the tracks.”
” Can I use my own team to help me?”
” You can use whoever you want, but the pay won”t change.”
” Will the money be enough to support a pit crew?”
Steve thought for a moment. ” I would think so. As your reputation spreads then the monetary amounts will grow as well.”
” All right,” Ryley said. ” I”ll do it.”
TWO WEEKS LATER
Ryley guided the Camaro carefully through the throng of people outside the entrance to the set of S.W.A.T. These people had been gathered there in large numbers for the past three days. This aspect of the film was one of several scenes that involved high-speed chases.
The past few days Ryley, TJ and the rest of the crew had managed to pull off two very long and rather elaborate police chases. Those scenes had been heart pounding as they were filmed in the rather densely populated streets of LA. Now the job was almost done, the only thing remaining was a scene where one of the lead characters, played by Colin Farrell, was racing along some back roads trying to get to the scene of an impending bank robbery.
As Ryley cleared the edge of the screaming throng of fans, he could see the row of trailers and actors. Security moved the wooden barricades aside and waved him through. Gunning the motor, Ryley roared across the dusty parking lot and turned into a spot alongside TJ”s trailer. Climbing from the car, Ryley adjusted his sunglasses and looked over at the throng of actors, actresses, producers, the director and extras.
Closing the door to the car, Ryley walked over to where TJ and the crew were busily modifying a maroon Caprice cop car. Ryley propped his foot up on the bumper of the car and looked under the open hood. He nodded in approval.
TJ had done some simple modifications, which would allow the car to breathe better, hence make more power. The other boys were busy checking tire pressure and making some final suspension adjustments. Pushing his creeper out from under the car TJ smiled up at Ryley.
” Mornin,” boss,” he called, as he stood up.
Ryley smiled. ” Don”t give me that boss shit.”
” Well you are.”
Ryley nodded. ” Maybe, but I don”t need that title. So are we ready to roll?”
” Hell yeah. She”s got a lower rear gear so you can get her sideways better and the camera can pick up that screamin” LT1. Suspension is tweaked, so she won”t rock as much and the tires are some nice, brandy new BFG”s,” TJ said, slapping Ryley on the back.
” Good. Let”s do this so we can get paid and go party.”
” Yeah, no shit. Oh and by the way, she”s staring at you right now.”
Ryley smiled. ” Where is she?”
” Over your right shoulder, other side of the Camaro. White top, black leather pants.”
Ryley nodded, then turned and walked back towards the Camaro. Standing on the other side of the Camaro, obviously staring at him was Ashley Scott. She was the female star of the movie, a former model and played the “huntress” on the WB”s hit, “Birds of Prey.” Ashley”s eyes had been glued to Ryley since the day he had set foot on the set.
At first Ryley had thought nothing of it. He had already known he would be somewhat of an oddity in the world of Hollywood celebrities. The producers had thought he was incapable at first, but his knowledge pertaining to vehicles was invaluable. Ryley had quelled any doubts about himself within two hours of showing up on the set.
However, showing up on set in cowboy boots, faded jeans and T-shirts was definitely one way to stand out. Actually, aloof would be a better term to describe how effortlessly Ryley mingled with the big-ticket celebrities on the set. He moved around Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell and others with an ease that was almost unnerving.
The only person on set he had avoided with a subconscious intensity was Ashley. His first day there, Ryley had stepped out of the still smoking M3 he had just thoroughly abused while filming the first chase scene. Slamming the door shut behind him, he turned to face the producers who running over screaming Ryley”s praises. Right behind them was Ashley.
Her dazzling blue eyes were fixed on him with a predatory gaze that Ryley held for a moment. That gorgeous face of hers was framed by her dark hair while she chewed lightly on the end of her sunglasses. Ryley had turned away after a few moments, but the meaning of the look they had exchanged was very obvious.
Since then he had purposely avoided speaking with her, which should have been easy considering they had never spoken, but that had proven difficult. It seemed that every moment Ashley wasn”t filming she had bumped into Ryley somewhere on the set. So far Ryley had done a good job of being needed somewhere else, but now Ashley was leaning on the roof of the Camaro with a highly pissed off look on her face.
Ryley popped the trunk open and opened his duffel bag. Ashley stepped around the side of the trunk and leaned on the quarter panel. Inadvertently, Ryley”s eyes dropped down to her leather clad, incredible ass and long, luscious legs. Blinking, Ryley looked up to her face as she pulled her glasses off rather seductively.
” What”s up, Ashley?”
She glared at him. ” What”s up is: this is your last day filming.”
” Yeah, just about done.”
Ashley straightened up. ” My point exactly. You”ve ignored me for the past three days. What”s your deal?”
Ryley looked down as he pulled on a pair of black leather driving gloves.
” Come on, Ryley Hale,” Ashley said. ” Are you afraid of me?”
He looked up, his eyes locking with hers. ” Maybe.”
She nodded. ” I”m not Britney,” she said, then turned to walk away.
” Ashley wait,” Ryley called.
Ashley stopped and looked over her shoulder.
” Me and the boys are going out to that bar right around the corner tonight. If you weren”t busy, maybe you could stop by and have a drink with me.”
Her eyes swept over his form, then she slid her glasses back on. ” Maybe.”
Ryley smiled as she walked away, her ass swaying provocatively. The night would definitely be interesting.
THREE HOURS LATER
Smoke was still pouring off the brakes, tires and from various other parts under the car when Ryley stepped out of the Caprice. A celebration of sorts was underway amongst the cast and crew of the film, who stood a short distance away at the cluster of trailers and vehicles. They waved at him, saluting him with beers, glasses of champagne and bottles.
Smiling, Ryley waved as the camera cars and chase vehicles pulled to a stop alongside him. TJ climbed out of the lead chase vehicle and gave a whoop of joy. He rushed over and clapped Ryley on the back, handing him a bottle of beer.
” That was some of the best driving I”ve ever seen, Ryley,” TJ said.
Ryley took a long swallow from his beer, blinking in the late afternoon sun.
” Yeah, it was pretty hot,” Ryley commented.
Through the crowd, Ryley saw Ashley talking to Colin. As she listened to him she looked over his shoulder and right at Ryley. She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling as they regarded him. This time, Ryley smiled back before he and TJ joined the boys at their trailer to begin packing everything up.
A few hours later they were all gathered in the smoky atmosphere of a country-western pool hall, dance hall, restaurant and bar type place. The sound system of the expansive dance floor was cranking out Kenny Chesney”s “Young” video. Ryley, TJ and the rest of the crew was standing at the bar or sitting at a nearby table, drinking beer and eating steak dinners.
The successful completion of their part of the filming process was a special occasion for the group. This was the first time they had worked together on a project in years and it held a special meaning for them. Basically it was an unspoken statement to the world to the effect of “we”re back.” All in all they were in high spirits as they ate and drank, reliving some of their old memories.
Ryley had almost forgotten about his invitation to Ashley, at least until he turned around and she was right there in front of him. Her gorgeous face was framed perfectly by her dark hair and her blue eyes were filled with a barely contained desire. She wore a pair of hip hugging black pants that flared to encase her legs, but did nothing to hide their shapeliness. A light blue, sleeveless top showed off her nicely shaped breasts, and nicely toned, tan arms. By the time Ryley had taken in her outfit, his eyes reflected the same look that was in Ashley”s.
” Hey, Ashley,” Ryley said.
She cocked her head slightly. ” Hello, Ryley.”
They stood there for a moment, each regarding the other.
” You wanna get out of here?” she asked.
Ryley smiled and pulled his car keys from his pocket. Ashley turned around and began making her way through the crowds of people along the bar. Ryley followed her, his eyes shifting down to her ass, as it shifted inside of her pants while she walked. He shook his head, wondering what she had in mind for the night.
Suddenly, a large hand reached out and grabbed Ashley”s arm, stopping her and pulling her back on her heels. Ryley looked up and saw a man of about his own age, with a few days worth of beard on his face and a hungry look in his eyes. Ashley tried to pull out of his grasp but he was having none of it.
” Let me go,” Ashley ordered, her voice ice cold.
” Aw, c”mon, sweet cheeks,” slurred the man. ” How”s about stayin” and havin” a couple drinks with me an” da boys?”
Valen puts a reassuring hand on her shoulder, “We will deal with whatever we find.”
She grins at him and pulls open the door. No more than a few steps into the temple, she is overcome with an illness. Valen watches in alarm as she staggers. She whips around as both of her blades come out and come to rest on either side of the priest’s head.
She screams at the priest who is grinning at her, “What ever you just did to me, you had best undo and undo quickly.”
He laughs, “Welcome to Talona’s temple, paladin. Though you are dedicated to another goddess, it is Talona herself who has placed this mark upon you. If you prove yourself worthy, she will remove it.”
Morrighu looks at him suspiciously, “How exactly do you expect me to prove myself?”
Valen moves threateningly toward the priest. “Do not trust him, Morrighu. Talona is not a goddess to be reasoned with.”
The priest laughs again, “You must pass the challenge. Pull on one of the chains that hangs from the ceiling and you will be presented with an opponent. Best your opponent and I will give you the antidote.”
Valen growls protectively, “Morrighu, just kill him and take it.”
The priest gives Valen a disdainful look, “While killing a priest of Talona in Her temple would certainly prove your worth, it really is not necessary.”
Morrighu considers briefly and then relents, “If things do not go well, we can always kill him later and take it.”
She walks over and pulls the first chain which transports her into a combat cell.
A troll appears to attack her but she cleaves him with a single stroke of her blade. The death of the troll transports her back into the temple.
The priest greets her, laughing, “You are a strong one. I see now why Talona marked you.”
Morrighu turns to him, “Hand over the antidote.”
The priest, still laughing, continues, “You have not completed the challenge. There are more phases to it.”
Morrighu grinds her teeth in frustration, “How many more?”
Before the priest can speak Nathyrra shouts, “Morrighu, he’s not going to give you the antidote. Kill him now, while you have the strength for it.”
The priest considers, “You are strong. I think five should be sufficient.”
Valen un-slings his flail, “It had better be five, priest. If she does not take your head, I may do it against her orders.”
She walks over and pulls the second chain. She’s immediately confronted by a giant spider. Even as sick as she is, Valen watches in awe as she leaps, landing on the back of the beast and driving both blades into it’s body.
The beast dies and again, she’s transported back into the temple proper. She gives the priest a narrow-eyed glare as she walks over and pulls on the third chain.
The priest laughs, “The disease is working in you. I can see it. You wonder if I will betray you. It brings madness with it. Finish your trial if you can.”
She finds herself facing a ghoul ravager. They battle briefly, but Morrighu draws the ghoul in with a feint and skewers her neatly. Valen breathes a sigh of relief as Morrighu appears back in the temple.
Nathyrra quickly casts a healing spell on her to heal her of the minor injuries she sustained in combat with the ghoul, earning herself a dark look from the priest.
Valen rushes to embrace her, “Are you sure you wish to continue this, my lady?” He can feel her burning with fever as she nods grimly.
She goes over and pulls on the first chain, “I think I’d rather have another troll. This makes four of the five, does it not, priest?”
The priest nods and she finds that she is indeed squared off against another troll. She’s weaker now and her movements are slower. This costs her against the troll. Valen watches carefully as she tries to draw the troll in by leaving seeming gaps in her defense.
The troll, unable to make headway against her, finally leaps at her in desperation. Morrighu, sensing what he’s about, sets herself for his charge. She ducks and comes up in a twisting motion, planting one blade through his eye and another through his heart.
With the death of the troll, she’s returned to the temple. Valen hovers over her protectively, while she sits on the floor resting. When she’s caught her breath, he gives her a hand up and she pulls the chain for the final time. Again she faces a troll, but this last one fares no better than his predecessors.
The priest greets her with a bow, “Here is your antidote. While I’m aware of the feelings of your comrades about Talona, it is illness the culls the weak. Further, as a prize for going all five rounds, I have a gift for you. It’s magical, but I’m not certain exactly what it is. It looks like a shard of glass.”
Morrighu seizes the antidote and downs it in a single gulp.
Valen frowns, “You might at least have let us look it. It could be poison.”
She laughs, “You know how I feel about potions. Besides, if it is poison, you are more than welcome to do him in. I don’t think it is, though. I feel better already.”
She takes the glass shard from the priest and stows it in her pack, “Come. Let us be out of this accursed place. Even driders are better company. We should seek the wizard’s tower. If there is a wizard of power here, perhaps he will know something more of what has happened and what must be done to help these people.”
She takes Valen’s hand, “I know you did not like my decision not to kill the priest. However, I suspect that he has been twisted like the others into a dark copy of himself which means he is actually a very good man. One of my sworn purposes is to strengthen good and weaken evil. I would not be serving my goddess well by killing a good man.”
~*~
The tavern has grown quieter as the hour has grown later. Still the bard sits listening, entranced by the tiefling’s tale. He asks, “So she acquired three of shards. How did she get the remaining two? What happened to the town? You have my interest fully, now. I would hear the rest of it.”
The tiefling laughs, “She was ever the hero. I will tell you all of it, but it takes time. It’s a long story — a story that spans at least one full lifetime.” He holds his empty mug out to the bard, “Talking makes me thirsty, and the ale helps to dull the pain.”
The bard signals the bar keep to refill his mug as the tiefling begins the next part of his story.
~*~
She laughs, “Hah! Even if you do, you’ll never get past my under-padding.”
While he has her pinned, his fingers probe the cracks in her armor but when he gets nothing, he sighs and flops back, “I yield.”
Morrighu laughs and Nathyrra notes that Valen isn’t exactly displeased with having lost the bet so she asked, “What was the bet for?”
They both blush, but it is Morrighu that answers, “It’s private.”
Nathyrra rolls her eyes asked if anyone is planning to have breakfast.
Morrighu sighs and flops back into her bed roll, “I suppose we can eat what ever that is that you bought for us, Valen. After that, though, I think I’m going back to sleep. I’m still not quite well, myself.”
They all eat and Morrighu dozes off.
Some time later, her eyes blink open to find Valen propped up on one elbow watching her. She smiles sleepily and holds her arms up to him. Valen smiles back at her and moves into her embrace.
She sighs deeply and is asleep again in short order. Valen is now somewhat trapped in her embrace. He carefully moves her arms so that he can free himself without waking her. He finally frees himself and sits up on his bed roll to watch his two charges when he finds Nathyrra looking at him.
She asks him pointedly, “What are your intentions toward her?”
“I don’t see where that’s any of your concern,” He states flatly, “The relationship between the two of us is our own business and it doesn’t involve anyone else.”
Nathyrra’s eyes narrow, “Damn you, Valen! I can tell from how she is around you that she’s as innocent as a child about men. She’s my friend. Don’t you dare hurt her! Please don’t hurt her, Valen. She hasn’t chosen to trust me with her past, but I’ve seen the look in her eyes often enough to know it hasn’t been easy for her. I’ve also seen how she looks at you. I don’t know how you’ve managed it and in such a short time, but I’m pretty sure that she loves you. If you don’t think you can love her back, do her a favor. Break it off now. All I ask is that you be kind and gentle about it, but do it soon before she cares for you more than she already does.”
Valen sighs heavily, “You don’t understand, Nathyrra. I think I already love her, I just dare not tell her yet. She’s the most amazing and incredible woman I’ve ever met. The only thing that holds me back is the fear that if I become too involved with her, she might use that to deceive me and betray the Seer.”
His voice thick with emotion, he continues, “Where, Nathyrra, will I find another who cares so little for the nature of my sire? When I explained to her what tiefling was, her only comment was that she would rather make her own judgment of me. When I pushed the issue, her only question for me was to ask if she was in any danger from me. Where will I find another who, knowing full well what I am would choose to trust me? What other paladin would ask me to hold her while she sleeps knowing that I am part demon? Name another who would hand me their pack and tell me to stock it for them? Do you know that she thanked me for seeing her as a woman instead of a fearsome paladin? I feel the same about her — she sees me as man and not some fearsome, evil creature.”
He struggles for words, “She is precious to me, Nathyrra. That’s why I charged blindly at the golem that sought to flank her in the doorway. The only thing I could think was that I must protect her; that I must keep her safe. I must be careful not to make another such mistake because of my feelings for her. My incautious charge had unforeseen consequences that harmed both of you.”
He looks over at Morrighu to make sure that she’s still sleeping before he goes on, “I told Imloth that she’s the prize of the ages to me and I meant it. I cannot tell you what she means to me. I don’t have the words to tell you. She’s incredibly beautiful, at least to me — many might not care for her tattoo, but I find it beautiful. She’s quite intelligent with an active curious mind. She’s shown both power and restraint. Very simply put, I absolutely adore her. I will not do anything to hurt her, Nathyrra.”
Nathyrra sighs, “Imloth and Rizolvir were right, then. The two of you are in love and neither is willing to admit it to the other. She will not come out and say it for fear of rejection and you will not for fear of betrayal. Perhaps you do not need a chaperone after all. Both of you are so fearless in battle and so timid in this arena. While I grant you both your privacy, if I see things going terribly wrong, I reserve the right to set you both straight. I count both of you among my friends and both of you deserve some happiness. I heard the two of you earlier. I have known you for a quite a while, and I have never seen you be anything other than the dour warrior. This morning when I woke, the two of you were horsing around and you actually sounded happy. While I have traveled with her for some time, I have never heard her sound happy either, until this morning. I would hate to see either of you foolishly discard such an opportunity.”
Valen sighs, “Once the Valsharess is defeated, I will get down on my knees before her, if I must, and declare my feelings in words and beg her to accept me.”
Nathyrra nods and goes back to sleep.
A couple of hours later, Morrighu wakes and finds Valen sitting on his bed roll, cleaning his weapons and polishing his armor. She stretches and sits up as well.
He turns to her, “How are you feeling?”
She stretches again before she answers, “I’m a bit stiff from sleeping so long, but other than that, quite good. You really ought to let me watch while you get some sleep. I know you were up with us most of the night.”
“Consider it a penance,” he says, “I should have been more careful with both of you. Besides, I got some sleep while the two of you were sleeping. Having you in my arms, sleeping peacefully wasn’t exactly conducive to staying awake, once you finally quit shivering. You gave me quite a scare, too. I wasn’t sure what to think when you wouldn’t stop shivering.”
She laughs, “I recall you felt like a banked fire. That’s why I quit shivering. I finally got warm again.”
He looks at her oddly, “I don’t really know why you weren’t warm. I had you wrapped in my bed roll, your bed roll, and both of our cloaks. Finally, I got in with you. I wasn’t sure what else to do. The poison finally worked its way out of you and you quit shivering and slept. I was relieved when you woke this morning and seemed to be feeling well.”
“My defender,” she sighs, “It seems that my goddess is right again.”
Valen says harshly, “It was my fault. You should stop being so kind. It might get all of us killed.”
She laughs, “Valen, I assure it was not your fault. If there is fault, it was mine. There are several discussions we should have had. Things that I have been postponing for my own reasons.”
Valen looks at her sharply, “What reasons are those?”
She sighs and rolls her eyes, “Not very good ones, I’m afraid. I’m well aware of your skill in combat and I didn’t want to give you too many orders. I’m rather familiar with male pride. I also didn’t want to come across as the fearsome paladin. These are my failings, both personally and as our leader. I will not have you shoulder something that it is not your burden. You thought to protect me and did not realize the danger because I had neglected to make it clear to you. It is not you who should be asking for forgiveness. I ask you for yours.”
Valen stares at her for a moment before he speaks softly, “I forgive you. I do not think I need to forgive you, though. I think we should have a long talk while Nathyrra is asleep.”
He looks at her somewhat shyly, “Will you lay here and let me hold you while we talk?”
He lies down on his bed roll and holds his arms out. She’s in them in a moment and he all but crushes her to him.
He sighs deeply, “You must be honest with me. This is a dangerous place and we will be going into other dangerous places. What good is my pride if you are dead? How am I to love you if you are dead? Please believe that I will not loose sight of the woman.”
He hooks a finger under her chin and makes her look at him, “While I may not love you as yet, I certainly think that, given sufficient opportunity, I will. We have not known each other long, yet I already feel incredibly close to you. That means you have to stay alive long enough for us to follow this thing between us through. Furthermore, you are our leader so we cannot afford for you to be blind to anything.”
She sighs, “I know this. I know every bit of it. You have more of an effect on me than you realize. I am somewhat blinded by you. I admit to being uncertain as to how to proceed, “she blushes and continues, “I have not had a serious romance in ages, and I don’t know how to handle it. I suppose I ought to step down and appoint you or Nathyrra the leader of our expedition. I fear I will lead us into some fatal mistake.”
Valen shakes his head, “Morrighu, you need not, indeed you must not step down. We need you as our leader. You are the strongest of us. Now, I think its time we had those discussions you mentioned,” as he nuzzles her ear.
She sighs, “You are quite correct. I told you I thought I was going to need your help. I have told you what our weaknesses are. I should tell you our strengths as well. Nathyrra is an assassin as well as wizard. She can be extremely stealthy using magical and non-magical methods of concealment. Having her scout ahead and report back would probably be a good use of her skills. She’s quite capable of taking out solitary targets or small groups, but I’d rather not have her engage in combat. When she does take damage, she takes a lot of it in a hurry.”
She purrs as he continues nuzzling her ear, “As for you, combat is your strength. I can definitely use your assistance. I can’t fight everything off by myself. I’d prefer to keep you close to me, since that is likely where any combat will be, but I need you to pay more attention. You get a bit carried away in trying to protect me. I’m not some delicate flower. You’ve sparred with me so you should know this. If you can’t take me easily, they’re not going to either. I also need to know what damages you. If I’m missing anything else, please feel free to point it out.”
Valen thinks for a while and says, “I don’t see anything, unless there is something else from your past that might be of use, like your knowledge of golems.”
“I can’t think of any thing, Valen. If I do, I’ll tell you,” she sighs.
Valen, sensing her distress, pulls her closer, “Morrighu, you do not have to worry about catching my interest. You have it. Do what needs doing to bring us through this safely.”
He begins nibbling on the ear he’s been nuzzling, “I cannot bear to loose you. You must also pay better attention. You are the first true bit of happiness to come into my life in quite some time. I will pay you as much attention as I think I can manage without something untoward happening. I can still see you in that dress. I think I will always remember you in that dress, the feel of you pressed against me, the way you trembled against me, the way you smelled, the way you clung to me and let me support you. I still dream about little blue bows, too. I want to have other nights like that. Lots of them but that means you have to be careful.”
He lifts her hair out of the way with a gentle finger and kisses her neck as far down as he can manage with her armor. He works his way back up her neck toward her chin and seals her mouth with the tenderest kiss he can manage. He feels her respond to him so he continues to kiss her until she’s suitably breathless.
He looks down at her, smiling, “You see, Morrighu, you don’t kiss a paladin. You kiss a woman.”
He sees understanding finally start to dawn in her eyes so he kisses her again, just to drive the point home.
When he’s done, she sighs, “I’ve been such an idiot.”
He nods at her grinning, “It is my job to save you from things you don’t realize are dangerous. I think I might be getting good at it.”
She tugs at his ponytail playfully, “You didn’t have to agree so readily to my statement about being an idiot, though.”
He laughs and says “Go back to sleep. I can tell you’re still tired. Here, I’ll hold you, if you want.”
Some time later Nathyrra wakes to find the two of them curled up together, sleeping. They look so peaceful that she doesn’t want to disturb either of them. She decides that someone ought to be awake so she goes to see how the entrance is secured.
She finds that Valen has not only reinforced the blocking of the door, but that he’s used several items from their packs to rig an alarm that will wake them if the door is tampered with at all.
Nathyrra makes her way around the room looking carefully, but she can find no other entrances or exits. She decides not to chide Valen and Morrighu for not taking watches. Valen likely hasn’t slept much if at all in an entire day for watching over the two of them.
Morrighu was poisoned and also probably needs rest just as badly. Nathyrra yawns hugely and heads back to her bedroll.
She wanders back to their makeshift camp and goes back to sleep. Some time later Valen wakes to find Morrighu sitting on her bed roll, sorting through her pack.
She notices that he’s awake and says, “Do you think those duergar merchants will want to buy any of this or should we just wait until we get back to camp?”
Valen grins at her, “Offering to sell them the pickings from what they consider their area might be a bit insulting. I’d wait until we get back to camp, if you can. How is it that you have so many bags of holding? If I’m not mistaken, those are the real thing and not just some cheap imitation.”
“You recall me telling you that I like to shop? I check every merchant I come across for them. If they have one, I buy it. It’s taken me a long time to gather these. A girl never knows when she’s going to get lucky,” she winks.
Valen chuckles, “You seem to have no small amount of luck. Who would have thought that a duergar merchant out in the middle of nowhere would have one for sale?”
She laughs, “I have found them in the oddest places. The contents of my pack aside, give me your assessment of Nathyrra. Do you think she’ll be ready to travel again when she wakes?”
Valen looks at the sleeping drow, “I think she will be. That ashen cast to her skin is gone and she doesn’t appear to be having trouble breathing any more.”
“Good, I’ve been worried about her. While you were sleeping, I went poking around. I’ve found ‘The Source’ and I’m going to try to take it with us. If I cannot, we’ll just have to clear a path and let Ferron figure out how to fetch the thing. I just hope Ferron appreciates the fact that his freedom is drenched in the blood of Aghaaz’s followers, “she adds darkly.
Valen nods, “Those who do not have it long for it and those who have it are often careless with it.”
She sighs, “I only hope that what ever they do with it, it is worthy of the sacrifices made for them to have it.”
Valen looks at her carefully, “You did not want to kill Aghaaz’s followers, did you?”
She sighs again, “I hate senseless killing. Had Aghaaz just let them read the books, they would have seen that he had duped them. In all likelihood, Aghaaz would have been the only one to die. The truly sad thing was those books have been lying about for at least as long as the golems have been here. They have never bothered to look at them to see if they could determine for themselves what the will of their Maker was. Valen, neither side has bothered to look!”
He reaches up and strokes her cheek with a gentle finger, “Morrighu, you cannot be responsible for them. You have done all that one can expect and then some. They are free to walk their own path.”
She looks downcast for a moment, “I know.” She brightens, “How are you at plaiting?”
He frowns, “Why do you ask such a question? I can plait rope, if that’s what’s needed.”
She looks at him shyly, “I was hoping to get some help with my hair. It’s so long that it’s hard for me to manage alone. I’d ask Nathyrra, but I don’t want to wake her for so trivial a task.”
He chuckles, “Get me your brush and some ties. If you do, I’ll plait it for you. Have you any preferences about how?”
She shakes her head and hands him the brush. She continues to rummage in her pack until she comes up with a handful of leather ties which she tosses to him. He motions for her turn around and he begins by brushing out her hair. While he brushes, he notices that a blush has begun to creep up her neck.
He asks her if she is well.
She chuckles, “Among my people, this is taboo. It’s considered to be…highly indecent. Since you are neither my father nor my husband, you should not even see me brush my hair, much less pick up the brush yourself. However, I am aware that I am not at home and this is something of a necessity. I will manage my …discomfort.”
Nathyrra wakes to see Valen engaged in the rather domestic task of helping Morrighu pin up her newly plaited hair. She smiles as she watches the two of them.
There seems to be an ease between the two of them, a peacefulness which neither has with anyone else. Nathyrra continues to observe the pair as Valen finishes up with the hairpins.
Right after he finishes helping her pin up her hair, Nathyrra speaks, “Perhaps you two do need a chaperone after all.”
Morrighu laughs, “Sleepyhead, had you been awake I’d have had you help me with my hair. My hair is plaited like a rope, but other than that Valen did a fairly good job.”
Valen teases, “I’ve seen ropes that weren’t as long as your hair, my lady. It’s probably best that it be bound up so that it doesn’t interfere with your swordsmanship. At least this way it will stay up.”
Morrighu laughs, “I suspect that I shall have to get you to help me take it down, when the time comes. For now though, I think we should start thinking about breaking camp. If you two will pack up, I’m going to see if I can take ‘The Source.’ I really hate dealing with unknown artifacts. I hope it doesn’t do anything awkward.”
She stands up, clamps on her helm and strides toward the artifact, pack in hand.
She looks back at Valen, “I want the two of you to move back just in case.”
She waits until she thinks they’re a safe distance away and then she reaches for ‘The Source.’ She lifts it gently and places it delicately in her pack.
Valen watches and she straightens and sighs with relief. He hadn’t realized that she was so concerned about picking the thing up.
He approaches her, “You promised you’d be careful. If you thought it was dangerous, you should have had one of us pick it up. If one of us dies, the Seer’s cause is not jeopardized. If anything happens to you, the troops will be instantly demoralized and we might not recover from it.”
She looks at him levelly, “I will take what you say under advisement. I’m wary of all artifacts even without good reason. I’ve picked up thousands without incident, but the mythallar has made me wary of all of them. Had I had any inkling of any real danger, I would have had Nathyrra perform the task, I assure you.”
He stands glaring at her so she continues, “Valen, I’m unreasonably unnerved by artifacts I don’t understand. I’m aware that I have no rational base for my feelings. Besides, I have the steadiest hands of the group and even if I did not, I am the closest to immortal of the group. As long as I have at least one rogue stone on me, all will be well.”
Valen looks at you suspiciously, “What are you talking about, Morrighu?”
She reaches into her pack and pulls out the Relic of the Reaper. She hands it to him so that he can examine it.
While he looks at it, she explains, “I picked this up in the Plane of Shadow and it’s been quite useful. So long as I carry the artifact and a rogue stone, the Reaper snatches me from the jaws of death and into his realm. From there he can return to me to where I fell. For that reason, I generally keep a goodly supply of rogue stones on me at all times. When we have more time, I’ll take you to the Reaper’s realm. You’re a planar. Perhaps you’ll understand his explanations better. They seem circular to me and always give me a headache.”
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