“The company was in service to Baron Stein, y’see.”
“Hmm. Are you his vassals, or some kind of mercenary outfit?”
“Oh, that’s kinda complicated, sir. We’re technically part of the Margold
garrison, that’s a big free city down on the coast. But the city fathers don’t like
payin fer troops to sit around the barracks causing trouble, so they hire us out
to the country nobles. We get half pay from Margold, an make up the rest on
mercenary contracts. So I’d hate to abandon these folk, but breaking a contract
don’t sit right neither.”
I scratched my chin. “Fair enough. I’ll point out that I could make a good
argument the ‘5th Marigold Foot’ doesn’t exist anymore, but that’s going to be
up to your captain. I expect he’ll be well enough to make decisions by then,
even if he isn’t back on his feet yet.”
“That’s good to know, sir.”
After that it was all pointless wrangling over questions we couldn’t
resolve. The light dimmed quickly as the discussion dragged on, and the
women collected the bowls and utensils and washed up.
73
None of the women joined the conversation, not even Avilla or Cerise.
Apparently women were supposed to be seen and not heard around here, at
least when the men were talking. It was quite odd to see such a large group
meekly complying with an informal rule like that, but if they minded they
certainly didn’t show it.
I did notice that some of the older women would pause to whisper in a
husband or son’s ear now and then, and these incidents were often followed a
few minutes later by a new question or a change of opinion. But they were
discreet about it, and I probably wouldn’t have noticed if I wasn’t still
concentrating on figuring out the local customs.
At length it started getting hard to see, and the discussion broke up as the
refugees went to bed. Sergeant Thomas went off to set up a watch schedule,
and Cerise sauntered over to collect me.
“Bedtime, master,” she murmured suggestively. “Unless you’re going to
stay up all night working magic in the dark and exhaust yourself again.”
“I could come up with a way to make light if I wanted to,” I pointed out.
“But I suppose it would keep you awake.”
“Mmm hmmm. Come on, you. Avilla’s got her little minions all set up to
make sure we have some privacy. If you disappoint her again she’ll never stop
pouting.”
I frowned as we passed through the door to the private chamber I’d made.
The maids had apparently set up their bedrolls right next to the door, and were
waiting there to close it behind us.
“Wait, what’s Avilla disappointed about?” I asked Cerise as we passed
through the door.
Cerise rolled her eyes. “You can’t be that oblivious. Is this that weird age
thing again?”
“Age thing? What age thing?”
The door closed behind us with a solid thump, and the million background
noises of the refugees were abruptly cut off.
“You know, where you were all put off because one of the captain’s girls
is only fourteen? I guess that’s supposed to be to be too young where you’re
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from?”
“Well, yes,” I replied hesitantly. “But what does that have to do with
Avilla?”
“Nothing,” the girl in question put in. “I’m at least twenty, no matter how
you count it.”
I turned to face her as she sat up from the nest of blankets she’d been lying
in, and gulped.
A single candle lit the tiny room, revealing a breathtaking expanse of
flawless feminine curves. Her breasts rode high and firm despite their
impressive size, shifting slightly with her breathing. A cascade of golden silk
spilled down across them, framing their magnificence while hiding absolutely
nothing. Good god. She was even more beautiful than I’d thought.
“Well, that’s a relief,” Cerise said wryly. “I was starting to worry you
were gay.”
I realized I was staring, and tore my gaze away. “Um, what… urp.”
I was just in time to see Cerise finish unbuttoning her dress, and shrug it
off her shoulders to whisper down into a pool at her feet. She wore nothing
underneath, and while her lithe body might not catch the eye as firmly as
Avilla’s sumptuous curves it had its own undeniable appeal.
“Ah, girls? I thought you two were…”
“Lesbians?” Cerise prompted. “Nah, that would be way too limiting.
Hedonism is a big part of my craft.”
“I still say you’re just a natural sex fiend,” Avilla teased.
“Maybe.” Cerise leaned against me, and slipped one hand up under my
shirt. “So, Daniel, ever been with two witches at once before?”
“Ah, no? You know, girls, I thought you were just getting into that
‘apprentice’ act.”
“Does that mean we can’t properly thank our hero?” Avilla asked. “We’d
both be dead three times over now if not for you, Daniel. Let us finally show
you our gratitude.”
“Yeah.” Cerise took my head in her hands, and met my gaze with eyes that
75
were suddenly full of emotion. “Thank you, Daniel. Thank you for saving my
Avilla so many times, when you know you didn’t have to. I’ll never forget.”
She rose onto her tiptoes to kiss me, and the world went away. When our
lips touched I could somehow feel her emotions as clearly as my own. Awe,
gratitude, lust, anticipation, curiosity, mischief - the combination made my
head spin. Our tongues dueled for a brief eternity, until a new sensation finally
penetrated my addled brain.
I broke the kiss and looked down, to find that my pants were around my
ankles and Avilla was kneeling before me. Her soft hand stroked my length,
and she looked up at me eagerly.
“Thank you for answering Lady Hecate’s call, Daniel,” she purred.
“Thank you for protecting my brave Cerise, when even her fierceness wasn’t
enough. Thank you for saving me even when your bargain didn’t demand it.
Thank you.”
Then she ran her tongue up the underside of my organ, and her eyes lit up.
“Oh, it’s so tasty! Yum!”
She swallowed two-thirds of my length before I could blink. I groaned,
and Cerise giggled as she eased me down onto the blankets.
“Damn, honeydew, I thought you wanted to start slow?”
Avilla reluctantly released me. “I changed my mind. Oh, Cerise, this is
what that stupid craving I could never satisfy was about. This taste! This is
what I’ve been needing.”
She swallowed me again, and I swear her tongue was trying to touch
every part of me at the same time. But enthusiastic or not she obviously had no
idea what she was doing.
Cerise slithered down to lie beside her in my lap. “Figures. Here, let me
show you how to do that.”
I opened my mouth as Avilla made room for her friend, and then shut it
again. Part of me wanted to make some lame protest about how they didn’t
have to do this, and I was just trying to do the right thing by taking care of them.
But what kind of moron would try to discourage a pair of sexy vixens who
were in the middle of giving him a team blowjob?
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“See, you want to bob your head some, like this.”
Cerise demonstrated the basic technique with more skill than Amanda had
ever bothered to learn, and I found myself groaning again. They went back and