Bloodstone Ch. 04

Only the hand he instinctively brought up to hold the blade from his throat kept his head upon his shoulders as the beast moved, desperate to pull him off of the mewling girl and take his place. Balor gasped as the blade bit into his palm, the darkness of its evil trying to pollute his soul. With a backwards butt of his head, he slammed into the beast's groin, mashing its balls to its pubic bone.

The beast squealed and Balor rose, his cock spurting the last of its seed onto Luria's lovely backside, his sword coming to hand as the beast fell backwards. One quick thrust and the beast-soldier was dispatched. He turned in time to see Luria held by another, a knife at her throat.

But Graeme was behind them, with his curved knife in hand, he swiftly dispatched the beast as Luria stumbled forward and into Balor's arms.

"They've found us," she moaned.

"Scouts," Graeme said softly. "They are naught but scouts that stumbled upon us."

"They'll be more," Balor said.

As if in answer, the lion set to guard the encampment let loose a roar of its own, overshadowing the scream of another one of Magnus's foul beasts.

Luria jumped before closing her eyes. Her mouth moved but no words came out. "We need to go, these aren't scouts. They are the lead of a large group that is out searching for us."

"How can you know that?" Balor asked.

"The lion, he showed me. I've told him to do what he could but to flee if he was overpowered in any way. He will follow us."

Above them, a night bird flew, swooping close to eat from the insects that were attracted to the scent of their bodies. Luria lifted her hand, whistling softly. The bird settled upon her finger, tipping its head one way and then the next and staring up at Luria with its beady little eyes.

"Go, see what you will see and then come back and tell me," Luria said softly before lifting her finger to the sky.

Balor didn't wait. He retrieved his horse from where he'd tethered him earlier in the evening. Gathering up their possessions, he quickly tied them to the horse before scooping Luria up and putting her in the saddle. "I will not ask you to come with us," he said to Graeme who'd packed up camp as well. "We will be chased the entire way and I cannot ask you to put yourself in danger like that for two humans that you don't even know."

"It is the way of my people to render help when we can. Your quest is a noble one and I would help you achieve your final goal." Graeme put his hand on Balor's shoulder, a gesture of respect among his kind. "You have my bow and my sword until they are no longer of use to you."

Balor nodded, accepting Graeme's generosity in the manner with which they were offered. "I thank you. Lady Luria is no normal lady and I fear I am falling under her spell the same as the animals who prostrate themselves before her."

Graeme nodded, his eyes staring off into the distance. "Prince Balor, I fear we must hurry. It is not Magnus's beasts alone that walk the forest this night. Magnus himself searches for his bride and for the one who stole her away."

"Then let us be away. I shall not let her fall into his hands, not while there is breath in my body." He hurried to his horse, slinging his leg over its back and settling in behind Luria. Waiting for Graeme, he turned to follow the elf, trusting him with his life and with the life of his lady.

They rode fast at first, fast enough that Luria couldn't really speak. She was holding onto the pommel in front of her, feeling Balor's arms around her. Her legs were spread around the leather saddle and she'd ended up sitting on his cloak, feeling his spunk dripping out of her and onto the fabric, wetting it. As the saddle moved, it rubbed against her, starting that throbbing in her cunny again.

"We must ride fast and hard, Luria," Balor said softly in her ear. "I'll make it as easy as I can on you but it won't be pleasant for any of us."

"I understand, Balor. I'll be fine," she said, raising her chin determinedly.

She wasn't fine by the time they dismounted the horse. Her legs gave out when she slid into Balor's arms from his saddle, her cunny chapped by the movement of the saddle and all the unaccustomed use it had been getting in the past two days. The fire was gone from her belly and she would have felt almost normal if it hadn't been for her sore thighs.

Balor pulled her closer, holding her against him. She was shivering, her beautiful blue eyes were shadowed and shuttered. She needed sleep, food, and to feel safe again. He could feel it. If he had his way, she'd be his bride and Magnus would be dead.

Something big and heavy landed against his foot and he jerked, turning to stare almost eye to eye with the great lion with the black mane.

Luria turned from his arms, smiling at the beast. "You are well?" She smiled wider as the lion answered her through their bond. Pulling from Balor, she hugged the cat, burying her face in his thick fur. When she stood up, she announced: "Magnus has retreated into his cursed castle for today. Rowan here saw him go himself."

"The lion just told you this?" Balor asked.

"Yes, he stayed away from the beasts but circled back around to watch for Magnus. He has left out scouts to try and find us, including Nigel, the one who killed my parents." Her chin went up and Balor could see the anger and the thirst for vengeance in her eyes.

"We shall avenge their death, Lady Luria, if it is at all possible. I shall not let you fall into danger again. We must stay ahead of Magnus's men." He turned, looking at Graeme. "Going to the Seventh Kingdom will be what he will think we are doing. There must be somewhere else we can go that will be safe for us."

"Two days ride from here to the south lays the city of Tindale, one of the cities of my people. They will grant us welcome and give us shelter until we can come upon a better plan." Graeme glanced at the Lady Luria, a gentle smile upon his handsome lips. "Your lady could rest and perhaps a wedding of a kind could be planned."

"Wedding?" Luria asked, glancing askance between the two men. But it was as if she weren't there for all the attention they paid her question.

"Would it be binding?" Balor asked.

"It would suffice," Graeme answered. "Though once you returned to your own home, another ceremony for your people could be planned."

"Who's wedding?" Luria asked again, stomping her foot when they continued to ignore her.

Balor moved to his horse, pulling off the heavy saddle and settling it on the ground. He dug in his pack, pulling out a fresh tunic and leggings. "My lady, there is a stream just beyond those trees if you'd like to refresh yourself." He offered her the clothes, smiling gently down into her eyes.

"I am not some weak-willed lady to allow myself to be pushed and pulled around and forced to do things for my own good," she growled at him, taking the clothing as well as the cloth and soap he offered. "There will be no wedding for my own good, do you understand?" she growled. The lion, which had lain down around her feet like a well-heeled hound, lifted his mighty head and growled with her.

"My lady, it isn't just for your own good. It's for the good of all the people of the seven kingdoms. Do you not know the prophesy?"

"Prophesy...bah...that prophesy isn't me," she snapped. "A marked lady who has great powers to wed the evil Magnus so that he might take over the world, it is ridiculous. I have no great powers."

"That lion at your feet says otherwise," Balor said gently. He lifted his cut hand, pulling the binding he'd wrapped around it away from the wound. What he saw worried him. The beast's sword must have been dipped into poison, the kind that begat the beast in the first place. Once they'd been men but the poison mixed the bloods, turning the one infected into one of those horrid beasts. He was infected.

"Let me see that," Graeme said, grabbing Balor's hand before he could pull the binding back over it. "This must be cleansed and then the poison burnt out of it. We can start the cleansing here but you will be very sick by the time we reach Tindale."

"What is it?" Luria cried, coming over to take Balor's big hand in her two small ones. She saw the wound and the poison that polluted it. It was in the way his skin was turning black and mottled around the wound, hair sprouting from the infected places.

"Do what needs done," Balor said. "I must be able to protect Luria, sick or not." He looked up as a bird came and sat upon her shoulder seeming to whisper in her ear.

"You guard our camp," she said quietly, sending the bird up and soaring. "No one will get close enough without us knowing," she said. "I will go to the river and gather water as well as roots of the lily plant. It will numb your hand and make the cleansing less painful."

"Thank you, my lady." He stopped her as she sought to leave, waiting until Graeme excused himself to start a fire to heat his blade. "Would it be so bad to be my bride? You would be queen of the Seventh Kingdom and rule by my side. You'd share my bed and have my children. Is that really all that loathsome to you?"

"No, no not at all," she said quickly. "I but wish to be asked, not told. My opinion matters. Just because I am a woman does not mean I do not know my own mind." She leaned down and gently kissed his lips. "I must go get the water and the plants. I will take Rowan with me. He will protect me, so do not worry."

"And you say you have no powers." Balor grinned. "You just do not wish to see them."

* * * *

Luria hurried through the tall brush, startling a family of partridges who had nested there. They burst out in front of her with a crash and a roar, sending Rowan roaring off after them until she called him back.

Lifting the skirt that Sabina had dressed her in, she waded to the center of the slow moving stream, bending to feel for the root of the lily plant that bobbed in the center of the water.

"Come on," she growled, her fingers skittering over wet stones and tangling in the roots.

She yanked first one and then another out of the stream, tossing them up on the bank while she waded out. When she returned to the bank, she made slices in some of the roots with her knife and added them to a bucket of water that would be used to clean Balor's wound.

When she had completed her work, she untied her cloak and slipped it, and the ripped chemise she had been wearing, off onto the grass. Picking up the soap and cloth Balor had given her, she stepped back into the stream to bathe. She paid special attention to the abraded skin between her legs and thighs, cleansing it thoroughly before using the ripped top to dry herself off with. She felt much better dressed in the too-big leggings and tunic. She tied the cloak over them and picked up the blue outfit.

Returning to camp, she gave the bucket of water and the roots to Graeme before going over to Balor, who was lying against his saddle with his eyes closed. Sinking down next to him, she laid her cool palm against his forehead, gasping as she felt the heat of his skin.

"The poison moves quickly. This should have been done immediately after you were injured, my prince."

"There was no time," he said, sighing as her hand moved over his face, cooling his skin. "You were in danger, we all were."

His eyes opened, staring up at her. "You were right, Luria. We were being high-handed in deciding your fate for you. I guess I thought that what happened between us meant more than it did." He snagged her hand in his uninjured one, holding it to his lips. "It was mind blowing, my lady, more than this poor man could possibly believe could truly happen."

"Oh don't you go playing those games," Luria smirked. She pulled her hand away and took her skirt over to Graeme, ripping a length from the bottom to use to cool his forehead and dipped it into the bucket before he could heat it. Wringing it out, she saw the juices from the roots in the water and picked up a small cup. "Drinking will make his whole body less likely to feel the pain," she whispered, waiting for Graeme's nod. She filled the cup, holding it in her hand and stirring it with one finger.

"Drink, my prince," she said as she sank back down next to him. "This will help you feel better." She wrapped her slender arm behind his back, helping to lift him for small sips of the water having him finish more than half before she let him lay back. Then she wiped his face with the bit of cloth and water while she waited for Graeme to finish his preparations.

"If I change, Luria..."

"No, we shan't talk of things like that. You won't change. You won't," she repeated when he looked at her stubbornly.

"If I do," he pulled a short sword from inside his tunic, holding it out to her, hilt first. "Do you know how to use this?"

"I-I w-won't use it against you, Balor. I won't have to. Graeme will make you better. Elves are known for their healing ways and once we get you to Tindale, you'll be hale and hearty again."

"Take the sword, Luria," Balor ordered. "If I hurt you ... well, make sure I don't."

She nodded, sliding the blade through the belt he'd given her with the tunic. "I'll be giving this back to you in two days."

His eyes closed and he smiled, nodding. He shivered and Luria took the cloak off her shoulders and wrapped it around him. He snuggled into its warmth, sighing heavily.

"Prince Balor has pushed himself to his limit these past days," Graeme said softly, coming up beside her. He'd mashed the roots into paste, smoothing it into the bandages he would be wrapping the hand with. On a flat stone, he carried the white hot blade he would use to burn the poison out after he cleaned it.

"Can you hold him?" he asked.

"Yes, but the water I gave him seems to be working. He's asleep," she said.

"He won't stay that way," Graeme warned.

They got to work, quickly moving to clean the wound. It was jagged, the blade cutting in on an angle. The smell alone was terrifying, a rotten smell that bespoke of the poison used against the handsome prince. Washing it with heated root water seemed to help and the flesh seemed pinker, not as mottled or changed as it had before.

"Hold him," Graeme said, watching as Luria draped her body over the bigger, more muscular prince.

"Do it," she said urgently. "Just do it."

The smell of burning flesh filled her nose and she gagged at the sweet scent. Balor stiffened under her, his eyes fluttering open and his mouth opening to cry out. She held on with everything she had, feeling every bit of pain he felt along with him.

"No, Balor, do not move. It's all right, my prince. It's almost done. Almost done," she repeated soothingly.

He settled beneath her and Graeme gave a snort of laughter. "Perhaps it is not just animals you have control over, Lady Luria." He pulled the blade away, examining the wound closely to be sure he'd not missed any of the infected flesh. Then he began to bandage it, layering the medicated fabric in first before wrapping it securely.

"You've done well, Lady. With any hope, we've stemmed the poison until we can get him to Tindale."

Luria sat up slowly, brushing her long hair out of her face. She'd lost some of her pins in the struggle between her and Balor and she slowly picked them back up, stowing them in Balor's bag. The sapphires might be worth something later on, perhaps a horse of her own so that Balor's fine stallion wouldn't be used up by the time they arrived in the Seventh Kingdom.

"You should rest, Lady. We will ride later this day and through the night so take your rest while you can." Graeme went back to his side of the fire, cleaning up the bloodied rags and throwing them into the fire so that they didn't draw the beasts. He looked up as Luria moved closer to him.

"Do you mind if I sit?" she asked. "Sleep is elusive this morn."

"Not at all, Lady Luria," Graeme said, bowing his head and waving her to where he'd been sitting earlier. "I shall enjoy your company," he said nobly.

"I am not a lady," she said softly, and almost to herself.

"What?" Graeme asked, confused.

"You've all been calling me Lady Luria. I am nothing but the daughter of a mayor, a lofty position in any town, to be sure, but not worthy of the title of 'lady.'"

Graeme nodded. "You may not be a true lady but you show by your actions that you care and that you value others above yourself, Lady Luria. For that alone you should have the title. But then of course, there is the mark, it gives proof of your relationship to Atana Potnia, a great lady herself."

"I keep hearing about her. Who is she? If she is my mother or my grandmother, why didn't she keep me?"

"I don't know, my lady," Graeme said. "Atana Potnia disappeared some years ago, the night a great star fell from the sky. No one has seen her since."

Luria stared at Graeme. He wasn't young by any expression of the word but his face was handsome, his eyes wide set and bright. He had a look about him that spoke of knowledge that he kept to himself, as if he knew much more than he let on. Reaching into his pack, he pulled out one of the strange elfin fruits, this one had the looks of an apple but the sweet tangy flavor of a mango. "Hungry?"

"Yes, thank you." Luria took the fruit, her strong white teeth breaking through the taut skin and into the lush flesh. The juices dripped down her chin and she laughed, delighted at the taste. "This is wonderful," she said, smiling. "Thank you."

She stood, bowing slightly to the genial elf before sitting next to Balor's side. He stirred as she sat and she reached out with her hand to feel his forehead. He felt cooler than he had earlier and he smiled slightly as she scooted even closer.

"Will you try a bite?" she asked, holding the elfin fruit to his lips.

Balor took a small bite, feeling her fingers slipping over his chin to gather the juice that spilled from the side of his mouth. Leaning over, she bent and kissed him softly, her tongue finding the juice of the fruit and licking it off of his lips.

He groaned softly, feeling his cock swell inside the hard leather codpiece.

His heart raced and his hands rose, weakly holding on to her. "You try my strength, Luria," he groaned under her mouth.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness," she said with a slight giggle. "I believe I got used to touching and holding you when I wished while I was under the influence of Magnus's drugged wine. If it bothers you..." she let the question draw out her eyes upon his face.

"If you become my lady, then you will be allowed to touch me whenever and however you wish. You have but to consent, Luria. Say the word." He grabbed her hand, holding it to his mouth while his eyes met hers.

"I wished to marry for love," she said softly.

"You don't think that we cannot become fond of each other?" he asked, staring up at her with a strange look upon his eyes.

"I already am fond of you, Balor." She scooted even closer, not wanting Graeme to overhear their conversation. "I've shared my body with you, willingly. I don't wish anything to happen to you. If that is not fondness, I don't know what it could be."

Outside their small encampment, Rowan, the lion, roared and a scream was heard. Luria jumped away from Balor and closed her eyes, trying to see what Rowan was seeing and feel what he was feeling.

"He's under attack," she gasped, reaching out and gathering Balor's bow and arrows. Without waiting for either of the men, she took off running, bounding through the brush to come to Rowan's defense.

"Luria!" Graeme yelled, grabbing his own short swords as well as his bow and quiver of arrows. "You stay there," he shouted at Balor as the prince tried to rise. "You must stay as still as possible so that the poison isn't pushed through your system faster."

"Bring her back, Graeme," Balor shouted. "Don't let her be hurt."