The Choosing
The king of Nazeen looked like he'd stepped out of some romantic's painting. The Lion was big, fully a head taller than Nayeli, who was herself a head taller than Oro, and nearly wide enough for both of them to hide behind. His orange-red mane fell in a neatly groomed curve down to his shirtless chest, chiseled with muscle, the immaculate fur marred here and there by small scars. He was not some leisure-lord, idling his hours away in the safety and pleasures of his station. This man ruled through wit and strength. Oro almost respected him. Almost.
"You are the emissary, I presume?" the Lion growled in a deep, ominous voice as the pair approached the throne.
"Indeed, Your Highness," Nayeli answered, bowing in a traditional gesture of respect, "Nayeli, of the Order on Earth, and Oro, wearer of the demon Gorgorond.“
"Absol Swordbright, King of Nazeen," the king named himself, "I see you did not bring the promised reinforcements with you," the king noted, "When does the Matriarch intend to make good on her end of the deal?"
"The Holy Matriarch (may she live again) does not make promises she cannot keep, Your Highness. The army departed ahead of us, with orders to report directly to your front lines. It is only by virtue of our own haste that we arrived a day ahead of them," Nayeli explained. Her voice was calm and composed, but her choice of words suggested she took some umbrage at his insinuation that the Matriarch might not be trustworthy.
The king seemed satisfied with this answer, though. "If this is true, then she shall certainly have my gratitude, in addition to the price on which was agreed." He snapped his fingers, and from a nearby servants' entrance there came a line of female Ferruda, dressed minimally in thin white dresses. They ranged from uncomfortably young to the last edge of middle-age, offering a variety of body-types, though they were each and all Lions. By Ferruda standards, they were also all quite beautiful, but looks had not been the main criteria for these candidates. A faint, sweet scent drifted through the entire room in their wake, causing Oro to crinkle his nose and curl his lip in a sneer.
The king of Nazeen stepped down from the dais, as if to give comment on each candidate in person as Oro expressed interest, but the Rabbit drew his sword, prompting the guards stationed around the room to do the same. The king scowled and stopped his approach, but motioned for his guards to put away their weapons. "Choose any to your liking," he prompted, gesturing to the two staggered lines of twenty females presented, "As per the Matriarch's request, our scent is strong in each of them, and they are all free of political ties or obligation within my kingdom."
"Fusk her request," spat Oro, swinging his sword from its level with the king to directly between the nearest girl's breasts, drawing a very worried look to her brow, "Let's get this over with." He marched down the line, sword steady as he pointed it squarely at the heart of each female, adjusting it just enough to pass dangerously close to some of the larger busts. They held their tongues and kept their faces studiously neutral as he eyed them, as if judging which to pierce, but an electric nervousness could be felt growing among the candidates.
He was nearly at the end of the line when he stopped his slow but relentless pace. The tip of the blade rested lightly in her ample cleft, the first one he had actually touched, causing her to tilt her head in mild surprise. She was about the same height as Nayeli, maybe a year or two older, with long, wavy hair that threatened to curl into her face the minute it was let out of the circlet restraining it, and...notably top-heavy. "Look at you," the Rabbit sneered, "All curiosity and bewilderment, as though you don't even know why you're here. Just looking at it pisses me off."
Oro drew closer, pulling his arm back just enough to keep the tip of his blade from breaking her skin as he got right up in the female's surprised face. To her credit, she did not try to withdraw, even when his nose brushed against hers. "Your job is to calm me down when I get pissed off. Are you ready to die to appease me?"
The female blinked at him a couple of times. "Um...I'd rather not? But if that's what it takes, I guess..." She gave a sheepish smile, as if to apologize for not understanding what sort of answer he wanted.
"Are they all idiots?" Oro scowled at the king, never withdrawing the threat of his blade from the girl.
Absol seemed to take some offense at that, huffing, "No. But education was not the chief criteria for their choosing. She has--"
"Yeah, yeah," Oro interrupted, his aggressive stance deflating a little. The scent filling up the room was starting to get to him, and his only counter to it was the sheer fact that it's existence pissed him off. Lowering his blade at last, he grabbed the female’s arm and shoved her in Nayeli's direction. "You, over there." She looked back and forth between the king and the Rabbit for a second, but obeyed without protest. "Hmph. At least she takes orders," the Rabbit growled.
Absol appeared to have been taken off-guard for the first time since they arrived, looking at the Rabbit with one brow arched curiously, but made no protest. "Very well. As per the agreement, we will provide her and you with necessities for—"
"And that one," Oro added, cutting him off as the Rabbit leveled his sword once more at the female standing at the very end of the line, head still held proudly high as if expecting to be inspected at any moment. "She has far and away the strongest smell in the room," the Rabbit remarked, twitching his nose, "She's the one we came for."
Now the king was more than off-guard. He was momentarily stunned, even slack-jawed...an expression which quickly turned to borderline fury. "N-NO! Absolutely not! That wasn't the agreement!"
Oro's yellow eyes flashed, and his lips twitched into a hint of a smile. "Well that was your mistake. I had no part in making this deal, and I am not the damned Matriarch's dog. You'll have what you wanted from her. This is my price," the Rabbit growled, growing visibly more excited with each word, especially as the king seemed to be matching his rising rage, "For not devouring every last soul in this fusking building."
The king had his hand on the sword at his hip, teeth bared and murder in his eyes. His guards had already drawn their blades. Oro had likewise turned his blade toward the king, as if daring him to take that last, fateful step. No one seemed to notice that the light had taken a faintly red tint as Oro's skin seemed to smoke, wafting bits of scarlet into the air to coalesce around the doors. The throne room was about to become an arena, and he was already sealing the exits.
"Your Highness!" Nayeli took a step, about to interpose herself between them, but a second call from behind Oro seemed to snuff the tension in the next instant. "Father!"
The king's face fell at the word. Oro's eyes widened, and he cracked a genuine (if slightly feral) smile for the first time since they'd arrived as he turned his wild gaze on the female he'd just pointed out. "Oh-ho! Is that how it is?"
She stepped out of the ranks, approaching him with her head still high, but her gaze focused squarely on the king. "Father," she repeated, "Do not. We have all heard the stories. This man does not boast."
"You," the king snarled, a mix of anger and brokenheartedness stirred together in his voice, "Are not supposed to be here! Sarahi, I told you to stay in your rooms. You do not meet the criteria!"
"I meet the one that matters most," she countered softly, bowing her head at last, "If, by the exchange of this one life, the lives of many soldiers and civilians can be spared, it is an exchange that we royalty, above all others, should be willing to make." It was hard to say whom she had been addressing. Those words seemed to be meant for the entire room. But her next sentence was very clearly directed at Oro, standing practically between her front paws at this point. "What you say is true. It is said that I have the strongest scent in our entire kingdom. I will go with you, and willingly be used as you desire, so please spare those here today."
The Rabbit paced slowly around her once, eying her entire figure. "What in Hell are you?" She was like any other Ferruda down to the waist, but from there her body continued into the body of a feral beast. She was like a centaur, but with a Ferruda where human would be, and a lion where horse would be.
"I am called a 'Sha'khari'," Sarahi answered as he examined her, enduring his gaze with surprising humility, "It's a rare mutation in our species. Legends say that a Sha'khari is destined to be an oracle or great hero, but at the least it is likely why my scent is so strong." Her dignity faltered for a moment as her eyes shot wide, a squeak escaped her lips, and her hindquarters danced away from Oro's hand cupped beneath them.
The reaction seemed to thoroughly amuse the Rabbit. "Uh-huh...and which are you?"
She cleared her throat and quickly forced her composure back onto her face, though her cheeks now burned a bright red. "I...am...both, as you noticed. As the half that interacts with people is female, I live and am treated as female. You may continue to do the same."
"Have you no shame?" growled Absol, fuming as this foreigner eyed and handled his daughter in the middle of the throne-room. "You have what you came for, and a higher price I have never paid for anything. Now get out, before I forget the obligations of my station."
"Shame is for the prey to avoid provoking the predator," Oro responded, but he gestured for Nayeli and their two new companions to follow him as he set off for the door. He hadn't quite reached it, though, before pointing to a small servant-girl standing quiet and obediently in the corner. "I'm taking this one, too, to carry the extra supplies," he declared, looking over his shoulder, "That's fine, right?"
The king, sitting once more in his throne with his head in his hands, merely waved a dismissive hand. He looked whipped and miserable, nearly the opposite of the man he had been when they first entered. Oro smiled, and gestured sharply for the surprised girl to fall in line.
"You're pushing hard," remarked Nayeli as soon as the door was closed behind them, glancing over her shoulder at the veritable entourage now following them, "Do you intend to start an international incident?"
"If that were my intent," answered Oro, "I would have killed him before the introductions. But I wouldn't have complained if he gave me an excuse."
That was perfectly within character for him, so she couldn't say she was surprised, but she had hoped to spend the remainder of the day sampling the local culture in the city surrounding the castle. Now she thought it was in the best interest of both their party and the community as a whole to leave as soon as possible. Fortunately, Oro seemed to have already made up his mind to do exactly that, as he wasted no time finding the front door.
"Well," Nayeli sighed as they finally found open sky again, "We were supposed to be given essential supplies for the bride, but I don't think it would be wise to go back for them now." Turning to the little serving-girl, Nayeli crouched down to eye-level with her...a gesture that made her look like a giant, round pillow on the ground. "Can I count on you to get what we need in town, and bring it to the west gate?"
"North," Oro corrected, looking around as if inspecting something atop the watchtowers arrayed along the wall surrounding the capital, "We'll wait for her at the north gate."
Nayeli didn't ask for clarification, already having a hunch what was in his head, and approving of it. "The north gate, then. Think you can do that?"
"Yes, I'll just need some money," the girl answered absently, glancing back toward the castle with a worried look.
"Forgetting something important?" Oro grumbled, noting her distraction.
The girl's head snapped around like she'd been caught stealing something, and held her breath for a moment before dropping onto both knees and elbows and rubbing her forehead in the dust. "I'm sorry, Master! I know you chose me on a whim, and I've no right to ask a favor, but...please, let my brother accompany us as well. He depends on me. I'm afraid he will not survive if I am gone."
Oro curled his lip in disgust. Dependence on others did not sit well with him. Sentimentality even less so. But then another thought seemed to occur to him, which pleased him more, and he hoisted the girl up by the back of her shirt and dropped her on her feet so she could look at him while he answered. "First, I am no one's master. You will call me 'Oro'...or 'husband'. And he will do the same."
She looked at him with mouth open and green eyes wide, taking a hesitant step back. "I...he...what?! What do you mean?!"
His teeth showed in his grin. "I don't keep servants, or dead weight. You are in the same boat as these other girls," he gestured to Sarahi and the other female, both of whom were looking at him with shocked expressions, "And, if your brother chooses to join us, he will be the same. You will both be my wives. I will treat you both as wives. I will do with you both as husbands do with wives. Do you understand now? Do you really want to invite him into that?"
"You cannot be serious, surely," Sarahi remarked, "She cannot be more than twelve. That is not even marriageable age in our culture, much less within the lands of the Order. And her brother--?!"
His blade sang as it slipped from the sheath and rested against her neck in the blink of an eye, cutting off her words if not her head...for the moment. "Fusk custom, culture, and the Order," Oro sneered, "I do as I like, when I like, and none but she is spared the consequence of it for now," he nodded roughly in Nayeli's direction. "You'll learn that swiftly, or be fed to my demon. Now," he returned his glare to the girl at his feet, "Do you still want to bring him?"
She looked understandably torn. She looked back at the castle once more, then firmed up her face and made her decision. "Yes. Nothing but starvation awaits him here. I think his chances will be better with us."
That earned a chuckle from Oro as he removed his blade from Sarahi's throat. "I look forward to changing your mind. But if it is made up, go and get him. You have twenty minutes. If you're not back by then, with or without him, I am coming to fetch you. And I will murder every living soul I find along the way."
With a nervous gulp, she went skittering off into the castle.
"You are mad," Sarahi remarked quietly, rubbing the place where the sword had rested not-so-lightly against her.
"Princess," the word carried all the overtones of an insult on his lips, "I wear a demon for my skin. 'Mad' does not begin to describe what I am. You should have known that when you agreed to 'go with me and willingly be used as I desire'. Still think you can do that?"
She grit her teeth, her shoulders tensing as though she may slap him...or at least try...but she reigned in her temper before it was too late. "For the sake of my people, I can."
"Good." Oro then fixed his gaze on the gate, counting down the minutes.
"Um, speaking of being used," the other Ferruda pipped up, breaking the growing tension with one hand half raised in question, "I know that we're supposed to be your wives, but I don't remember being told why we needed to have a strong scent. Is there something special we do? Is there going a ceremony or anything?"
Nayeli turned to her with a sympathetic look, and bowed briefly. "Forgive me, but before I answer that, I don't believe I've been told your name yet."
"Oh, I'm Tuli," the woman answered with a smile and a little bounce, "Tuli Hope. Nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine, Tuli," replied Nayeli, "And yes, I...now we...serve a very special purpose. You are aware of the effect of our scent, especially on other species, correct? Well, Oro responds a little differently. It mutes him, so to speak...calms the rage you have thus far seen unabated today. So our job is...he hates to hear it said this way, but there is no more accurate term...to leash him, and prevent needless loss of life." The priestess reaching into one of her bulbous sleeves to draw out a folded slip of paper, "I was given this certificate by the Holy Matriarch herself (may she live again). Tonight we will have both of you take vows and sign it. That will satisfy the requirements of the Order for a proper marriage...or as proper as one could be which fundamentally goes against the teachings of the Order. Of course, I will be happy to arrange a ceremony according to your customs as well, if that would make it more tolerable for you, but I'm afraid you should not expect anything lavish. We live on the move, with much authority but little funds and few possessions."
Sarahi quirked a brow at the slip. "Papers are good for communication, but mean nothing of bonds in our culture. There usually is a ceremony, but the true seal of marriage is in the bed."
"Ah," Nayeli sighed as she put the certificate away again, "A sensible custom, but in that case not even I am yet married to him according to your ways."
That caused both women to do a double-take of her. "What?!" they exclaimed in unison, earning a giggle from the priestess.
"It's true. Though I am no virgin, that one has never yet touched me with that sort of interest at heart." She seemed almost disappointed, which only further perplexed Sarahi and Tuli. Oro seemed to be pointedly ignoring their conversation, glaring steadfastly at the castle door with arms crossed over his chest, waiting for their other companion to return.
They were almost late. Nayeli was beginning to worry she might have to subdue Oro when the young Ferruda came out of the door at a rather more reluctant pace than she'd went in, followed by another. They had taken the trouble to seek out the dowry for the bride, and were each struggling to drag along a pack almost as large as they were, which explained what had taken so long.
Sarahi and Tuli's eyes widened when they saw the pair. Though the girl looked like a young Lion, with golden fur and dark amber hair, her brother's fur and hair were a patchwork of white, black, and orange. His long, sinewy tail was also tuftless. "This is Kylan," she introduced him, "And I am Diya. I don't think I told you that before."
"You...are not Ferruda," Sarahi declared, drawing a wince and a nod from the girl.
"Half," she clarified, "Mother was a Ferruda...and a noble," she admitted with a little reluctance, "Father was a Bastiid. She did not even know until she fell pregnant with us, which neither of them thought possible. As a result..." She gestured to her own stature. "We are small, mistaken for children, though we have both passed twenty winters now. Mom died of illness three years ago. Dad..." Diya seemed reluctant to say more, so just shrugged and looked up toward Oro to see if he was satisfied.
While the women listened to the story with a growing mix of shock and pity for the pair, Oro was eying the boy, standing nervously behind his sister and breathless from dragging the pack. "You seem able-bodied enough. How is it you are certain to starve without your sister?"
They both blinked at him, as if the answer was spoken in the very asking. Very strangely, something like gratitude crept into Kylan's eyes. "Mas--I mean...husband," the boy made himself say it firmly, "You know what a Bastiid is, right?"
Oro nodded. "Lazy little bastards that look like ordinary cats, though they can talk when they choose to, and their paws are as nimble as human hands...not that that's saying much. That does explain why you are both so small, but how does that prevent you from hauling your weight, little as that is?"
He nodded again, apparently dumbfounded at being viewed as fit for work. Sarahi cleared her throat and quietly explained, "The sister can pass for a young Ferruda, meaning she can get work where the taskmaster is not too scrupulous. The boy is obviously a mixed-blood, frowned on in our culture. And evidence of his mother's...proclivities. My guess is their mother's nobility was the only reason they survived this long."
Oro tilted an ear and squinted his eyes. "So just racism." He shot a narrow look at Nayeli. "You're going to stop me, aren't you?"
She smiled behind her veil, nodding ever so slightly. "If you mean from resuming your mission on these streets, here and now, then yes."
His nose twitched in irritation, and he returned his glare to the boy before anyone could ask her to clarify that little remark. "Fine. Maybe you'll make a pact with a demon yourself, one day, if carrying my bags doesn't kill you first. She explained what you are to me and what I expect of you, correct?" This time the boy put his heels together and puffed out his chest as he nodded, as though finding some measure of pride in his new station, strange as it was. "Good. Then go with your sister and get the rest of what we need, then meet us at the north gate. Nayeli, give them the money."
The priestess handed over their pouch, and briefly described what was needed, before sending the pair scurrying off into the streets. She and Tuli then hefted the packs onto their shoulders. "So, why the north gate, out of curiosity?" Tuli asked as the four of them began making their way briskly for the edge of town, "I thought your country is to the west, isn't it?"
"Well well, she does know something," Oro rolled his eyes, "We're not going back to Coras. Not yet. We're going north, to crush these invaders of yours."
Sarahi almost stopped in her tracks, giving him a surprised look. "You...will fight for us? Even after--"
"Hell no," the Rabbit snapped, "I will murder everyone in this city, this kingdom, and all the world besides! I'm only going to wipe out your enemies first. Your father did pay a high price, after all. And unlike some, he seemed to actually regret it, so I'll be happy to let him stew in that for a while."
The Sha'khari's tail lashed from side to side behind her, irritably. "Is he always like this?" she asked quietly of Nayeli.
"No," she chuckled, "He's usually much worse. Compliment and kindness are alien to him. But so are lies and vanity...so at the very least, you can trust what he tells you."
The Rabbit seemed to be ignoring their quiet talk behind him. His eyes had begun darting to the various doors and windows along the street, eying each one that contained a living person. Other pedestrians passing by them gave that gaze a wide berth, and the salesmen in their little corner stalls stopped halfway through trying to hail them as they passed. Oro had the look of a beast seeking prey, and they all seemed to sense that.
"I am hungry," he declared, surprisingly softly, out of the blue. Nayeli responded by moving closer, pulling one glove off, and putting her arm around his neck with her hand covering his nose. Oro grimaced, but breathed deep of her sedating scent.
"Easy, dear," the priestess urged quietly, "It's not far to the gate. We'll set off soon, and be knee deep in blood before you know it."
"I could be neck deep in it now," he growled, tightening his grip on the hilt of his sword and casting baleful eyes on a couple going into their house across the street. "...Damn you, leash," he sighed as she leaned her weight against him in the opposite direction, keeping her palm cupped over his nose. With a grumble, his grip loosened, and he pushed her back to arm's length and stomped off a few strides ahead.
Nayeli sighed as she fell back to their new companions, sliding her glove back over her hand out of long habit. “I am not pleased to have demonstrated our duty so soon...but that, more or less, is what we do. When the demon is hungry, we sedate him until we can reach somewhere that he can slake his bloodlust. Battlefields are best. Failing that, we seek out bandits and the like. One time he was allowed to be executioner for three men already condemned to die. I will not permit that again,” she added, shaking her head at the memory.
“Well that doesn’t seem too hard,” Tuli remarked, “Even I can probably handle this.” She was smiling absently, watching where she was walking rather than either of the women beside her, and so did not see them both arch brows at her. They refrained from asking what sort of work she had done before, that she seemed to accept failure as the default outcome.
“Indeed,” Sarahi agreed after a slight hesitation, “It also doesn’t seem to be the sort of task that requires additional keepers, especially given your experience and proficiency. It is especially strange that we are required to marry our charge. I am curious as to the reason for this.”
Nayeli nodded. “The circumstances are very strange, and you deserve a thorough explanation. I would like to answer that after our other companions rejoin us. It is important for all of you to understand and accept this responsibility, and I would like to be able to answer all concerns at once.”
“So, do we have to become priestesses, too?” Tuli asked, as if she hadn’t even heard what Nayeli last said.
“No,” the tirelessly patient Lioness answered, “I became one by virtue of my previous circumstances and personal desire. It is not required to fulfill this duty.”
“A pity,” Sarahi remarked, “I was hoping it would be so.” That earned a genuinely surprised look from Nayeli, so Sarahi continued, “I think it began with stories of the paladins, but I have long been interested in the Order and their teachings. I admire the respect for the wants in addition to the needs of the faithful, as well as the perspective on outsiders. I think our culture could benefit from a similar mindset.” And that lead to a whole new conversation, comparing and contrasting the teachings and mandates of their different cultures, which lasted well passed their arrival at the north gate. In fact, Oro appeared on the verge of becoming violently ill by the time Diya and Kylan arrived, leading a horse heavily laden with most of the supplies Nayeli had asked them to purchase.
“There wasn’t enough to get quite everything,” the girl explained, “Sorry, I’m not a great haggler.”
“It’s alright,” Nayeli assured her, taking the reins from Kylan, “We’ll ask the Quartermaster to supply the rest when we catch up with the army.”
“The army?!” Kylan asked, “We’re joining the army?”
“We’re cutting them off,” growled Oro, in turn taking the reins from Nayeli’s hand while she and Tuli added the provisions from the castle to the beasts’s back, “Since she’ll complain if I kill Coras soldiers, we are going to get to the battlefield ahead of them, so that I can indiscriminately murder everything that moves on it.”
Nayeli sighed at his impatience. “Were it just you and me, we would still not make such time. At best we will arrive tomorrow night. Our soldiers should arrive about the same time, if the march was smooth.” She became increasingly concerned as he swung himself up onto the beast’s back, wedging himself in between the luggage and seeming not to care that there was no riding saddle. “No. They are not ready for this. It took me years—”
“I don’t have years to wait for them,” he growled, “If they cannot keep up, you’ll have to choose between guiding them and restraining me.” Looking at the befuddled group behind her, he announced, “From this day on, each of you will do all that is demanded of you by your own strength. I have no use for you if you cannot. Now run!” He snapped the reins, and the horse took off at a gallop. Nayeli gnashed her teeth behind her veil, gave her companions an apologetic look...and took off at a sprint that very nearly matched the horse’s pace.
They all stood for a moment, stunned and disbelieving of this treatment, before Tuli tucked the trailing flaps of her garment into her belt and started running as best she could. Sarahi did the same, though she kept her pace slow enough to not out-distance Tuli and the two half-breeds. With four legs, she could probably actually catch his mount, but she did not have the stamina to outlast it for long.
Naturally, it did not take long for the small pair to lag behind. The Sha'khari fell back and hoisted Diya onto her back, where the girl clung gratefully to her. She was about to lift Kylan as well when Oro shouted over his shoulder, “Do not! I told you, each by their own strength!”
“Says...the rider...” Sarahi huffed, near breathless, as Diya steeled herself and hopped back down, hitting the ground at a run once again.
Nayeli, who had been falling back to allow them to catch up, drew close enough to pat Sarahi and Diya’s backs. “By the Authority, vested in me, I command the Second Wind: fill the lungs and flow of the blood.” The growing ache in their legs and lungs faded again at her touch, which carried the blessing of the Authority. “His idea of mercy is very strange, but he’s riding the horse to make it easier on us. He would be even faster on his own two feet.”
Sarahi nearly tripped, she was so stunned by the ease with which Nayeli found her breath. “You...are used...to this?!”
“I have learned to endure a great deal with him,” the Lioness smiled, crossing in front to her other side, where she gave similarly comforting pats to Tuli and Kylan. “There is worse to come, but for now: breathe, keep up the pace, and trust in me if you cannot in him.” So saying, she picked up her own sprint enough to catch up with Oro and shared some words with him that none of the others could hear through the pounding of their own hearts in their ears.
His ears twitched in annoyance, but he tugged the reins to slow the horse until he was just just a spear’s throw ahead of the group. “Gorgorond,” he growled, “Keep ‘em moving.” Something moved beneath his skin. It broke, sprouting oily, red tendrils that reached out to the group of breathless Ferruda. Surprised and more than a little frightened, most of them tried to dodge, but the demonic appendages unerringly swerved to catch their legs, enveloping them from the thigh down like form-fitting boots. Soon the group looked like a very strange spider, each attached by a twitching tentacle to Oro’s back. Even his horse’s legs had been sheathed...and the animal did not seem at all pleased about it.
“What is this?!” screamed Diya, though the pitch of her voice had more to do with fear than pain. Had she been less panicked, she might have noticed a new ease in her gait, even as her pace increased to easily match even Sarahi’s. All of them were now keeping pace with the horse, and although it was hardly effortless, the strain was no longer threatening to break their wills or collapse their lungs.
Nayeli, the only one of them untouched by the tendrils, swung back into their midst, where they could all hear her easily. “That is Gorgorond. He will keep you on your feet, but it will be uncomfortable if you trust him with your balance. Remember to breathe.”
Tuli scratched at the mass around her legs. “It itches!”
“Ah, yes,” Nayeli nodded, as if that was to be expected, “He is a gluttonous demon, after all, so he’s having to resist the urge to eat you. Don’t be surprised if it costs you your fur.” Tuli scratched even more desperately.
As soon as they were out of sight of the city walls, Nayeli actually paused for a moment, surprising the group. She was nearly lost to sight behind them before her habit appeared to bounce into the sky, retaining its marshmallow-y shape all the way back to the ground, where the Lioness caught it by the hem and drug it along behind her like a kite as she caught back up.
Sarahi gasped as she passed them. “You...you’re beautiful!”
Free of the smothering outfit, kept barely decent only by a bra and tailored shorts beneath, the priestess cut a very athletic figure. Lean, every muscle dense and defined, she looked fit to fight giants and pretty enough to make them swoon for her favor. She flashed a bright, sincere smile and nodded to Sarahi, as if the Sha'khari had merely mentioned the color of her eyes, before catching up to the horse and handing off her habit to Oro. The Rabbit took it with two fingers, handling it as if the very fabric disgusted him, and hooked it as carelessly as possible to the roll above the horse’s tail. It fluttered behind the running animal like a kite, kept wide and round by a frame of fine wires beneath. Oro and the group were completely obscured from each other’s view by the veritable umbrella. The tendrils of Gorgorond shifted low, to pass well beneath the holy garment without touching it.
“Thank you,” Nayeli replied at last as she fell back beside Sarahi. A new tendril arched out among the others to envelop her legs, and she settled into an easy stride with them. “It’s not often I get to show my face like this, so it is nice to hear that I am still pleasing.”
“Why do you wear something like that?” asked Kylan from her other side.
“Oh, many reasons. All of which will be discussed when we arrive,” she promised, “But for now, we should conserve our breath. He means to run all night, and that will be exhausting even with Gorgorond’s help.”
“All night?!” moaned Tuli, drawing a little giggle from Nayeli.
“Yes, it’s more than I can manage, too,” she gestured to the crimson around her legs in sympathy, “And I am certain we will all have to treat blisters on our feet while he is sating the demon. I am sorry. All the comfort I can offer for now is that my touch is both gentle and effective...or so I am told.” It was becoming clear that even she was starting to have to concentrate on her balance and breathing, so they all fell quietly into their own thoughts for a time.
