Rise (War Witch Book 1) (50 page)

"What brought that on?" she finally asked. "Not that I'm complaining. Usually, you like things a little slower."

"Oh, who knows," he breezed, nowhere near the vicinity of brave enough to tell her the daring thought he'd had at the dinner table.

Chuckling, Chara levered herself up, then paused, waiting for the room to stop moving. "Well, whatever it was, keep it in mind for later."

"Sure," he said, thinking that wasn't ever likely to happen. Though, he wondered, how did one get such a thought out of their head once it'd entered?

Looking over at him, Chara scrutinized his expression for a moment as he struggled to appear nonchalant. "I don't believe it," she finally said.

"What, beloved?" he asked, utterly failing at the whole nonchalant thing.

"You were thinking of having me and Ramora at the same time," she stated.

"I was not," he shot back, preparing to defend himself, until she started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"Congratulations, sweetheart," she said, giving his stomach a playful slap. "Today, you are a man."

Scowling, he tugged the sheet up over him. "I knew that already."

Still laughing, Chara rose and stretched, giving a slight moan of contentment. Watching her carefully, the Werecat saw no signs of anger, and decided to chance his luck.

"You aren't mad?" he asked.

"I'm not mad," she assured him as she moved to the dresser, pausing to look at herself in the mirror. "I've never yet met the man who didn't at least entertain the idea at some point in their life."

"Oh," he said slowly, pondering that. "It isn't that I find her attractive, you know."

Chara turned her head, regarding him like he was insane. "Why wouldn't you? She is."

"I'm just saying," he muttered, fiddling with the sheet.

Shaking her head, she turned back to the mirror. "Don't worry about it. Like I said, it's pretty normal. I'd have to be one hell of a hateful bitch not to look at her and get it."

Rolling that around for a minute, he dared to ask, "Have you thought about it before?"

"Sure," she admitted, gathering her hair and tying it back in a ponytail. "You know she and I were almost together. There's been a few times the idea crossed my mind since we left the keep."

"Really?" he asked.

Turning back to him, she leaned against the dresser. "Yes, really. That's all it was though, a thought. People have them, especially concerning other people they're close to. Pretty sure it's just part of living. Doesn't mean you have to act on it."

"No, of course not," he replied as she moved into the bathroom. "Any other thoughts you've had you feel like sharing?"

Leaning back through the doorway, she gave him a concerned look. "You going somewhere with this?"

"Not really, no," he replied casually. "Just, you know, since we're talking about it, I was curious what other fantasies you might've had."

Still giving him the worried look, she nodded, "I've had some, but if you're going to make a deal out of it, then how about we don't talk about them, okay?"

"I'm not going to make a deal out of them," he snorted. "I'm just wondering, that's all."

Shaking her head, Chara leaned back into the bathroom, splashing some water on her face before telling him, "If you really want to know, I've had a few of me, you and Leto."

"Together?" Esteban gaped.

"Well, duh," she replied, drying her face. "He's good-looking."

Esteban fidgeted a bit. "I've noticed, yes."

Leaning against the door frame to the bathroom, she gave him a mirthful look. "You've been checking him out, you naughty kitty."

"I have not," her lover retorted. "Just admitting that I can see the appeal. Nothing more."

Chuckling, she returned to the bed, falling across him easily. She looked up at his big green eyes. "You're not going to get all weird now, are you?"

"Weird?" he asked.

"You know, all macho and puffed up, trying to defend your property," she replied. "Cause, I'm not gonna like that."

"I'm not going to do that," he sighed. "I admit, I'm sometimes overprotective of you, but only because I fear someone taking advantage of you."

Chara rolled her eyes. "Yeah, what with me being all delicate and shit."

"You know what I mean," he told her, voice tinged with sarcasm.

"I really don't," she laughed.

Esteban looked away, staring at the window. "Like what happened to Ramora."

"Oh," she said softly. "Sorry. I didn't know you were worried about that."

"I fear I'm not strong enough to protect you," he told her, reaching out to stroke her face. "That something terrible will befall you because I'm weak."

"Sweetheart, you're not weak," she replied, rubbing her cheek against his hand. "You can't protect me from a world of bad. Don't stress yourself trying. I knew what I was getting into when I decided to go following Ramora around."

"Perhaps," he admitted. "Still, you will forgive me if I worry, and if I'm selfish with you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she answered, rolling off him and tugging the sheet back.

"I'm grateful to hear it," he said softly as she cuddled up against him.

"You know I feel the same way," she cooed, fingers trailing down his chest. "I don't want anyone but you. Flights of fancy are just that. They don't mean anything at all."

Nodding, he purred softly as he said, "I'll remember it."

Grinning, Chara decided to have a little fun with him. "Though, you made me wonder, just how did you see that little threesome playing out?"

"Ah," Esteban grunted, ears flattening. "I'd rather not talk about that."

Chara ran her fingers up his length as it stiffened. "You sure about that?"

"Pretty sure," he mewled.

Stroking him slowly, she smiled, giving him a wink. "You don't seem sure."

"You're being cruel," he gasped as her thumb danced over his head. "You know that, right?"

"I do," she snickered. "But hey, look at what it got me."

Turning his eyes down, he watched as she turned, her lips finding him, tongue flicking down his length playfully. Groaning, he decided to just roll with her teasing mood. He couldn't complain about what it was getting him, either.

Elsewhere in town, Sabra reveled in the company of a male Ogre she'd met, making the walls of the flophouse shake, Rick deposited the drunken Bit in his room, Flick snored on his cousin's couch, and Rayne crouched over her workbench, the lattice work of enchantments in Chara's mystic weapons floating before her goggle-covered eyes.

Unaware of how the Blessed were spending their evening, Rakiss slipped out of Chara and Esteban's room, giving them some privacy. He'd thought to check in them, arriving during their conversation, and after a brief bit of worry, was glad to see them getting along well.

He stood in the hall for a bit, smiling to himself, before deciding to check in on Little Sister, just to see how she was doing. Sliding through the wall, he slid right back out, the image of her sprawled, naked, and enjoying herself not one he'd been expecting.

"That was awkward," he muttered as he wandered down the hall, deciding to peek in on Leto. He had yet to figure out how the Blessed of Grannax fit into things, but kind of hoped he and Little Sister might yet hit it off, easing the heartbreak the demigod had caused her.

Sticking his head through the door, he jerked back, finding the General spending a little quality time with himself, as Ramora was. Pondering that, he turned a little, trying to figure out what to do with himself.

"Everyone's horny," he said to himself. "Must be something in the water."

Checking for Shana, he shrugged and stuck his head back through Leto's door, enjoying the show.

He felt only slightly ashamed of himself, and only for a minute.

FOR THE BLESSED,
the next three days were filled with intensive training, working to fight as a team, learning how to use their Divine Gifts to complement one another, most of them too accustomed to working solo. In this, Rick and Bit proved solid taskmasters, their many years of cooperative combat providing the lesson plan the others followed.

Izra and Tanna picked it up the fastest, making an excellent pair, as they'd teamed up several times in the past. For the rest, it was rough going. Ramora especially found the teamwork troubling, her inability to communicate making it impossible to give warnings of the dangers her Divine Gift showed her to her companions.

The City Guards who were playing the roles of the enemy managed to successfully ambush she, Leto, Sabra, and Flick repeatedly as she struggled to warn them. Though it pained him to no end, Leto had to admit that Lieutenant Rills, the man placed in charge of organizing the opposition during their training, was far more skilled at tactics than he seemed. He'd found their weak point and managed to capitalize on it repeatedly.

Not just them, either, but the team of Tanna, Izra, Rick and Bit crashed into Rills clever ploys again and again. After three days, it was clear they weren't improving. Even the never-ending apologies Rills heaped upon them for making them fail did nothing to boost their moral.

Rick and Leto decided to talk it over, leaving the others to rest for a bit. Ramora fell into a snit, taking her frustration out on a rock as the rest joined her. She could see in their eyes they shared her sentiment. Well, except Tanna. She betrayed no emotions at all.

Oddly, it was Bit who spoke first. "Don't be looking so glum, lads and lasses. We only just be gettin' started. Can't go expecting a motley band such as this to be hittin' its stride on the first step, ya know."

"I know," Izra sulked. "But we can expect to not fall on our faces so much."

"Learning is pain, experience a sword that is forged in fear and doubt," Tanna intoned.

Flick chuckled at that. "True enough, Lady Rethrick. I think the burn here is that we, the Blessed of the High Gods, are being handed our rather sore behinds by a team of city guardsmen, and the fresh-faced Lieutenant we all so eagerly dismissed."

"Oy," Bit grinned. "I suppose one or more of us be owin' the lad an apology."

"Or an ass-kicking,” Sabra grunted.

"I fear the young Lieutenant Rills is holding back," Tanna informed them. "As we're heroes to him, he's not giving his all against us."

"Now there's a depressing thought," Izra moaned. "Getting beaten by somebody who isn't even trying hard. How humiliating."

Tanna gave a slight smile. "And excellent training, as well, for it's doubtful that Draco will exhibit his full might against us until we force him to."

"Ya think?" Bit asked. "I'm not sure that's a notion I'm goin' to be feeling warm and fuzzy about any time soon."

"Indeed not," Flick nodded. "But the good Lady has a point. We must redouble our efforts to overcome this obstacle, so that we may have the element of teamwork at our advantage when we face him."

"Bit of a roundabout way to say we suck," Bit sighed. "Though, ’tis still true. We got a mile of work to do, and ten feet to do it in. Best we pick our sad asses up off'a the floor and get it together."

Ramora smiled at them, seeing their resolve. She wished she could offer some good advice, or encouragement, or anything really. Her traitorous tongue was one of their biggest problems, though, leaving her to sit and listen, looking even more crestfallen than before.

"That look don't be suitin' yer pretty face, darlin," Bit told her as he bent over to give her a smile. "If the blind lass can manage, you sure as well can, too, or I'm ten feet tall, yeah?"

Giving him a tired smile, she nodded. The three-and-half-foot high Blessed of Amaron nodded back, patting her on the head. It wasn't much, but as she looked to Tanna, she admitted, she found a great deal of inspiration. She wasn't letting her disadvantage hold her back, nor was she feeling sorry for herself. It was time to stop thinking of what she couldn't do, and focus on what she could.

Esteban burst in on them with the force of a hurricane, scattering her thoughts to the wind with a single cry.

"Chara's missing!"

Leaping to her feet, Ramora ran to him, grasped him by the arms and tried to calm him as he repeated himself a few times. From across the chamber, Leto and Rick came running, the rest of the Blessed, and even Rills’ team, joining them as the Werecat mewled horribly.

"Esteban, calm down, tell us what's happened," Leto encouraged.

Struggling with it, the big Cat finally nodded, saying, "She said she was going down the street, to that cafe, and bring us back a snack, but she never returned. She's been gone for four hours now! I tried tracking her scent, but there's too many in this city! I couldn't follow it."

As the Cat slumped, shaking in fear, Bit asked what most everyone was thinking. "Who the bloody Hells is Chara?"

"A friend to Ramora and I," Leto answered.

"Oy, that's nice," the Halfling nodded. "And who might he be?"

"Esteban, also a friend," the Blessed of Grannax answered.

"I see," Bit nodded. "Mighty big bloke, that is. Why are we not puttin' him to use in here with us? Him and this missin' lass both?"