TITLE: LORDS OF MAGIC 2 - THE STORM GIANTS AUTHOR: DONNILEE E-MAIL: DONNILEE@SNET.NET WEBSITE: http://donnilee.tripod.com RATING: NC-17 CATEGORY: MSR SPOILERS: NONE. SUMMARY: Mulder and Scully find themselves on a magical world no one ever knew existed. They must fight for their lives and the lives of others if they are to ever make it back home again. DISCLAIMER: All characters used from the show, The X-Files, are the property of Chris Carter, Ten Thirteen Productions, and Fox Broadcasting. No copyright infringement intended. No money made here. DISCLAIMER 2: All references to elements of the game, The Lords of Magic, belong to the creators of the computer game, Sierra Games. No copyright infringement intended. I have not just stolen characters as I have in the X-Files. This time I've stolen an entire universe! Just showing that I'm an equal opportunity thief! THANKS: To my beta readers Cratkinson, FatCat, and XochiLuvr, who keep me from making major boo-boos and looking stupid. I really appreciate it. Go team! Thanks so much. This one has been beta read to death! Any errors herein are mine alone. DEDICATION: I would like to dedicate this story to my late grandmother, Blanche Claire Wright Green Taylor, better known as 'Tot'. She was Mahopac, Native American, and was probably the first person to excite my imagination, as she was a storyteller to end all storytellers. She entertained my sister and me for hours by reciting epic poems and stories, filled with adventure and happy endings. She couldn't read well and she couldn't spell for shit, but she had what counted most; an unlimited supply of unconditional love and an imagination without limits. She died over a decade ago, in her own bed, at home, at the age of 84. I still miss her. So thanks to my Gramma Tot, for making me believe imagination can take you far. XXXXXXXXXX PART 1 (PG-13) ATMOS STORM GIANT TERRITORY Scully and I were trapped on the planet of Urak after being abducted by aliens and surviving their spaceship's crash. There might be someone in the universe who had worse luck than we did. However, if they existed, I'd never run into them. We had lucked out in one aspect, however. We had been taken in and trained by the Elves to join their ranks. So with misgivings but determination, we set out to help them on their first attempt to aid the Storm Giants and Faeries of Atmos, and fight the coming of the forces of Skulldown. It was a historical event in the making. The Giants had an odd kinship with the winged Faeries. The Faeries, barely as tall as an average Giant's arm was long, could fly and were apparently very deadly with ice balls and a sling. Scully had been the object of much conversation, admiration and just plain confusion since she had boarded the back of the legendary phoenix, Isis. All I kept thinking was that I had no idea how she was handling it. The woman didn't even like to fly in a plane. As we came closer to the city, the wind picked up and a light dusting of snow covered the ground. I shivered, but the brisk pace kept me warm. I stuck close to Dorian and kept watching Scully as the big bird continually circled the group as though watching over us. I imagined it probably was. As we approached the city of Atmos, six wind riders, their mounted troops, rode out to meet us, exclaiming their gratitude that we had come. We were ushered into the courtyard of the walled city, which looked like nothing so much as a gigantic igloo. I felt the ground shake and two gigantic men strode forward. One wore a blue tunic and leggings and carried a broadsword slung on his back in a scabbard. The other wore a white floor length tunic with a light blue robe over that, sporting a high collar that framed his big head. His snow-white beard hung to below his belt and he used a ten-foot tall clear crystal rod as a walking stick. Each man was easily as tall as the crystal rod give or take a couple of inches. They stopped at the head of our group and bowed to Anzwen. Their faces were oddly smooth and they had high brow ridges that curled up like horns. Dorian leaned in and said, "The one with the sword is their leader and king, Acedric. The one in the robes is Zephyr, the head storm sorcerer." I nodded my understanding. The ground vibrated as the two men walked, such was their bulk. Acedric's voice boomed out over the assembled crowd. "We welcome you, Elves of the Plains. We are most grateful for your aid. The battle wages to the west. I have merely come to greet you and must return to the front." He pointed a table laden with fruits, nuts and steaming meats. "Help yourselves to the food. No one should go into battle on an empty stomach. While you do that, Anzwen and I will confer on strategy. We don't have much time, so eat up!" Dorian said, "They probably forgot to tell you that the Giants eat constantly as well." I laughed, observing the look of distaste on his face. With that, we dismounted and formed a neat line, walking down the table and piling food onto wooden trench plates set out in a pile at the end of the table. I for one couldn't wait to sink my teeth into a nice hunk of red meat. Our diet had been mostly vegetarian up until now. The smell was making my mouth water. I saw Anzwen, Dorian, Joachim, Delelia and Amandine following the two giants up the steps to the palace, which appeared to be made of ice and snow. I hoped they never had a heat wave up here. If they did, Atmos would become a puddle. Oddly, I was not cold, only a little chilly. I searched for and finally found Scully. We sat on the ground with some others, balancing our plates on our laps. I tore into the meat and groaned with pleasure. I didn't even know what kind of meat it was, but it was delicious, tender and juicy. "Are you all right? I know how you hate to fly," I said between mouthfuls. She grinned. "It's odd. For all my fear of planes, I wasn't afraid while I was on Isis' back. I thought I would be. After all, there are no walls up there. It's just me and Isis and the open sky." "That is odd. Maybe it's this place." "Maybe, or it could be that I feel anchored in place. Those feathers are deep, for lack of a better word. My legs were completely enclosed in them like a saddle that surrounds me up to my waist. My legs feel pressed to her side, not harshly, but the feathers hold them in place so I don't feel like I'm going to slip, even when I lean from side to side." "You were leaning?" I asked, surprised that she felt that level of comfort. "I was experimenting," she said through a mouthful of bread. "It appears that's how you steer her. Just lean in the direction you want to go, sort of like on a horse. When I'm not steering, she just flies in big looping circles around the group. I'm sure she's looking to see if anything approaches. You wouldn't believe how far you can see from up there." "I can't imagine," I said. "I'm worried about you up there. I wish you could ride with me." She smiled kindly at me. "I'm probably the safest one in the bunch, Mulder." "I know, but I don't like us being separated." "Neither do I but it has to be this way for now. We are too new at this to balk at what we're asked to do." "I know; it doesn't make it any easier though." I was thinking about the fact that we had spent over two weeks sleeping in the same bed and still had not made love. It was bothering me. Now the battle was imminent and I was afraid I could die here in this strange land and have never known what it was like to love Scully in a physical way. The need for physical contact was overwhelming at times. I turned to her. "If we survive this, things are going to change." "What do you mean? Don't talk like that. We're going to survive." I took a deep breath. I stared at her and said, "No more waiting, Scully. We're going to become a couple when this is over, in every sense of the word. We need to be together, in every way, now more than ever. I know we're fighting with and for these people, but we need each other, Scully. At least I hope you need me. I know I need you," I finished quietly. She smiled and palmed my cheek. She leaned in and kissed me tenderly. "You're right. I don't know what we're waiting for. It's just been so frantic and overwhelming since we got here, I haven't had time to think about anything except what was right in front of me," she admitted. I nodded my agreement. "I know, but I need this, Scully. I need you." "I understand. I need you too, Mulder." "ATTENTION!" boomed a voice from the palace steps. That was our cue. I took a chance and grabbed her hand, pulling her into my arms for a short, but hot kiss. She smiled at me as we parted. We rose and I made my way back to my horse. Scully made her way to the gigantic bird that was crouching in the corner of the courtyard. The few other giants we'd seen were gaping at it but hadn't asked about it. We exited the courtyard and assembled outside the gates. Acedric and Zephyr led the way and we headed west. In little more than a mile we could hear the sounds of battle. The clanking of steel-on- steel and the dull thud of missiles hitting flesh carried through the air. I heard a high-pitched, "Oh, oh, oh." As we topped a rise, I looked down on chaos. The sky was littered with small flying creatures dressed in blue with sacks hanging from around their waists. They continually flung stones and ice balls from slings down on the assembled warriors and javelin throwers. The high pitched, 'Oh, oh, oh,' I had heard came from the Faeries tumbling out of the sky as they were hit with javelins. I got my first good look at the Drow force. They were about the same shape and size and build as the Plains Elves with one exception. They all had snow white hair and jet black skin, and wore silver mesh armor, which was obviously not disintegrating in the glare of the sun off the snow-capped mountains. We were entering a valley. Our instructions were to flank the horsemen and herd them into the center of the valley. The archers spread out in a ring on the hill and began raining arrows into the melee. We charged at the edges of the fighting. I stuck close to Dorian and followed his lead, move for move. I felt sick the first time I felt my sword sink into flesh. The dark eyes of the Drow looked up at me and then went blank as he fell from his dark brown horse. Staffmen followed the horses and rounded up those that were left riderless as the Drow were killed. Our arrival had turned the tide of the battle. Most of the fighting was taking place in this valley, which was bowl-shaped and about four square acres. The fighting was dying down when I heard an awful bellow from the rim of the bowl. Everyone looked up to see a tall Drow standing on a ridge with purple robes flapping around him. He raised his staff and a ball of black mist shot through the air. It appeared to be boiling and as we turned to look at its trajectory, we saw that it was heading straight for Zephyr, who was standing on the opposite side of the battlefield, all by himself. Lightning shot from his crystal staff and thunder boomed overhead, causing roiling clouds to stream at great speeds over the valley. Zephyr turned and began to run along the ridge, his pounding feet causing the ground to shake like thunder. The horses shied and whinnied loudly in fear. The boiling mass had to travel a long distance to reach him but I could see now that he wasn't going to outrun it. A screech split the air and the phoenix appeared overhead. Scully was leaning forward over its neck, her staff held high over her head. They flew in between the black boiling mass and the sorcerer. My heart came up in my throat. 'What the hell is she doing?' I wondered. The phoenix reared in mid-air, flapping its gigantic wings with a thunderous beat. Wind swept through the valley, causing little dust devils to erupt from the snow and dirt, looking like mini tornados. Bits of debris were caught up in the tunnel of wind that the phoenix was creating. Without warning, the wind began to push the boiling mass back toward the necromancer. It flew with twice the speed that it had been tossed. The whirling tornados joined together and formed what looked like a sorcerer made of rippling air the size of the Giant. I wondered if this was the air elemental Ashante and Anzwen had talked about. The mass was pushed back by the whirling tornado and collided with its creator a few seconds later. An inhuman scream of agony split the air as the big Drow crumpled into a heap. I heard Scully scream, "Hiiiyyyaaaa!" She raised her staff and rainbows of blue and white entered it from the clouds and then shot out away from her, turning into lightning. The two streaks of sizzling lightning split the air with electricity and struck a necromancer and a warrior that had just topped the ridge. They fell instantly upon being hit. Unfortunately, they had sent another volley of toxic gas towards Zephyr, the storm sorcerer. The phoenix righted itself and flew quickly to the edge of the battlefield. She dove, her great talons extended, picked the giant up under his arms and rose into the air. The toxic gas passed harmlessly underneath the sorcerer and dissipated upon hitting the rock outcropping on which he had been standing. The phoenix set the sorcerer back down and rose, beginning to circle the area, apparently looking for other approaching foes. Even though the enemy had been struck motionless by the display, it was now recovering. Another great volley of arrows entered the center of the field and cut down more javelin throwers, death warriors and halberders. Another fifteen minutes and the remaining Drow troops were retreating over the ridge, back the way they had come. A Storm Giant warrior told me they were headed for the ocean. He suspected they had ships waiting to take them back to Skulldown. We formed a line with wind riders and storm warriors and began following them. We routed them four miles from the edge of the territory. Remaining Faeries, fae slingers, and wind riders remained scattered along the borders to do patrols. We had lost about ten riders and ten staffmen, so spirits weren't as high as they might otherwise have been upon our victory. The Elven forces retreated to the battlefield and began the gruesome process of collecting the dead and loading them onto a wagon to be brought back to Astarte for burial. I followed Dorian during this process and was nearly sick from the smell. He pulled a leaf from the pocket of his tunic and handed it to me. "Crush it and spread the juice under your nose," he explained. I did as he instructed and the gagging stopped. It smelled like eucalyptus. The enemy dead were piled at the end of the battlefield, Drow and mounts alike. The enchantresses hurled sun missiles at them and lit them on fire, burning the mass to ashes. Meanwhile, the storm sorcerers conjured wind to blow the foul smell away from the field. Hours later, exhausted, we retreated to the city. Zephyr fawned all over Scully, thanking her for saving his life. She gave all the credit to Isis. I approached and wrapped my arms around her from behind. She smiled and said, "Zephyr, this is my mate, Mulder." I flashed Scully a grin, pleased to hear her call me her mate instead of her partner. The Giant shook my hand, careful not to crush my bones when his huge hand engulfed mine. He turned his attention back to Scully. "That lightning was not from Isis; that was from you. So was the air elemental. How is it that an Elven enchantress can wield the forces of Air?" he asked. She shrugged. "I don't know. I just pictured it, thought of lightning bolts striking them down and it happened, through the conduit of my staff. I'd never done that before and I'm Human, not an Elf." "You are dressed as a noviate, yet you ride the enchantress guardian. You are the subject of quite a bit of curiosity, young lady," he commented. She smiled. "I do as I'm told. Ashante commanded me to ride the phoenix, so I did." "She must have had one of her visions." Anzwen approached and said, "That's what Amandine tells us." He had obviously been eavesdropping. "Is Acedric about?" he asked. "Yes, he was taking stock of our losses with his officers, Akonnod and Gredrysean. We lost many today. I'm sad to say Asendalt, the head thief is not happy either. He lost many Faeries today. They are fast and agile, but stand no chance if struck with the javelins of the Drow. I was surprised at the javelin throwers' aim, frankly." "I think we've all underestimated the Drow, Zephyr," Anzwen commented. "We have an alliance with the Amazons. They in turn have an alliance with the people of Symmet. I think it may be time for our four peoples to join forces and come to some sort of agreement about coming to each other's aid." "I'm sure Acedric will be willing to negotiate. Today was a horrible set back for him. He will feel its sting, and the people will demand to know what he is going to do to prevent such a massacre in the future." "Are you allied with the people of Arkia?" he asked. I remembered that they were the people that worshipped Chaos. We waited silently for him to answer. Zephyr replied, "Not really. We have a neutral agreement with them as they border us to the north. We don't bother them, and they don't bother us. We allow them to pass through our territory unmolested as long as they cause no trouble, and they do the same for us. Occasionally we trade ice for fresh meat. They kill more than they need. The beasts are plentiful up there and not so down here. It spoils without out ice to keep it - we sometimes trade ice or enchanted coolers for their meat." Anzwen nodded. "Well, for now it will be an accomplishment if the four races, Elves, Amazons, Storm Giants and Knights can get together. We'll worry about the others later. I was going to send an envoy soon to try and forge alliances, but this incident has forced my hand with the people of Atmos. Bolgoth is going to know my people aided you. He will seek revenge, most likely." "I'm sure we can come to your aid when the time comes. We need to regroup here, though. I'll speak to Acedric and have him send a messenger when we are recovered from this travesty. We'll set a meeting for sure." "I can count on you, then?" Anzwen clarified. "Yes, I'm all for an alliance. I'm sure I can convince Acedric of the same. He did not want to call for aid." "What convinced him?" Anzwen asked curiously. "I did," the Giant sorcerer replied. Anzwen smiled. "Good to know I have a friend in Atmos." They shook hands and Zephyr offered to house the Elven troops in the palace for the night. Anzwen said he would extend the offer to the troops, but he wanted to get home and report to Ashante and those left at home about the events of the day. We agreed to return with Anzwen. XXXXXXXXXX ASTARTE ELVEN TERRITORY I was tired but jazzed up from the day's events. I needed a bath in the worst way. I found Padriac and mounted wearily, following the majority of the riders out of the gates and heading towards home. The injured were staying and being cared for by Amandine and her adepts. Scully was returning with us to report back to Ashante and of course, to return Isis to her mistress. We moved slower on the ride back and the sky was fully dark by the time we crossed the field in which we had practiced earlier in the day. On the return trip I spoke with Dorian about how close we were to the Air territory of the Storm Giants. He explained that the territories, although individually vast, were laid out like a wagon wheel and were pie shaped. Each territory had built their capital city near the inside spoke so that travel from one to the next would not be daunting. There didn't used to be all this civil unrest. That came later. The hub or center of the wheel was Skulldown, which used to be a communal territory used for trading and meeting of the races. Therefore, although we were close to Atmos, we had not seen hardly any of their territory, just the area surrounding the city. Our weary bunch was thrilled to see the city come into view. We were met by a horde of well-wishers from the city, glad to see us returned. Family members swarmed, looking for their loved ones. Several burst into tears upon finding out their loved one had not returned due to injuries or was among the dead. I handed my horse over to a groom and made my way to our quarters in the palace. Scully was already there and soaking in the bath. I joined her and when we were clean, a knock came on the door. We hurriedly dressed and answered the door. It was Ashante. She asked that we rest now, but meet her for breakfast. We agreed and fell into bed. Despite my declarations, I was too tired to be frisky with Scully. XXXXXXXXXX ASTARTE PALACE PRIVATE DINING ROOM THE NEXT DAY Breakfast was a relaxed affair despite the fact that it was attended by Ashante, Elvara, and Amandine from the temple, Dorian and Joachim, and Delelia from the thieves' guild along with two of her officers, Elrorfil and Elrondie. Introductions were made all around and Anzwen presided over the informal meeting while we ate. Each gave reports on the battle and the home fortifications. Anzwen explained his plan to meet with the leaders of Atmos, Crestfall and Symmet to form alliances. He wanted his leaders there for the negotiations. He was hoping his captains could meet with their captains and exchange fighting techniques. This meeting, however, would provide an excellent target for the forces of Skulldown. They could wipe out the leadership of four races should they attack. Therefore, the meeting had to take place in secret and still manage to have a contingent of soldiers from each race to provide security. Since Astarte sat in the middle of the territories, it provided a place for them to meet without anyone having to travel too far. He was going to request that they meet here in Astarte. He planned to alert the Fire Giants of the meeting and invite them. If they didn't attend, they would at least be on the lookout for interference from Skulldown. He hoped that if we were attacked, we would have advance warning. Since the Red Valley bordered Skulldown, they were in the best position to keep watch and routinely did so anyway along their own borders. Plans, pros and cons were discussed and it was decided that an envoy would be sent to each territory simultaneously to invite them to the alliance meeting. I was still a bit puzzled as to why we were included in these discussions. When things died down a bit and everyone was eating I said, "Not to be ungrateful or anything, because I'm not, but I can't help but wonder why we are being included in these discussions." Anzwen looked up from his plate of scrambled pheasant eggs and put his fork down. "I think Ashante should take this one," he said calmly. Scully and I turned our attention to her. She cleared her throat and said, "I have had visions lately, quite a few more than normal. They all concern the two of you playing a pivotal role in the events to come." Scully thought about her words for a moment before saying, "That doesn't make sense." She smiled. "Often the forces of nature and the gods do not make sense until we have hindsight." "We don't even know your customs and traditions yet," I said. "I know but you are learning. Perhaps it is your Human blood that will provide the bond we need to win the coming war." "With whom? Giants?" I asked, clearly skeptical. "The Knights of Symmet are very much like you with a few differences. They tend to be larger and bulkier in the frame, but they are Human-like for the most part. So are the Barbarians, although they are more primitive. They have always resented the grace and beauty of the Elves and Faeries and Dryads, and feared the Amazons and Giants. Anzwen makes this meeting sound like a breeze, but the truth is that it is politically tricky. We are walking some fine lines with these people. There are many, in all the peoples, that don't believe the races can work together, or that they should." Anzwen broke in. "Despite the fact that we aided the Giants and Faeries, there will be those that say we weren't needed and criticize Acedric for calling to us for aid." Scully's brow furrowed. "That's just plain stupidity or foolishness. We saved their lives, many of them anyway. I'm convinced that your forces turned the tide of that battle. It would have been a bloody massacre if you hadn't gone to their aid." Anzwen nodded. "You know that and I know that. Apparently, Zephyr does too, but many were not in the fighting and didn't see the events. Pride can be a tricky thing. Believe me, the Giants have plenty of pride. They are a tough race of people and until now, have rarely needed help for anything. No fighting force has ever bested their armies. It is a terrible blow to them to admit that they couldn't push back the forces of Skulldown." "Do the Knights and Amazons have the same problem?" I inquired. "Not so much, although the people of Order, the Knights of Symmet have the finest and toughest horsemen. We call them paladins and they ride enormous warhorses, all built like our unicorns. Their footmen wield maces and their crossbowmen are second to none. The Amazons have elevated warfare to an art form. They are reasonable, however, and don't shun help if it's needed. We have long had an alliance with them. We help one another. Our economies depend on one another, really. They need our gold and mithral. We need their ale and their irrigation ducts, which feed our fields and make the soil rich for farming." Ashante continued. "The people of Symmet have ignored, at best, and shunned, at worst, the Giants of Atmos because the Storm Giants tolerate the people of Arkia. They worship Chaos and Symmet worships Order, hence, they are mortal enemies from way back in time. They have more pure distain for each other than any of the other races. The Barbarians view the people of Symmet as arrogant and righteous. The people of Order view the Barbarians as cretins, almost a lower life form." Scully frowned. "We're trying to form an alliance with Knights and Storm Giants though, not with the Barbarians, right?" Anzwen nodded. "Yes, but the people of Symmet are righteous and worship order. Therefore judge the Giants because of their tolerance for the Barbarians, who worship chaos." "This is all very complicated," I commented. "Politics usually are," Anzwen replied. I couldn't help but agree. XXXXXXXXXX PART 2 (NC-17) ASTARTE PALACE BEDROOM QUARTERS LATER THAT NIGHT After a long day of more lessons, we retreated to our room. After taking hot baths we entered the bedroom. Before Scully could reach for her nightshirt and drop her towel, my hands landed on her shoulders. I peered over her shoulder and she turned her face to me. "Come here," I said, my voice husky. She turned into me and we embraced. I lowered my head and brushed my lips lightly over hers. She sighed in response and then pressed her lips to mine. My mouth opened to deepen the kiss and her hot little tongue slid into my mouth. I moaned as I felt my groin stand up and salute. Our kissing went on for many minutes. During that time, both our towels slipped to the floor. I finally broke away and steered her gently to the bed. I followed her down and lay next to her on my side. She was on her back. The back of her hand ran up and down my naked torso. XXXXXXXXXX NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX "I wanted to take my time, Scully, but I'm so excited." She interrupted. "There will be time for that later. God, I want you so bad." I felt the blood pound in my ears as I slipped between her spread legs and began to suckle on her perky breasts. My heart was beating harshly against my ribcage. I was excited but also nervous. I wanted this to be good for her and I was afraid I wasn't going to last. She moaned and pushed her chest into my face. My fingers found her juncture and I groaned as I felt her wetness fall over my fingers. I took my weight on my elbow and moved up. I used a free hand to line myself up with her entrance and then pushed gently. When the head of my cock popped inside, she gasped. I held still and took the opportunity to put my other arm down on the bed. At her nod, I continued my journey and pressed until I was fully sheathed in her hot, snug tunnel. I groaned, butting up against her cervix. She pulsed her hips against mine and I took it as my cue to move. "It's been so long, Scully. God, you feel so good. This feels so right. I've wanted this for so long." "For me too," she whispered. I began to thrust softly and she moved beautifully beneath me, lifting her hips to meet mine, pulling me in, her walls sucking as I retreated. It was like we were performing some dance both of us had practiced for years. "It's perfect," I croaked and leaned down to kiss her again. "You feel so good." I stroked as slowly as I could, wanting it to last. It had been a long time since I'd been with anyone. Now, I was making love to the object of all my fantasies for the last five years. The reality of the situation nearly overwhelmed me and I panted and grunted, feeling myself build the tempo of my thrusts, sliding into her in long, deliberate strokes. I looked down at her flushed face and marveled at her beauty. I kissed her and felt her love and affection for me. I was still amazed by it. "I love you, Scully," I whispered. "Love you too, Mulder," she responded. "Feels so good to say it!" I cried. "God, I love you." My cock parted her walls and I could see her vibrate with pleasure. I swiveled my pelvis, pushing against her clitoris and she began to whimper. "Oh, oh, right there, Mulder. Oh Jesus, right there." I sped up, being sure to hold my angle and within a few more strokes, her back was arching off the mattress and she was pressing onto my shaft as she tried for the last bit of stimulation. It worked and I felt her spongy, snug walls clamp down fiercely on my invading shaft and then release in a stunning rhythm of convulsions. I watched her eyes roll back in her head and listened to her grunt as her climax took her. I could feel my balls, heavy with sperm. I delighted in the smacking sound my sack made as it hit her ass while I stroked through her orgasm. The way her muscles were quivering and clamping down ripped away my last shred of control. I could no longer hold back. I came up on my hands, slammed into her deeply, and growled. I felt my essence surging, stiffening my shaft, and then gushing into her. I pictured it splashing onto her cervix and shouted, "Oh God, Scully! Love you, love you, love you." I felt my cock stiffen and spray inside her three more times before I finally went boneless; the aftershocks making me shiver as I let my weight down on top of her soft body. XXXXXXXXXX END NC-17 PORTION XXXXXXXXXX "Why on earth did we wait so long to do that?" she asked when she had recovered enough to speak. "I don't know. Maybe because we were on Earth," I said suggested ruefully. She chuckled, her tummy bouncing slightly and I removed my weight from her and rolled onto my side next to her. I laid a hand on her stomach and her palm came up to my cheek. "I love you, Mulder. Whatever happens, don't ever forget that." "I love you too. What the hell were we so afraid of?" I asked softly. She shrugged. "Ruining what we had, I guess. Fear of rejection? I don't know," she finished. "All those things seem trivial now," I commented. "I'm glad I don't have to hide how I feel from you anymore." She nodded in agreement and leaned forward to kiss me softly. "Yeah, they do seem trivial." She was silent for a few moments and then said, "What if we can't leave here?" I stiffened but then forced myself to relax. "I don't want to believe there is no way to get back. We got here, there has to be a way to get back." "Maybe the grays will send another ship. They must know by now that they lost a ship." "Maybe. Even if they were to come though, would we want to go with them? We have no idea where they were taking us, or what they planned to do to us." "You're right, of course. I would rather stay here and take my chances than leave with them," she agreed. "Let's get some sleep. We'll have to take it one day at a time." She turned over and I spooned up behind her, feeling sated and mildly disturbed at the same time. I was so relieved to have this first physical encounter behind us. That it went off without a hitch was equally satisfying. The idea of living the rest of our lives here, however, was more disturbing than I wanted to admit. Not that I didn't like it here or the people, but we didn't belong here. I'd never thought I would say it, but I missed home. XXXXXXXXXX SKULLDOWN DEATH TERRITORY Balgoth stood in front of the alter and finished summoning his god. "Great Master of the Opening Abyss, I SUMMON THEE!" There was a sound like sky was splitting open, a loud crack and then the apparition of a gigantic face, nearly twenty feet tall and swirling with red smoke appeared above the altar. "You summoned me?" "Yes, my Lord. We were unable to take the people of Atmos in this offensive." "Why not?" the voice boomed overhead. "To our surprise, my Lord, they called for assistance from the Plains Elves. The force the Elves sent was substantial and we were quickly outnumbered and overrun. I decided to retreat until we could figure out a new plan to counteract this alliance." "You need a bigger army, Balgoth. It's time to start going farther out in the field to find your sacrifices and your army. Every race has enormous burial grounds. If you've exhausted ours, then go to theirs. Simple. Get the army you need. Send out raiding parties to hurt their resources. Do whatever you have to do. I will not lose this war, Balgoth, because of your bumbling. I WILL become flesh again. For that, many sacrifices will have to be made." "I understand, my Lord. I won't fail you again." "See that you don't." Another crack and he was gone. Balgoth swallowed. He was evil, he was tough, he was feared. Right now, for the first time in his life, he was scared. There was much civil unrest on Urak. Earth and Water worshipers had been arch enemies for centuries. Air and Fire had been enemies for centuries, likewise with Chaos and Order worshipers. Of course, Death had always despised the Elves, worshipers of life and the sun. The sun was their biggest enemy, larger than all the rest. He and few of his finest adepts had figured out how to spell the soldiers so they didn't need fear the sun. Spelled mithral for the soldiers and enchanted books for the assassins and necromancers seemed to do the trick. The skeletons didn't need protection but the Vampires and Liches did. While this was no burden on the army, it was a horrible drain on the necromancers. More were being trained every day, but it was hard to keep up with the need. They needed to start gaining ground quickly. Atmos was supposed to fall easily. The spell protections for the soldiers provided moderate protection from weather magic as well. With Atmos in hand, they would have had a new base of operations. The snow caves were perfect for staying out of the sun. Something had gone terribly wrong. Although neutral towards the Storm Giants, the Elves were not supposed to come to their aid. It was unheard-of. He hadn't told Golgoth of the flame-haired witch on the phoenix. Who was she? No Drow had ever seen the fabled phoenix. If they had, however, they would have expected Ashante to be aboard its brilliant plumes. He'd been too far away to see her clearly, however, her hair had been like a beacon, nearly matching the red of the phoenix feathers. He needed to know who she was. She had harnessed weather magic and thrown P'tal's magic right back at him. How could an Elf harness weather magic? There was more going on here than met the eye. He strode from the temple and emerged onto the street, finding his minion waiting for him. "I'm returning to my quarters. Find Naricon and bring him to me immediately. The young Drow bowed low. "Right away, Master." XXXXXXXXXX Naricon approached Balgoth's chambers and slipped quickly through the door. His master sat in the shadows of the room but he saw him easily. His infravision cut through the darkness like a knife. Balgoth raised his head and said, "We have a problem I need you to get rid of." Naricon simply tipped his head to one side. He was a man of few words, which irritated the hell out of a lot of his peers. On the other hand, he was second to none with a blade, the most skilled assassin in all of Skulldown. It was why he was head of the Assassin's Guild. He brushed his dark cowl off the back of his head, his snow-white hair spilling out over his collar. His skin was the color of congealed oil, black as pitch. His brilliant grass-green irises were nearly hypnotic against the white background of his corneas set in the dark skin. He was the chief assassin. He delighted in knowing that he made even Balgoth nervous on occasion. What most people didn't know was that Balgoth had demon blood running in his veins. He wasn't immortal, but the chances were that he would live twice as long as the average Drow. He would also be very hard to kill. Not that Naricon had any desire to do that, but it did please him to note his leader's discomfort around him. He knew Balgoth was waiting for a response. He simply asked, "Who's the target?" Balgoth stood and waved his hands, intoning something under his breath and a ghost-like apparition appeared of a redheaded woman atop the fabled Elven phoenix. He had heard of this. All of Skulldown was buzzing with the gossip. "I don't know her name, but with that hair, she shouldn't be hard to find," Balgoth informed him. "Is she an Elf?" "I presume so, but I wasn't close enough to see her and didn't have time to cast a spell. I was busy saving P'tal's ass." Naricon actually chuckled at Balgoth's dark wit. It was an odd, low-pitched sound that few ever heard from the stoic and deadly Drow. The corners of Balgoth's mouth actually turned up but it didn't quite turn into a smile. He liked Naricon and was probably one of the few that didn't fear him. Mainly because he was the only one people feared more than Naricon. He liked that he didn't talk much. Balgoth had no patience for extraneous conversation, and absolutely no tolerance for chitchat. This was not to say the assassin didn't sometimes make him uneasy. "Is she living in Astarte?" Narcon asked. "I believe so. If she is a powerful adept, then I'll bet they have her in the bosom of the palace." "Risky," he said simply. Balgoth nodded, waiting. Then he said, "She must go to their temple, though." Narcon nodded thoughtfully. "I'll take care of it." Balgoth nodded his approval and walked over to the gigantic desk. He opened a drawer and took out a leather-bound book. It was small, about three inches by five inches and he handed it to Narcon. He stepped forward and took it from his hand. "Keep it with you at all times," Balgoth said. Naricon nodded. He knew it was a book spelled to protect him from the elements, mostly the sun. "Thank you," he said simply. "May Golgoth be with you," Balgoth said. Naricon knew he was dismissed. He canted his head to the side in acknowledgement, bowed slightly and turned on his heel and left. Balgoth sighed loudly. If anyone could eliminate this problem, Naricon could. If he couldn't, they were in trouble, more trouble than he wanted to deal with. XXXXXXXXXX ASTARTE TEMPLE REJUVENATION TEMPLE The surprises kept coming. The morning following our return to Astarte, Anzwen, and Ashante took us to the rejuvenation temple. It was a building constructed of crystal and silver tucked away in a grove of trees about five hundred yards behind the life temple, the tree in which they worshipped. The place was like something out of a fantasy world. We were taught the rituals and shown how to bathe in the hot spring waters that were bubbling up in bowl-like crystal indentations in the floor. Then we spent the night on sleeping mats filled with goose down feathers, inhaling the salty-smelling brine and vapor in the air. It was a bit like sleeping in a sauna only not quite so hot. I felt drained when we finally lay down to sleep, our mats pulled close together. "Jesus, I'm tired," I whispered to Scully. "Me too." Ashante and Anzwen were sleeping there too. "You will feel great in the morning," Anzwen said softly. We trusted him, and fell into a deep sleep. They had told us that the waters here held special powers. Something about the combination of silver and crystal attracted mana, their term for magical energy. By bathing in the waters and inhaling the warm vapors, your body absorbed the mana. The healing properties of this were astounding. Apparently, if you were injured with twenty-four hours of leaving the rejuvenation temple, chances were you would heal immediately, unless dealt a mortal blow to a major organ. I had no idea if it worked or not, but nothing else they had told us so far had turned out to be false. We weren't getting much of a break. Tomorrow after we had breakfast and went to the temple, we were heading out with a small group to inform the Amazons of our plans to meet to discuss alliances. We would need time to gather the other races; therefore, they had decided to schedule the meeting for two moons hence, or nearly two months in the future. This would give us enough time to round everyone up. I sighed and held hands with Scully across our mats. It was too bloody hot to cuddle up in here. XXXXXXXXXX Dawn came early and as Anzwen had said, I felt like a new man. It was hard to describe. The air smelled crisper, my muscles were limber and I felt like bouncing up to greet the day. Scully was smiling as we made our way to breakfast. We had a nice conversation at breakfast with Anzwen, Ashante and some of the army captains. Everyone avoided the subject of war. After breakfast, we packed up saddlebags with food and a change of clothing. This would be at least an overnight trip. This time Anzwen was staying behind. Ashante would lead our party, which would include Dorian, Joachim, and their ten Elven riders, plus me and Scully. XXXXXXXXXX Ashante's unicorn, Zalika, had been with Ashante from the time she was a young girl. Apparently, the Plains were not short on unicorns. They bred in the wilds and upon reaching adulthood, would approach the Elves. For some reason not quite understood, even by the Elves, unicorns formed what the Elves called 'bonds' with an Elf upon reaching adulthood. They usually chose an enchantress, but not always. On rare occasions a warrior or boy would be chosen. In those cases, if the boy grew to be a warrior, he would ride his unicorn into battle, rather than a Saurus mount or a regular warhorse. They never questioned the choice. For the rest of that Elf's life, the unicorn would serve them and protect them. The females were pink and the males were blue. Every five years or so, they might migrate back into the wild for a few days to mate but would return once they were pregnant or had impregnated a female. Oddly enough, a unicorn had never chosen anyone outside of the Elven race. I asked how the Elves knew what the unicorn's choice was. I was told that the unicorn simply approached the chosen one and tapped them on the shoulder with his horn. The unicorn would then fold his legs underneath him, put his horn to the ground and wait for the Elf to mount his back. Then he would stand up and whinny. Mounting the unicorn was a sign of accepting the bond. The Elves had never heard of anyone refusing an offered unicorn bond. It was considered a privilege. Of course, there were definite advantages to riding a creature with a three to four-foot horn on their head. The horn could be deadly and was often employed when in battle. The unicorns instinctively knew how to take commands and did not need to be trained like the warhorses. Apparently, as the bond grew, a subtle form of telepathy formed between the Elf and the unicorn. They didn't 'talk' so much as 'transmit' to the bonded Elf. You would simply 'know' what their name was, and often other information would come to you from your unicorn. This same phenomenon also happened with the Pegasus, although that occurrence was even more rare. Hence, when Percival had appeared one day and chosen Anzwen, all the Elves took it as a sign that he was destined to be their leader. Due to the fact that a unicorn had never approached a Giant, although they could have easily held their weight, or an Amazon, it came to be expected that only Elves could form a bond with the mysterious creatures. No one was more surprised than Scully and I that morning. Our group of fifteen was making its way to the stables where all the warhorses, unicorns and Pegasus' were housed when not serving the Elves. It was located just outside the city walls. It was an enormous building that easily had two-hundred mounts inside. The barn was open to a big, fenced-in pasture. Farther out, there were more stables for the military scattered around the cities and villages. About twenty yards from our destination, a loud whinny split the air. It was immediately followed by another whinny, slightly different in tone. I felt shivers go down my back as I turned to watch two unicorns galloping across the field to the west headed straight for the stables. Everyone stopped and turned to face the unicorns. The eight soldiers, Dorian, Joachim, and Ashante all turned to form a straight line facing the unicorns. They obviously knew what was going on. Scully and I stepped into the line with them, simply to follow suit. They were both magnificent creatures, standing nearly seventeen hands high, which translated to about 68 inches, tall at the withers. Their heads were held high and rose another three and a half feet in the air. My breath actually caught in my throat at their beauty. I watched the fluid motion of their muscles rippling under their skin. I whispered, "My God, they're beautiful." Scully asked, "What's happening?" Ashante said, "They have come to claim a bond." "With whom?" Scully asked. Ashante shrugged. "We must wait and see." So we waited. It took them a couple more minutes to get to the stables. They had slowed to an easy lope by the time they approached, growing larger in our vision. They stopped about ten feet in front of us, snorting and tossing their heads. The blue male stepped forward first. Imagine my surprise when he walked right up to me, tapped me on the shoulder and proceeded to fold himself down on the ground. "What? Holy shit!" I nearly shouted. Several soldiers laughed, as did Scully and Ashante. I could see jealousy on the faces of a few others. "Just get on his back?" I asked. Ashante answered, "Yes. Get on and brace yourself, then get a hold of his mane. I gingerly stepped up to the enormous creature. I threw one leg in the air and slid across its broad back, my feet barely touching the ground even though it was lying down. I grabbed fistfuls of his mane with both hands and he slowly made his way to his feet with a grace that belied his bulk. He was much broader than the warhorse I was used to riding and I gasped as I realized how high up I was. I smiled at Ashante and swallowed hard. "I can't believe it." She smiled widely and said, "This is a sign that you are meant to join our people." "But I'm not an Elf!" I exclaimed. "This is a first, in my lifetime anyway," she replied. I was smiling so hard my cheeks hurt and my heart was pumping so fast I thought it would spin right out of my chest. "Could he have made a mistake?" I asked innocently. Her tingling laughter floated up to me, along with chuckles from several others. When she had her mirth under control, she looked up at me and shook her head fondly. "No, Mulder. There is no mistake. You have been blessed with a unicorn bond." I felt the tears come to my eyes and blinked rapidly to keep them from falling. I was so overwhelmed. Shivers chased themselves up and down my back. Then it got even weirder. I felt a buzzing in my head and I shook it slightly, thinking I was getting dizzy. Instead, a name came to me. I hadn't really 'heard' it in my head, but I knew. His name was 'Jadian'. Ashante smiled at me. "You were given his name?" she asked. She knew exactly why I was shaking my head. I could tell the question was rhetorical and nodded. "His name is Jadian. Jay-dee-in," I clarified, saying it slowly. He tossed his head and nickered softly. I laughed out loud and patted his neck. He backed up gracefully to stand next to the female unicorn. Ashante commented, "It means supernatural creation and he is that, for sure." The female snorted and tossed her head. Ashante said, "This one is about to make her choice." Ashante seemed to be the only one not thrown or surprised when the female approached Scully and tapped her on the shoulder. Mimicking the routine of her companion a few moments earlier, she folded herself to the ground, touched her horn to the dirt and waited patiently. Scully gasped. "Both of us? This is too much!" she cried. Despite her words, we could all hear the excitement in her voice. Following the instructions given to me, Scully stepped up to the creature. She had to hop a bit to throw herself up on its back and a few chuckles were heard. She grasped the golden mane and the female stood to her full height, only about two inches shorter than Jadian. Everyone waited, watching silently. When I saw Scully shake her head slightly just as I had done, I knew what was happening. It had disconcerted me a bit, but I was thrilled by it. After a few seconds Scully looked up, a smile from ear to ear and informed us, "Brenneka. Bra-nee-ka," she enunciated, savoring the sound. She looked at Ashante as if for confirmation. Ashante said, "It means blazing light. Congratulations, you two. This is certainly a day for the history books. Not one, but two non-Elves were chosen for a unicorn bonding. This does nothing but confirm my belief that the two of you are essential to the Elves for the conflict to come. One of the soldiers stepped forward and handed me the saddlebags I had been carrying on my shoulder. I saw another soldier was handing Scully hers. Ashante turned to us and said, "Come inside and we'll get you some saddles for them. While we can ride bareback, it's not possible when carrying supplies." "Should we get down?" I asked stupidly. She grinned. "I know you don't want to, but yes. Don't worry, they won't be going anywhere." We both tossed a leg over their backs and slid to the ground, holding our saddlebags thrown over our shoulders. We followed the rest as they trooped into stables. Our newly acquired friends followed obediently behind. Both Scully and I kept looking behind us, not used to being followed so closely. 'I guess we'd better get used to it,' I thought. You couldn't have ripped the smiles off of our faces. Today a unicorn, tomorrow the Amazons. To think I'd once thought my life was boring. THE END.