Blackhawk Hall Ch. 05

When the three finished eating, Christi said, "Ari has been sparring with me lately, and she's getting really good. I was thinking that maybe we should see if she could use magic too."

Crystania looked Arilee over, causing Ari to feel a little uncomfortable as the woman's piercing green eyes seemed to penetrate her skin and see into her soul. Crystania then said, "I sense nature's blessing upon her. I believe she might be able to learn the Art."

"Cris thinks that all women have the ability to use magic — some more than others — but she believes every woman could, if they just tried," Christi noted.

Cris rose and pulled a small book from a pocket in her robes. She opened it and sat it down in front of Arilee. "See if you can read a few words of this."

Arilee had to lean down a bit to see the tiny, flowing script in the book. "Formeen, Fira, Arseela, Day," Arilee read once she was able to focus on the words.

Christi's mouth dropped open and she asked, "Is that magic missile?"

The elfish woman nodded. "Indeed it is, and she has pronounced the words perfectly."

"I said them right?" Ari asked.

"That’s a true magic spell. Almost all of the magic that I know is what they call hedge magic, little magics that arose in the country out of need, rather than study. It's much easier to learn than true Art. I could never pronounce more than a couple of words of the magic missile spell, and that made my head hurt," Christi said with obvious surprise in her voice.

"I will instruct you in the Art, if such would please you, Arilee," Cris offered.

"Was it really that good?" Arilee inquired.

Christi laughed. "You've got to stop underestimating yourself, Sweetie. Yes, that was very good. Even if you can't ever best me with a sword, you've already defeated me in magic with those few words. You should let Cris teach you."

Something occurred to Arilee then, and she asked with obvious excitement, "Will I be able to fly?"

Crystania smiled and said, "That spell is very difficult, but it is possible to use the Art to soar amongst the clouds."

"I'll try, then. I've always dreamed about flying."

Cris smiled and put her book away. "I will instruct you in the use of some cantrips this evening. I should examine the wards and become familiar with them, in case I need to restore them."

A knock sounded on the door, and Christi went to answer it. Arilee recognized the voice on the other side as Kronk's when he said, "A letter from Queen Alicia."

"Uh oh — I'm in trouble. This will be scolding me because I haven't set a wedding date yet," Christi sighed.

Kronk just laughed and said, "Told you so."

That prompted Christi to blow raspberries at him, and slam the door in his face.

Crystania rose and said, "I will go examine your wards. You may call if you need me, and I shall be ready should the beasts come upon us."

Christi hugged her. "Thanks, Cris. I'll let you know what Alicia had to say."

Ari started clearing the table as Christi sat down and broke the seal on the letter. She had only read for a few moments when she exclaimed, "It's about time. Alicia's pregnant. I was getting tired of the mutterings about no heir to the throne."

Ari smiled and said, "That's wonderful. Has she been trying long?"

Christi answered, "Avoiding it, actually. She and Thakkor wanted to get things under control before they had to deal with the added responsibility of a child on top of a Kingdom trying to adjust from decades of being under the thumb of a dictator. I'm right — I'm in trouble."

"What do you mean?" Ari asked as she finished stacking the bowls.

"Here, look," Christi said and pointed out a passage in the letter.

Arilee looked down and read the line that said, If I am fat and ugly, or have to stop to feed my child in the middle of your wedding, I'm going to be very cross with you, Christi.

"Like I said — I'm in trouble. I've got about a month to put together a wedding and pull it off, or Alicia will be showing, and I'll never hear the end of it," Christi lamented, and then sat back heavily in her chair with a great sigh.

"I could help you plan your wedding. I've been dreaming about mine all my life," Ari offered.

Christi put the letter down on the table. "Really? We don't want anything too extravagant, but it has to be at least enough to pass muster as a state wedding. Cerebus' brother can marry us, and we can have it down in the audience hall."

Arilee smiled brightly. "I'll be happy to do it. You already have the place and the priest, so all I need to do is plan the decorations, send out the invitations, get your dress, decide on..."

Christi held up her hands. "Whoa — this is why I have been stalling so much. If you want to do it, I'll be happy to let you. Just try to keep the wedding simple, and the party afterward grand. Everyone will be drunk enough after the party to forget if the wedding was a bit too simple for their tastes that way. Other than that, just surprise me."

Arilee wiggled a finger at her. "You at least have to pick out your dress."

Christi stuck out her hand in a typical trader's gesture, "Done."

Ari raised an eyebrow — a little confused — but shook Christi's hand.

Christi let out a long sigh of relief and said, "You don't know how much better that makes me feel. If you can pull this off in a month — provided we can get the groom back here in time — I'll kiss your feet for a week. That is, unless you have something else you'd like me to kiss?"

Ari blushed and shivered at that suggestion. "I can do it. I've been planning my wedding ever since I was a little girl. Since you want something simpler, that will only make it quicker."

"Just ask for anything you need. I'll tell Sharon to have the coffers and the staff all at your beck and call. I'll sit down, draw up the guest list, and get that out of the way right now. With everything else off my shoulders, I actually feel like doing it," Christi said, getting up and going to look for a pen and paper.

"I'll clean this up and get started too, then," Ari said, and picked up the platter of dirty dishes to return them to the kitchen.

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* . . . *
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It was getting near dark, and Cerebus was not amused with the hedgerows that had sprung up everywhere as he and his soldiers approached the next village. First, they were thick enough to hide an army behind, and second they were Osage carefully trimmed for the purpose of forming a natural, bushy fence.

Cerebus turned to Ashtar and his Captain. "I say we get the hell as far away from all those damn tree walls as possible, and set camp. It looks like the next village is surrounded by those damn things. I'd rather have daylight on our side as we're coming up on the place."

"It's taking us forever to get anywhere with the attacks every couple of miles, and I don't like the look of that village with night falling either. I agree — we should set camp," the Captain expanded.

Ashtar spoke up as well, "I am being in agreement, also. I shall be setting alarms to be warning us of trespassers."

Mindblind kicked one of the hard, pebble-textured fruits of the tree that was lying at his feet off into the distance. "Get all these catapult stones out of the way, and set camp, men. Get some grub on."

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* . . . *
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Christi had sat down and finished the guest list, and Ari had already drawn up an impressive amount of notes regarding the wedding as night enveloped Blackhawk Hall. Crystania returned to say that she was now familiar with the wards.

Crystania sat down a well-worn old book, her first from when she began studying magic. The book had the same beautiful, flowing script as the book the elfin woman had shown to Ari earlier. Crystania pointed out a cantrip that she thought Arilee should try to learn first, and then sat down to assist her. Meanwhile, Christi studied the spell that told her if she was in danger of becoming pregnant. She had nearly forgotten a couple of the words when she had cast it previously, and thought it would be a good idea to refresh her memory.

The cantrip Crystania had selected had only three words and a single, simple gesture. Arilee perfected the proper pronunciation of the words in only a few minutes, and mastered the gesture shortly thereafter.

"Oh," Arilee exclaimed, opening her eyes wide.

"What did you feel?" Cris asked her.

"It was like the sound of a bell in my ears, and my face felt really warm," Ari explained.

"Try to cast the spell," Crystania instructed, pulling a candle on the table over closer to Arilee.

Ari stared at the candle and spoke the words, "Zee Po Chirak," as she made the snapping gesture toward the candle.

The wick of the candle flashed and caught flame, to burn cheerily.

Ari smiled so wide it made her face hurt. "I did it."

Crystania patted her on the arm and said, "That sensation you felt was an indication that you had mastered the spell. Every person feels it, but it is different from person to person. When I have attained mastery of a spell, I hear a sound like birds chirping, and feel a touch like water trickling down my back. Sometimes different spells will cause a different sensation as well. I believe you may have the potential to wield many spells of the Art."

"Do you really think so?" Ari asked, thinking about flying with the birds, high above the ground.

Crystania offered a knowing smile, as if she had read Ari's mind. "I can not promise that you will fly, but I believe you may learn much useful magic that will make your life easier, and spells that may compliment your weapons in battle."
Christi looked up and said, "Okay, let me try this. I think I have it down, now. I kept stumbling over the last word because I was rushing a bit when I first learned it."

Crystania observed as Christi cast the spell and placed her hand over her tummy, revealing a cool blue glow. The half-elven woman nodded approvingly, indicating that Christi had cast the spell properly.

"If you don't mind, Ari?" Christi asked, walking over to the blonde.

Ari sat back from the table to let Christi reach her tummy. Christi cast the spell, revealing the same blue glow of safety.

"One more time, Cris?" The Duchess asked of Crystania.

"Of course, Christi."

Christi cast the spell, the glow appearing as it had the two times previous. Just as Christi started to move her hand away, the color shifted to purple, then to rose, and finally glowed bright crimson.

Crystania's eyes opened wide and she gasped, pressing her hands over her loins.

"Crystania is it..." Christi began.

Crystania nodded and a pained look crept over her face. "I-it is upon me."

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* . . . *
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Two figures — wearing cloaks that were far too heavy for the season — stood further cloaked in the darkness of an alley, far from any of the torches or firepots that lit the night. The pair gazed upon the walls surrounding Blackhawk Hall.

"So, Ashtar is gone, and Crystania has come," said the first, far taller and leaner than the second.

"Yes, it is ridiculously easy to get information out of the place. They don't seem to care who knows what's going on in there," the shorter figure replied.

"I trust that Ashtar is with the Duke in the field?"

The stocky man nodded and looked warily around before replying, "Word only just arrived. He is within the snare."

The taller man chuckled, a haunting sound that held nothing resembling mirth. "The fool is perhaps better suited to the task than I would have anticipated. Soon, we shall be ready, and I have a delightful twist to add to the torment now."

"I like the sound of that," the second man said with a wicked sounding chuckle of his own.

"Go, then. You know what to do."

"Of course, Master."

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* . . . *
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"Ari, help me get her over in the bed," Christi said, ducking down to pull Crystania's arm over her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Arilee asked as she mirrored Christi’s action on Crystania’s other side.

"I'll explain later. Just help me get her over to the bed," Christi answered as she lifted the trembling half-elven woman up.

Arilee and the Duchess managed to get Crystania on her feet, and Ari remarked, "She's burning up."

"I know what to do. She'll be okay in a little while," Christi explained as they half-carried Crystania over to the bed.

Crystania pulled something from within a pocket of her robes and handed it to Christi as soon as the pair helped her lay down on the bed. "Tap it to the door, please."

Christi handed the small, milky, crystal sphere to Arilee. "Go lock the door and tap this on it afterward."

Ari nodded and hurried to do as Christi had asked of her. Once she finished, she turned to see Christi helping Crystania remove her robes.

Arilee could not suppress her gasp this time, as the Duchess revealed Crystania's body. Part of her elven heritage was that she had no hair on her body whatsoever, save for the long blonde tresses upon her head. The woman's figure was lithe and willowy, and she had long, perfectly shaped legs. Her breasts were small, but taut as a drumhead and perky, the nipples erect and pointing toward the ceiling. Her whole body was flushed red from the tips of her pointed ears to the tips of her toes, and wetness shown between her bare, pink lips.

Christi laid her hand over the elven woman's mound, and some of the pain in Crystania's expression drained away. "Relax, Cris. We'll take the pain away," Christi told her.

"What do we do?" Ari asked with her eyes locked on Crystania's body, and wetness gathering between her legs. The scent of Crystania's arousal hung heavily around the bed.

"Make her come — hard," Christi answered as she moved between Crystania's legs, which the woman parted as soon as Christi moved.

Christi and Crystania both moaned as Christi's tongue parted the nether lips before her. Ari moved toward the head of the bed and wrapped her lips around the pebbled flesh of Crystania's right nipple.

Crystania's hands came to rest upon the other two women's heads, stroking their hair as she whimpered with each exhaled breath. Ari suckled first one nipple, then the other, an ache gathering between her legs as she listened to the musical sounds of pleasure coming from Crystania, and the soft slurping of Christi lapping the half-elven woman's folds.

Christi lifted her head from Crystania's sex with a moan and said, "Come taste her, Ari."

Arilee released the nipple she was suckling, and moved quickly between Crystania's smooth thighs. When her tongue touched the woman's labia, she gasped in delight. The abundant wetness flowing from within Crystania tasted like fresh, sweet fruit juices. Ari swirled her tongue all over and between the woman's folds, lapping up the sweet wetness and shuddering.

Christi lifted Crystania's hood to lightly swirl her tongue over the erect bud beneath. Crystania's whimpers changed to deeper moans as both women labored over her wet heat. Ari started to feel lightheaded, almost as if she was becoming intoxicated on the sweet nectar that she gathered up on her questing tongue.

Crystania's hips rocked, and the pressure of her hands on both women's heads increased as her pleasure mounted. As Crystania drew nearer to release, the flow of her juices increased, which drove Arilee to greater efforts. She didn’t want to miss one sweet drop.

Crystania suddenly stiffened, pressing down hard on both Christi and Arilee, and she gasped out, "Oh yes," as she toppled over the edge into orgasm.

Crystania emitted a series of loud, musical screams as her climax took control of her body. Her juices flowed from her in a torrent, and Christi moved to slide her tongue between Crystania's lips, to taste the sweet flood with Arilee.

After a few moments, Crystania gently pushed the other two women away from her quivering sex and moaned, "Oh, thank you."

After pausing for a moment, Crystania shivered and said, "It has subsided, but I still feel the heat upon me. It will swell again soon."

"What is it?" Ari asked, pulling the sweet juices coating her face to her lips with little whimpers of delight.

"Here's the short version," Christi began, "Elves tend to live lives lacking any sort of urgency, because they live for hundreds of years, and have plenty of time to get everything done — eventually. That unfortunately extended to making babies, and the number of elves started to dwindle. The elders came together and cast a great magic that brings the heat upon elven women after a certain age, causing them to be able to think of nothing except sex when they are fertile and have no children."

The Duchess continued as Crystania's skin once again flushed with rosy heat, "Because Crystania is half human, the heat comes on her more often. She either has to get pregnant, or at least have powerful orgasms to make it subside."

Crystania gasped out, "My robe, please."

Ari climbed down to the floor and retrieved the robe, handing it to Crystania. The slender woman rifled through it with trembling hands and pulled something out of a pocket. At first, Ari thought it was a wooden cock, but when Crystania handed it to Christi, Arilee saw that it looked more like a long stemmed mushroom.

"This... This seems to help. I thought to take the heat myself with it, but I still need another's touch to make it fade," Crystania gasped out and then fell back to the bed, reaching between her legs to caress her folds.

Christi moaned upon looking at the wooden toy, and then moved to kneel at the foot of the bed. She guided Crystania to move toward her and said, "Lick her bud while I stroke her pussy with her toy, Ari."

With that, Christi sucked the wooden shaft between her lips, wetting it, and then poised it at the entrance to Crystania's canal. She slowly pressed it into Crystania's depths as Arilee leaned over to roll the elf woman's clit beneath the hood with her tongue.

Crystania writhed this time, as Christi stroked the wooden shaft into her depths. Ari rolled and lapped the swollen bud beneath her tongue, occasionally sneaking away to lap up the sweet nectar from the thrusting shaft, and Crystania's folds.

Christi sucked her finger, then swirled the digit through a stream of wetness seeping out around the shaft she was thrusting at an ever-increasing pace into Crystania's clenching canal. She then slid the tip of her finger into the puckered opening of Crystania's ass and curled it upward, stroking it slightly within.

Crystania bucked her hips upward with each thrust of the wooden toy, grasping her firm breasts and tweaking the nipples as she climbed her mountain of pleasure once more. The heat within her swelled, and she screamed from between clenched teeth as it filled her whole body.

Just as blackness threatened to cloud Crystania's vision from the painful swell of pressure within her, the bubble burst, and all the energy seemed to flow from her sex, bringing with it a torrent of her creamy juices. Crystania's back arched and she screamed her pleasure to the ceiling — an animalistic cry of pure release.

When the scream ended, her back fell to the bed once more and she began to writhe — her body contorting as waves of pleasure shot up and down her spine. She felt the toy slide from inside her, and Arilee's mouth leave her, but it did nothing to dull the power of her climax. On and on it went, causing her body to thrash, and her breath to catch in her throat.

When at last her body ceased to writhe beyond her control, Crystania opened her eyes and gasped for breath, gratefully sucking air into her deprived lungs. Ari and Christi both stroked her skin, looking a little concerned.