The Dove is practically flying. Her sail is bellied out to its limit, and Arcadia’s done something to the water as well, laid an unnatural current beneath its hull to speed us along. We’re slicing through the open seas at impossible speed. The ride is surprisingly comfortable, however. There’s none of the usual pitching and rocking, we’re gliding along on a magic carpet of air and water. I’m no sailor, but I think a normal ship would need a sail about five times as large to catch us. As long as it has a following wind.

“She’s a powerful Sorceress,” says Arcadia, as she paces back and forth in front of our bed. “She’s been in battles before. If she were in danger, she could just translocate herself somewhere safe. Right?”

The question isn’t directed at me, I don’t think. She’s looking out the cabin window when she asks it. It seems more like a plea to the universe.

“Sigrun can handle herself,” I say. I’m sitting cross-legged against the headboard of our bed, smirking at her. “What we should be worrying about is how we’ll convince an enemy port of call that we aren’t Ecean spies.”

Arcadia stares off into space, chewing her lip. I feel like she has a dozen puzzles in front of her, and she’s trying to solve them all at once.

“She’ll send word,” she says. “Vouch for us, somehow. She’s certain to have allies in Kellheim. Why else would she have us meet her there?”

She looks at me, and the stress in her eyes makes my heart sink. I need to be more careful about what I say. I want to lighten the load on her mind, but everything that comes out of my mouth makes it heavier.

Maybe talking isn’t the best course of action here.

I reach out and hook my fingers around Arcadia’s belt, pulling her onto my lap. My arms wrap around her middle then, squeezing her against me, and I press my face against the nape of her neck from behind.

I kiss her there. “It’ll be okay,” I whisper.

Goosebumps rise on the back of her neck, and a little shiver follows them. I feel her body relax in my embrace, her weight settling against me. Good. Now we’re getting somewhere.

Arcadia places her hand over the back of mine, gives it a light squeeze. I nuzzle into her hair, close my eyes as I enjoy its scent. It smells like wildflowers.

“She’s like a mother to me. She showed me magic. Made me realize it isn’t just a fairy tale.”

My lips find skin again, and I kiss it, squeezing my arms around her tummy at the same time. She lets out a cute sound, something between a squeak and a sigh.

“Sigrun is a warrior,” I say. “I know one when I see one. I’ll bet she could eat a Legion or two for breakfast.”

Arcadia giggles, and the beauty of that sound sends an unexpected thrill through my body. She shifts herself to the side a little, turning to look at me, and I am struck so hard by the loveliness of her smile that I forget what we were talking about.

Her eyes widen, and her brows rise. Then she blushes and glances away, brushing a hand over her cheek self-consciously. “Is there something on my face?”

The corner of my mouth twitches into a grin for a moment. “There’s about to be.”

I kiss her cheek, and I’m about to do it again but she shifts slightly, making my lips land on a spot between her jaw and her ear. She gasps, her eyes closing tight, a tremble rocking her body as her lips quiver. Her fingertips spread out over the musculature of my arms, clasping onto them as her teeth catch her lower lip.

I take in a breath of air, and something enters my body along with it. A hunger I’ve been pushing away, but the strength and the immediacy of it are irresistible. It’s relaxing, in a way, but at the same time it charges me with an urge to kiss her more. Touch her more. Coax out more of those reactions. I am aware of my mouth opening, claiming a patch of skin on the side of her neck. My arms slowly uncross themselves from around her stomach, one hand traveling down her thigh, the other climbing her side.

“Rekka…” she breathes.

A little yelp escapes her as I suck sharply on the tender skin in my mouth. Her body goes rigid for a moment, before relaxing, yielding. With every slow breath she takes, her ample chest heaves up and down in a way that draws my gaze. As my hands roam over her, I become conscious of how small she really is. A fragile thing. Something I’d die protecting.

After a few moments spent daring myself to do it, I let my hand slide up and grasp one of her breasts from below, lifting it and squeezing it gently. My other hand fingers the clasp of her belt buckle, and when it clicks free Arcadia’s eyes widen.

“W-what are you doing?” she whispers.

“What lovers do,” I whisper back. “But I can stop, if you want.”

The question hangs in the air for a moment, but then she swallows, shakes her head.

“No. Don’t stop.”

I take my time. Which requires willpower, but it’s worth it. Once I’ve pulled off her belt, I unlace the front of her tight trousers, take hold of their waist and begin to tug them down those womanly hips of hers. A vivid blush comes to her cheeks when she realizes what I’m doing, but rather than stop me, she starts to kick her boots off before I’ve stripped her. A few moments later I’m looking down at her bare legs, reaching out to run my hand along the inside of her soft, warm thigh.

Her leg jerks, as she lets out a squeak of a laugh. “Is it supposed to be that sensitive?”

“Not usually,” I say, with a little smirk. “It’s okay. I can be firmer.”

I kiss on her neck some more, and while I’m doing that I apply a bit more force with my hand, rubbing it up higher between her legs, my rough palm gliding over her silky skin. Then it arrives at her most sensitive place, and I cup it, grip it lightly. Her thighs hug my hand in answer, and another soft squeaking sound slips out of her mouth. As I rub her, I feel her begin to wriggle her hips, grinding herself against my callused palm and fingers, her mouth slightly open as she pants for air.

I’m aware of every inch of her. And of myself. Every little movement, every breath, every sound. I feel like the lines between us are beginning to blur together. A faint voice in the back of my mind warns me, tells me I should pull away from the precipice. That it’s not safe to do this. But instead I plunge in deeper.

Arcadia takes hold of my free hand, guides it across her body, to her breast again. This time I slide her tunic up so that I can put my hand on it directly, and I am immediately happy with my choice. It’s warm and firm and round and the noise she makes when I grasp it fills me with fire.

“I’ve never done this before,” she whispers.

“It’s alright,” I whisper back. “I’ll show you how.”

I lay the pad of my middle finger on her pearl then, and when I do I feel a shiver rip down her spine. I tell her to relax, to pay attention. It doesn’t take much. Just a little pressure, you don’t want to rub it raw. Those breathy gasps she was letting out before become full-throated moans as she writhes against me, her whole body responding to even the slightest movement of my fingertip.

I can handle this. She’s safe in my hands. I just have to be careful, gentle, take my time with everything. I’ve never been so conscious of my own strength before. I can bend her to the point where she almost breaks, and not even be aware of it. I have to be aware.

I have to remember, this is for her. I’m hers. All hers.

Arcadia's bare feet slide back and forth against the sheets, as her knees grind together. Her breathing is getting louder, faster, and shakier. She stifles a moan through clenched teeth. I can feel it building inside her, the energy that makes her writhe restlessly in my arms, desperate for release. Her eyes remain closed as her lips open, and continue panting softly.

Then, after gathering her breath,"R-rekka!"

Immediately after she calls out my name, I feel her body go rigid, beginning to jerk as she throws her head back against my shoulder. A long deep breath pours out of her, but then it's silenced by her tightening throat with a little squeak. Her back arches and she pushes herself hard against my fingers, her toes curled against the sheets of the bed. Finally, she begins to relax all at once. Her breath resumes flowing out of her with a happy tone to it. Her lips are pulled into a goofy, tired little smile as she pants for air.

"I-I'm sorry."

I laugh, lean in and nuzzle at her jaw. “Sorry for what?” I ask.

Arcadia shrugs one of her slender shoulders. She nuzzles back against me a bit, but then she turns her face away, blushing. “Aren’t I supposed to last longer?”

“Only boys have to worry about that,” I say. “We can go as many times as we want to.”

My words put that goofy smile back on her face. She looks down a moment, quietly cuddling against me, but then she twists around so that she’s lying on her belly, face to face with me. I don’t intend for my hand to come to rest on her bare behind, it just lands there. A happy accident.

“I want to make you feel good too,” she says.

Wait. Me?

No. This is her first time, there’s no need for that.

Evidently I’m wearing my objection on my face, because she sees it. It makes her smile in a way I haven’t seen before, a loving and mischievous expression. Her eyes shift down to my stomach, and she descends to kiss it. Then she kisses an inch lower, and lower, her lips touching down on each of my abdominal muscles. I feel her fingers curl around the waistband of my breeches, and I gasp and clutch her shoulder to stop her.

Arcadia looks up at me. “What’s wrong?”

“You… Don’t have to.”

She smiles again. “I want to. Just tell me if I’m not doing it right.”

She is the only person in this world I’d have trouble saying no to. And that’s when I’m in my right mind. But I’m definitely not in my right mind at the moment. I can’t deny how much of a thrill it is to see her like this, crawling down my body, peeling off my pants, kissing along newly bared skin. I feel an absurd rush of self consciousness as she strips me down, knowing full well that I’m far from the average person’s idea of a beautiful woman.

It doesn’t matter though. She thinks I’m beautiful. That’s more than someone like me could have ever hoped for.

I feel her mouth on me. It makes me gasp, reach down, thread my fingers into her hair. The sensations come in remarkable detail, warm breath, soft lips, the graze of teeth, the hot, slippery tongue, the vibration of her voice as she moans into me. My eyes roll back, and squeeze shut. I grip her hard by the scalp, remember not to crush her head between my thighs. Fuck. She’s a natural.

I don’t have to give her much direction at all. She uses the reactions of my body as a guide, finds all the secret places inside me that make me cry out in pleasure. She gives the act the same loving attention to detail she gives to everything else she cherishes. Once she has the current of bliss running, it builds and builds inside my center mercilessly.

And then she releases me.

I’m flat on my back, panting. Seeing stars. My hands paw around for her, find her crawling up to kiss me. So I kiss her back, and she’s pulling off my strophium while I’m tugging off her tunic. We’re naked together, arms and legs and tongues entwined. I have many, many more things I want to show her. We get around to most of them throughout the day, but I am in no particular hurry.

It’s past dinner time when we’re finally exhausted. Arcadia is cuddled up to my side, arms looped around my neck, a bare leg draped over mine. She’s still breathing a bit heavily when she kisses my cheek, gives me an embarrassed smile.

“Where did you learn how to do all that?” she asks.

I blush, and smirk at her. “Nar K’zar doesn’t just train the best warriors. We have the best courtesans too.”

She pulls away slightly, and a kiss lands on my shoulder. "I always thought you were the most perfect woman ever. No one else could compare to you. You were special, not like any of the other girls. The kind of body goddesses must have. Strength. Beauty. Kindness."

I’m blushing again. This wily Sorceress has turned the tables on me. Her words make me grin like a fool and look away.

“Stop that,” I say. But there’s no conviction in my voice.

Arcadia only smiles and shakes her head, "No. Why do you think I always came to watch you practice and spar? I wanted to see you throw those men around, and see your muscles flex while you lifted heavy things, and the way you glistened after exercise. That was one of the few things that helped me forget the pain for a bit, was seeing your smile when you spotted me coming."

Her face is red as she confesses her adolescent secrets to me. Her eyes shift to mine, as her cheek rests on the shoulder she just kissed.

All I can do is stare at her, lovestruck and speechless. I just thought it was because she was low on friends. Or she was curious about me, about my kind. I didn’t see attraction. I certainly didn’t see love. But I wasn’t on the lookout for it, either. Sharpened senses don’t always count for much.

Arcadia leans up onto one elbow, looking down at me, her eyebrows arched inward, lips slightly parted. Her bright green eyes sparkle under what’s left of the waning sunlight.

"I love you, Rekka."

You fool. You aren’t supposed to love me back. I’m supposed to fight for you. I’m supposed to die for you. It’s my purpose. If it should ever come to a choice between your life or mine, you have to choose yours. You have to.

But I know now that she won’t. And it’s far too late to turn back. The only thing I can do is ensure that decision never arrives. Or if it does, it’ll be me who chooses.

And I know who I’ll choose.

“I love you too, Arcadia.”

She sinks into my embrace, and my kiss, as the sun sets over the ocean. I don’t know what dangers await us in this battlefield we’re racing toward. But it doesn’t matter. I have her. She’s safe.

Hey Readers!

Today marks one month we've been writing Journey to Amoraketh, and it's been one hell of a great month! Thank you to everyone who's taken the time out to read, comment, and follow our story. We're happy to have so many people enjoy our work, and we wanna let you know that this tale has only just begun. So stay tuned. :)