Llewellyn’s Song Read online

  “We have no wives in our tribe.” She shrugged.

  “In my tribe, you are my wife. You will have to get used to it. I’m the husband, you are the wife. Got that?”

  Well, she could accept that small thing. After all, what was a word? Her tribe had told her about the inequalities in other tribes’ marriages. She hoped hers would prove to be based more upon her idea of a marriage. “We are equal in the eyes of the law in my tribe,” she reminded him, “even though I no longer live with them.”

  “In my tribe too,” he answered. “There is no difference between the worth of a man and the worth of a woman.”

  “That’s not what I’ve heard,” she said.

  “Long ago, there were laws that created inequalities. But they have been revised. Your tribe should keep up with the times,” he said.

  She knew he teased again, but she nodded. “We must avoid my territory. I am now a traitor to the d’ark t’uaths. If you wish, you may go to the trading post and tell them I am alive. But I must stay out of sight or I will be captured and put to death. That is the law.”

  He paled. “Tamara…”

  “I knew what I was doing,” she said. It hurt, of course it did. But there had always been a streak of restlessness in her. The world seemed too small, confined to the d’ark t’uath’s caves and valleys. Now she belonged to the rest of the world. Part of her still cried in pain, but for the most part she was looking forward to what life had to offer now she was married to a wood elf. “Will your family like me?” she asked.

  He took her face in his hands. “They will adore you.” His mouth found hers and she melted into his kiss. Life should always be so sweet, she thought.

  Chapter Six

  The Camp

  The trip north took them through d’ark t’uath territory. Tamara disguised herself as a man, putting padding in her tunic’s shoulders and pulling her hood over her head and her scarf over her face. At the trading post, Llewellyn went to speak to her clan’s representatives while Tamara remained hidden in the forest.

  The two d’ark t’uath, armed to the teeth, motioned for him to lay his arms down and approach. He did, and they relaxed slightly. “I am Llewellyn, I come in peace,” he said.

  “I am Fia, and this is Rhyanna.” The tallest d’ark t’uath, the one called Fia, approached him and looked him over. “You have nothing to trade. Why have you come here?”

  “I come to give you news of Tamara.”

  Fia uttered a small gasp. “Tamara? She disappeared nearly a fortnight ago. Have you found her? Is she wounded?”

  “No. She is safe. She has chosen to leave the tribe. Her message is this. ‘I, Tamara, was caught and mauled by a behemoth while on guard duty. I lost my glosseer at the foot of the tree. The behemoth took me to his cave and would have killed me, but a wood elf rescued me. He helped heal my wounds, and I decided to marry him. I have cast my lot with the tribe of the wood elves. He is bound on a mission to see Frostbone. It is for the good of all that you let him pass.’ That is what I was bade to tell you.” Llewellyn stopped and waited.

  The two women looked at each other in consternation. “Are you the wood elf Tamara has married?” asked Fia.

  “I am.”

  “And you quest to Frostbone?” This was asked by Rhyanna, in a slightly more acidic tone.

  “There is concern that the Mouse King has returned.”

  Now the silence was tinged with fear. Fia spoke first, her eyes narrowed. “We had not thought of that. What is true is that more demons than before have been sighted, and even your story of a behemoth rings true, for we have seen several far from their mountains. We wondered what kind of trouble would cause them to leave their haunts.”

  “What do you plan to do? Frostbone does not suffer elves or fairies in his territory. He will kill you on sight.”

  “I know Frostbone. He will speak to me. The land of Hivernia is preparing for war. The new king, King Branagh, is now raising and training his army. Once again the wood elves will take up their bows and fight alongside the fairies.”

  “We have heard that the new Queen of Hivernia is a wood elf.” Rhyanna raised an eyebrow.

  “That’s right.” Llewellyn paused. “I would ask a boon of you. Tamara is no longer part of your tribe. But she must have some belongings that are dear to her. I would ask you to give them to me so that she might have something to remember her tribe by.”

  “Her tribe is now yours. By the laws of our tribe, she may not take anything with her. She knew this when she decided to marry you.” Rhyanna waved dismissively.

  “I bid you farewell then,” said Llewellyn. He hadn’t counted on getting any of Tamara’s belongings. He’d tried though. He made his way back through the woods to where Tamara was hiding. She’d been listening in.

  “I told you our tribe forbids us to take our belongings with us.” She shook her head. “You are a very stubborn elf.”

  “But a nice one, you have to admit.”

  “Yes.” She tilted her head. “So it’s true that an elf is now Queen of Hivernia? That must have been a shock to most of the fairies.”

  “You heard correctly. Melflouise is now Queen of Hivernia.”

  “You sound as if you know her well.”

  “She was my brother’s wife.”

  A pause. “The one who died.”

  “Yes.” He dug his toe into the snow. He really didn’t want to talk about Melle or Elloran with anyone, but he supposed Tamara had a right to know.

  “I will wait until you are ready to tell me about them. You don’t have to say anything.”

  He looked up at her, surprised. “So you read minds now?”

  She laughed. “I didn’t think you sprang to life on the mountainside the day you saved me. You had a life before, and it was an interesting one. You have the scars to show it. But I imagine it must truly hurt to be wounded here.” She pointed to her heart. “Perhaps we were meant to find each other. I will help you heal, and you will help to fill the emptiness I’ve always felt.”

  “Empty? Why?” They started up the slope. The day was still new, but they had a long way to go before they reached the first outpost camp.

  “I have always been dissatisfied with my life. More times than I like to admit I infringed upon my tribe’s rules and was punished. My clan mother despaired of me. She tried, but nothing I ever did filled the void inside me.”

  “Do you miss anyone in your tribe?”

  There was a pause while they scaled the last bit of cliff, then it was downhill for a while. She trotted easily. Like all fae, she could walk on top of snow and was light-footed and fleet. They moved well together, he thought.

  “I miss my clan mother, and some of my friends I will miss bitterly. It pains me that I will never see my home again. I lived in a large cavern of many galleries in the Winding Brook valley. It is as beautiful as its name implies. Our caverns are vast and comfortable. I hope your caverns are as nice.”

  “We don’t live in caves.”

  She missed a step and stumbled. “Where do you live?”

  He grinned. “In a house. I hope it’s clean when I return. If not, Sebring and Merlin will answer to me.”

  “Your maids?”

  “My brothers-in-law. They are Melle’s brothers, and a pair of troublemakers they are, too. You’ll see, they can charm the bees from their honey, and all the girls in the village are besotted with them.”

  “You are a wood elf. How many other tribes are there of your kind?”

  “We wood elves form seven tribes. Then there are the elves of the great plains with their magnificent horses, and the marsh elves, shy and reclusive. We’ve always counted the d’ark t’uath as part of our clan. We refer to you as the dark elves or the stone elves.” He held a branch aside for her and then ducked under it. “Then there is the fairy kingdom. Fairies live in great cities, like Hivernia City. They have built castles and roads, seaports and…whatever it is fairies build. They love everything colorful and rich. We elves are mor
e simple. We like things that come from nature and we don’t try to change them.”

  “I don’t think I’ll like Hivernia City. Will we live in the forest in your house?”

  “We will have to visit Hivernia City after we see Frostbone. But don’t worry. I know Branagh and Melle and they will make you feel welcome. Melle knows what it’s like to be an elf living amidst fairy folk. Are you tired? We can rest.”

  “No. Let’s continue until we reach the camp. Then I will lie down and sleep for a thousand years.”

  Llewellyn looked at her closely. Her skin seemed pale and her eyes darker than usual. Pain drew fine lines around her mouth and nose. “The camp is on the bottom of the next gorge. We will be there in a half an hour.”

  When they got there, Llewellyn was relieved to see that they would be alone. It was a small cave, set in between two mighty boulders. Sometimes traders came to the outpost camps, so everything was ready for travelers. There was a stack of firewood outside, and Llewellyn found a large bucket and went to the stream to fetch water. When he got back, Tamara had already built a fire in the huge stone fireplace.

  “That heat feels good,” he said, ducking through the deerskin flap that served as a door, pouring the water into a kettle and hanging the kettle on a chain set over the fire.

  “I thought wood elves were impervious to cold,” she teased.

  “We are, but that doesn’t mean we don’t appreciate a nice fire. What about you?”

  “I don’t suffer from cold. I’m not as impervious as an ice demon though.”

  “We will be in Frostbone’s territory in three days if we keep up the pace.”

  “I will try not to slow you down.” She looked fragile, wrapped in her cloak, the firelight making deep shadows on her face.

  He took her in his arms. “I’m not worried about that.” He paused. “I’m still getting used to being married, to tell you the truth. I never thought I’d get married one day.”

  “Why? Your brother married. Surely you…” her voice trailed away as she watched him. “Oh. The queen. You were in love with your brother’s wife.”

  “Yes.” It was best to tell the truth.

  Her eyes became shuttered. “Are you still in love with her?”

  He thought about Melle. It was like probing a sore, but his emotional wounds seemed to have healed. He actually smiled. “No. I’m not. You have to understand,” he went on, becoming serious. “My brother was my twin. We shared everything, even our dreams and our emotions. When he fell in love, he dragged me in with him, and when he sang his elf song, I sang too. I couldn’t help it.”

  Tamara slid her arms around him. “I understand. We haven’t sung together yet. But someday I hope that we will. Our love is still too new and unexpected.”

  “You’re right.” He kissed her cheek, relieved that she didn’t expect him to sing. The elf song was something that tore out of your soul. It only happened on certain occasions. He’d heard Melle’s song and it had shaken him to the bone. His brother’s song had taken his own voice away for a long time. Now, perhaps, he would find his own. Only time would tell. Until then, he was content to learn about Tamara.

  She blinked, her face to the flames. “So, what about taking your clothes off?”

  “Excuse me?” He nuzzled her neck and she giggled.

  “I want to see you naked again.”

  “Only if you take yours off first.”

  She slipped out of his arms and threw the cloak off. In the firelight, her body looked golden. He caught his breath. Her long dark hair fell to her hips, and her breasts were heavy and rounded. Her hips flared gently, and her legs were long and slender. But he sensed a hidden strength in her.

  She cocked her hip, teasingly, and cupped her breasts with her hands. “They ache for your touch,” she whispered.

  His cock was already stiff, and when she slid her hands over her breasts, it got so hard he thought he might explode right into his breeches. “Hold on,” he gasped, shrugging off his tunic and breeches as fast as he could.

  Tamara chuckled. “I have long watched my clan sisters pleasure themselves with their toys. They sometimes use two, one for this entrance, and one for this one.” She turned and bent over, her buttocks jutting into the air.

  “I have but one toy for you,” said Llewellyn, his breath coming fast. By Mistral, she could bring his blood to a boil faster than fire.

  “Then show me how you pleasure your women in your tribe. I wonder if it’s better to have one living toy attached to a male body, or two toys that one can play with at will?”

  Llewellyn narrowed his eyes. Was this a challenge? He’d show her. He grasped her shoulders and spun her around, crushing her to his chest. He lifted her chin for a kiss. “We start like this,” he said, and then pressed his mouth to hers.

  He kissed her slowly, letting his tongue and teeth explore and tease her mouth. She was a fast learner, and soon he couldn’t tell who was breathing harder. His lips felt swollen and hot when they at last drew apart. Her eyes were hooded with desire, her mouth slack.

  Then he knelt and ran his tongue down her chest and over her breasts. He sucked on each nipple, giving them equal attention. When they stiffened he lowered his head and traced a path of kisses to her thighs.

  She tensed. “No!”

  “Yes.” He grinned at her. “Open your legs. That’s an order.”

  She hesitated, then parted her legs. Llewellyn put both hands on her thighs and parted her labia with his thumbs, revealing her sex. It was swollen with passion. He leaned forward and found her clit with his tongue. Eagerly he lapped at it until Tamara’s legs began to tremble.

  “Let me lie down,” she begged. “My head is spinning.”

  “I hope so,” he said. Still kneeling, he helped her lie back on the soft cloak and then bent to his pleasurable task again. He licked and nibbled gently on her clit and softly, teasingly, he stroked his fingertips ever so lightly against her slick flesh. Her labia swelled and grew moist, and even her passage opened and contracted. Tamara writhed upon the cloak, her hands clutching at the edges of it, her knuckles white.

  “Let yourself go,” he chuckled, sliding one finger, then two, into her passage.

  “Oh yes!” she cried, bucking against him. But he wasn’t going to let her give in to her passion yet.

  “Just relax, stop trying to hurry it.” He grinned, and then wriggled his two fingers, making them vibrate like the wings of a hummingbird. Her hips lifted off the floor as her back arched and a flood of hot wetness dampened his hand. He pressed his lips to her sensitive clit, and then sighed in satisfaction when he felt her contractions massaging his fingers.

  Panting, Tamara raised herself on her elbows. “Where did you learn to do that?”

  He withdrew his fingers and with a wolfish grin said, “You might actually like it in Hivernia. The fairies have many different ways of satisfying their needs, and they are not at all shy about sharing.”

  Her face turned pink. “You’ve shared before?”

  “I did spend time in Hivernia.” He stood and stretched. His cock was still hard, and he stroked it, staring at the woman lying on the floor before him. Her eyelashes fluttered and she smiled.

  “It’s my turn now.” She knelt and put both hands on his groin, rubbing suggestively.

  “Only if you’re up to it,” he said.

  “Oh, I think I can manage. I recover quickly.” With that, she slid her hot mouth over his cock and began to suck.

  Sweet Mistral! By Thaw’s spring flowers! Llewellyn had to grab the stone wall to keep upright. Her mouth was sensuous and the sight of her full lips moving up and down his shaft while her fingers seemed to have an urge to explore all his nooks and crannies… By Mistral! He sucked in air and held it as one of her fingers found a particularly sensitive cranny and delved deep. Her mouth suctioned lustily. He felt his balls contract to somewhere around his stomach. And then her delving finger delved even deeper, and he lost it.

  He thought maybe his
head had come off, maybe. At any rate, one thing was sure—his cock was empty. It had exploded into her eager mouth and she’d gulped his seed with an expression of pure delight. It must have echoed the look on his face—he hoped. He had a sneaking suspicion that when he came he probably looked witless, because he certainly felt that way. The only thing that existed was his cock and the lips hugging it.

  He sank to his knees and faced her.

  “Where did you learn to do that? And don’t tell me your clan sisters or whatever you call them have cocks.”

  She batted her eyelashes. A very womanly thing to do. “I just made it up.”

  He collapsed onto the cloak and curled up tight. He felt empty, drained and rather confused. She curled up next to him, her arms around his shoulders.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I was thinking of sharing you, and I wasn’t very happy about it,” he admitted. “It’s not an elvish thing to do. It’s a fairy thing. But if we go to Hivernia, you may be tempted to try.”

  “Let’s deal with that when it happens.” She tucked her head into the crook of his neck and he felt her breathing even off and deepen.

  She slid into sleep as easily and trustingly as a child. He lay awake for a long time. Part of it was hunger. And part of it was wonder that he’d found someone who could fill that aching emptiness he’d felt for so long. But soon the wonder and hunger faded, and he fell into a deep slumber.

  Chapter Seven

  Frostbone

  The next morning Tamara woke and saw she was alone. She didn’t worry. Llewellyn would be off hunting. They needed supplies. She washed, donned her clothes and set off to gather some food. The camp was set in a deep valley. At the foot of the camp was a rushing stream. Tamara followed the stream until she found a likely spot, and then she dug for cattail roots, dog-tooth violet roots, and even some old dandelion greens and roots. In the winter food was harder to find, but Tamara had grown up in these valleys and she knew where to look.

  Her pouch filled, she wandered back to the camp. Her stomach might be empty, but her mind was full. She had chosen Llewellyn without his consent. Perhaps now he accepted that. They were alone together, and she could help him on his quest. But what about when they returned to his homeland? He might not be as enamored with the idea of being married. He had been in love with his brother’s wife—he’d admitted as much. She was now Queen of Hivernia. They would be expected to spend time there. None of her clan sisters or mothers had ever, to her knowledge, been to Hivernia. For one thing, the clan was not allowed to stray out of their valleys. And that was another thing bothering her. She’d had time to think her actions through and knew what she’d given up. But now that the act was done and she’d committed herself, she was starting to doubt.