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Message-ID: <27381asstr$973905005@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: Crimson Dragon <dcrimsonp@nym.alias.net>
Subject: {ASSM} Anniv-Party: Autumn Equinox (FF, equinox, magic)
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 2000 20:10:05 -0500
Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail
Approved: <assm@asstr-mirror.org>
Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories
Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d

Welcome to the Party, or shall we say Festival? A long time ago, I
wrote a different piece titled 'Magical Encounters' starring our own
Jane Urquhart (www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Jane_Urquhart/www) as our hapless heroine,
playing off a setting introduced by Uther
(www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Uther_Pendragon/www). My original story was reposted here
recently, and it is available on my website if you are interested.

It's been a long time since I have written anything more lengthy to be
published in ASSM. I hate it when life bites into writing time. When
Rui sent out his bid for stories for a party, of sorts, I thought
perhaps it was time to dust off the keyboard, and resurrect a
celebration.

The events portrayed herein are purely fictional. Any resemblance to
real people, authors, or actual settings is only a strange and
unintentional coincidence. The only people who might be able to tell
you otherwise will deny their involvement.

This story may not be to everyone's individual taste. There is plenty
of eroticism, and as such, it may not be suitable for young eyes; nor
should people who are morally opposed to erotic writing (why are you
here at all?) read this. On the other end of the spectrum, I believe
that we all are gifted with an imagination. Thus, if you are looking
for graphic descriptions of slippery body parts performing various
feats of fantastical hydraulics, well, this story may not be your cup
of tea, either. This story simply doesn't delve into that sort of
'eroticism'. You've been warned.

As usual, all rights to this story are retained by the author, Crimson
Dragon. Please don't redistribute this story without express
permission from Crimson Dragon. This isn't meant to discourage honest
re-posts, but rather to discourage those that intend directly or
otherwise to obtain profit from the words presented here. The intent
of these musings is not profit in any way, shape, or form. Period. So,
please, if your intent is honest, then please just drop me a line
before assuming that it is fine to redistribute this. Okay?

I welcome correspondence at dcrimson@yahoo.com. Please note that this
isn't an invitation for morons that, for some unknown reason, think
that I want to make-money-fast or particularly want to see Britney
Spears nude. However, as always, honest feedback is greatly
appreciated, and welcome.

So, if I haven't completely lost everyone by now, let's move on to the
autumn.

- Crimson (dcrimson@yahoo.com)

http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Crimson_Dragon/www
http://members.tripod.com/files/Authors/Dr/wwwagon_Of_Crimson


====================================================================== 
Autumn Equinox [FF, equinox, magic]
====================================================================== 
(c) Copyright October 2000 - All rights reserved
By Crimson Dragon (dcrimson@yahoo.com) 
====================================================================== 

Absently, she rubbed at her aching eyes with her knuckles and yawned.
Her fingers ached nearly as much as her eyes; the relentless tapping
of the computer keys muted as she stretched. The glowing hands of the
mantle clock ticked relentlessly into the silence, crying out that the
time was rapidly approaching the witching hour.

She sighed. Would the story be ready for the festival? The words
stared up at her from the small luminescent screen as though they were
written in a foreign language. God, she was tired.

The hard-drive clattered in time with the ticking clock as she deftly
saved the document and then switched off the power to the computer.

Her legs complained as she rose from the desk chair to her bare feet.
She turned off the ambient glow of the side lamp as she passed it,
padding around familiar obstacles in the now darkened room. Trailing
her fingers along the bannister, she climbed the stairs, automatically
avoiding the third stair that insisted on creaking.

She checked on the children, hearing their regular and deep breathing,
before quietly entering the master bedroom. Her husband rolled over as
he sensed her presence. She quickly undressed beside the bed in the
dark, dropping her clothes inelegantly onto the floor. Smiling, she
slipped nude between the sheets. Residual warmth from his body
suffused her, and she welcomed his sleepy arms over her as she
settled.

Downstairs, the mantle clock chimed twelve, and the quiet ticking of
the clock quickly lulled her into a deep sleep.

                      <---***===***--->

It had been a vague dream. She remembered a bright blue light, a sense
of falling, but above all a sense of unrelenting eroticism. She ached
slightly in various parts of her body, especially her nipples and
between her legs. With a start, she realised that she was mildly
aroused.

Her husband's arm lay easily across her bare chest, his palm lightly
cupping her right breast. His breathing was soft and regular, not his
normal chainsaw rivalling snore. No, it wasn't him that had awakened
her. She glanced around the darkened room, half wondering if an
intruder was rifling her costume jewellery. Moonlight streamed through
the closed curtains, giving the room an ethereal quality.

Satisfied that nothing was amiss, she again closed her eyes, ready to
drift back into the netherworld from which she had been rudely yanked.

Before she could find dreamland again, her eyes fluttered open. She
pursed her lips, something nagging insistently at her memory.

The ticking of the clock downstairs had stopped. Inexplicably, her
heart began to beat a little faster as she lay quietly in the dark.
Instinctively, her fingers touched the hand encircling her breast as
though to anchor herself.

She nearly screamed at the sudden clatter that filled the bedroom.
After she had calmed her racing heart, she considered waking the man
lying beside her oblivious to the commotion.

That sound, it was familiar. A sudden clatter ... like ... like ...
Wisconsin.

She began to gently move her husband's hand from her chest, trying
desperately not to wake him. Last time that particular clatter had
awakened her, she hadn't had this problem of disturbing a bed mate.
She had been seventeen, na*ve, and determined to love the man of her
dreams. Christ, she'd been foolish back in Wisconsin that summer. As
his arm slipped across her left nipple, she sighed. Knowing that
another clatter would be imminent, she resisted the urge to wake the
sleeping man beside her, and swung her bare legs out of bed. She
shivered as the hardwood radiated slivers of cold into her feet. She
thought about grabbing a bathrobe from the ensuite door, but instead
tiptoed over to the window, peering between the sheer curtains. A
vague but familiar form stood on the back lawn, his face upturned
towards the window.

While she ensured that her nudity remained behind the curtain, her
fingers slipped the hasp free and raised the pane. Immediately, the
lacy curtains fluttered in the cool night air, wrapping themselves
around and between her thighs. Irritation seeped into her as she
realised that her nipples had tightened further with the brush of the
night breeze. The sleeping form beneath the warm sheets turned over
and mumbled something incoherent. She shook her hair, and stuck her
head out into the night. She caught her breath as the sharpness of the
air filled her lungs.

"This isn't Wisconsin, Chet," she whispered fiercely at the stranger
below.

"Huh?" a familiar but confused voice floated upwards.

She tried to place the voice; couldn't. She grinned to herself. She
knew it wasn't Chet, but if the idiot was going to wake up the
neighbourhood chucking stones at her window like a teenager, she could
at least confuse him a little.

"Wisconsin, you idiot. Boston isn't in Wisconsin."

The form below shook his head, confusion radiating from his posture.
She relented.

"Sandra lives next door," she whispered towards the wayward suitor.
Sandra was her neighbour's daughter, seventeen, a looker, and as
foolish as another certain female in another time and place. She
smiled, memories of a far-off time caressing her. She drew her head
back into the bedroom. Goosebumps adorned her upper arms. Her fingers
reached for the window pane.

"Janey!" the stranger hissed insistently. The window halted halfway
shut.

She licked her lips, her brow furrowing. Janey? She hadn't used that
name in the real world for a hell of a long time. Who ... ?

She drew in her breath and stuck her head back out into the night,
shivering. He didn't seem overly perturbed, but a fine ruby light
seemed to shimmer from his indistinct, upturned face.

"It's nearly time. And who the hell is Sandra?" he whispered up to her
now confused face.

The voice. So familiar. The inflection. The roughness. The reddish
tinge to the night.

"Crimson?"

"Who the hell else would be throwing stones at your window in the dead
of night on the eve of Equinox?"

She pretended to consider for a moment. "Chet."

"Who the heck is ... nevermind. Are you ready?"

Janey glanced back at the bed where her husband slumbered on,
peacefully oblivious. Suddenly, she was rather conscious of her
nudity.

"Ready for what?" she asked warily.

"The Equinox Festival," he sighed patiently as though it made some
sort of warped sense. "Do you want me to come up there?"

Janey sighed. She vaguely remembered this creature's ability to
circumvent perfectly good walls and doors.

"Let me at least get dressed. I'll come out." She considered for a
moment. Sometimes it was better to be clear with Dragons. "The hard
way," she added firmly.

"Sometimes, Janey, you aren't much fun," Crimson whispered back
playfully. "And besides, I doubt if you'll need clothes much ..." He
trailed off.

Janey shot the annoying creature a warning glance and then pulled
herself back into the bedroom. Goosebumps now decorated most of her
bare flesh, but she was fully awake. She quickly shut the window, the
noise stirring her husband. He mumbled something quietly, turned over
and continued to sleep. Janey sighed. She wasn't going anywhere with
Crimson. Not this time, not in the middle of the night. Bad things
happened to nice girls when they accepted invitations from Dragons to
... what was it? ... Equinox Festivals. But unless she relented and
wandered down to talk to him, the idiot would continue to pelt her
window with her garden until either he woke the entire neighbourhood,
or her husband. Damn.

Knowing it was a mistake, she quickly pulled her faded blue jeans over
her hips, and a sweatshirt over her head, forgoing underwear. Her
vague memories prompted her. If she remembered last time at all, it
wouldn't much matter what she wore. She was cold, so she pulled some
warm socks out of the bedside stand and pulled them over her bare
toes. She leaned over and kissed her husband on the forehead.

"I'll see you soon," she whispered.

By habit, she checked in on the kids on her way to the main stairs.
They continued their oblivious slumber. Quietly, she tiptoed down the
staircase, again automatically avoiding the centre of the third stair.
Her shoes were sensibly resting by the front door. She slipped them
over her toes. Steeling herself, she whispered to herself.

"Whatever he wants, I'm coming back in and going back to bed. Whatever
he wants, I'm coming back in and going back to bed."

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped out into the
night. She repeated her mantra, and knowing it was futile, she turned
and locked the door.

"You needn't have dressed for me." He was seated casually on the porch
rail.

She turned quietly, giving him her best yeah-I'm-going-outside-naked
sarcastic look. "Whatever you want, I'm going back inside and going
back to bed ..." Her voice trailed off uncertainly.

"Okay." He smiled and shrugged. Damn the smug creature. He hopped
nimbly down from the rail, glancing at his watch. It appeared to be an
old pocket watch, and while she stared, it shimmered into a modern
digital watch, and then back again. She blinked.

"It's been nearly a year and a half," she observed.

He nodded. "Too long, methinks." He paused, his eyes glued to the
shapeshifting timepiece. "In exactly two minutes, the sun, on the
other side of the world, will cross the ecliptic plane."

"Equinox." Janey filled in the obvious. He nodded again. "Is that why
you dragged me out of a nice warm bed in the middle of the night? To
wait for some cosmic event that's happening on the other side of the
planet?"

"Technically, it's early in the morning."

Giving up, Janey nodded and leaned back on the rail that Crimson had
vacated. Strange. She should have been nearly exhausted. Writing all
evening. To bed late. But against all sensibility, she felt refreshed
and bright eyed. She ran her fingers through her tousled hair. Out of
the corner of her eye, she noticed Crimson wave absently at her.
Suddenly her hair felt clean and untangled beneath her fingers. She
gasped.

"So ... what's this about a Festival?" she broke the silence. The
quicker that Equinox came and went, the sooner she could return to
dreamland.

"Don't you remember last time?" he asked gently. "The Equinox one is
almost better than Solstice," he added, as though that made any more
sense than this whole conversation.

"Last time?"

"Mercury? Miranda? Mat?"

"Twassel? I know Mat. Sort of, if that's who you mean. But a Festival?
Mercury? The god? The planet? Rising?"

Crimson laughed kindly. "This explains a lot." He continued almost to
himself, absently. "She doesn't really remember."

Janey flashed the annoying creature one of those famous irritated
looks. "It explains nothing. The Festival ..." she prompted.

"Oh, you'll find out," he seemed to enjoy being mysterious.

"I'm not going," she reiterated, and turned back towards the front
door. Her key dangled from her fingers.

"It's time." The creature mumbled some words that sounded like a cross
between Greek and Gregorian chants.

An ethereal blue light, which could never have been reflected by the
moon, illuminated the landscape. Janey froze and turned around slowly,
her eyes adjusting to the bright blue light emanating from a portal
that had appeared near the middle of her street. The keys clattered to
the porch at her feet. Vague memories, triggered by the portal, began
to seep back into the forefront of her mind. She turned to Crimson. He
merely grinned at her.

"So you appeared as a male again." She couldn't think of anything
better to observe.

"It was interesting last time," he mumbled. Then, as if to prove her
wrong, the Dragon shimmered into a scaly creature, then into a
brunette waif, then settled back into the familiar tall, dark male
Crimson with whom she was more familiar. He looked at her and cocked
his head to the side. "You still don't want to go?"

It wasn't the smart thing to do, and if she thought about it for very
long, she'd probably decide to return to her nice, warm, safe bed. But
she could always do that, and thinking only ever landed her in
trouble.

"No Queen bullshit?" she asked. There were still large, gaping holes
in her memories of a year and a half ago, but she remembered some
silliness about a Queen.

He simply smiled enigmatically. Janey sighed heavily.

"Who's Miranda? And Mercury?" she asked as she slipped her hand into
the Dragon's and they began to walk together towards the swirling
portal.

"It's a long story. Who's Chet? And why Wisconsin?" he countered.

"It's a long story." She smiled. The portal shone with a cool sapphire
light, ten short centimetres from her nose.  Her fingers released the
Dragon's hand. "I shouldn't," she whispered as she purposely stepped
forward and blue light engulfed her.

An intense falling sensation overwhelmed her senses.

                      <--***===***--->

"Dammit. Dammit. Dammit," Janey swore as she hurtled through the air
like a lead eagle, only to land in a less than dignified heap. She
could smell freshly cut grass and her head was lying on something soft
and pliable. Soft, musical laughter echoed into her ear, and she
opened her eyes to be greeted by a strange but somehow familiar view.
Realising where she was, she scrambled into a sitting position.

"I'm so sorry," she spoke to the girl upon whom she'd landed.

The girl was brunette, probably mid-twenties, still laughing softly
through a huge welcoming grin. And not much else. She was propped up
on one elbow in the grass watching Janey stammer. She made no attempt
to cover herself, but brushed away the fingers of a topless blonde
girl lying in the grass beside her, who pretended to pout. The
brunette extended her hand toward Janey.

"I'm Sondra. Welcome." Her voice carried the same musical tones as her
laugh.

"J-Janey." Janey took a deep breath and briefly grasped the offered
hand in her own.

Sondra smiled. "I know," she responded with mock seriousness. "Crimson
said that he'd be bringing you. He didn't mention that you'd be
literally dropping in."

"That useless, damnable lizard." Janey turned away from the naked
girl, towards the swirling blue portal. It shimmered in the air about
a metre and a half off the ground -- maybe four feet. That damn Dragon
had a warped sense of humour. "When the hell is that idiot going to
..."

As if her words had conjured the beast, the Dragon emerged from the
portal in a shimmering of purple, landing nimbly on his feet next to
Janey. The portal swiftly swirled closed as he emerged.

"What are you doing down there?" he asked innocently.

Janey glared at him, then smiled sweetly while climbing to her feet.
"Meeting Sondra." She turned with a regal wave towards the girls in
the grass. Sondra waved from the ground, gently pushing the blonde
away from her lips.

"Hey, Crimson," Sondra spoke. "Will Janey be staying?" Crimson
shrugged. A hint of suggestion played across her voice. "Will you be
staying?"

"Probably not this time, Sondra," he responded gently. Then he mumbled
so that only Janey could hear. "All work and no play makes Crimson a
dull dragon."

Janey felt Crimson's hand guide her shoulder away from the girls. As
she turned, it became apparent that she was in an interior courtyard,
a medieval castle surrounding them. Various couples, all in stages of
undress, populated the courtyard. One laughing girl was actually tied
to a tree, a man sitting at her feet reading to her. Other couples lay
as Sondra and her friend were, kissing or exploring in the soft grass.
As Janey glanced over her shoulder, she watched as Sondra winked at
her, this time not resisting the blonde as long fingers trailed over
Sondra's skin. Their lips met again without interference.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Janey turned back towards Crimson.

"Four feet?" she asked indignantly.

"What?"

"Did you have to make the damn door appear four feet off the ground? I
nearly killed myself -- and Sondra."

The Dragon laughed quietly. "Sondra didn't mind. Trust me."

"I mind. I landed on her."

Crimson tried unsuccessfully to stifle a grin. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"You sound extremely sorry," she replied sarcastically. "Where are we
going, anyway?" They'd exited the courtyard and entered a dimly lit
corridor. Her footsteps echoed as if she were entering a tomb.

"To see Miranda."

"Who?"

"The girl you had sex with last time you were here."

Janey stopped in the middle of the corridor. After a few steps,
Crimson turned around and faced her.

"Don't look so shocked. You would've remembered eventually."

"I had ..."

"This place makes you do some different things sometimes. It's good
for you and better, it's safe."

"But ..."

Without further thought, Janey stepped to the edge of the hallway, her
hands leaning on the sill of a stone opening that passed as a window.
Without being aware of it, she had climbed up about two stories along
the slightly inclined hall. Her gaze passed over the courtyard,
watching Sondra and her partner, now in more serious exploration,
fingers playing and touching. The other couples, both male-female and
female-female, were all enjoying the sunshine, and each other. Even
the girl tied to the tree seemed to be enjoying herself. Janey licked
her lips.

"I wasn't out there, was I? I mean with this Miranda?"

A masculine laugh behind her turned her head. The voice didn't belong
to Crimson. Janey blushed automatically.

"No, as far as I know you weren't with Miranda in the courtyard," the
stranger commented as though invited to do so. The voice was vaguely
familiar, but the face didn't ring any bells. Crimson made the
introduction.

"Janey, Mat. Mat, Janey."

"Twassel?"

"Who else? Though I understand that you made a bit of a scene in the
communal showers last time you were here," Mat added thoughtfully.

Janey instinctively threw her arms around the author and then released
him. "It's been so long," she added unnecessarily.

"Methinks you owe me a note," he remarked casually. "Are you coming to
the Festival?"

Janey looked over at Crimson, who nodded. "I think so."

"Keep out of the mead. Trust me, it's stronger than last year. Some
idiot let Nick ferment it; he claims he slipped with the yeast."

"Mead?"

"Trust me."

Janey nodded thoughtfully.

"Listen, gotta run. Mercury is waiting for me. We have to plan some
... music. And if I don't stop her, she'll inundate us with sixties
all night."

Janey gave Mat a quick peck on the cheek and watched as he hurried
down the hall. She turned back to Crimson.

"I didn't ... I mean ... with him ..."

He laughed softly. "If you did, I didn't hear about it."

Janey let her breath out slowly. "And I didn't make a fool of myself
in the courtyard? With Miranda?"

The Dragon became more solemn. "You didn't make a fool of yourself,
period." He gently guided her back toward the way they had been
walking before he'd shocked her. "Except maybe with the mead."

She didn't like the sound of that, but opted to ignore it this time.
They walked on in silence. Janey emerged from her reverie as she
bumped into the Dragon. Crimson had halted unexpectedly in front of a
large oak door adorned with iron handles and hinges.

"Signal before you do that," Janey whispered. She glanced at the
doorway in front of her. "Where are we?"

"I think Miranda is in there. At least that's what Mat said earlier."

"You think?"

"Well, all the doors look alike," Crimson mumbled. "Do you want to
change?"

"Change what?"

Crimson grinned in response. As he raised his hand to wave at her,
Janey wrapped her arms around herself protectively.

"No. These clothes will be fine."

"But you aren't wearing anything underneath."

She briefly wondered how he knew that, but nothing surprised her
anymore. Maybe Dragons had X-ray vision. She shivered at the thought.
Crimson's hand fell to the side, leaving her in her comfortable jeans
and sweatshirt.

"Thank you," she said.

Crimson nodded toward the door. "Knock."

"I don't even know her."

"You will."

Janey turned towards the door, and then back towards Crimson. A puff
of smoke stood where the tall man had been only a second previously.
She began to curse softly. She considered wandering away, or calling
out for the beast, but in the end turned in resignation back to the
oak. "Open, sesame," she whispered. Taking a deep breath to calm her
nerves, she reached forward and rapped once on the door.

A muffled, sleepy voice called out from within.

"Who is it?"

Janey cleared her throat and spoke towards the doorway, feeling
unbearably foolish.

"Jane." Then after a moments hesitation, she added, "I think."

She sensed movement from within the room. The door creaked open. A
familiar girl, brunette, barefoot, early twenties, her eyes heavy with
sleep, and dressed in a white satin dressing gown, peered out into the
hallway. A grin grew across her features as she recognised Janey.
Without warning, the girl crossed the threshold, kissing Janey on the
cheek, and pressing her body into Janey.

"It's been a long time," she whispered in Janey's ear.

The lithe contact, the voice, and the face caused all the memories to
flood back. Janey flushed. They hadn't been in the courtyard -- only
overlooked it. She hugged the girl back.

"Miranda."

                      <--***===***--->

Sunlight stroked her cheek. Janey murmured softly as she turned over
in the unfamiliar bed, the sheets caressing her skin. Her eyelids felt
heavy, and a dull ache suffused her entire being, as if she'd had sex
for days on end. Her faded blue jeans hung lazily on a bedpost, her
sweatshirt was discarded on the floor near the oak door. She had no
idea where her socks and shoes had gone.

Janey propped herself up on one elbow, not worrying about the sheet
that fell away from her, exposing her. Miranda sat naked, leaning
forward in the overstuffed chair, her elbows resting on the
windowsill. The satin gown, which had fallen from Miranda's body
almost as soon as the door had snicked shut, still lay crumpled like a
dove roosting on marble. Phantom fingers danced over Janey's bare
skin, exploring, tickling. She fought the resulting tingles.

Janey swung her bare feet from beneath the sheet onto the warm marble.
Miranda glanced over at the movement, smiled, but returned to gazing
out beyond the room without saying anything.

As Janey approached, her steps became increasingly slower until she
finally stopped behind Miranda. Her fingers reached for the bare
shoulders of the girl, but fell short, returning to brushing her own
thighs.

"What's the matter?" Miranda asked quietly. Her eyes didn't leave the
window and the view beyond.

Janey inhaled deeply, feeling the clean air fill her lungs. It smelled
a little like Wisconsin, and her heart skipped a beat. Instead of
answering the seated girl, she, at last, allowed her fingers to find
the silky skin of Miranda's shoulders. She stroked quietly for a
moment, then rested her chin in Miranda's hair, following Miranda's
gaze out into the courtyard.

The girl who had previously been tied to the tree was now lying spent
on the grass, her blonde hair fanned out like that of an angel. Her
cheeks were flushed, and her chest rose and fell in a satisfied
gallop. The man lay with his head in the crook of her arm, looking
decidedly tired, his book, long forgotten, lying at the base of the
tree.

Sondra and her partner were nowhere to be seen, though many other
couples were still exploring but in a slow sensual manner, almost as
though anticipating something larger, biding their time. Nobody
appeared to be actively engaged in intercourse as the two girls
watched from above. Nobody glanced upwards to regard the girls framed
nude in the window.

"You missed them," Miranda commented lazily, her eyes tracking the
exhausted girl and man near the tree.

Janey shrugged, still aching a little from the intimate games she and
Miranda had shared earlier. Voyeurism could be fun, but at the moment
she wasn't particularly aroused. She lightly kissed Miranda's hair and
padded back to the bed. As she sat down, she felt Miranda's eyes on
her. She resisted the futile urge to cover herself; Miranda had long
ago seen all there was to see.

Miranda had leaned back in the overstuffed chair, her arms crossed
carelessly under her bare breasts. Her legs were also crossed, her
left toes swinging idly through the air.

"It's real, but it's not, you know ..." she spoke quietly.

Janey looked up in confusion.

"This place," Miranda continued. "It's real, but ..."

Janey finished her thought for her. "There's magic."

Miranda merely nodded, her locks brushing her bare shoulders. She
brushed a stray cluster of hair back behind her ear.

Janey swallowed as Miranda rose fluidly, like a cat, from the chair.
Miranda knelt in front of Janey, her forearms resting easily on
Janey's bare thighs. Janey trembled at the contact. "Enjoy yourself,"
she whispered. "Or else Crimson brought you here for nothing."

"Speaking of that lizard ..." Janey feigned anger, but couldn't hold
it. She glanced towards the locked door as if expecting the infernal
creature to mosey carelessly through it.

Miranda smiled. "He dropped by while you were sleeping."

Janey unconsciously covered her breasts with her hands. Miranda
laughed softly. "To begin with, he's seen you naked, if you remember
correctly. For all I know, maybe you've even slept with him." Janey
didn't remember Crimson ever seeing her naked, and certainly would
have remembered anything more intimate, but she didn't exactly trust
her memory either. She nodded, pretending to know, but being as
non-committal as she dared. "Second, you were under the covers, and,
lastly, I didn't let him in," Miranda continued with a smile. She
reached up and gently touched Janey's fingers. "He was just checking
up on you, anyway. I told him that I was taking care of you. Can't
have you shacking up with just anyone, can we? Have to pace yourself."

Janey blushed, but slowly lowered her hands.

"And besides," Miranda grinned, "Mercury will be coming in a while."
She placed her finger against Janey's lips before she could protest or
present any other questions.

Abandoning the last vestige of the world on the other side of the
portal, Janey lost herself in sensation. Miranda gently pushed her
back onto the bedsheets, while Janey savoured the soft skin brushing
against her own as Miranda followed.

"There's magic here," Miranda whispered as their lips touched again.

                      <--***===***--->

A soft knocking woke Janey with a start. Disoriented, she opened her
eyes and calmed her initial panic. She held her breath for a moment,
and then let it out slowly between pressed lips. The knock repeated,
grounding Janey in the castle room. Janey glanced back towards the
chair at the window, half-expecting Miranda to be sitting there,
dressed in her white gown, and reading Shakespeare. When the chair
turned out to be empty, she slowly realised that the soft weight
across her chest was Miranda's right arm draped easily below her
breasts. Miranda's breath flowed regularly, sleep having finally
overtaken her. Soft, late afternoon sunlight had replaced the
brightness from earlier. She wasn't wearing a watch, but Janey guessed
the time should be about 5:30 PM, judging by the light.

Janey was tempted to call out, turn away the visitor, but that would
surely awaken the brunette sleeping peacefully beside her. Instead,
she carefully moved Miranda's arm and then slipped from the bed. The
air had cooled noticeably since they had begun the afternoon tryst.
She shivered slightly as her bare feet connected with the cool marble.

As she approached the oaken door, she heard a slight sigh from the
other side of the door, and another half-hearted tap.

"If that's Crimson, you can stop knocking and come back later," Janey
whispered, hoping that her voice wouldn't awaken the sleeping girl in
the bed, but yet would penetrate the heavy door.

A quiet feminine voice replied from the hallway.

"Crimson? What would he ...?"

Janey stepped back from the wood of the door and nearly slid the latch
back. Abruptly, she realised that she hadn't a stitch on, and though
she doubted that her nudity would shock anyone here, she didn't think
it appropriate to answer the door in that condition. A glance over her
shoulder revealed that Miranda had kicked off the bedsheet.

"Just a second," Janey whispered with half irritation.

She considered pulling her jeans and sweatshirt back on, but decided
against it; it would be far too much trouble. She padded over to the
bed, covered Miranda, then returned to the door. She bent, picked up
the discarded white gown and slipped it over her shoulders, quickly
knotting the sheer belt. It was small on her, but she didn't intend to
be wearing it very long. She slipped the bolt free on the door,
cringing at the screech.

She peered around the edge of the door. A woman in a white tunic stood
with her back to the door. Her blonde hair hung halfway down her back
in straight braids. As the door creaked open, she turned to face
Janey, an apologetic look upon her fair features.

"I woke you. I'm sorry," she murmured.

Janey nodded, her harsh words dying on her lips. "Miranda's still
sleeping," Janey whispered. The girl looked vaguely familiar. Tired of
half-recognising people, Janey sighed quietly.

"I'll come back later," the girl said, and turned away from the
doorway. "Go back to sleep."

Janey fought with her memory, a partial view of a party, this girl
dancing wildly onstage to a distinctive sixties beat. The image
vanished before she could focus on it. She shook her head. Miranda's
last mysterious words prior to distraction echoed through her mind.
'Mercury will be coming soon.'

"Mercury?"

The tunic-bearing woman turned and merely smiled. Janey pursed her
lips, glancing up and down the corridor. Opening the doorway wide
enough, Janey slipped through. She eased the door closed behind her.
The hinges complained, but she was almost sure that Miranda wasn't
disturbed.

"That thing is Miranda's, isn't it?" Mercury spoke quietly, her eyes
on the ill-fitting dressing gown that Janey wore.

Janey flushed and replied with a non-committal "Mmmh-hmmm."

Noting Janey's flushed cheeks, Mercury laughed gently. "Crimson kind
of told me where you and Miranda were. I already guessed the rest.
Nothing to be ashamed about. Not here."

"Crimson? Where is that damn lizard?"

Mercury's eyes glittered for a moment. "Crimson? Well, I think there
were a couple of women, and some rope involved, but really, I didn't
see much." Miranda shifted her weight to her other foot. "He's
probably involved in the planning, right now." She changed the
subject, "I don't remember you being that tall."

Janey tried to force the memory of their last meeting back into the
forefront of her consciousness. A dancing girl in a crowd. She shook
her head in frustration and confusion. Mercury, though, didn't appear
to notice.

Janey pulled idly at the diaphanous fabric and ran her fingers through
her hair. The magical hair combing had long since vanished amongst
tangled sheets and Miranda's fingers, and her skin needed soap and
water.

She hesitated a moment before asking, "Is there a shower around here?"

Mercury grinned at some inner memory. "Sounds like a great idea. I
need one, too, before the Festival."

"I sort of meant, a shower I can use alone," Janey winced knowing how
it sounded. Mercury, though, didn't appear fazed.

She took Janey's fingers and gently began to guide her down the
hallway. Janey pulled her fingers back after a few steps, causing
Mercury to turn again.

"What?" Mercury asked.

"I. I can't go like this," Janey turned back towards the room.

"Like what?"

Janey pulled on the satin encasing her nudity, careful that the
ill-fitting garment didn't open. Mercury laughed again, her smile
infectious.

"First of all, you aren't planning on showering with it, are you?"
Janey shook her head slowly. "Secondly, if you go back in there, you
might wake up Miranda, and believe me, she needs her rest." Janey
nodded reluctantly, but as Mercury opened her mouth to continue, Janey
quickly interrupted her.

"People will be staring at me. Even you noticed that it wasn't mine."

Mercury appeared to mull this over for a moment, then lifted her eyes
to capture Janey's. She nodded.

"I think you might be right."

At this, Janey turned to press her fingers against the door to the
room. As she turned away from Mercury, a flying soft object landed
gently on her head, draping over her shoulder. She stifled a scream,
turning quickly back towards Mercury. Before she could utter anything,
her jaw dropped. The girl was standing in the middle of the hallway,
wearing nothing but her smile. Janey reached back and plucked the
white tunic from her head, holding it loosely at her side.

Mercury grinned. "And now they won't even notice the gown. Fair
enough?"

The tunic dropped to the stone of the hallway from Janey's loose
fingers. "You ... you don't have to do that," Janey managed.

Mercury shrugged. "You really aren't used to this place, yet, are you?
I'm always like this. Relax. Come have a shower." Mercury again
slipped her fingers into Janey's and pulled her effectively towards
the end of the corridor. Janey stumbled once, but managed to stay
upright.

They passed a number of people in various states of undress; all waved
and greeted them. True to her word, Mercury seemed to be the focus of
attention. Not one person commented on the satin garment.

                      <--***===***--->

"May I take your gown, Miss?"

Janey turned as they entered the lobby of the communal showers. She
hesitated for a moment, but after a soft touch of support from
Mercury, she slipped the garment from her shoulders and handed it to
the younger female attendant. She idly wondered how she would claim it
later.

As if to answer her unasked question, the attendant continued with a
smile, "And for whom are we holding this?"

Mercury leaned forward onto the desk, with a smile playing about her
lips.

"For Crimson."

The girl behind the desk looked at Janey, frowned thoughtfully, then
looked back at Mercury for a moment. "That's not Crimson, is it?" she
whispered. She looked more closely at Janey, making Janey flush all
the way to her toes.

Mercury laughed while Janey stammered out a stiff denial.

The attendant grinned, apologised half-heartedly, but picked up a pen
in her left hand and wrote down "Crimson Dragon" in block letters on a
slip of paper.

"Have a nice shower, and watch out, it's pretty steamy in there this
afternoon," the attendant commented over her shoulder as she turned
towards what Janey presumed was the equivalent of a cloakroom.

The sound of falling water, intermixed with low sighs, filled Janey's
ears as she and Mercury stepped through the entrance doorway. Steam
swirled through the humid air. Mercury's fingers gently closed around
Janey's as they moved quickly through the huge room.

"Are there, uh, guys in here?" Janey whispered to Mercury as they
settled beneath adjoining sprays of very warm water. Mercury sighed as
the water began to sluice over her skin, then laughed.

"Of course, why wouldn't there be? I think I heard one of the beasts
over to the left." Mercury waved off vaguely with her left hand.

Janey, far more used to conventional facilities, shrugged.

"What about, like, impropriety? Harassment? Improper ... uh ... advances?"
she asked.

Mercury laughed again gently. "Here?"

"It can happen anywhere, but ... it's ... it's a shower for pity's sake."

Mercury broke from her shower, wandered over, sharing Janey's spray.
She looked up into Janey's face, placed her hands on Janey's wet
shoulders, and stood up on her tiptoes. Without warning, she planted a
soft, wet kiss directly on Janey's lips, her fingers idly brushing at
Janey's nipples, her tongue gently flittering. Janey gasped as Mercury
broke the kiss and stepped back under her own waterfall, with a small
dance.

Mercury turned towards Janey and grinned. "You mean like that?"

Janey nodded dumbly.

Mercury licked her lips, and uplifted her face into her shower. "And
you were worried about men," Mercury spoke to nobody in particular.

                      <--***===***--->

The soap had smelled like peaches, and the shampoo like strawberries.
Janey could still almost feel Mercury's fingers massaging the soap
into her back and shoulders, could almost feel her own fingers
returning the favour. After that first kiss, Mercury had been nothing
but respectfully playful, merely washing and then rinsing her body.
Janey followed suit, though surreptitiously glancing around trying to
determine if anyone was watching her.

"Care for a sauna?" Mercury asked.

"Are there guys in there, too?" Janey asked tentatively.

Mercury gave her an odd look, hands on her bare hips, cocking her head
nearly to her shoulder. "Do I really need to kiss you again?"

Janey quickly shook her head. "Okay. Okay. I've learned." She held out
her hand. Mercury grabbed the offered hand and began to guide Janey
further into the steam.

"Watch out," Mercury exclaimed as she jogged to the right. Janey's
foot touched bare skin on the floor, earning her a male sounding
"Hey!" from below the steam.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

A female voice wafted upwards, "Care to join us?"

"Thanks, no."

She heard a low moan, and quickly abandoned the couple to scamper in
order to catch up with Mercury. Mercury was softly laughing.

"I told you to watch out. And see, you found a man in here. Horrors."

Janey flashed the girl a sour look, but continued to follow her.
Mercury pointed once on their foray. When Janey followed her
direction, she quickly averted her eyes. A girl was showering off to
the right wearing decorative shiny handcuffs. Janey quickly glanced
over at her again, earning herself a quick wave. The girl didn't seem
to mind the attention, and Janey was tempted to wander over and ask
her a few questions, but upon turning, discovered Mercury disappearing
into the ever-present steam.

Janey caught up to her as Mercury opened the wide cedar door,
indicating that Janey should enter first. The steam in the shower felt
like minor fog compared to the heat and steam present in the sauna.
Immediately, sweat beaded on Janey's skin, and her lungs expanded
involuntarily. The aroma transported her to a redwood forest deep in
California. She was jolted back into the sauna by Mercury's guiding
fingers gently pushing her towards the far wall.

An invisible female voice greeted Mercury by name as they settled onto
the overly warm cedar bench. Janey relaxed, allowing the moisture to
infuse her muscles and ease her tensions. She closed her eyes. She
could sense Mercury leaning back and relaxing beside her.

After a few minutes, Janey felt wet hair draping her shoulder, and
soft fingers stroking idly at her bare thigh. She half-heartedly
pushed at the fingers, but they returned a moment later.

"Relax," Mercury whispered. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"But ..."

"But nothing," Mercury replied playfully. "And besides, she'll
probably be here soon enough."

Janey opened her eyes in confusion. Mercury's face floated in the
steam only centimetres from her nose.

"Who?" Janey asked.

Mercury smiled enigmatically, silencing Janey firmly with another
kiss.

                      <--***===***--->

God, she ached. Her body felt like an amusement park, and she was
going to need another shower, she was sure. Sweat and moisture coated
her entire body. She could still taste the salt from Mercury's slick
skin. At the moment, Mercury was lying easily on her side on the
bench, her head lying peacefully cradled in Janey's lap, while Janey's
fingers idly stroked her wet hair. Janey struggled to calm her
breathing into some semblance of normalcy, and could detect the same
war being fought in Mercury. She flushed thinking of how loud their
play must have been echoing though the sauna.

"Christ," Janey whispered into the steam.

"Amen," Mercury whispered back.

They lapsed into silence for a few minutes.

The entrance door opened and shut, but neither girl could tell whether
someone had entered the room, or had left it. Someone in the corner
threw more water on the coals and sighed as it hissed out adding to
the already cloudy atmosphere.

"I thought I'd find you here," a familiar but disembodied voice spoke
near them.

Janey looked up, straining to see through the mists.

Mercury shifted herself into a sitting position. Janey could see the
smile permeating her features.

"Miranda!" she rose from the bench and embraced the naked woman who
had finally emerged from the steam. Janey waved, not sure that she
could actually stand yet.

"Having fun?" Miranda asked sweetly with a knowing smile.

Janey didn't think it necessary to answer. "I think I'm going to need
another shower."

"Amen to that, too," Mercury chimed in.

With a sigh, Janey joined the other two women as they exited the
steam. In contrast, the steam in the showers was a relief from the
heat. Janey slipped herself under the nearest shower and shivered. The
water was warmer than she normally would use, but it felt cool after
the steamroom. She rubbed at her shoulder. Despite her activity over
the course of the afternoon, she felt wonderfully relaxed and
unburdened.

After rinsing, Janey waited while Miranda showered, lending a helping
hand to wash her back. Mercury disappeared into the steam after
letting her own stream of water sluice over her hair, rinsing away the
perspiration and juices from the sauna.

The cool air of the shower lobby raised goosebumps on Janey's bare
skin as she and Miranda emerged from the showers. A naked man was
bantering with the girl behind the counter, apparently trying to
retrieve his clothing. The girl had a bemused expression on her face.
The man glanced at Janey and Miranda briefly as they entered, but
returned to his good-natured insistence that he had indeed left his
clothing with the girl.

Miranda grabbed two huge towels from a stack beside the garment check
and tossed the green one to Janey. Janey deftly caught the towel and
quickly wrapped it around her body. Miranda merely draped her towel
over her arm, turning towards a side door that Janey hadn't previously
noticed.

The doorway opened into what appeared to be a normal women's locker
room, except that down the first aisle a man stood combing his hair.

"Uh, I think ..." she began.

Miranda laughed musically and shook her head. "You must know better
than that by now."

Janey swallowed, pulled the towel tighter around her breasts, and
followed Miranda who peeked down each aisle as she passed. Miranda
greeted a number of the occupants by name as she passed. Sven.
Celeste. Celia. Kim. Nick. Malinov. Watcher. Bitbard, er, Sandman.
Vicky. Anne. Rui. Uther.

The names all rang familiar in Janey's ear and she too waved greeting
to each as they passed, until they entered the third last row. Mercury
stood about halfway down the row, one bare foot raised onto the centre
bench, talking to a tall, toned man wearing blue jeans. As they
approached, Mercury turned and grinned. She gestured towards the man.

"You remember See-El, don't you?"

Janey nodded quickly, though her memory remained stubbornly vague.

"He's in charge of security tonight."

"Security?"

"Of the Festival ..."

"Oh."

See-el smiled towards Janey, stuck out his hand. She took it for a
moment. His grasp was firm but somehow gentle.

"I was just heading out," he mumbled. "Got me a spammer influx to take
care of; the idiots think that Festival is open season for nubile
Asian chicks or something. Got some huntin' to do."

"Huh?"

See-el simply smiled, accepted a peck on the cheek from Miranda and
Mercury, grasped Janey's hand again, and began to walk towards the
entrance.

"See you at Festival?" he called over his shoulder.

Miranda and Mercury both called out "Yep," in stereo.

"I guess," murmured Janey.

                      <--***===***--->

Miranda and Mercury both tossed their towels into the collection bin
next to the counter. Janey held onto her covering until the girl
retrieved the dressing gown. Somehow she'd ended up with a different
towel, purple, than the green she had started with.

"Crimson, right?" the girl behind the desk enquired sweetly as she
passed the garment to Janey.

"Crimson?" Miranda looked strangely at the girl. "That isn't ... oh. And
that's where it went," she continued as she pointed out the gown.
Janey sighed but passed the gown over to Miranda.

"Keep it if you want it, I don't mind," Miranda said.

Janey turned toward the attendant. "Can I at least keep the towel?
I'll return it as soon as I get my jeans." She pressed the gown into
Miranda's fingers. Mercury shifted her weight from foot to foot
impatiently.

"Of course," the girl nodded understandingly.

Miranda grinned, turning towards the attendant.

"Can I get my clothes, too?"

The girl nodded, returning to the back. She emerged a moment later
with a neatly folded pair of faded blue jeans and a sweatshirt. She
plucked a tag that read "Janey" from the clothes.

Miranda looked at Janey, cracking up at the expression.

"Well," she began between laughs, "the gown was gone when I woke up.
You were, too, I might add. The jeans itch in all the wrong places,
and I was swimming in the sweatshirt. I damn near wandered over here
nude." She glanced meaningfully at Mercury. "Like another certain
exhibitionist. But the clothes smelled like you, so I left 'em on. Had
to roll up the legs and the sleeves, though." She began to slip on the
robe, handing the other clothing to Janey who quickly donned them,
tossing the purple towel to join the others in the bin.

Miranda slipped her hands into Janey's and Mercury's, tugging them
both towards the exit.

She turned to look over at the attendant.

"I'll be back tomorrow, if I'm awake," she called over her shoulder.

"Have fun tonight," the girl replied wistfully.

                      <--***===***--->

The room was far cooler than when she left it, but her skin glowed
with vitality after the shower. Miranda, or some other person, had
supplied a light plate of fruit and bread on the bed.

"Ah, I'm famished," Mercury cried as she entered the room. Not
bothering with her tunic, the girl attacked the plate. Miranda, more
sedately, plucked some grapes from the platter and popped one into her
mouth, chewing thoughtfully. She offered a grape to Janey, insisting
on pushing it between her lips without assistance from Janey. Janey
accepted the grape; wine exploded into her mouth.

Janey collapsed into the chair, while Miranda settled onto the bed
beside Mercury.

"The appetiser before the feast, I suppose," Miranda commented between
bites. Miranda tossed Janey a fresh roll. The bread steamed in her
hand.

Janey glanced out the window only to see darkness. She could hear some
giggling below the window somewhere, but the sun had abandoned the
landscape, and the moon had not yet replaced it.

"Crimson will be by soon." Miranda commented. "You ought to get
dressed," she directed the comment to Mercury.

"Why?"

Miranda inhaled deeply. "Because it makes Janey uncomfortable if you
wander around nude. And Crimson will be here any minute."

Janey interjected, "I'm getting used to it."

Mercury nodded. "I'll dress before we leave. And Crimson has seen me
naked before. Hell, last time Janey was here ..." her voice trailed off.

Janey settled back into the chair. She could see one of her running
shoes poking out from beneath the corner of the bed. At least she
wouldn't have to go barefoot wherever they were heading. As she rose
to gather them, there was a firm knock on the door.

"Come on in," Miranda called.

And suddenly the Dragon was in the room, the door remaining
undisturbed. Janey gasped at the entrance. Miranda laughed quietly.
Janey could have sworn she heard a light "Magic," from Miranda's
direction.

"Er, Crimson, you've got some, ah, lipstick ..."

Crimson grinned sheepishly and touched his cheek where the red mark
formed nearly a perfect 'O'. The mark disappeared without rubbing.

"Where?" he asked innocently.

"Nevermind, you lummox."

"Having fun?" he asked Janey. "Did these girls take care of you?"

Janey flushed, but managed to keep her voice steady. "Many times."

"I hope you aren't too tired."

She shook her head slightly. Her hair still hung damply from her
scalp.

"It's almost time. The moon will be rising in an hour or so."

"Moon?"

"The big, shiny round thing in the sky, comes up after the sun goes to
sleep. Wolves howl at it."

"I know what the moon is. What's it got to do with anything?"

The infuriating creature simply nodded. "The Festival begins with
moonrise, at least for us." As if that made any more sense than
average.

Crimson turned towards the women sitting on the bed. Mercury playfully
tossed a grape at the dragon. Without missing a beat, his mouth
shimmered into the snout of a true dragon, nipping the fruit from the
air. His chin snapped back into human form.

"You two are welcome to join us in the library," he said to the girls
on the bed.

Janey perked up. Library? That sounded interesting.

Miranda lowered her eyes for a moment. Janey was reminded of a slave
deferring to a master, Miranda's kneeling posture fortifying the
illusion. But the scene shattered as Miranda merely looked up and held
Crimson's eyes. She shook her head negatively, but her eyes betrayed a
touch of longing for something that she hadn't yet reached out for or
recognised. Mercury watched the exchange almost with a sense of
anticipation.

"Thanks, Crimson, but I think we'll head over with everyone else."

Crimson shrugged. "You're both more than welcome at the library. You
know that."

Miranda took a deep breath, almost as if she were about to change her
mind.

"No. Thank you. Mercury and I will meet up with you two later. At
moonrise. Wouldn't want to miss the pre-moon festivities." She
swallowed heavily. Janey thought that, perhaps, Miranda wouldn't mind
missing the pre-moon festivities as much as she professed.

Janey stood quietly, crossed the marble, and began to pull on her
shoes. While she was busy with that, Crimson spoke softly.

"Perhaps, next year, then."

Miranda simply nodded, accepting automatically a wedge of orange
between her lips from Mercury's fingers. The fruit made her smile.

Janey finished tying her right running shoe and straightened. She
stared into the Dragon's jade eyes. As she watched, the irises
shimmered into a deep brown, through magenta and back to jade. He
smiled at her.

"Coming?" He held out one hand, the fingers beckoning.

Janey inhaled deeply, knowing what she was about to do was probably
incorrect.

"I'll stay with Miranda, I think." She spoke quietly.

Whatever he wants, I'm coming back in and going back to bed. She shook
the memory from her mind.

Crimson walked easily over to Janey, placing his hand gently on her
shoulder.

"If you change your mind, you are still more than welcome. Anyone can
direct you to the library, but we'll only be there until moon-rise.
After that, we can meet at the Festival, that's where Miranda and
Mercury will probably take you. Okay?"

Whatever he wants, I'm coming back in and going back to bed. Janey
shivered and glanced back towards the bed. It looked so inviting,
especially with the women still draped across it. Damnable creature.

Miranda moistened her lips with her tongue. "Janey?" she spoke
quietly. "Go with him. Not many get invited to the library." Her words
belied her earlier refusal to join Crimson there.

Janey nodded. The library had a sense of mystery. Secret orgies
suffused her mind, rites of initiation, a secret society of
architects. She shook free her imagination and nodded again. Her
fingers pushed at the unresisting fingers of the dragon, only to take
the palm against her own.

"Let's go," she said wearily. If you ride upon the Dragon, you can
never get off.

"See you at the Festival?" Crimson asked the women adorning the bed.

"Have we ever missed it?"

Crimson laughed and guided Janey towards the door.

                      <--***===***--->

"I miss Bob. And my kids."

The hallway was deserted. Janey's comment echoed up and down the
expanse, reflecting off opulent marble and stonework flickering in
torchlight. Crimson stopped and looked into Janey's face.

"Is Bob your husband?"

Janey nodded slightly. "Bob's the name I use in stories, anyway. It's
as real as Janey is, I suppose."

After about a minute, he guided her gently to the side of the
corridor. She leaned heavily against the cool stone, crossing her
ankles. Her fingers fidgeted of their own volition.

"Do you want to go home?" he asked her gently.

She hesitated, tried to look into his eyes. Couldn't. Tears
threatened. She shook her head, her eyes fascinated with his feet. At
least they didn't shimmer into claws at her attention. His fingers
raised her chin without resistance.

"Really?"

"I want to go. I want to know why I'm here. I want to know why I'm
standing in this strange hallway, tired, having just made love to two
women, in a communal shower no less, and I'm not even wearing
underwear. I want to know what the hell is so all fired important in
the library. I want to know what the hell Equinox and the moon have to
do with a damn Festival. I want to know why I'm not at home, in my
bed, with Bob." Her eyes held his; the tears retreated, frustration
reigning.

He smiled gently. He mumbled a string of gibberish, and waved a hand.
A shimmering sapphire portal appeared in the hallway. Janey could feel
the air swirling lightly around her ankles. She tossed her hair,
feeling it brush her shoulders. She felt like stripping off her
clothes, dropping them on the marble before approaching the gateway.

Instead, she walked slowly to it, sensing Crimson's eyes gently
watching her back. She stopped, her nose five short centimetres from
the swirling tunnel. The swirling luminescence was hypnotic. She
thought she could see her front yard through the turbulence, but in
the next instance it was gone like a fleeting glimpse of a ghost.

"I should. God, I should," she spoke to nobody in particular. She
inhaled sharply, willing her feet to make that last step. They
refused.

Sighing, she turned. Crimson was leaning against the wall, in the same
posture she had occupied a moment ago, except his arms were crossed
easily across his chest. As she observed him, he shimmered from male,
to female, from blonde to brunette, from unclothed back to clothed,
into the dragon form for three seconds before returning to the dark
man to whom she was beginning to get accustomed.

He cocked his head to the side.

"You are here, I think, because you needed to be," he whispered.

She sensed the portal close behind her even before her eyes registered
the fading blue of its radiance.

"I still miss Bob. And the kids."

"I know."

                      <--***===***--->

She'd never been in a Gentleman's Club before, but the room that
emerged as Crimson swung open the heavy, oaken door struck her as
distinctly masculine. Endless shelves of books surrounded comfortable
reading chairs, all with private end tables. The faint odour of
cigars, leather, and perhaps pipe smoke assailed her nostrils. A few
faces looked up at their entrance, some nodding greetings. She spotted
Mat on the other side of the room, engaged in quiet conversation with
a petite Asian girl. Various men and women were spread out throughout
the large room, mostly reading, but some scribbling or talking. Most
were dressed in suits, or formal attire, making Janey's jeans and
sweatshirt seem out of place. She took some comfort in the fact that
Crimson was dressed as casual as she. A younger woman was even
stretched out on her tummy on the floor, her bare feet idly kicking
back and forth as she read a larger book. She began to relax a little.

"Care for a drink?" Crimson asked Janey, causing her to start.

She nodded dumbly. As he moved away from her, she began to examine
some of the books nearest the door. Shakespeare beside Stephen King.
She cringed and turned away from the shelves.

"... the Blowjob Principle reigns supreme ... if people want to continue ...
a bit of stroking isn't unreasonable ..." Her eyes tracked to a striking
woman talking quietly to a young man. The woman looked vaguely
familiar, but Janey couldn't place her. The woman looked up, perhaps
feeling Janey's eyes on her, but her lips didn't stop moving. Janey
tried to look away, but the woman continued to regard her until Janey
finally returned the stare. The woman smiled and waved a greeting
before switching her gaze back to the young man to whom she was
speaking.

"That's Celeste," Crimson whispered in Janey's ear as he pressed a
glass of red wine into her fingers.

"The Celeste?"

"She doesn't often come to these events. Busy. Busy." Crimson mumbled.

Crimson touched Janey's shoulder and guided her towards Mat. Mat
looked up and smiled a greeting. Janey waved, but Crimson gently
propelled her towards the bookshelves behind Mat. He pointed to a worn
book upon the shelves.

"The Kama Sutra?" Janey asked, half in jest.

"An original copy."

Janey stared at the creature, who merely smiled.

She traced her fingers over other spines, a trail of dust settling to
the hardwood beneath her feet. Reage. Dickens. Trotsky. Urquhart. That
last name made her pause.

"Janey's September?" she inquired quietly.

"We collect all stories here," he replied with a smile. "There's
probably others that you might recognise, too, if we had time to check
out the place."

Crimson gently removed the book from her fingers and replaced it into
its slot. Slightly overwhelmed, Janey followed the Dragon to where Mat
was sitting. The taller man from the shower locker room had joined Mat
and the girl, Janey struggled to remember his name. See-El. Proud of
herself, she spoke as she approached.

"See-El, nice to see you again."

He grinned at her, a mischievous smile gracing his lips. "Janey. I
nearly didn't recognise you outside of a towel."

Janey blushed, but managed to contain her embarrassment as Crimson
shot her an 'and-what-have-you-been-up-to' look. Mat stood and took
Janey's hand.

"M'lady," he made an exaggerated show of kissing the back of her hand.
She blushed again, but fought it down successfully. "Diane, meet
Janey."

The petite Asian girl rose to her feet, shaking Janey's proffered
hand. After the introduction, she returned to her seat, crossing her
legs. Janey took a sip of her red wine before settling into the
opposing sofa. What looked like an antique coffee table, perhaps from
the French revolution, sat solidly between the oversized sofas. The
aroma of fresh leather greeted her as she sank into the couch's
depths. Crimson settled beside her with a sigh. There was probably
room on the furniture for about six other people.

Janey swallowed and cleared her throat. "So, what's with the library?"

Mat turned to Crimson. "You haven't told her yet, have you?" The
Dragon merely smiled in response.

Mat returned his gaze to Janey. "We just gather here before the
Festival. It's ... tradition."

"Who gathers here? I thought ..."

Mat laughed gently. "An orgy in the library? Interesting, I must
admit, but no, it's far more mundane. The authors, my dear. I can't
even remember why, but the authors have to wait for moon-rise while
the rest of them have a party out there." Straining, Janey could
almost hear a low bass-line and a thousand voices raised as one,
seeping through the thick, stone walls of the castle. In some ways,
she was almost glad for the quiet in the library.

"Authors?" she asked for want of a better question.

"Well, and guests. And speaking of guests," he continued but addressed
Crimson. "Where's Miranda?"

"She didn't want to come," he shrugged. "I think she wants to finish
her memoirs, and if I'm any judge, I'll wager she'll be sitting beside
us next year. Maybe the next Queen."

"What about Mercury?"

Crimson laughed. "Why do you think Miranda didn't come?"

Mat nodded in understanding. Janey wished that she understood the
conversation, but at the moment contented herself with the excellent
wine. Mat looked at his watch.

"Almost moon-rise," he sighed.

He and Crimson rose from their seats. Slowly, conversation ebbed, and
most that were quietly reading looked up towards the two men.
Anticipation permeated the air, infecting Janey despite her confusion.
She raised her glass, sipping at the wine.

"It's time?" Celeste asked. Crimson and Mat nodded in affirmation.
Celeste continued. "I would have done it if she hadn't come, but I
think Janey would be better. Honestly."

Janey? Janey nearly choked on her wine. What the hell? Ambush? Was
this a damn human sacrifice? Damn it, she wasn't even a virgin. Far
from it. Crimson was going to pay for this. She really disliked --
scratch that -- hated to be singled out. She rose to her feet,
invective ready.

Crimson quietly laughed, shushing her with a small wave. Janey relaxed
slightly but warily eyed the small crowd of authors that watched her.
Maybe we were talking about another Janey. Crimson leaned towards her.

"It wasn't my idea, this time," he whispered.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his fingers move and shimmer,
and suddenly her clothing felt heavier, and warmer. Something adorned
her hair. For a moment, confusion reigned, but her fingers solved the
mystery by snatching the object from the top of her head. A tiara,
beautiful, jewel encrusted.

She looked at Crimson in complete confusion.

"The Queen, my dear." He performed a mock bow while Janey looked down
at herself. Majestic purple robes adorned her, but for some reason her
feet were bare beneath the outfit.

"Oh no. Not me," she exclaimed half-angrily. "I told you: 'No Queen
bullshit'. Remember?"

Mat stepped over. Janey could sense the authors turning their gazes
back to various books, avoiding the clash that was about to ensue.

"Janey, it only means that you introduce the Equinox. Nothing more."

"Bullshit. I'm not dressing up like this. Period." Her fingers began
to pull at the buttons holding the garment together. "No Queen. I'm
not the Queen, whatever that means. Understand? I'd rather go naked
than this." She turned to Crimson. "Send me home. Now."

Crimson took a deep breath, and gently moved Mat to the side. Mat kept
his eyes on Janey, but settled beside Diane.

"Janey. I'll send you home, no problem, but reconsider, please." He
waved that infernal hand over her head. Her comfortable jeans, and
sweatshirt returned as though they had never been gone. The tiara
remained hanging idly from her fingers. She regarded him mistrustfully
for a moment. "The outfit isn't important," he continued. "Will you
simply introduce the Equinox? Dressed like that?"

Janey inhaled deeply, and let the air out between clenched teeth. She
pulled out the neck of her sweater, glancing downwards. "Underwear?"

Crimson laughed. "I can't manufacture what you never had."

Janey blushed, but held his gaze. "I don't believe you about my
panties, but fine, I'll introduce the Equinox. No robes. No Queen.
Just me. Okay? Satisfied? What do I have to do, you bloody lummox?"

Mat rose and hugged her. The rubber band of tension permeating the
room snapped. Muted conversation began again, but a sense of urgency
entwined with the renewed activity.

                      <--***===***--->

She watched as the full moon rose slowly above the trees. It flooded
the forest with its ethereal rays, reminding her of a far off bedroom,
with a far off husband. She shivered, half-wishing for those
ridiculous, but heavy robes. Crimson stood quietly to her left,
Celeste to her right. The remainder of the occupants from the library
stood either behind them, or were interspersed in the murmuring crowd
beyond.

Despite her refusal of a throne, her girlhood fantasies welled up. In
spite of the jeans, the sweatshirt and the running shoes, she embraced
the vision of a princess. Crimson squeezed her hand reassuringly.
Janey wondered if all the Equinox announcements were thrust upon
unsuspecting women. As the time approached, the crowd murmured into
silence. Only the raging bonfire sent unrelenting sparks into the
night air. Even the ever-present crickets seemed to hold their
collective breath. Butterflies threatened to rise from their dance
within her stomach. It seemed like a preternatural silence, one that a
thousand revellers shouldn't be able to summon.

As the seconds ticked by, and the moon greeted the night, she raised
her arms as Celeste had shown her back an eternity ago in a library
mostly forgotten. Her voice, sure and strong, surprised even herself.

"It is the calling of the Autumn Equinox." Her voice echoed through
the clearing. A thousand voices hushed, knowing the age-old ritual. A
thousand pairs of lips followed the words, like a prayer. But it was
so much more than that. "We gather to celebrate the year past, and the
year ahead. May imagination run strong within us all."

She slowly lowered her arms, taking a sip of the wine that she plucked
from Crimson's fingers. She impulsively turned and kissed Crimson and
then Celeste.

A thousand voices exploded. A deep bass-line punctuated the forest as
an unseen technician flipped on a sixties disk.

Janey willed her legs to stop shaking.

                      <--***===***--->

Her legs were complaining loudly. At Miranda's suggestion, she had
kicked off her shoes, despite the cooler temperatures. Soft on the
underside of her feet, pine needles carpeted the clearing, somehow
covering the earth in spite of thousands of dancers around the central
bonfire. However, the constant dancing had nearly exhausted her
stamina.

She wiped the perspiration from her brow with the back of her hand.
Slowly, she stopped dancing and looked into the huge bonfire. She
thought she saw a blue flame for a moment, then only a shower of
sparks.

What is love? Baby, don't hurt me. Don't hurt me. No more.

Mercury had shed her clothes, long ago, abandoning herself to the
music, her hair twirling around her shoulders. Miranda was dancing
more sedately, clothed, but barefoot on Janey's left. There had been
many dancing partners, male and female, whirling through their group
in front of the fire, more matching Mercury's energy than those taking
it easy. Abandonment ruled the night.

The Thompson Twins, not named after the 80's group, but tall brothers
in loud Hawaiian shirts, had just danced off to join Celeste and Celia
off closer to the stage. Earlier, Sondra had whirled through with a
thrown kiss in Janey's direction prompting some laughter from Miranda
and Mercury. Janey had no idea to where Crimson had disappeared --
probably somewhere near the enormous banquet tables to the east. She
glanced back towards the clearing's periphery.

She felt Miranda's fingers tugging gently on her own. Together, the
three women wound through the dancers until the revellers thinned at
the edge of the clearing. It was darker here, though the music was as
loud as at the edge of the bonfire. Miranda pressed a stein of liquid
into Janey's hand. Parched, and without thinking, Janey uptilted the
cup, swallowing the familiar amber, sweetness quickly.

"Whoa, tiger." Miranda tipped the cup down gently with her own
fingers. "Nick fermented that stuff this year."

Almost immediately, the mead began to tingle Janey's senses. Miranda
tugged on Janey's fingers, pulling her to the needles below. Janey
dropped cooperatively, sitting cross-legged and leaning back on her
hands. Miranda sat as well, facing Janey.

"Have to sip this stuff slowly. Savour it."

The air was swimming already, and the memories of her previous
experience with mead flooded over Janey. She purposely set the stein
by her left thigh.

Miranda laughed a little. "Crimson warned me not to let you drink this
stuff. Damn, I'm in trouble again."

Mercury giggled, perhaps having imbibed a little of the amber stuff
herself.

"I'll be fine. I think." Janey struggled not to slur her words.

Mercury shifted her weight from her right foot to her left, and then
back again. "Would you two mind if I ..." She glanced wistfully towards
the stage, which was brimming with dancers.

Janey shook her head, and immediately regretted it. Eventually the
world would stop spinning, she was sure.

Miranda answered. "Go on, celebrate." Mercury smiled and immediately
scampered off, happily twirling naked through the crowd towards the
stage.

After some silent time, Janey looked over to the left. She was
surprised that the alcohol seemed to be easing its grip on her almost
as quickly as it had seized her. She jerked her thumb towards the edge
of the forest. "You'd think they'd have some shame," she smiled. A
nude couple was exploring, lying on the edge of the ever-present
needles. Janey watched as the girl's fingers began to stroke lightly
in the semi-darkness.

"You'd think," Miranda's voice barely was audible above the pounding
music. She leaned forward, her lips brushing Janey's. Her hands gently
guided Janey down into the needles.

                      <--***===***--->

She could see the stage over Miranda's shoulder as they moved
together. The music had fallen into a rare slower set and Miranda had
insisted that they dance again. They remained on the edge of the
clearing where it was cooler, and more private. Janey had slipped back
on her jeans and sweatshirt before rising to join Miranda, but the
other girl had remained as nude as Mercury was up on the stage slow
dancing with Crimson. With a sigh of relief, Janey at least knew that
Crimson hadn't entirely abandoned her.

Her body ached, but the touch of Miranda's now naked body moving
against her seemed to give her some new strength. Her latest climax
had stolen what little remained of her sexual energy. Unconsciously,
she let Miranda lead and she moved her bare feet through the natural
carpet.

Miranda's fingers gently brushed Janey's nipple through the
sweatshirt. Janey shivered slightly.

"Again?" Miranda asked.

Janey simply shook her head, her eyes still on the stage. She pulled
Miranda in tighter, continuing the dance.

Sister Christian, oh, the time has come.

Janey slowly released Miranda as the music wound to a close. Miranda's
teeth softly bit down on her own lower lip.

What's your price for flight?

"You're leaving, aren't you?" she asked quietly.

Janey nodded.

"Stay."

"I can't."

Miranda stepped forward and embraced Janey, her lips brushing her
cheek.

"I know. Don't leave it for years, again. Okay?" From somewhere, she
produced the tiara that Janey had forsaken earlier in the library.
Janey didn't resist as Miranda placed it atop her head.

Janey kissed her.

                      <--***===***--->

She could hear the music even from this vantage. The voices of the
revellers reached from the clearing as if as amplified as the
background, pounding beat. She could nearly hear each voice
intermingled into a montage of celebration.

A descending, naked, laughing girl had tossed her a silken comforter
as Janey had climbed the steep steps towards the high ramparts.

"You might want this," the girl called merrily before skipping
recklessly down the stairs. "It's Autumn, don't you know?"

Janey was thankful, now, of that kindness as she wrapped the comforter
about her shoulders, wishing that she hadn't lost her shoes. The
exposed stone radiated an autumn chill through the soles of her feet.
The wind gently fluttered her hair about her shoulders.

She could see the bonfire from here, its glow lighting the forest
noticeably in the area of the clearing. Far below, couples walked
towards the various paths leading to the Festival. Other couples, like
Janey, were walking or dancing away from the clearing towards the
Castle, or the other outlying buildings. It appeared that the pub was
nearly as frenetic as the clearing had been. She was almost sure that
she recognised Nick and Sven down there, hoisting a mug of ale,
toasting with various miscreants.

The moon, now high overhead bathed Janey in its reflected light. She
watched it for a while. It seemed to be the same body that inhabited
her sky in Boston; the same moon that shone down upon a Wisconsin
landscape. Half expecting to see a dragon wisp across its face, she
finally lowered her eyes. Turning her back on the forest below, she
leaned back against the low protective wall. Pulling the comforter
tighter, she let her thoughts wander. A smile pulled insistently at
the corners of her lips.

When she returned to gaze out over the land, he was suddenly beside
her, sitting easily on the wall, his feet dangling over the edge. It
reminded her of a porch rail, an eternity ago. The height didn't seem
to bother the creature.

"You all right?" he asked her quietly.

She took stock of herself. She ached in all the right places. Her
eyelids felt like sandpaper. Her legs were going to really punish her
tomorrow. Her feet were freezing. She missed Miranda.

She nodded slowly. "My feet are cold, but I'm better than I've been
for a long time."

The Dragon smiled as if he'd already known that. They watched in
silence, listening to the sounds of the night.

"I see you decided to go with the tiara."

Janey grinned, plucking it from her hair. She handed it towards the
Dragon. "Miranda."

"I'd figured." He pressed the tiara back into her hand. She gripped it
lightly, letting it dangle against her thigh.

"I'm going to miss her."

"I know."

The Dragon hitched himself up into a more comfortable position. He
touched his fingertips, forming a bowl out of his hands. A blue
swirling coalesced into a transparent ball. Her eyes were drawn to the
image projected therein.

Miranda moved her still naked body in time to the distant beat, which
had slowed down from the frantic dance tempo that had permeated the
forest. Her eyes seemed to be far away, but she still seemed to be
aware of the music surrounding her. As Janey watched from afar,
Mercury joined Miranda in an easy slow dance. Mercury said something
in Miranda's ear that made her briefly smile before Crimson winked out
the crystal ball.

"She'll be fine. Trust me." Crimson spoke quietly.

Torn, Janey nodded.

"I'll miss them."

Crimson nodded. After a last look at the landscape, Janey turned. The
familiar portal stood on the other side of the circular rampant. She
impulsively hugged the Dragon, and planted a light kiss on his cheek.

"You're staying, aren't you?" she asked.

"For a while. It's the Equinox. Dragons revel in Equinoxes," he
answered with a grin.

"The other end of this isn't on my roof, is it?" Janey pointed towards
the portal.

The Dragon merely grinned.

"Damn lizard." She kissed him once more. "Thanks. I. I needed this, I
think. Say goodbye to the others for me? Mercury especially, I never
got the chance."

"I already did." He pulled himself off the wall to stand with her.

The music had returned to a driving sixities beat. Even here, she
could distinctly understand the words. I'm Crazy 'Bout a Mercury. She
smiled, her mind's eye picturing the naked nymph twirling about the
stage, living her song.

With a sigh, Janey's feet walked determinedly around the edge of the
tower, stopping short of the portal. She took a deep breath, filling
her lungs with the refreshing air. On impulse, she returned the tiara
to her hair. It fit perfectly. She glanced back to the opposite edge
of the tower. The Dragon remained where she'd been standing. He waved
and smiled.

"Equinox comes twice a year," he called.

She smiled, and returned the wave. Taking a deep breath, she dropped
the comforter, and stepped into the portal.

The intense falling sensation overwhelmed her senses.

                      <--***===***--->

The wood of the porch beneath her bare feet comforted her as she bent
to retrieve the keys that she'd dropped so long ago.

The mantle clock had resumed its comforting metronome cadence.
Automatically avoiding the third step, she ascended to the second
floor. The children were still fast asleep, as was her husband.

She settled into the chair beside the window, slowly unlocking and
raising the pane. The moon was overhead, full, filling the room with a
soft even glow. The air raised the fine hair on her forearms as she
leaned on the sill. An indistinct, crimson form flitted across the
face of the lunar orb. She reached up, pulling a jewel encrusted tiara
from her hair.

She turned as a familiar voice, half asleep, mumbled from the bed.
"Come to bed, honey."

"Until the Spring," she whispered to the moon.

Her fingers lowered the pane. She rose and walked to her side of the
bed. Not bothering with removing her clothing, she slipped back
between the sheets. She ached. His arm encircled her, and she sighed
contentedly and closed her eyes, welcoming her dreams.

-- 
Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights
reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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