Message-ID: <36655asstr$1022706605@assm.asstr-mirror.org> Return-Path: <news@google.com> X-Original-Path: not-for-mail From: icephoenix@arcticmail.com (Ice Phoenix) X-Original-Message-ID: <23948e2.0205290846.50771fb7@posting.google.com> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit NNTP-Posting-Date: 29 May 2002 16:46:45 GMT X-ASSTR-Original-Date: 29 May 2002 09:46:45 -0700 Subject: {ASSM} STORY: Dragonseekers (teen, inc, mf) [3/4] Date: Wed, 29 May 2002 17:10:05 -0400 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 X-Archived-At: <URL:http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/Year2002/36655> X-Moderator-Contact: ASSTR ASSM moderation <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Story-Submission: <ckought69@hotmail.com> X-Moderator-ID: gill-bates, dennyw Hey, everyone. It's Ice Phoenix here to entertain you once more! The following story, called Dragonseekers, is my latest work... it was started by Net Wolf, but when he left, he asked me to finish it for him. I hope I can live up to his reputation. To give feedback on this story, please go to: http://www.ewpub.org and use the Forum there. You can also take the time to look around for my other stories, and at the other authors at Electronic Wilderness Publishing. Thanks for listening, and enjoy the story! Ice Phoenix Dragonseekers Chapter 3 The group was somber as they walked through the forest. The light-hearted mood of the day had died with the noble creature of the realm. They had taken only enough time to carve off and cook a sufficient amount of the dragon's carcass to provide them food for their journey. None of them was looking forward to having to eat something they had spoken with. Survival, however, was more important to them than their sensibilities. Kate had cried for a solid hour after Dan-Eger's death. Don had sat beside her, holding her hand and cradling her head on his shoulder. He hadn't said anything, for there was nothing to be said. Julie had cooked up the meat, trying not to remember what, or rather who, it was, and had then packaged it in the empty bags they had been carrying. Hopefully it would keep long enough for them to get to Castle Ballor. There was no talk of remaining in the clearing. Not only did it harbor a bad memory for them all now, but soon the predators and scavengers would be out in force, and there was no way they could fend off any sort of attack. They moved along the path Dan-Eger had pointed out to them, hoping that their gloom would fade with distance. No one spoke as they went, and there was no playfulness or light-heartedness in their collective gait. When they stopped for the night, everyone was trying to find excuses not to eat dinner. It was only when their hunger could no longer be tolerated that they broke out what everyone agreed to call "rations". The only bright spark of the night was that dragon meat tasted surprisingly good. Even after being carried for a couple of hours in food sacks, the meat was still tender, and slightly warm. It helped them to distance themselves from the event that this meat did, in fact, taste like *food*, rather than like some kind of abomination. After the evening meal was finished, the boys gathered for a meeting to discuss what to do. Gone, for the moment, was their joking and plotting about their sisters. It had been brought home to them that death was prevalent in this land. One incident could be seen as a fluke, but two in two days was more than anyone could pass off. "So, Don," Paul started out, holding his pebble in his hand, "Do we listen to the dragon?" "We're still heading more or less north, which is also what the scroll told us to do," Don pointed out. "I don't see that we have any reason not to. Gill?" "Dan-Eger didn't have any reason to lie. All he wanted was a quicker death. I say we keep going. He said three days, but I think it'll probably take us four, with our group's lack of hiking experience." "Shit. That means we still have to find more food to eat." "We'll need to do that anyway. We can't live on just meat. We've got to find people to trade with, or find some vegetables growing wild." "Agreed. Keep your eyes open, okay?" "Yeah," Paul confirmed. "We'll do that. It would also be useful if we could manage to obtain other supplies. Rope, for instance, and a better first-aid kit, things like ointments and liniments and that sort of shit." The pebble in Paul's hand was rocking slightly back and forth now, though Paul's hand was steady. "Right. I don't know where we'd get any of that stuff before we get to the castle, but we'll keep our options open. Okay, since you guys screwed up last night's guard rotation, what do we do now?" "Katie is still upset, Don. You need to keep close to her. She's the frailest of us, emotionally as well as physically. We can handle the watch duty for you." "That's hardly fair, Paul," Don pointed out. "Depends on how you look at it," Gill replied. "You're the one doing all the thinking. They say that higher brain functions are the first thing to go when you start to get fatigued. We can't afford for you to not be thinking straight. That could get us all killed." Paul nodded in agreement. Don acceded to the inevitable. "All right, but if you guys get to the point where you're getting dog-tired, I'm taking over a shift, dammit." There was general agreement with that point. "Guys? I hate to bring this up just now," Paul said quietly. The stone in his hand was now a good inch away from his skin, but he hadn't yet noticed it. "But we should talk about the girls." "What, precisely, is bugging you, oh levitator of rocks?" Don had noticed the pebble, and wanted to point it out to the other two. "Huh? Well, shit! I didn't even know I was doing that! Cool!" "Looks like you got your powers after all," Gill said. "Congrats. Now learn how to use the damned things so we've got more than Mr. Wizard over here!" Don pushed him playfully. "Well, son of a bitch," Paul said quietly, closing his hand around the pebble. "Anyway, to answer your question, I mean, we agree that the girls are acting funny. They're all far more cooperative, and even downright infatuated with us. What do we do about that?" "We take advantage of it!" Gill insisted. "I don't have a problem with that, but how do we go about it?" Don wanted to know. "Carefully," Paul said. "The last thing we need is to make the wrong move and to piss them off. It would split this group right down the middle, us against them." "Small steps, like Gill said last night. We take small steps." "There is something we could do, but it means less security for us." "What's that?" Don wanted to know. "We could move farther apart at night. Try to put bushes or trees between us. It'll give us a little bit of privacy, so that if we do get anywhere, well... I think the girls will be more open if they don't think everyone's watching," Paul explained. "I agree," Gill said. "The security thing isn't all that big a deal. I don't even know why we're bothering with it." Just then, a wolf howled. It was a high-pitched, soulful howl that was soon joined by a countless number of others. Don shivered and turned to Gill. "*That's* why." After the meeting broke up, Don walked over to Kate, and helped her to her feet. She stayed very close to him while they walked a short distance off the path and sat down together by a large tree that shielded them from the others. "Donny, why are we away from the others?" she wanted to know. Her voice was brittle and a little shaky. "Just to give everyone some privacy, sis. We don't want to start getting on each other's nerves too soon, or this will be a really nasty trip." She shook her head, and then leaned against him, her head resting on his shoulder. He slipped his arm around her and she moved in close. He could feel her breasts pressing against him, and he had to calm himself. *Not now. She is way too stressed to touch her now.* Instead, he looked up at the sky, studying the stars there. Katie noticed his interest. "What is it?" she asked. "I was just wondering if I could make out any constellations. You know, like the Big Dipper, or Sagittarius or something." "Why?" she asked curiously. "Well, I really think we're in a game world, but I'm wondering how closely it's modeled on Earth. I mean, are we in Zemlia Nov's equivalent of North America? Or are we in Australia?" "Does it matter? We're going home, right?" "No, it doesn't really matter, but it was keeping my mind occupied." *Instead of thinking of dead dragons,* he didn't add. They sat for some time in silence before Kate yawned. She smiled at herself. "It sure feels like it's been a long day." "Yeah. You can lie down and go to sleep if you want." "I think I will," she said. She leaned up and looked her brother in the eyes. "I love you, Donny," she said, and kissed him on the lips. He kissed her back, and caressed her arm. They broke the kiss, and then she lay down, her back turned to him. He sat and looked at the stars, hoping for... what? He didn't know. Several yards away, Julie and Paul were sitting together between some bushes. Paul was playing with the pebble he had been carrying, levitating it in his palm. He showed his sister, expecting her usual polite but disinterested reaction. "That's so neat!" she exclaimed quietly. "What else can you do with it?" "I don't know. This is the most I've tried... It's the first thing I've been able to do since I got here." "Try to make it float over to me," she said from a few feet away. "C'mon, you can do it!" Paul concentrated on the pebble. It wobbled a bit, but it hovered through the air over to where his sister was sitting. She caught it, and uttered a little squeal of glee. She hopped up, and stepped over to her brother. She unceremoniously plopped herself into his lap, and put her arms around his neck. She laid her head on his shoulder and murmured, "My brother, the magician." He didn't bother to correct her. Gill had taken first watch, and he paced silently along the path. Occasionally, he would step off the path in the direction of one or the other of the sibling pairs, or he would walk to where his sister lay, sleeping. There was no trouble, and he didn't even hear the wolves again. After four hours, he rousted Paul, who woke up quickly and seemingly well-refreshed. Gill bid him a good night, and returned to his sister. Gill studied Susan as she lay on the ground, her back to him, her head lying on her pack. He noticed how beautiful she was, and how her clothing clung to her. She was wearing a heavy, light-green tunic and forest-green, tight pants. Her boots were hanging from a nearby branch to keep bugs and animals out of them. He couldn't help but think about what he'd love to do with her. Lying down next to her, Gill rolled onto his side, very near her back. He could smell her and, even having gone so long without a bath, she still smelled great to him. He placed his hand gently on her hip, and then slid it carefully down onto her abdomen. He left it there as he laid his head down on his own pack. It was only a few seconds later that he felt a soft hand rubbing his crotch. He almost moaned out loud, but he knew that would bring Paul running, and he didn't want company just now. Susan showed no signs of being awake. In fact, it sounded as if she was dreaming. He dared not move, except that soon her other hand grabbed his hand, and moved it from her abdomen up to her tit. She pushed his hand against her body hard, and then let go of it. He did not move his hand. Instead, he gave her tit a gentle squeeze. To which, Susan responded in her sleep by rubbing his crotch again. He squeezed again, and then he rubbed his thumb over the bump in her shirt that was her nipple. She moaned very softly in her sleep as he did this a few times. Her hand slipped off his crotch, moving around to the front of her own body, but he didn't dare look to see if it had gone where he thought it might. Deciding not to press his luck too far, Gill stopped caressing his sister's breast. But he decided not to remove his hand. She had, after all, put it there herself. He pressed himself closer against her, and then he fell asleep. When morning came, Susan awoke first. She immediately felt Gill's hand resting on her breast. The flash of anger that came was so brief, she barely noticed it. Instead, she focused on the pleasant feeling his hand gave her. She knew that she had been dreaming about him last night. She couldn't help but believe that his actions had initiated her dream. She couldn't know it was the other way around. Gill woke up shortly after she did, and, seeing she was awake, he froze. He knew he was dead. If she was upset, she would kill him for touching her like he was. Still, she wasn't moving at all. Finally, getting up his courage, Gill leaned up on his free arm, leaving his hand where it was. He leaned over and kissed his sister on the cheek, to see how she would react. "Morning, Susan," he said, and she mewled at him. Susan was not a talkative individual in the morning, and that was as close as she had ever come to a pleasant "good morning" to anyone. Seeing he was in luck, he gave her tit a final squeeze, and then released it, rising to go take care of morning business. As she rolled over to watch him go, she wasn't sure whether she was glad his hand was off her, or if she really wanted it to be back where it had been. She closed her eyes and thought about it for a while, but could come to no definite conclusion. *Why can't I think clearly anymore? Everything seems to be foggy. The only time things make sense is when I'm fighting something, and then it's as if my senses had been sand-blasted. What's going on with me?* Her thoughts would normally have caused her a great deal of grief, but right now she just couldn't seem to muster the energy to be upset about it all. *Well, I suppose Gill or Don will work things out.* It wasn't long before the group was once more on its way. Kate and Don took the lead as usual, with Paul and Julie in the middle. Gill and Susan had dropped back to rear guard, at Don's suggestion. This way, there would be someone to protect the two non-fighters in the middle. Gill took every advantage of being the last person in line. He walked side by side with his sister, making almost constant contact with her now. Susan said nothing at all, but the slight grin on her face led Gill to believe that she was enjoying his touching. As they walked on throughout the morning, he moved his hand from her shoulder to her back, all the way down to her ass. She shivered at his contact with her butt, and stepped a little closer to him as they walked. He left his hand there for the remainder of the morning, pulling his sister in a little closer, so that they were touching sides. Her arm automatically came around his back and rested against his side. They walked silently on, enjoying the feel of each other's bodies. When they finally stopped for lunch, it was in a small meadow. The path continued on the far side, and was still the only passage through the forest. A rabbit tried to scamper away from their group, but Susan's quick aim took the small animal down. It would be additional food for their journey, and at least something different from the... meat... they were carrying. Also growing in the meadow were several wild vegetables. Most notably, there were wild tomatoes growing. While Don and Julie picked some of these, Kate flew up over the tree tops again to see if there was a nearby water source. Seeing a river not too far away, she returned to the group. Gill and Paul went together to fill the group's water gourds. Having found several vegetable types, and with a new supply of water, the group felt they were fairly well stocked for the remainder of their journey. The group was just getting under way after lunch, about to head out of the meadow, when they heard something running toward them down the path. Several somethings, as a matter of fact, as they heard the yelps and whines of an uncountable number of animals. *Wolves,* Don thought. The group backed into the meadow's center, with Don at the lead. Susan and Gill were right behind him, with Paul standing between the fighters and the two remaining girls. Kate peered out from behind Paul, wanting to see what was coming, but afraid to find out. The noise grew closer, and it was quite obvious now that they were, indeed wolves. Don tensed, forming the spell for a fireball, but holding the "starter ball" in his hand, the spell not yet finished. It glowed bright blue, ready to be released or extinguished at his command. Finally, the pack broke into the meadow. There were at least a dozen of them. It took everyone a moment to realize that they were not alone, however. On the backs of the wolves, holding the reins of some kind of harness, were Elves. Shorter even than Kate, they were frail-looking individuals, thin and spindly. "Hiyahoa!" called the leader, and the group came to an abrupt stop. Several of the riders had to readjust their seating, the wolves had halted so quickly. The pack of riders spread out, so that they could more clearly see the group before them. Don and his friends did not move, merely waiting to see what trouble this was. Susan had an arrow strung, but it was pointed at the ground. Gill's sword was out of its sheath, but was also not raised. "Haialani," the lead Elf said, obviously to Don. Don, not understanding, crooked his head at him in a way that said, quite clearly, *Huh?* The leader, having had the experience before, understood. "You are new to Zemlia Nov?" "Yes. We've been here only three days," "Magician, could you put your spell away? It's making Secotr here uneasy," the Elf said, indicating the wolf he was riding. Don nodded, and closed his hand around the fireball, extinguishing it. Don's group relaxed slightly, spreading out a bit, but neither Gill nor Susan put away their weapons. When Kate came into sight, there was a small stir among the riders. The lead Elf pointed to her and said, "Elf or Elfling?" Seeing her confusion, he said, "Are you from here?" "No," she said meekly, shivering behind Don. "This is my sister," Don advised. "Ah. Welcome, Elfling. And welcome to the rest of you. We mean you no harm. We are the WolfRiders of Sheridan. My name is Koatri. You were sent here, by magic?" "Yes," Don answered. "What in our world is called a game. My name is Don, and this is my sister Kate." The others introduced themselves, though the WolfRiders did not reciprocate. "We are searching for a thief. Have you seen a tall man, wearing a green cloak?" "We haven't seen any people since we got here," Kate responded. "Only a dragon, and this ugly green..." "You've seen a dragon?" one in the back interrupted. Koatri looked at the rider, who hushed. "Yes," Don answered. "His name was Dan-Eger. We had to... kill him." This caused a general stir among the riders, who settled only after several nasty looks from Koatri. "Tell me," he asked, "how were you able to kill a creature with the size and power of Dan-Eger?" "He was already dying. He asked us to end his suffering, which we did, in return for some information." "I see. Human, it often takes dragons years to die, even after being severely wounded. You have done the dragon a great service. He would not have been able to fend off the predators and scavengers who would have slowly picked him apart while he still lived. Tell me, did he say how he had come to be so gravely wounded?" "He said he'd had a fight with another dragon. Dan-Gel...something, I forget." "Dan-Gelmer," Paul chimed in. He had a better memory than Don. "Dan-Gelmer?" Koatri said in worry. "Dan-Gelmer rules this forest now?" "That's what he said," Don confirmed. "That explains much that we have seen over the last two days. Human, I suggest you make your way out of this forest as quickly as possible. Dan-Gelmer will not like that you have eased Dan-Eger's pain. You have interfered with his revenge, you see." "Oh." "Where are you headed?" "We are trying to find Vernior, the Yellow Dragon. Dan-Eger told us that Iamor, the wizard at Castle Ballor, might be able to tell us." Don was volunteering so much information on the hopes that, if Dan-Eger had misled them, the Elves might say something. "Yes, that makes sense. Iamor is perhaps the wisest man in Zemlia Nov. I should warn you, however, that he is a little... eccentric. You may find him slightly mad. But he will be able to tell you more than any other human." Kate spoke up, "Do you know where we could find Vernior?" "No, Elfling, I do not. No Elf has ever seen Vernior. The Yellow Dragon does not make itself known to anything it isn't about to eat. Or so the story goes. The path you are on will take you to Castle Ballor. It is, however, well more than a day's walk from here. Perhaps more than two, depending on your group's speed." "We know. We have provisions." "Very well. Now, we must continue our search." "Hey! This guy... what did he steal?" "A magic Elf-crystal. It is blue, and about this big," Koatri said, indicating with his hands that the crystal was about six inches across. "If you encounter this man, do not trust him. He will take from you whatever he can." "Thanks for the warning," Don said. Koatri nodded, and then nudged Secotr with his knees. The wolves leapt as one, past Don and his friends, and down the path they had spent the morning coming up. "At least we know we're on the right track," Gill said, sheathing his sword. "Always good to have confirmation," Paul agreed. "Right. So, let's get moving, okay? And watch out for mysterious guys wearing green cloaks." The afternoon passed uneventfully, and the group made good time through the steadily thinning forest. The sun shone through larger and larger breaks in the trees, allowing the group to feel its warmth. The mood of the group had lightened from the previous day's unpleasantness. Knowing now that they had saved Dan-Eger from months, or even years, of torture, made the whole situation sit easier in everyone's mind. They finally stopped for dinner after the sun had set. They were in a large enough clearing to make a fire, which they did, but only to warm their dinner. As soon as they had finished the meal, they extinguished the fire, remembering Koatri's warning about Dan-Gelmer. There was no point in making it easy to find them. Besides, as the group split up, the fire would be pointless anyway. Gill and Susan sat together in a small copse of younger trees. They were several yards from the clearing, and also several yards from either of the other two pairs. They sat quietly, side by side, Gill's arm around his sister's waist. "Gill, how much longer are we going to be here?" she asked. He noted that her tone, rather than being demanding, had taken on a much softer manner, and she wasn't insisting that he do something, she just wondered if he had information. "I don't know, Suse. We haven't even made it to the castle, yet. And then we have to find Vernior. I'm afraid we could be here for a while." "What are we going to do?" she asked, seemingly scared at the prospect. *This isn't like her. She's usually so take-charge.* "We'll just have to work it out. Don't you worry, we'll make it." On impulse, he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. She returned the kiss passionately, her tongue quickly making its way into his mouth. His hand immediately found her tit and squeezed. She moaned against him, and pressed her body inward. Finally, they broke off the kiss. As much as he hated to do so, Gill had to stop her. "Shit. I have guard duty now. Maybe we could continue this later." Susan smiled seductively at him, and he kissed her again, quickly, before getting up to go off for his turn at watch. It was a restless four hours for Gill. He figured he was right on the edge of making it with his sister. She'd seemed ready to do just about anything with him, and then he had to go stand this stupid guard duty. *Damn it all to hell anyway!* By the look of the moon, it was time to get some sleep. Gill headed off to wake up Paul. He found him cuddling Julie in his arms, both of them fast asleep. It was a shame that waking Paul up would inevitably wake Julie: she looked so cute when she was unconscious. Reaching down, Gill lightly shook Paul's shoulder. Instantly, Paul's eyes opened and snapped upward, locking on Gill's face. The swift reaction startled Gill so badly that he backed away. "Shit, buddy, it's just me!" Paul had not moved, but it was obvious that he was ready to. Julie, meanwhile, slept on. Paul relaxed once he realized who was in front of him. He didn't understand his own reaction, for he was usually a bit slow to awaken. He had been sound asleep the moment before Gill had touched him, and wide awake as soon as Gill's hand touched his cloak. *Well, I'll figure it out later.* Paul nodded to Gill, who moved off in the direction of his own bedding area. *Where I almost got laid by Susan, dammit!* Gill reached the copse where he and Susan were sleeping, only to find her not there. *Maybe she went off to the bathroom,* he thought. As he turned to sit down, something leapt from behind a tree, tackling him. Before he had any chance to think or react, he was lying on his back on the ground, and his attacker was on top of him. Gill started to bring his hands up, hoping to throw off the attacker, but she leaned down into him. Her lips locked tightly to his, her tongue thrusting insistently into his mouth. Gill lost the ability to think as her hands pressed against his chest, finding and undoing the fasteners on his tunic. She had them undone in record time, and her fingernails scraped against his chest in a most pleasant manner. He grunted as she sat back, her butt in contact with his crotch. She rocked in small motions, grinding herself against him, hardening his cock to a full erection. Gill looked up at this woman. Until now, he had not been able to process enough thought to consider who she might be. He was not entirely surprised to find that it was Susan. He was *extremely* surprised when he realized that she was naked again. The moonlight glinted off her fair skin, revealing in stark lines her curvaceous form. Gill's hands reached up and groped his sister's tits. She moaned softly as she felt his palms slip over her nipples. She arched her back, pressing herself into him, enjoying the feel of his touch. For his part, Gill was in shock, going on some kind of instinct. He didn't understand his sister's behavior, but he was certainly not going to fight over it. Soon, Susan reluctantly removed herself from Gill's reach. She slipped further down his body, and started to undo his pants. It took her no time at all before she had them off his hips, and she was staring at the object of her desire. Gill's cock was hard, and ready for action. She bent over and licked the tip of it, tasting the precum there. It was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted, but she knew there was something better. Her mouth descended, Gill's prick slipping between her lips inch by inch until she had taken him fully inside her. Gill was in paradise. His sister's lips slid along the skin of his dick lightly, sending tingles throughout his body. Her tongue played along the underside of his shaft, and she began to suck at him strongly, as if to pull the cum from his balls. Susan's talented mouth did not take very long to bring Gill to, and past, the point of no return. He grunted to let her know he was about to come, but she didn't even slow down. Her mouth continued its delicate dance on his shaft, and Gill finally let loose, his cum spurting into her mouth, where she swallowed every bit of it. Gill was certain they were finished, but as Susan removed her mouth from his cock, her hand took its place, stroking him to get him back to full hardness. She looked up at him, a wolfish grin on her face. It was clear they would not be finished until *she* had been satisfied. Once Gill's cock had returned to full staff, Susan stopped her hand's motion. She held his dick in place as she moved over him. Straddling his waist, she positioned his dick at her entrance, and slowly sank down onto it. She moaned out as she reached bottom, not caring if anyone heard her. Susan wasted not a second before she began to move on her brother's cock. Her body slipped up and down lithely, her pussy gripping Gill's prick in velvet tightness. Gill ran his hands up her sides, and then pulled her down to him, their lips locking in a passionate kiss, their tongues dancing together as they moved. Gill rolled over, putting himself on top. Susan's legs came up to lock behind his ass. They continued to kiss as Gill rammed his dick into his sister's cunt. Faster and faster they pounded. Gill broke their kiss so that he could take one of his sister's nipples into his mouth, lapping at it, and then biting it, sending shivers of pain-turned-pleasure throughout his sister's nervous system. Her pants and moans filled the night as the two slammed together, rising closer and closer to their climax. Gill changed the angle of his thrust ever so slightly, now rubbing himself against his sister's clit more directly. He got an immediate reaction as Susan heated up another notch, starting to use her legs to pull him into her more rapidly. He continued to molest her tits, switching from one to the other as his cock pounded away at her pussy. It wasn't long before Susan finally hit the edge, and cried out in orgasm. Her body shuddered and pitched beneath Gill, who held on, continuing to thrust into her. The rippling of her cunt muscles on his dick sent him soaring as well, and he came inside her, which pushed her even higher. The two grunted and moaned for long moments before they settled to the ground, spent. After he had regained his senses, he looked over at his beautiful sister, and he couldn't resist reaching over and kissing her softly on the lips. She reciprocated, sliding her hand along his jaw. They broke the kiss, and then lay together, spoon fashion, his softening dick resting against her ass. They fell quickly to sleep that way. In the morning, it was hard for the other boys not to razz Gill about his noisy performance during the night. It had awakened *everyone*, and so there was no chance of keeping it a secret. Susan couldn't look at anyone, especially Gill, without blushing. They all decided, though, that it was best to keep quiet until the situation had a little more distance. Gill still walked beside his sister, though, and his hand rested comfortably on her waist. She no longer made any protests about his touch, and she leaned against him from time to time as well. They were making good time, and as they reached mid-morning, it was clear that the forest was coming to an end. The tree line ended abruptly just ahead of them. They were in high spirits, for they figured the castle couldn't be too far off. Without any warning, the ground beneath the group started to slip sideways, very quickly. They were all thrown off their feet. Suddenly, green tendrils whipped out from somewhere to the side of the path, wrapping themselves around Gill's legs. Gill screamed, and reached for his sword. Paul was beating at the tendrils, but had no luck. Kate had scrambled away, and was waiting ahead of them on the path. Susan was trying to hold on to her brother to keep him from getting pulled into the brush, where there was obviously some nasty plant life. Julie screamed as Don grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the danger, and toward his sister, Kate. Finally, Gill got his sword loose, and took two quick swipes at the vines. They fell to the ground, limp. They didn't even retract, but just lay there. Quickly, he pulled the vines off his legs, and jumped up. He gave his sister a hug for helping him, discreetly squeezing her ass at the same time. She blushed, but smiled at him. "Let's get the hell out of here," Paul opined, trying to steady his nerves. No one argued, and they quickly cleared the edge of the forest. As they stepped out into the bright sunshine of the grassy plain, the path before them was still obvious. This seemed strange, since they had met only one other group in their four days of traveling. However, as it was the only path available, unless they wanted to blaze a new one, they chose to follow it north. As Don started walking again, Paul caught up with him. "Hey, that back there was a little close, ya know?" Paul said. "Yeah. Damn good thing he's got that sword. And it just shows that I really need to learn the spells in this book. I didn't even think of using one... and I can't think of one that would have worked. I need time to study." "True. Maybe we can take a timeout when we get to the castle. Where's the save game button, anyway?" Don laughed along with him. "Look, that last attack was too close for me, man. What say we walk a little further apart? That way, one trap won't get all of us involved, and there'll be someone to help get us out of it, y'know?" After a little thought, Don nodded. "Not a bad idea. Okay... what, ten yards far enough?" "And how the hell am I supposed to measure ten yards? Let me check... no... nope, no tape measure..." Paul kept dramatically patting his pockets. Don rolled his eyes. "Take ten steps, Goliath. That'll be roughly ten yards. So, ten paces between each group. You're right, we've been lucky so far. And tell Gill to keep an eye out behind us, just in case. Now that we're out in the open, anyone who's interested can see where we are." "Gotcha." Paul stopped, and watched as Don walked ten steps. Then he started walking again. By this time, Gill and Susan had stopped with Paul. "What's up?" Gill asked just as they started moving. "We're putting some distance between ourselves. So that we don't get caught all in one trap like almost happened with that plant. You okay?" "Yeah, fine. All right, how far back should I be?" "Ten paces. And Don says to watch out behind us, in case we're being stalked." "Right-o," Gill answered with humor, stopping to let the others get ahead of him, and then taking up the rear guard. The remainder of the morning passed uneventfully. The path they were on now stretched, unbroken, ahead of them, and behind them, in a straight line across the plain. It was eerie, for they had seen no movement, not even animals. They stopped to eat lunch at a spot where there were at least some large rocks to sit on. Nothing else differentiated this spot from any other they had seen. Paul was amusing his sister by "juggling" some rocks using his telekinetic ability. She sat in awe of him, even though it was a simple, and useless, trick. It did make him feel that his powers were stronger than he had tampered with, however. After they had rested and eaten, the group once more began its interminable journey across the plain. They noticed that even the grass was starting to become sparse, and they wondered just what they were heading into. It was a peaceful afternoon, the sun was warm, but not hot, and a cool breeze blew across them from the west. The silence of the land was disconcerting, but each of the pairs of siblings countered this through idle chatter, talking about nothing in particular. It was getting close to sundown when Don and Kate stepped into a widened area of the path. The area was a large, circular space. As he stepped into it, Don felt a shiver, and it seemed to him that the sun darkened for just a brief instant. He shook it off, as the world immediately returned to normal. As he pondered what it had meant, his feet crossed the center of the circle, heading for the path on the other side. Suddenly, both Don and Kate sunk a solid foot into the ground. Don yelled, and nearly fell. Kate, without thinking, unfolded her wings and pulled herself free. She hovered over her brother, who was slowly slipping further into the suddenly deadly ground. She grabbed his arms, and tried to pull him free, but he was too heavy for her small frame to lift. As he started slipping deeper into the earth, Don started to panic. His mind was clouded, and he could only think of his imminent death. The others had stopped at the edge of the circle, which was clearly delineated now that the trap had been sprung. None of them could reach him: he was well beyond the reach of even Paul's staff. Kate continued to hold his hand, hovering over him. He was trying mightily to pull himself free. She noticed that the more he struggled, the faster he slipped down. "Donny, stop moving! The more you move, the more it sucks you in!" Don was nearly past the point of hearing her. His mind remained clouded: he couldn't rationalize. He was buried nearly to his waist by now, and was flailing around, trying to get out of the muck. Kate didn't know what to do. Then, suddenly, from somewhere deep inside her, an idea emerged. She didn't know where it came from, but instantly knew she had to try it. Leaning down from her position above him, she whispered in his ear. "Donny, baby, if you'll settle down for me, I promise I'll give you a blow job when we get you out of this." Don was so startled by his sister's words that he froze. It was as if her words could cut through the fog in his mind. The image of her blowing him was shining in his thoughts. "You promise?" he asked wearily. "Mm-Hmm," she answered sexily. She had already noted that he wasn't moving. She stayed right next to him, to keep him calm. It seemed that only her promise had managed to settle him, and she wasn't going to chance leaving him. Looking over at the others, she hollered, "Well, do something, would ya?" The group at the edge of the path was looking on in dismay. None of them had any clue what to do. Gill stood, his fists clenched. "If we had a rope, we'd have a solution!" he huffed. "Well, we don't," Paul said. Just then, something in his mind clicked. He couldn't tell what it was, but suddenly his hands were acting of their own accord. He had enough sense of what was coming that he hollered, "Kate! Let him go!" Just as she released Don's hand in surprise, a ball of energy flew out from Paul's hands. The ball engulfed Don, and threw him well clear of the dangerous pit. Don landed ten feet on the other side of it. Kate flew to check that he was all right. Meanwhile, Paul had also been thrown about ten feet, and was lying on the ground, holding his head in pain. Julie ran to his side. "Paul? Paulie! What's the matter!" "Oh, fuck my head hurts," he muttered. Suddenly, he rolled over and puked. It appeared that his entire lunch ended up on the ground. He heaved well beyond dry, and could barely stand when he was finished. Don, who had found a safe path around the trap, helped his friend stand up. "What the hell happened? I mean, thanks for saving my ass, but what did you do?" Don asked. As soon as he'd left the circle, the cloudiness of his thoughts seemed to have immediately dissipated. He could only conclude that the strange feeling he'd had was a warning about the magical nature of the area. "Dunno. I didn't really have much control over it. It was like my subconscious took over... used my psionic powers to save you... but... oh shit," Paul dropped to his knees and tried to vomit again. There was nothing left to come out, but his body was wracked with spasms. Everyone waited while Paul tried to get past it, but it wasn't happening. "My head feels like someone used it for a soccer ball." "Can you walk at all?" Don asked. "I'd like to at least get away from this immediate area. Whoever or whatever placed this pit here, will probably come looking for whatever got caught in it. Julie held Paul up on one side, and he used his staff on the other. Their going was slow, but they only walked for another hour. The sun was down, and it was time for them to rest. Everyone needed a break from the stress and tension of the day. When the boys gathered for their nightly meeting, Gill said, "Has anyone noticed that the closer we get to this castle, the more dangerous stuff we run into?" Don shook his head. "It could be coincidence, or it could be that Iamor doesn't like visitors. Dan-Eger didn't say anything about that." "He didn't tell us that Dan-Gelmer would want to hurt us, either," Gill pointed out. "True. Well, we don't have much choice. Besides, Koatri didn't warn us about Iamor." Gill had to agree with that. "I guess. Well, now what do we do?" "Paul, I'm taking your shift tonight. You need to take it easy. How's your head?" "Still fuckin' cloudy. I can't seem to shake the cobwebs loose. And it feels like someone's playing a drum set in my left ear." "Well, you rest. And, Gill? Try not to keep us all awake this time, okay?" There was mild chuckling as Gill turned beet-red. "Shit, guys! You know we talked about little steps... we didn't discuss what to do if she tries to rape us!" "You lay back and enjoy it, what else?" Paul asked with a grimace. The chuckling hurt his head. "Well, she's kind of embarrassed about it. I hope there'll be a repeat performance sometime, though." "Don't worry about it. And I'll take first watch. You can... uh... entertain her early this evening." They chuckled again as they separated to go to their respective sisters. In fact, Susan was extremely uncomfortable with herself. *How could I have attacked him like that? Just throw him to the ground and raped him? He's my brother, and I'm supposed to love and care for him! My needs are less important than his.* These were highly modified thoughts, of course, for her mind had been fully enraptured by the game. Gill came and sat down beside her. He ran his hand along her side, letting it rest at her waist. She leaned against him, settling her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Gill," she said quietly. "For what?" "For last night. I shouldn't have assaulted you like that. I should have asked, spent more time... it's just you had me so... horny... that I couldn't resist." *Horny* was not a word in Susan's vocabulary up to this point. Gill noticed. "It's okay, Suse. If you'd asked, I'd have said yes, so we're cool. I got a little bruised from the first fall, but it was worth it," he added with a smile. She snuggled herself closer to him in the growing chill. Once more they could not start a fire for fear of what it would do to the surroundings, and once more it chose to be a cold night. *Doesn't this place have anything like seasonal weather?* The two cuddled together, holding each other. "Don't you have to go do guard duty?" she asked. Paul had always asked for the second shift. "Not yet. Don is taking first shift." "Don? I thought we were letting him get his rest." Gill took note of how she had fully adopted the decision as "ours" instead of "yours". "Paul needs to recover from that little incident. Don figures he can use the sleep. We should be okay. Hopefully, we'll reach the castle soon." "I hope so. I don't like it out here." Her voice was small and childlike. "Don't worry, Suse. I'll protect you." It was a macho thing to say: he could no more guarantee her safety than his own. Still, it made her feel better, and she hugged him tighter, which was always a good thing. Don took the first watch, and Kate, who refused to sleep alone here, stood it with him. They walked far enough away from the others that soft conversation would not be heard. "Thanks for helping me calm down back there, Katie." "No trouble, big brother. Are we going to get to Castle Ballor soon?" "I hope so. Maybe tomorrow. I'm pretty sure it'll be either tomorrow or the next day... if we're going in the right direction," he added, voicing his own fears. "You think we're not?" she asked, suddenly frightened. *Shithead. She doesn't need more to worry about!* He smiled his most reassuring smile. "I'm fairly sure we are. This was the only path, and neither Dan-Eger nor Koatri told us to veer from the path, so, I figure we're going where we're supposed to." *I hope*. They stood guard quietly until the moon passed its zenith. "Come on, it's time to wake up Gill." Together, they walked over to where Gill was laying with Susan, their bodies slightly tangled together. Don knelt down and shook him lightly. Gill's eyes came slowly open, and then he nodded to see Don standing over him. After waiting for Gill to fully wake up, Don and Kate headed back over to their selected spot. It was absolutely no different from any other spot, except that it was where they had set down their stuff. Don slumped down to the ground, and immediately lay down, looking up at the stars. When he felt his sister undo his robe, he looked down at her. "Katie, what are you doing?" he asked quietly. "Fulfilling my promise," she said matter-of-factly, as her hand reached into his briefs. "Promise... oh..." he sighed, as her hand withdrew his dick. She placed light, feathery kisses along his shaft as her hand lightly stroked it to hardness. Once he had come fully erect, she planted a sloppy wet kiss on the head of his dick. Then, her lips parted and slid down onto his shaft. Don was in heaven. He had never had a blowjob before, and now that he was experiencing one, it was hard for him to imagine anything being better. He felt it as Kate's lips slipped up and down on his shaft, lightly teasing the skin on his cock. Her tongue danced along the underside of his shaft, arousing him even more. Her soft hand continued to stroke him, while her mouth moved on his prick. Her other hand began to fondle his balls, gently rolling them in their sac. He reached down and ran his fingers through his sister's silvery hair. Its silky texture was wonderful, and he enjoyed every moment of touching it. He ran his fingers along her pointed ears, and she murmured on his cock. Her Elven features were extremely attractive, and he thought his sister was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. And right now, she was driving him crazy with a wonderful blowjob. Kate's mouth started to move faster on Don's cock, her tongue sliding more insistently against his shaft. Her fingers encircled the base of his cock, stemming the tide of cum she knew would be arriving soon. She could feel the pressure building inside him, and knew that he couldn't hold out forever. Don was right on that very edge, and he couldn't hold back much longer. "Katie," he whispered, "Katie, I'm gonna..n. gonna... ungh!" he never got the final word out as he came, his seed bursting forth into her mouth. For her part, Kate never missed a beat, continuing to suck, and swallowing every last drop of her brother's cum. She continued to suck until his orgasm passed, and then she let him slip from her mouth. She licked and kissed his dick until it was fully clean, and then she carefully reinserted it into his briefs. "Don't want our friend to catch cold," she said with a giggle. Then, without giving him an option, Kate slid herself up his body. "It's cold out here, Donny. Can you button us together again?" After the experience he'd just had, Don was in no position to deny his little sister anything she desired. He undid the extra fabric from his robe, and wrapped it around her, fastening it with both of them inside. This time, he had the good fortune to be able to roll them onto their sides. Kate's arms slipped around him, and she snuggled up close. She kissed him warmly on the lips, her tongue just gently slipping across his lip before returning to her mouth. Breaking the kiss, she said, "I love you very much, Donny," She laid her head down on his chest, and closed her eyes. "I love you, too," he whispered back, but he never knew if she had heard him. The morning came far too early for Don, who had grown used to being able to sleep through the whole night. Waking up with his sister in his arms was fair compensation, in his mind. He kissed her good-morning, and they necked for a little while, before Don undid his robe to let her up. Taking care of morning ablutions was an interesting problem, as there were no trees to hide behind. Eventually, the boys and girls merely separated a short distance, and took turns hiding behind the others. Even as close as they'd grown, there are some things that people just don't want to know about. After breakfast, but before they were ready to leave, Don took out his magic book. He started thumbing through the pages. Paul saw what he was doing, and came over to sit beside him. "How's your head?" Don asked. "Better, but it's still fuzzy in there. What're you looking for?" "Nothing in specific. Just a spell that would be easy to learn, to kind of play with, get the feel of the magic. Something other than the ones I've already used. I've gotta know this book inside and out. If it weren't for Kate... and you, of course, I'd be at the bottom of that bottomless pit now." "Ah. Well, just don't expect me to pull that particular rabbit out of my ass again, okay? The penalty for it is hellacious." "Yeah. That's why I need to learn the magic more. But this damned book is so disorganized, it's like trying to read an encyclopedia where all the letters are scrambled." "Why don't you just start at the beginning, and do them one by one?" "Hmph. I don't suppose that's a bad idea. Maybe they're organized so the easy ones go first." "Could be." "Thanks. We need to get moving, though." The group moved out at their usual pace. It didn't take long to realize they needed to slow down a little bit, as Paul was having a little trouble keeping up. No one grumbled about it, but Don was a little concerned. They made a mid-morning stop so that Paul could rest, and he immediately sat down. "You gonna make it?" Gill asked sincerely. "I'll be okay... I feel better now than when I got up, but I feel kinda weak. It's getting better, but it may take all day to clear out at this rate." "Just relax. We'll park it here for... well, for a little while. Must've left my watch with your measuring tape," Don quipped. Paul smiled at him. Don headed back over to Kate, who was sitting on a boulder. He sat next to her, and pulled out his magic book. Flipping to the first page, the spell was supposed to move small objects from one place to another, for a maximum of twenty feet. He shrugged, and picked a rock on the ground to focus on. He memorized the spell, and set the book down. Adjusting his hands just so, he chanted the spell carefully. But apparently not carefully enough. There was a brief flash of light from his hands, but when his vision cleared from that, the rock was still where it had been. He grumbled to himself, and was about to say something to his sister... Where was Kate, anyway? Frantically, Don started looking around for his sister. He was just about to call her name when something tugged at his ear. His natural reaction was to shoo away the bug, but his thought process kicked in, and he stopped his hand mid-flight. Slowly, ever so slowly, he turned his head to the left. Flying, not a foot from his head, was the cutest little fairy he'd ever seen. She looked a little miffed, however, at being changed from a five foot tall Elf into a fairy. "Donald White, you change me back right now!" Her tone would have been funny, if she wasn't so obviously upset. She didn't need this in her life just now. "Hang on, Katie," Don said in something of a panic. "That's not what the spell was supposed to do. I've gotta find what spell I *did* cast, so that I can find the counter-spell to fix you. Just calm down, and let me look through the book." "Easy for you to say," she harrumphed, settling onto his shoulder. "You're not six inches tall!" "Now, Katie, don't exaggerate," he said lightly. "You're at least eight inches tall." He could tell she giggled a little, and it was good to hear. At least she wasn't taking it too badly. He, on the other hand, was truly upset. He thought he'd cast the spell correctly, but it didn't work. This was the second time he'd screwed up a spell. Would he never be a decent magician? Gill came over to see what had transpired. "Hey, Don, where's... Katie?" he said upon seeing the fairy. She just nodded her head. Gill looked at Don and said, "What, she wasn't short enough for you?" "Go away and let me read!" Don fumed. Gill walked away chuckling. They spent the rest of the morning sitting there. Don read through the entire book, but found no spell that would change anything into a fairy. He didn't find a spell that would change a fairy into anything else, either. "Shit, Kate. I'm sorry," he said, broken-hearted. "All I can say is that hopefully Iamor will have some way to fix you. I'm just a bungling magician at this point." Kate could see the hurt in his eyes. She rubbed her small hand against his cheek. "It's okay, Don. I know you're trying. We'll make the best of it." Maneuvering closer, she whispered in his ear, "But you're not getting another blow job until my mouth is big enough to handle it!" She giggled in a tinkle of bells, and Don grinned. Paul was rested, and they had eaten lunch, so the group set off again on their trip. Kate rode on Don's shoulder, and Don led the way. He kept his eyes open for further traps, but none were spotted. The dry, grassy plains gave way to rockier territory, with some scrub brush and stunted trees. It was hard to believe that anything would grow here, but some plants were striving to make a go of it. The day passed without further incident, and they had made reasonable progress by the time the sun fell. The land was clearly rising into mountainous terrain, but their path was still clear before them. When they stopped, everyone settled together for dinner. "How are you doing, Paul?" Gill asked. "Fine, now. My head finally cleared, and I actually feel pretty good. You won't need to take my shift tonight, Don." "Okay, if you say so. Hopefully we'll reach the castle tomorrow. That little delay I caused cost us a few hours. How are we doing on supplies?" "If we get there tomorrow, we're fine. If not, we need to find more food. And that doesn't look like an easy task, here in these rocks," Gill said. "Well, you keep your eyes open. If it's edible and running, kill it. If it's edible and growing, pull it." "You got it, chief." The group all settled in for the night. Gill climbed onto a large boulder to keep watch over them. Don settled in, and Kate slipped down onto his cheek. "Good night, big brother," she said softly. "I love you." The next morning, the group was up with the sun. Everyone was anxious to get this journey over with. They wolfed down their breakfast, and took off early, in hopes of making it to their destination by day's end. The going was far rougher now, and the path wound up and down broken hills of rock. Paul struggled the worst, with his bad knee, but even he was determined that they get where they were going as quickly as possible. As they reached mid-day, they debated whether to stop for lunch. They were standing just below a ridgeline, and discussing it. "We can't go without a noon meal," Gill insisted. "It would slow us down in the long run." "He's right, Don," Paul agreed. "As much as I want to get there, too, we need the energy supply." Don sighed. "Well, okay... first, let's find out something, okay? Gill, why don't you go up to the ridge, and see what it looks like on the other side? Maybe that'll help us make up our minds." Gill climbed up to the top of the ridge, and took a brief look. His hand motion indicated that the rest of the group should join him. As they neared the top, he said, "I don't think we need to stop for lunch." As they all crested the ridge, they were looking down into a lush valley. In the middle of the valley sat an old, but well-kept, stone keep. Its moat contained clear, fresh water, and its drawbridge was down, indicating that visitors were welcome. "Welcome to Castle Ballor," Don said quietly. "I hope." Proud to be an EWP author! http://www.ewpub.org Visit the EWP official chat room! irc.inteliinternet.com Port 6667 Group name: #EWP ------- ASSM Moderation System Notice-------- This post has been reformatted by the ASSM Moderation Team due to inadequate formatting. -- Pursuant to the Berne Convention, this work is copyright with all rights reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated. +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | alt.sex.stories.moderated ----- send stories to: <ckought69@hotmail.com> | | FAQ: <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org/faq.html> Moderator: <story-ckought69@hotmail.com> | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+ |Discuss this story and others in alt.sex.stories.d, look for subject {ASSD}| |Archive at <http://assm.asstr-mirror.org> Hosted by <http://www.asstr-mirror.org> | +---------------------------------------------------------------------------+