Authors: Tina Gerow
Lerik’s dark gaze caught hers and his quick smile reassured her.
“As you wish, Saile.”
Max scrambled up onto Lerik’s shoulder as they left the cottage.
“Please sit.
We have much to discuss and time is short.”
Astiria took a chair near the seer and gazed around the bare room.
Nothing here showed that this cottage was even inhabited except for the three smoking piles of incense, the chaise lounge the seer reclined on and the simple wooden chair where Astiria now sat.
“I have no need of material things here.
My purpose is to see and that I do best with no distractions.”
Can she…he…it, read my mind?
“I can, and I am both and neither if that helps.
I have no need of gender.
As long as Verrath exists, so do
I
.
I can see beyond the veil of our world and even into yours.”
A chill ran down Astiria’s spine.
“Did you bring me here?
Into Verrath?”
The three faces smiled.
“You brought yourself, Astiria.
Only a pure desire can open the portal.”
Her brow furrowed as confusion washed through her.
“I didn’t desire to come here.”
“Didn’t you?
You allowed yourself to dream, and you entreated the universe to see if your perfect man actually existed.”
Her words to Max back at the resort flowed through her mind.
“What do you think, Max?
Do you think I could handle an entire week with a real live man who doesn’t cheat, doesn’t want me for my money or anything I can do for his career, but just wants me?
A man who is sensitive and caring, but not a doormat.
Someone who sees the real me and wants me anyway.
Someone who could…love me.
The real me.”
A sigh escaped her.
“Okay, let’s say that I buy this.
How will I ever know if Lerik cares for the real me in this…
”
She gestured toward her body.
“I don’t look anything like this back on earth.”
“Your wish was for a man that would see the real you.
The real person has little to do with their physical attributes unless they allow it to define who they are.”
“That sounds great in theory.”
Astiria pushed to her feet to pace to the door and back.
“But if I’d popped into Verrath in my normal body, I doubt even Marsoon would be fighting over me right now.”
A sudden headache pounded.
and
Astiria closed her eyes and rubbed her fingers against both temples.
The pain eased suddenly, and then a large shimmery column flowed around her and both palms itched until she rubbed them against her cloak.
“What the hell?
I didn’t do anything.”
“You healed your headache, and starting on your quest earned you another adventure level.
As you are probably aware, early leveling is quicker than that in later levels.
The first ten are all about learning who you are, as is your coming of age quest.”
“What am I supposed to learn?
I already know who I am.”
“Do you?
You’ve spent your life feeling uncomfortable in your own skin.
You must come to terms with yourself before you can expect to have any type of relationship with others.”
Stunned, Astiria just stared at the three serene faces before laughing at the absurdity of the situation.
“You’re kidding, right?
This isn’t therapy, this is a quest.
Don’t I have to kill so many creatures, or bring back certain
artifacts,
or something like that?”
All three faces
smiled,
the barest movement of the lips.
“You will journey to the middle of Verrath to the main portal.
Once there, you will step through.
If you have completed your quest and you know who you are and have made peace with yourself, you will be recognized as an adult in Verrath and will be able to make your own choices.”
“And if I don’t succeed?”
“You will go back to your life in Earrath and Lord Lerik will be tried and found guilty of failing to protect you during a coming of age quest.”
A lead ball settled inside Astiria’s stomach, and nausea tossed it mercilessly.
“What happens to Lerik and Max if I fail?”
“In the end, they will both die.”
Chapter Five
Lerik tethered the horses and led the way toward the first quest.
The challenge was different for everyone, and he and Max would only be able to watch—if part of the challenge didn’t include isolation.
Frustration flowed through his veins quickly turning to anger.
Astiria was his
declared,
he should be able to protect her in any situation!
He chopped through the dense foliage in front of him with his sword, turning some of his emotions into action.
“What was your quest challenge, Lerik?”
Her sweet voice brought him back to the present, and he smiled over his shoulder at her.
“I had to kill several goblins and then scale a sheer cliff to retrieve a golden statue.”
Her beautiful brow furrowed.
“That sounds pretty hard for a low level warrior.”
Lerik smiled at the concern in her voice.
“It was a difficult quest, but the statue was stolen from
Gargoyle
Island
.
It was the talisman of the Queen and it ensured
them
prosperous crops and fair weather.”
He shrugged.
“I promised to get it back.”
“
Gargoyle
Island
?”
He grinned at the excitement in her voice.
Max had told him of her host of gargoyles at both her home and work.
“Will we get to visit there during the quest?”
Lerik laughed.
“We won’t know until we go through each portion of your quest.
But someday, we’ll go.
I think you’ll enjoy meeting the Queen.”
“Isn’t that Max’s home?”
Max scurried up Astiria’s shoulder to perch just under her waterfall of red hair.
“No!
Max’s home is with Astiria and Lerik.”
She absently scratched behind his ear sending him into gargoyle ecstasy.
“Don’t you like to visit your parents or your siblings?”
Max shook his head and Lerik stayed silent.
It was up to the tiny gargoyle to tell her about his
past,
it was not Lerik’s place.
“Max’s family killed during goblin raid.
Lerik save Max as baby gargoyle.
Max’s place with Lerik, and now with Astiria.”
She pulled Max from her shoulder and hugged him to her generous bosom.
“Max, I’m so sorry.
I didn’t know.
We don’t ever have to visit there if it causes you pain.”
Admiration for his declared flowed through him.
On one hand, she was tough and resilient and on the other, she was sweet, caring and loyal.
Max turned his head away so he could draw in a labored breath.
“Astiria’s stripper boobs suffocating Max!”
A blush darkened her cheeks, but she loosened her grip on Max, and once again Lerik wondered what exactly stripper boobs were—especially since the mere mention of them always seemed to embarrass her.
However, Max intervened before he could ask.
“Max loves
Gargoyle
Island
.
Good snails and other creepy crawlies for snacks.”
Astiria made a face that showed she disagreed with Max’s choice of cuisine.
“Let’s make camp there by the stream.”
Lerik dismounted Stryder allowing the horse to drink from the stream while he unloaded their supplies from the saddlebags.
“Max, do you think you can find some wood for the fire?”
He turned to see Astiria already dismounted and unloading her own bedroll and supplies.
Their gazes met, and his heart skipped a beat at how right the connection between them felt.
Astiria was his, and once this quest was done, he’d make it known to the entire universe.
In the next instant, he closed the distance separating them, and they reached for each other greedily.
When his lips met hers, he swallowed her sigh and gently explored her lush mouth as she melted against him.
She moaned inside his mouth and he swallowed the sound as she threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer, igniting a slow burn everywhere their bodies touched.
Loud crunching from behind them startled them
both,
and he instantly pushed Astiria behind him, his sword at the ready.
Max stood over Astiria’s bedroll, pulling out a never-ending stream of scorpions and poisonous snakes, stuffing them greedily into his mouth.
“What’re all those creepie crawlies doing inside my bedroll?”
Astiria sounded more irritated than scared, and Lerik smiled at his declared’s bravery.
Max burped and turned to look at them.
“Max
see
squirming in bedroll, so opened and noticed munchies.
Plenty for dinner.”
He held them up in offering.
Rage burned through Lerik, and he ground his teeth.
“Marsoon.
I knew he would try to thwart us, no matter what Ocam threatened him with, but Astiria could’ve been killed.”
Astiria laid a comforting hand on his arm.
“But I wasn’t, and Max seems perfectly content.
Why don’t we build the fire and we’ll figure out sleeping arrangements later?”
He turned to face her, and pulled her into his embrace.
“You can share my bedroll tonight.”
Her green eyes darkened with desire, and color rode high in her cheeks.
“We can’t consummate our declaration, Lerik.
Ocam said that was off limits until I reach level ten.”
He smiled down at her.
“Then we’ll both have to practice some creative restraint.
Besides, Ocam said it was just
actual
joining that was forbidden.
Everything else is still in bounds, unless you’d rather I kept my distance…”
He trailed off leaving the thought hanging in the air between them.
“I just don’t want to be defaulted back to Marsoon.”
She poked him in the chest for emphasis.
“But this is your world, and I trust you to know what’s fair game.”
She grinned.
“And I think I’m up for playing a few innings if you are.”
The saucy look she threw him from under her lashes turned his blood to lava.
His hand snaked out pulling her tight against him, and he enjoyed her little squeal of surprise.
“I’m not sure what these innings are you speak of, but I think we understand each other all the same.”
He ran his thumb over her bottom lip, enjoying her resulting shiver.
“We also need to catch some dinner, and you may be able to gain a few levels finding us some gourmet fare.”
Before she could answer, he fused his lips to hers until Max’s loud crunching made them both laugh and step apart.
“Okay, Lerik.”
She smiled up at him, her cat green eyes twinkling.
Let’s go play assassin and allow Max to eat in peace.”