| Uncertain Magic This story is written for and inspired by a fan and fellow Leslita writer, Cat, who provided contributions to the work. Crawling on her hands and knees, her face barely more than a foot above the rich, cultivated soil under a thick and bushy line of tea trees, Katerina Genaria carefully picked her path. To most of her close friends and family she was known more commonly as Kat, and not only because it was short for her real name. There was a long list of adults and peers with complaints regarding her, due to her stubbornly independent nature, and her constant desire to explore new things and places. Her mother also called her Kat, she innocently assumed, because of her tendency to tire herself out due to her activities and take naps in strange locations. It was this last bit that had, at least partially, drawn her to this particular place. High up on the slope of one of several sizable mountains on the enormous island of Corbado, was a large, up-thrusting spear of stone sticking up out of the green sea of tea trees. The trees covered the entire slope and more, down into the valleys and across a short coastal plain to a small town. The plantation was owned entirely by Kat's Family, though as one of its youngest and most junior members, she was not particularly enriched by all of the industry around her. Actually, her Family generally considered her a bother and a nuisance since she would rather tear apart a leyline interaction engine or rebuild her floatboard than learn how to be great industrial magnate. They almost ignored her existence and let her run wild, which she had done nothing to discourage...well with the exception of one or two minor run-ins with the local Guard forces. It was hardly her fault that some sad person hadn't done enough to discourage curious teens from exploring his warehouse in the middle of the night. Hell, she even kindly pointed out the faulty locks when the Police found her reading the manual to a well drilling machine. She also had no idea why she shouldn't win when she got into a fight. It was that idiot Thomas's fault that she had to break his wrist; he'd tried to steal her stuff after all. Her current agenda was nothing so grand. "Fucker!" she muttered, getting a sharp jab in her right palm from something sharp. She paused to push her long, nearly thigh length tail of purple hair up onto her back to keep from getting dirt and whatever other crap might be on the ground from getting in it. The possibility of cutting it shorter was out of the question. Her silky hair was one of her few vanities. At thirteen and heading quickly towards fourteen, she didn't yet have big breasts, only smaller handfuls about the size of an orange. But she had a great body from her endless physical activities, and nice hair. If only her light dusting of freckles would go away and she'd grow just a bit taller. "Finally!" she gasped, exiting the grasp of the low branches through her, poorly made she'd admit, tunnel. She rolled and sat down with a soft flop against the coolly shaded side of the great stone tooth. Some dummy had named the thing, Fang Rock, despite that there was only one rock, and nothing around here hinted at anything snake-like, except the occasional Hebi, the serpent worshiping people, that visited the island on business. Through her tunnel she could see a small portion of the grand vista that lay down and away from the mountain. In the air over the wave strewn sea flew the destroyer from the Iskar Sky Forces. It was a wonderfully sleek craft, the newest type, with its freshly painted hull colored to blend in with the sky around it. Twin cannons were set at a cocky angle, and the signal mast for its compliment of mages bore the Iskar flag, a line of suns going up from left to right on a blue field. Her hands itched to rip into either of its stern-mounted engines that were pushing it along at a speedy pace as it patrolled the local area. She could also see a tiny swath of the island's main city in the far distance, around the curve of the bay, where most of the tea was processed. Carefully, she pulled a thin metal rod out of the left pocket of her jeans and stuck the end painted a garish red into the dirt. She gave the top a firm twist, whilst pushing a good measure of magic into the device, and let go. Her parents would be highly unhappy if they knew she had begun to teach herself how to use magic. They considered it the province of dreamers and laborers. But it was so damn useful! Her sort-of invention gave a soft hum for a few seconds, and then in a manner that was impossible without magic, the top inch unfolded out into a flower-like shape. A dim sphere of light appeared around that head, and then pulsed quickly outward, engulfing her completely. Now, should anyone happen by, for whatever reason, they would notice nothing of her. Not a sound she made, a smell she produced, or even a visual sight of her. It wouldn't last for very long at all, barely more than an hour without a recharge, but it would suit her needs for now. It was also only keyed to her, and she hadn't figured out how to make anything else vanish. Standing, she quickly dropped her hands down to the hem of her sleeveless shirt of dark red cotton and yanked it up and off, tossing it carelessly aside. Her bra quickly followed the first garment, but in another direction. Grinning, she gave her prominent pink nipples a playful pinch with her fingers to feel that first heady rush of arousal. They obliged eagerly by hardening and thrusting out from her even pinker areola. She actually envied one of the girls at her school that already had boobs big enough that she could suck on her own nipples. Kat could understand why boys wanted to touch them so badly too. They were kind of fun...at least hers were. Her jeans were shucked and kicked aside after removing her sandals, almost sliding under the circle of trees around her. Oddly, the sudden thought of having to sneak out of her hiding place while naked to retrieve her pants made her a little wetter. Why it did so baffled her, but that hardly mattered because getting wet felt so good, even if it made her panties smell like her slit. It wasn't a bad smell though, not at all. Taking hers off now, she brought them to her nose and smelled sweat and her sex juices in them. Nice. Moving around to the other side of the rock, she sat in the warm sun on a carefully cultivated area of soft grass and equally soft ground underneath. It had taken a lot of painstaking magical trial and error, as well as some landscaping she really should have known because of her family business, but her little fun seat was perfect. She even liked how some of the grass blades tickled inside the crack of her butt and touched her hole and pussy. She leaned back in the light and spread her sun-tanned legs comfortably. Despite all of her mother and father's encouragements and assurances, she'd yet to discover a crush or love for any of the local boys. Sure some of them were pretty enough, but they didn't elicit the excitement and arousal her mother had warned her about when they had the whole sex talk thing when she was ten. She'd gotten the lecture when she was caught learning about how awesome she could make herself feel. She just couldn't think how some man could make her feel any better than she could and most of the boys her age were sources of annoyance and immature stupidity. Fuck the boys was her thought on the matter, and not literally. She was not entirely naive about the subject of sex, or fucking. Once, she'd spied on her second cousin when she let her boyfriend screw her down by the family's private beach, late one night. It had looked rough and awkward in her eyes, though her cousin had looked amazing as she always did, even with a guy's penis pushing into her cute pussy. Her cousin seemed to enjoy it, howling like a mad woman all the while, and eagerly thrusting back at the boy, and that had been kind of nice to watch from her hidden place. But she still thought her fingers could do better than that boy. Reaching down now with her right hand and grinned at finding that she was already slick and swollen bellow her hairless vulva. Her small lips led her fingers right to the fun little nub of flesh at the top. Her mother had given her all the proper names, but the use of them was far more important. Her other hand was automatically groping her supple breasts as she liked to do, and she cast her head back and closed her eyes. She focused on stroking her slit lips, occasionally giving them gentle pulls, and plunging her fingers the short distance until she encountered her virginal barrier. She played herself up to several peaks, and never quite allowed herself to go over so she could fully enjoy the luscious sensations. She loved the almost painful need that grew between her legs and how wet she got. Her butthole tickled from the fluids there. It would have soaked her panties had she had them on, which was why naked was best for this kind of thing. For an hour she tuned out the world and let the slow sexual pleasure be everything. There was no hurry. As was her usual, her orgasm came as a surprise when a careless finger stroke on her clit cast her headlong over that edge. She rode the waves happily and felt muscles squeezing between her legs for something that wasn't there. Sweat beaded her sun-kissed skin and any freckles had darkened a little from their exposure. Her left nipple was like a pleasurable pebble between clutching fingers. Good Sun-Father she felt so fucking amazing right then. Her mind was filled with a wonderful post orgasm fog and she lounged back, sexually sated for the moment. Stretching out a bit to one side, she managed to snag her shirt with one finger and dragged it in. Covering her chest with it to prevent certain sensitive places from sunburn, she lay back once again and let herself drift into a shallow, restful sleep. As far as her naps went, her favorites were like this, in the warm sun and with a pleasurable feeling between her legs. So it was with a smile on her face, and juices leaking out, that she slumbered.
A short time later, but long enough that she felt rested instead of groggy and short enough that it was still full daylight, something intruded upon her nude naptime. At first she was unsure as to what it was exactly, but after a minute or two she realized that things didn't sound right. There were echoing popping sounds that chattered as if made by a machine, interspersed with occasional loud booms that were sometimes followed by a crash. These were not the sounds she normally associated with her sleepy home. Scrambling in a panic, she looked around, trying to place the clothes she'd scattered in her haste to pleasure herself. She hardly regretted masturbating, but she wished now she'd spent just a moment to put her stuff in one spot. She found her panties hanging on a tea tree branch, gusset pointed right at her with a stain as evidence to her state of arrival here. She pulled them on and squirmed hurriedly into jeans. After casting around for a bit, she could not see her bra anywhere. It wasn't one of her best ones, but it would still suck hard if she couldn't find it, and someone else did. Then a roaring sound, which had built in the background for a few minutes, grew suddenly louder as if something was drawing closer. There was a deafening boom that sent her ears to ringing, and a blast of air slammed into the trees around her, sending loose leaves and a lot of dirt flying. Dirty grit clung to her sweaty skin, but she thought nothing of it as a new kind of fear threatened to crawl into her brain. She forgot about the bra and just crammed her shirt over her head and yanked it down, pausing in frustration to turn it around when she found it was backwards the first time. It chafed a little on the dirt too. "Shit, shit ,shit," Kat muttered, grabbing her silencing stick and then she dove on her belly to shimmy under the barrier of trees. The world she emerged into was a close approximation of chaos. Not even a hundred feet away there was a huge crater with torn trees all around and flames licking at them, but it only got worse as her eyes gazed down the mountain. Small ships of some kind, dark and efficient ones, had drawn up at the worker village down below with Guard troops and regular police running around while firing their guns at men wearing the eerie all-white armor of the Vampire Empire. The troops were obviously human vassals, but just the sight of an already ongoing battle on her home island was a shock. For a long moment she just stood and watched. Out over the bay, the naturally protected harbor that encouraged ships to stop here, the Iskar destroyer was maneuvering hard and duking it out with another lethal looking skyship. Cannons were blasting back and forth as they each tried to blow the other out of the air. All around smaller military fighters, with their exposed lift units and generator cores slung underneath and belonging to both sides, were zipping around trying to killing each other in eruptions of destabilizing magic and dropping bombs on the island. This was only in the limited tens of miles of coast that she could see from this vantage. Turning, she sprinted down the narrow gap between tree rows, not caring at the occasional stray branch that whipped at her. She was unaware that her sudden and rapid movement had attracted an enemy fighter until something roared and lifted her into the air, sending her flying forward as a flitting white shape flew by overhead. Her landing was hard and she felt hot blood leaking from a small cut on her right bicep, but for the most part she was just physically shaken and not injured. Yet she found getting back up on shaking legs was another matter entirely. Getting reoriented, she turned back in the direction she needed and ran until she hit the long, dirt service road that cut through this section of the plantation. It was then she realized how exposed that left her, even as another fighter, or possibly the same one, wheeled around in the sky and turned back towards her. A glow grew from bolt projectors under the open-canopied nose, and Kat dove back into the trees as lines of bright light ripped a new hole in the road. But before her triumphant cry at surviving could lift into the air, there was another violent explosion that tore the fighter apart and its remains tumbled to the ground. Had she a moment to actually think, she might have been stunned at seeing the dead or doomed body of a man falling from the sky, even if he had just been trying to kill her. But as it was, all she could really feel was a kind of cold satisfaction and self-chastisement for standing out where she'd be seen. That left the much harder route. Turning around, Kat ran at her top speed back down a tree row towards the far end of this section of fields, which was shaped like a fan going down the mountain. Her destination was a thin, breaking line between this field and the next of massive oaks and maples. When she crossed under those boughs she slowed and then stopped at the small stream that ran down from the spring near the mountain summit. Using the cover as best she could, while trying to tune out the continuing sounds of gunfire, she tried to think of what she should do. Her initial and instinctive reaction was to head home and seek sanctuary with her Family in their sprawling compound. But as she walked, she realized that could be a bad idea. Her home was obvious and any attacker could hardly fail to notice such a rich target. So the question was; did her family still survive somewhere else? Had they all been killed or captured? Or had they scattered as smaller family units? Since there was no clear path down along the stream, it was much slower going, but she was not in any hurry to get anywhere quite yet. She paused at the halfway point and crept on all fours to the edge of the forest line. There were far fewer of the Empire forces remaining, but those that survived yet were fighting fiercely from building to building. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted two small specks flying in from the direction of the bay, meaning closer, and her heart started beating faster at realizing they were Valkyrie mages. One even appeared to have biological wings. A Tengu maybe? She thought, thinking of the avian race. Something small, bright and very fast moving leapt from one of the mages at the now heavily damaged enemy skyship and a blast of released energy ripped the bow and forward quarter away. The Iskar destroyer pounced like an eager lion, both cannon batteries pounding the other ship into falling scrap. One of the mages turned and flew toward Kat's direction, magical circles and symbology surrounding her body as she spun offensive spells out like falling rain. The Empire troops could be heard, screaming and crying out in terror. Kat knew nothing in war fought like a fully trained mage. When the mage passed overhead, she could have sworn the woman in her revealing armor harness, looked right at her as she cast yet another spell. Kat watched in awe at how the magic was built and formed, and a multitude of glittering, lethal missiles like luminescent icicles flew away into a far target. "So awesome," she breathed, getting back into motion. A new kind of excitement was burning in her now. It was like the adrenalin rush of a fight mixed with something new. Kat hopped, skipped and ran nimbly down the rocky region around the stream, careful to stay under cover. There was an equipment depot where the land leveled off, which she designated as her first waypoint in finding safety. When she encountered no more problems on the way down, she got careless. She exited the confines of the trees near the depot's fence and stopped at once at the sight of eight or so Empire soldiers looting the place. One heard her and turned to regard her with an unpleasant smile. "Hey Sarge!" the man called back to his buddies, who all stopped looting to see what the deal was. One stood up in a manner that hinted he was in charge. "How young is too young? I found some booty!" "Will you cut the pirate pun shit out," the leader growled, visibly older than the other soldiers. "That girl probably has no idea what her tits are for, let alone what's between her legs." "I can show her," the first man replied eagerly. "Shit you can," grumbled another man. Kat did not like where the conversation was going, because she'd learned enough in school to know exactly what invading soldiers tended to do to girls like herself if they didn't have any repercussions for it. Thinking of the mage she'd only just seen, she raised her arm, hastily gathered some magic, and tried to form the spell she'd watched. The men laughed at her mangled spell circle and sigils, but two oddly fizzing missiles formed in the air before her. It wasn't the dozens the Valkyrie had produced, and they felt terribly unstable, but she'd succeeded a little bit at least. Unfortunately, she had no clue how to aim them. "Just go!" she screamed in anger and frustration, releasing the casting. Her cobbled together projectiles popped away as if shot from rubber slingshots, but on different vectors. Neither hit a soldier directly, but one strayed afar and struck a bulky, cube-shaped energy storage unit that had been looted and containment was breached. Unchecked energy ripped outward in a blast of heat and light, knocking the soldiers down like threshed wheat. A second later she too was knocked squarely on her nicely rounded ass. "Gah! That hurt a little," she commented to no one, once again covered in dirt and other debris. "Not bad for an amateur," said a completely unexpected, competent sounding, female voice from behind her. It had a wonderfully new lyrical accent to it. Kat spun round to find herself only ten feet away from one of the Valkyries, barely aware that she was raising her small fists to fight. The woman was so very tall, with long ice-white hair held back in a military tail, fully exposing a nicely boned face. An odd kind of fog wafted from her skin and especially around her full mouth and slightly large nose. Everything about this person was pale, and Kat realized she was one of the Yuki, or ice people from the frozen Northern continent of Aurora. They were rare this far south because most didn't like to travel from their homeland. She wore the tight-fitting combat armor of female mages in the black and red Iskar colors and with small customizations and personalized touches traditional in the Iskar Mage Corps. A short, belly-exposing corset with shoulder straps all made of a leather-like, but obviously very flexible material, covered and supported a generous pair of milky breasts that Kat had a hard time not looking at. The bottom was a pair of flared side skirts over skintight combat pants and on down to well-worn black boots. Both were inset in places with rank markings and crystals she knew were colored for the individual. This woman's were a blood red. Last was a black choker of onyx around her throat that looked more decorative than functional. With a proud flourish of her hands, the woman materialized a crimson cape of some rich material, marking an officer of high rank, and let it self-attach itself to her shoulders. Pale, bluish lips drew up into a knowing smile and one white brow rose to silently ask for Kat's attention. It was an expression of supreme confidence as well and she found herself responding by standing straighter and brushing some of the dirt from her clothes. "I still fucked most of it up," she blurted when the silence got to her nerves, and she felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment when she saw amusement grow anew in the woman's strong features. Dear Sky-Father, why was this woman making her so damn flustered? Was it the raw, magical power the woman radiated like a typhoon threatens disaster? She didn't know, but she felt funny looking at the woman beyond a normal meeting with a stranger. "True," the woman replied with bald honesty, but with a pleasant smile. "But it was decent for having only seen me use that spell from over two-hundred feet away with me moving as fast as I was. You have talent, girl." "Thanks...I think," she responded, not knowing whether it was a good thing that she had this person's intense regard. It felt like she was being stripped naked again, and it didn't help when the woman's eyes glanced down at her hard nipples, easily poking up through her shirt without her bra, and licked her lips in an odd way that sent a shiver down her back. "I'm Kat," she said, trying to retain some form of manners. "Captain Kyshin," the woman replied, grinning wide now. It was a dangerous kind of smile. "Definitely potential here, hmmm." "Kysh honey, quite toying with the locals and get back to work please!" yelled a new voice, and a reddish-skinned woman dropped out of the air and landed with an audible thump next to the Captain. She was the Tengu alright, with sharp looking eyes and enormous black wings. She had a much leaner body, and to Kat she seemed like a whip ready to crack at someone, and her talon-fingered hands held a Shakujo staff with a ringed head. "Ahh, but I like this one," Captain Kyshin said in a teasing tone to the second woman. She reached out into empty air and snatched a bracelet of silver links and a blacksmith's puzzle for a clasp from out of nowhere. "Take this, girl. I promise it is nothing more than an invitation." "An invitation?" she asked, taking the offered item, wondering what something like it might have cost. Silver like that wasn't cheap here in the Iskar archipelago. The only local source was on the capital island of Iskar itself; unless the undersea nations were trading with the land nations again. "You'll see," the Captain promised in a knowing tone, and then turned to her partner. "Now stop giving me that look. Let's get back to the mop-up." "Wait!" She cried when they both moved to leap back into the air. "Are we at war now?" "Frozen Hell if I know," Kyshin shrugged. "I'm just a pointy stick. But this was more like a faction breaking to raid if I'm allowed a guess. We'll all see soon enough." The mages gave her one last friendly smile and with a potent gathering of power, they launched back into flight. Their passage left a wake of hissing air and a slight breeze that ruffled the nearby trees. She heard the rumble of a heavy truck and turned to see a Guard unit unloading to tie up and apprehend the former Empire goons. "Are you alright?" asked an approaching soldier, his rifle slung. "I'm fine," she replied, turning over the bracelet in her hands. An inscription in one shiny link caught her eye and her heart almost stopped at the implication. It was one simple line, but it carried so much power. What it said was this: Welcome to Iskar National Academy ******** Spinning her silver bracelet on her wrist, Kat sighed and slumped back into the scarlet cushions on a wooden lounge chair. She was sitting on the small balcony that hung out from her bedroom window on the third floor of the Genaria Family manse called the Hydrangea House. Her immediate family lived on this floor and she had the smallest bedroom that was available. It had been meant as a long ago punishment, but she'd been happy simply because of the existence of this balcony. The chair took up all of the space here, but that was okay because she could still look out over the world. The compound sat surrounded by their plantations near the main city, which was named after the island itself. It was irregularly shaped, but with a number of large, airy buildings suitable for the subtropical climate. Most were the living quarters of the Family, but the largest and placed at the top of the cement circle drive, was the business headquarters. In the center of the drive was a singe tea tree in carefully tended mulch. The completely false legend about it claimed it was their first tree. Kat knew damn well it was not. Things were not quite as pretty as they once had been. From her lofty vantage she could see over the grounds and out past the outer wall. There were now several warships in the air over the island as well as two of the wet variety in the bay. The sleepy agrarian feel of her home was broken and everyone could feel it in their bones, and she could not say whether this was good or bad. Even after over two months passed since the raiding attack upon the island, people were still running around like spooked chickens and her Family was no exception. She'd been right about the compound becoming a target and several of the buildings had received minor damage. A gaping hole had been blown in the perimeter wall as well and that explosion had blown out many of the windows facing that direction. Now there were repair crews everywhere and contractors talking with important Family people. You could hardly move around without jostling someone. Yet, despite all the visible activity, she had no real part to play. It was one of the things contributing to her funk of discontent. Instead of being happy that she was still alive, her family had been angry that she hadn't been home already like a good, responsible girl of the Genaria's. Only her mother had expressed relief. But that was only until her older brother, annoyed that attention had been taken away from his terrible, minor leg fracture, gave a fake moan of pain and her mother went back to hovering over him; overgrown brat that he was. Dathid was three years her senior and already running down the path to being the ideal Genaria merchant prince. Next year he was supposed to go off to a college to learn the finer complications of the lofty career. As such he was the darling son and could do no wrong. He was also a giant pain in the ass most of the time and inflated many times over with undeserved self-importance. Yet she knew he was actually afraid of her for some reason and avoided her like she had the cold pox. Laid out before her now though, was the tumult that had been in progress since the attack. A large flatbed truck was just now hauling in paving stones to replace those damaged in the gardens of the back courtyard, and a milling mass of men where gathered to unload it. She could also see her father, smartly dressed as usual in a coat and pressed slacks, in the distance, almost to the far wall of the big compound and talking to several of the other household Heads of the Family. She sighed discontentedly again, turning her gaze back down to the gleaming bracelet.
The same line of words that she had read a thousand times by now were gleaming up at her in the summer sunlight. It had not taken her long to understand the implication of the mage Captain's words. Almost as soon as she was safely ensconced in her room upon her return, she'd set her mind to figuring out the clasp puzzle. It was an ingeniously designed little thing and she'd ended up staying up late into the night working on it. The solution, requiring a strange little manipulation of her magic to accomplish, had been immensely satisfying, but not quite as nice as the moment she had the bracelet clasped about her wrist. Upon the clasp's closure though, there had been a sharp bite of pain, a glimmer of white light, and then nothing. She was not sure what she had been expecting to happen even now, but the lack of any result at all had been disheartening. In the end, she had no choice but to wait and see what happened. The chance that she might be able to attend the Academy was not something offered to just anyone, and the idea that she had gotten such an invite was terribly exciting. It wasn't like she had a great deal to do around here other than the occasional bit of scut-work. The Captain was the other minor thing that was bothering her. Now that she was no longer high on adrenalin from fear and hostility, and had the chance to look over their meeting with the wonderful clarity of hindsight, she realized that things had been a lot more complicated than at first glance. For one, she realized that the woman had been intentionally radiating a great deal of magic at her. The only reason that made sense in context was that she'd been testing Kat in some way. The second thing was her other response. She realized now that she had been staring at a certain aspect of herself in the proverbial face for a long while now and she felt rather dumb for that. It was the only explanation really for her continuing lack of sexual attraction towards boys and men and she couldn't believe she hadn't seen realized it before. Almost as soon as the conscious realization of this fact hit her, she had begun to see the world or at least the people in it, a little differently. It was like a part of her had been slumbering fitfully, occasionally making itself felt, and had been rudely jolted awake by the stunning Captain Kyshin. It was both frightening and wonderful. This conclusion confused her at first, and she was still unsure as how to proceed from here on. It wasn't that she'd never heard of a girl preferring her own gender over men, she even knew a couple of them personally at her school, but for some reason she'd never considered that she might be such a person. Yet in these last couple months her sexual awareness had really begun to make itself felt in both subtle and blunt ways and it was not something she could ignore. It certainly explained why she'd watched her cousin so closely when she'd spied on her having sex and largely ignored the boy. She could imagine her cousin's breasts, swaying from powerful hip thrusts, and feel her own nipples harden against her bra. "Hmmm," she moaned for a new reason now, smiling a little at the pleasant warmth in her loins. She relaxed back into the lounger and gazed up toward a sky only fitfully populated by clouds. A white gull was circling overhead, giving the occasional raucous caw to announce how wonderful his seagull life was. It was shocking really how her way of viewing life could change in so short a time as a few months, cause by a single event. Where would it take her? Would she find a girl to share passion with? "Kat! Are you sleeping again?!" called a loud, female voice from the ground below her balcony. With a grunt of effort, she turned, stood, and bent over the wooden railing. Below, another one of her innumerable cousins was looking up at her with a business-like expression on her face. Bev was not really all that attractive, but most of that was because of her personality. She was always so dour and never seemed to smile in true happiness. She also disapproved of the current trend towards vividly colored hair and kept hers in a brown, boring bun. "No!" she called back down, her long hair framing her face. "Do you need me for something?" "Yeah," Bev nodded, sounding a little mollified. "I need more hands over in the offices." She sighed, but at least it was something to do. "Sure thing," she agreed. "I'll be right down." Knowing that it was going to be a scorcher of a day, she'd worn a light skirt with the sleeveless kind of top that most women on Corbado wore these days. Yet once she was out from under the shade of the house and following Bev across the undamaged drive, the sun felt mercilessly hot. It was what she got for avoiding it all day, she supposed. They dodged workmen and Family employees going about their jobs, and slipped into the open front doors of the office building. It was dark and unlit, but much cooler. The offices were meant to impress, and even without light it was a treat for her eyes. Her aunt on her mother's side had been one of the key decorators, and everyone praised her work. There were gleaming wood or tile floors covered by expensively imported rugs. The walls had dark paneling at the bottoms and textured wallpaper on top. Each light was designed to accent the area around it in some way. In the back was a fully equipped kitchen to refresh guests. It was all done with the goal of impressing and basically seducing customers. "What's with the lights?" she asked, pointing up at a dark brass ceiling feature. "The aether-line to the building got hit by something," Bev complained with a huff. "They won't be doing the work until tomorrow because the power system mages are all really busy right now." "At least there are plenty of windows," Kat mused aloud. They arrived at the end of a rather plain looking hallway where there was a door. Bev opened it and they entered into a storage room. They did not move very far inside because it was a mess. The single window, through which a shaft of sunlight half-lit the room, was blown or busted in, and the contents of several large shelves, mostly boxes, were all over the floor. Some had their innards spilling out. "I just need someone to straighten up in here," Bev said, gesturing with a hand. "Don't worry about organizing it right now. We just need it cleaned up so a clerk can more easily go over everything." "How did it end up like this?" she asked, a little bemused at the task. "Some idiot enemy soldier bashed in the window and climbed in there," Bev snorted, wrinkling her big nose. "The door is a steel-cored firebreak and locked tight normally, so his only way out of the room was back into the fighting, so he lingered and tried to find something valuable to steal and got caught anyway. Apparently he wasn't interested in trade distribution records and copies of shipping contracts because he made a mess in his looting. " "Too boring to steal," Kat confirmed with an amused smile. "But okay, I can handle it." "Great!" Bev nodded. "I'll leave you to it. I need to head upstairs and make sure things are still livable." Kat had already turned away before Bev had finished talking and headed deeper into the small room. She'd been in it before, but only once or twice, and remembered it being tightly ordered. The contrast was amazing. Though it was a little dark for the work she needed to do. Moving back to the door, she checked and made sure no one was around and Bev had gone. Then she turned back to the room and grinned because she had the perfect solution to the problem. Holding out one hand as a reference guide, she swiftly drew a glowing circle of reddish light with her mind and established a flow of magic. Next she built the sigils and symbols as she'd seen them in a book with examples of beginner spells. The casting snapped into place and she powered the spell with her own magic, giving it about three hours' worth. Four spheres of bright, white light blinked into silent existence, one in each corner, and drove away the shadows. "Woo!" she yelled cheerily, proud of how well the minor spell had worked. It was the first one she had ever learned, and she had experimented with it a bit to learn more. But she loved it when things ran smoothly after she'd worked on them. She had always been fascinated by magic and had been able to feel it being worked around her since she was a little kid. It wasn't until a couple years ago that she'd smuggled her first instruction book, a very poor one it turned out, into her room. She discovered that she had a natural talent for manipulating magic and could channel a lot of it. Her insistence that this was a sign that she would be a mage had been routinely shot down by her parents and brother. They wanted her to become just another Genaria lady and support the Family. She saw no reason she couldn't do that as a mage. Glancing down at the bracelet on her wrist again, she prayed silently to a god she didn't really believe in that the offer had been real. The National Academy was renowned for the excellently educated men and women it produced, but it was the also the premier school for both civilian mages and military ones. If she'd been offered one of the limited number of slots in the Valkyrie program, it would be like a dream come true. They were the absolute elite, and were held as symbols of national pride, along with their male counterparts, the Crows. "Where to start," she mumbled aloud to no one, slowly scanning the room to get a full picture of it in her head. Decisively, she strode to the back corner of the room and got down on her knees to begin the work. Nothing would get done if you just stood around gawping. She righted a pale, faded file box, careful to keep the papers hanging half out of it in order. The latch was still useable, so she placed the box on an empty shelf location and went to the next. Usually, once she was engrossed into a task, she stayed that way for a long time. Her personal theory about her catnaps was that it rested her brain for moments like this, where she tore something apart, sometimes literally, and worked hard until she'd devised the best end result she could. So she forgot about the rest of the world for the afternoon and ignored her sweaty and dust-grimed body whilst she went back and forth, creating order. Even when she reached the last box and placed it on a shelf, she did not feel that she was done. Despite Bev's instruction not to sort the room out and to leave it for a clerk, it bothered her to leave things as they were. Dithering was not one of her attributes, so after less than a few seconds of thought, she raised her hand in front of her and snapped together a spell that she had cobbled together from other pieces. Two circles formed up. In one she was given an image seen by the second one. Standing there, she scanned quickly over the box labels with the circles and began to formulate in her head, an organizational chart that made sense to her. She was still shuffling boxes into the desired places, long after she'd had to renew her light spell, when her mind began to wander a little due to fatigue. She was hot and longed for a cold bath where she could soak and relax for a while. There was also a growing desire for a little private time. Since the attack, there had been so many strange people about, coming and going all the time that privacy was a precious commodity and one she couldn't waste on certain pleasurable pastimes. Even her room wouldn't work since it leaked sound badly. The situation had her quite worked up now that she was beginning to consciously appreciate her attraction toward other women and girls. Her mind was abuzz with all the visual stimulation she received. It didn't help matters that she was not entirely sure what two girls did together. She had a general idea of what sounded like good ideas in her head, and no one to try them on. With her surname, approaching another girl on this island would be bad idea at the moment because word would quickly get around. While there were no real societal repercussions from desiring other girls, her Family was another matter. They thought in dynastic terms and would be incensed. She was a valuable marriage commodity, even if she added nothing to the Family business, the Genaria Merchant Company. So if they thought word might spread of her preferring the company and beds of women, she would be married off as soon as they could arrange it. It would probably be to a politician's son, or the old man himself if he wanted a new young thing to screw. Just the idea of that made her— "Excuse me," said the confident voice of an older man behind her, breaking her train of thought. Jumping in shock was not her usual way of responding to someone getting the drop on her. A glare and an amateur fighting stance were, because it was usually some stupid male cousin trying to mess with her when it happened. This was not the case now. A very tall man with wild, curly brown hair, deep-set brown eyes, broad shoulders and a build like a field-strong farmer stood in the storage room doorway with an evaluating expression on his face. He was dressed in a uniform; crimson trousers of a loose and flowing cut, and a black on crimson coat with a number of metallic decorations on the breast pockets. A white cord ran from the left front belt-loop to the left rear one and there was a unit badge on his collar, a black bird with wings spread. "Can I help you," she asked, now feeling the signature of this mage's power. It sizzled on the aether. Only one group was allowed to wear a Crow. "The offices are closed for repairs, but I can direct you to one of the Family heads if you are here on business, Officer." She was proud of her calm, professional response despite whatever was fluttering inside her stomach. The man smiled in an expression of amused assurance. "I think I have found the place I need," he said. "Are you the recipient of an invitation to the Iskar National Academy? Are you Katarina Genaria?" As soon as the name of the school left his lips, Kat felt like the ground had dropped out from beneath her for a moment. Was this it? Hope burned in her belly. "Yes, that is who I am. Can I ask who you are?" "Cautious," the man nodded his approval. "I am Colonel Kota, on the staff of the Academy and responsible for collecting prospective students that are given special invitations like yours, instead of going through the usual application system. Thus, I and my ship have come for you." "Just like that?" she asked in amazement. "How do you know my name?" "Heh" the man grunted a laugh. "I simply asked around here if there was a girl wearing a silver bracelet like yours and I was told your name. If they hadn't known your whereabouts, the tracking magic on that piece of jewelry would have led me right to you. And yes, it works just like that. Though, I will have to speak with your parents first." "How old are the usual applicants and invites," she asked to buy time while she calmed herself down. "Oh, between the ages of twelve and eighteen," mused the Colonel. "Though it's more unusual towards the high end. Usually, those with the talent and gift to be combat mages have been found before then, but a few develop a little later than others. Now, would it be possible to speak somewhere more...comfortable than a storage room?" "Oh!" she felt her cheeks color deeply as she realized how she was dressed and where she was. This was not the way to impress the man. "Sorry, things are a bit of a mess around here." "I understand," the Colonel responded kindly. Kat made a cutting gesture with her right hand, which cut her light spell apart. It fizzled and collapsed into nothing, its magic bleeding naturally back into the world. Shadows returned to the room and she felt a momentary regret for not being able to finish her impromptu sorting job. "I'm not sure where my parents are, but I can have word sent around for them," she said, not feeling very hopeful where her parents were concerned. They would not be happy with this. "That won't be necessary," Kota explained with a dismissing hand gesture. "My staff officer has already spoken with your mother and she in turn has already sent for your father. She also said we should meet up in your manse's conference room." "Well, then I suppose we should go," she said, nodding. There was nothing for it but to try, so she would go on with this with the assumption that she would go with this man, and radiate that confidence to her parents.
On their way back over to the house, she blithely ignored all the stares she was getting from those around them. Strangers were perfectly normal, except that they didn't usually wear a uniform like Colonel Kota's, and they did not associate with her. The normal expectation for someone to escort an important guest would have been her brother. But she walked like it was perfectly normal and ignored everything else. Her father stood just outside of the backup conference room that sat at the back of the Family manse on the first floor. Though in his early fifties, his brown hair and thin mustache were already silvering with age, but he wore it with open pride. The expression on his narrow, once handsome face was one of displeasure and confusion. The confusion was good; it meant he wasn't set on anything. "What is this business your mother is talking about?" her father asked roughly, glancing from her to Colonel Kota. "Did you get in some kind of trouble again?" That sent a flare of anger up inside her. She did not try to find trouble, it just happened. It was also certainly not something she wanted Kota to hear about right now. But before she could try and defend herself, the Colonel stepped forward. "No sir, your daughter hasn't done anything wrong. I am here for a good reason in fact." He held out his large, callused hand and introduced himself, the same as he had done for her. "The Academy?" her father asked, visibly comforted by Kota's calm professionalism. No doubt their handshake had been a manly, bone crushing exchange. "What could Katarina possibly have done to attract your attention?" "It would be simpler if I explained it once to you and your wife at the same time," Kota said, smiling. "Hmm, right," her father said with an agreeable nod and waved for them to follow him into the room. Inside, they found her mother, from whom she'd inherited most of her physical looks, and another younger woman. Mom was only a couple years younger than her father, but she was much more active and lively. She was a constant source of motion. The younger woman wore a uniform to match the Colonel's. Her hair was a stylish emerald-green and hung down around a very attractive face with almost delicate features. She sat directly across from Kat's mother at the long table. Both looked at them as they entered. "Aldric! You won't believe what these people are here for!" Mother said in the tones of profound shock. "Something to do with the Academy over on Iskar," Father replied dryly, seating himself and gesturing at empty chairs. "Please sit Colonel, and explain, though it seems my wife has already wrung it out of your officer." The young woman looked chagrined at that, but the Colonel ignored it. "During the raid on Corbado two months ago, your daughter was peripherally involved in the fighting." "You didn't tell us about that," Father said, glancing at her. The Colonel held up a hand, commanding silence. "As I was saying, during the fighting, your daughter displayed a great deal of calm and control in a chaotic situation. She removed herself quickly from an exposed position and used cover to work her way down the mountain. There she encountered some of the raiders first-hand and displayed a remarkable talent for magecraft, right in front of a pair of Valkyries. She impressed Captain Kyshin enough that Katarina was given an open invitation to our school." "That silver bracelet she's been wearing?" Mother guessed, showing where Kat also probably got her quick wits. "Indeed," Kota confirmed. "By solving the puzzle clasp, which was also magical in nature, she displayed the minimum level of skill and natural aptitude we require. Also, by putting it on she accepted the invitation and a signal was sent via aether to the school. My office processed it and agreed with her admittance to the Valkyrie College of the Iskar National Academy." For a long, silent moment, no one spoke. The only sound came from a fan in another room nearby. Kat knew that she could not be the one to break it. To do so would be to court a hostile out response. So she calmly folded her hands in her lap and momentarily pictured her naked cousin to distract her mind and promote patience. Her father was the one to crack, as she had hoped. "So, what you are saying is that you are here to take Katarina off to become a mage?" he asked, as if confused by what he had heard. "Exactly," Kota replied simply. "But..." Father sputtered in disbelief. "My eldest son had been applying to the Academy each year for the last four years, and my daughter is invited in by pure happenstance?" "I have no idea of your son's merits," Kota replied. "I have nothing to do with the Business College. However, Katarina was invited based on abilities and potential seen by one of our own. In short, we want her, Mr. Genaria." "The Genaria's need her!" Father boasted, growing angry. "For?" Father glowered at the Crow sitting across from him, knowing that blowing up at the man was pointless. Colonel Kota could destroy the entire compound if he was inclined to do so, so one angry man was hardly a bother. It made Kat's day to see it. She also knew that he would not mention marriage contracts aloud. Such things were illegal until the girl was eighteen and was only binding by the full consent of both parties. The law had been passed to keep people from outright selling their daughters for favors. Unofficially, everyone knew it sill went on. Kota nodded anyway, as if Father had spoken aloud his thoughts. "Sir," he pointed at the silver on Kat's wrist. "That represents a contract already in effect. Your daughter has already agreed to become a cadet. In truth, this meeting with you is a polite, civilized courtesy for the parents of a girl with whom they should be proud of. When she acknowledged her identity to me, she entered into my legal care." "But she's only thirteen!" Mother exclaimed while Father stewed. "She's too young to fight in wars." "Ma'am," Kota smiled. "The Valkyrie program lasts a minimum of six years even without choosing a specialty. Katarina will be an adult by the time she enters service to Iskar. At that point she will also receive all the benefits of being a Valkyrie." "Are we at war?" Father asked sharply. "No," Kota said firmly. "The attack was a raid by a rogue state of the Empire. The Council is already dealing with them. However, it is because of people like your daughter that we have the clout to do so. No one can match us right now." "I see," Father replied, sounding tired. He looked from mother and then to her. Mom appeared to be resolved on the issue, but not happy. "When will you be leaving with her?" "Tomorrow would be best," Kota replied. "Tomorrow!" three voices said almost as one. Kat felt her hear beating suddenly fast. After spending two months wondering whether the invite was real, to being told she would be leaving the next day was a bit much. There was no way to mentally prepare for this kind of thing. "What do I need to bring?" she asked, sounding a little breathless even to her ears. "A few changes of civilian clothes and undergarments," the female office began as if reading from a mental list, and perhaps she was. "Also, toiletries for the brief trip and other personal hygiene items are suggested. You are permitted a few other personal items of importance as long as they are small, few and reasonable. Everything you really need will be provided once you reach the Academy." "Very well," her father said roughly, and Kat realized with shock that he actually sounded saddened. She just hoped that it wasn't because she wouldn't be available as an asset anymore. "Will you need a place to stay?" "No," Kota said. "We have room at a hotel in the city. I will be back in the morning to pick up Katarina, so make good use of the time until then to pack and say your farewells." He stood, gave the smallest of polite bows, and left the room with his staff officer in tow. There was another silence, but a shorter one this time because her mother spoke. "Kat, why didn't you say anything about this to us?" "Because you've never liked my interest in magecraft," she replied a little tartly, still overwhelmed by events. "You were more concerned with Dathid's crying about his cracked arm anyway." "He was injured!" Mom protested. "I was nearly blown up several times, shot at, and threatened with rape," Kat said curtly, feeling a little of her normal calm settle around her. A good argument was always got her adrenalin flowing. "I wasn't exactly out having a picnic." Mom's face had whitened at the little list, despite the fact that they all knew that all three things had happened to other people during the attack. Kat left her for the moment and looked at her stony father. "You know I have never fit in around here. There are no nice round holes to fit my peg into. This is the kind of opportunity that rarely comes along to anyone. Valkyrie classes are small. I'm taking it." "But you have no idea what Iskar is like," mom said worriedly. "Corbado is more than bit of a backwater by comparison." "And I'll survive," she replied calmly and assuredly. Both her parents gave her long, considering looks and then her father grunted. "Then I suppose you'd better head to your room and pack your things," he said, settling into his business mode. "I may have disapproved of much of your actions and interests, but one thing I have always been proud of is your independent nature. So I suppose I will be content as long as you do yourself and the Genaria's proud as a Valkyrie." "Of that you can be sure," she promised with a defiant grin. She looked at her mother. "I'll see you guys again in the morning." "Yes," her mother said quietly, a small tear trailing down with her tiny smile. "One last time before you leave." With that, she turned away and headed to pack. Tomorrow was her new beginning. ****** The next morning was a lot harder than she could have ever expected. Her mother cried and clung on Kat's father when Colonel Kota got out of a military truck and approached them as they stood in front of the big house. Other members of the Family were also standing around, watching. Her father had spread the word of what was happening, and for the first time in Kat's life, people other than her school friends were interested in what she was doing. Her brother was a notable exception. Dathid had spoken to her exactly once this morning, before he sulked off somewhere. It wasn't liked she'd expected anything more than that. They had never gotten along, and he'd always hated that his kid sister could always kick his ass whenever she felt inclined. Now, the fact that she'd gotten into the most prestigious school in the country and really would become a mage, was really rubbing him the wrong way. "You ready?" the Colonel asked, stopping a few meters away on the pavement. "Yep!" she grinned, hefting her floppy luggage bag. She didn't have a great many sentimental things, because she really wasn't the type to collect them, so she'd only packed the bare minimum. She'd also dressed comfortably for travel in her favorite jeans and a light top, with a wind jacket tucked under her arm just in case. "Then climb in!" the man laughed back at her eagerness, jerking his huge hand back toward the rumbling truck. She wanted to look under its hood. It sounded like it had one of the newer magically heated steam engines. Instead she walked quickly towards the truck and tossed her stuff in the back seat, while getting in the front passenger seat herself. The Colonel walked around and dropped heavily into the driver's seat. "No staff officer this time?" she asked, curiously. "Believe it or not, I can handle things on my own, young lady," he replied gruffly, shifting the truck into gear. "Now give your family a last wave and we'll be off." She did so, causing more tears from her mother. Then the truck growled as Kota drove them out of the compound and down along the winding coastal road that led toward the city. It was a wide affair, paid for by her Family to support heavy plantation vehicles. It was busy out since it was the beginning of a work day for a lot of people, but they were moving along nicely. "How are we getting to the Academy?" she asked after they'd had a bit of time in companionable silence. "Hmm?" he glanced at her, mostly paying attention to his driving. "Didn't I say before? I have a ship." "But what kind?" she pressed. "You'll see soon enough," he grinned, knowing he was riling her up. She smirked and settled down into her seat. They took the service roads around the city to avoid the heaviest business traffic. The port in the bay was busy today was well, and she could see the hulking shape of one of the big cargo ships at a pier to load goods. Then they dropped down into the lower coastal plain and her sight distance was cut drastically. Most of the area they drove through was the commercial districts and some housing. Then Colonel Kota turned off onto the road that would take them around the mountain and into a valley set between it and the next. When they wound through heavily curving roads and a V-shaped lowland came into view, she realized their destination and mentally thumped herself for not figuring it out sooner. The valley was naturally sheltered, thanks to convenient geography, from even the worst winds a spring typhoon could muster. So it had become a home to a sizable residential community and more importantly to her, the skyport. The skyport was a wide, open area of undeveloped grassland, with four tall, fat towers standing there with generous separation. Each tower had three huge, circular hatches running up two opposing sides. Near the top of the farthest tower, the westerly one, one of the Navy ships was moored. The Skyport was protected by a warded security wall, so they drove around to the main entrance and the Colonel flashed some kind of identification to the man on duty at the gate. They were waved on through and Kota turned right towards the North tower emblazoned with a large number 4 on the side without hatches. They parked next to several other trucks, including a large freight one. "I'm still not sure if I like this set-up," the Colonel commented as they climbed out, looking out over the bare fields. She knew the open land was for later expansion, but it looked lonely. "Skyships are so new, everyone has a different idea of how to receive, resupply, and dock them. Some of the tower variants can get ugly looking." "People will settle on something eventually," she said, following him to a wide set of swinging double-door. They entered into a well-lit corridor wide enough and tall enough to allow trucks inside. Their destination was a bank of more doors, except these were labeled as being elevators for people. No doubt there was another set for freight. Kota pressed the button next to one. The elevator chimed, and the door was cranked aside by an unseen mechanism. They stepped inside. Her stomach tried to drop through her body when the car hummed for a moment, and then climbed rapidly up a shaft on a lift unit that she could feel. The ride was very short, and when they reach the desired third floor, the car was locked into place with a solid bang. There was another chime, and the door slid back open to reveal a sight that made her eyes widen and stay that way for a long couple of moments. Inside each tower floor was an enormous hanger. It had enough volume to hold three of the Navy's destroyers, and its floor was a poured slab of concrete. A short distance away sat the only current occupant, resting in a large, modular cradle. It was a beautiful, sleek craft painted in the crimson and black colors of Iskar and nothing like the naval ships. The booms of twin hulls swept forward past a rear mounted, centrally hung superstructure. Aether vanes like swept-back blades arose along the outside of the ship, and a single engine and propeller were mounted under the belly at the stern. Retracted and collapsed masts were snugged up all around the rear section. It was about two-hundred meters long and about fifty at its widest. Ramps and access stairs were secured to hatches. "How do you like Wind-cutter," Colonel Kota asked after she'd had a few minutes to stare. "This is yours?" she asked in awe. "I've never seen one like it." "It belongs to the school and is also used for training exercises. You haven't seen one before because only three exist, since the design is almost brand-new. It's based off of the wet-type schooner, but with a catamaran hull. Supposedly the extra surface area allows for greater magic collection by the vanes. I don't know if that is true yet, but the ship is damned fast!" He sounded proud of the vessel. She followed him to the set of stairs on one side and climbed. A guard at the top shouldered his rifle and saluted the Colonel. There was another just inside the solid looking hatch and then she was quickly walking through narrow corridors. They descended a set of stairs, and then she was escorted to a small cabin. It had only a narrow bed, a window, and a mounted chest for her belongings. "This will be yours, though the trip is a fairly short one," Kota explained, gesturing at the cabin. "The Academy is located just outside the Capital, almost at the upper tip of the main archipelago. So it's just over 1200 miles away. On pure wind power it'll take us about fourteen hours to get there, so I'd advise getting some sleep later." "Is there somewhere I can watch from as we leave?" she asked excitedly. "Yes there is," he chuckled. "Follow me, and try to remember your way back here, because I'll be needed on the bridge. And no, you are not permitted there, before you ask." She snorted in disappointment, but was actually content for now with just being able to travel on such a ship and see it sail through the skies. Kota led her all the way up past the four main decks and onto a top observation deck. He explained that in a hostile situation, which the ship was certainly not equipped for at the moment, this deck would have observers and communication gear. For now it was empty and with a domed ceiling made entirely of glass sections that ran down to a low wall. Kota left her there after a last admonition against bothering any of the ship's crew. That was a little annoying, since she wanted to know how all the stuff around her worked, but she needed to play nice right now. So, she went to the forward section of window and sat on the floor to watch. She heard calls and many mysterious noises that she itched to investigate, but she stayed put as they prepared to get underway. After about twenty minutes or so, after the stairs and ramps were wheeled away, the ship shivered with gathering magical power and lifted smoothly upwards. A horn sounded, loud in the hanger, and the great door began to open. Sunlight poured in, shining on the ship's paint. Slowly, on only the single propeller, they moved forwards and out of the tower. Once they were well clear, the masts began to extend and lock out into their proper positions. Men in harnesses attached to the ship checked lines as motors pulled a complex sail plan into position all around them She felt it when the wind grabbed them, and they gathered speed rapidly. Sails and vanes moved in subtle ways, changing their course. Once they were on a Northerly course, they settled in and gained altitude as the ground raced by below. It was all so amazing she wondered of Colonel Kota would let her just sleep up here under the stars. It was the perfect way to travel to her future. ****** Over a thousand miles away and later that day, several women in a bar catering to Valkyrie mages sat in a dark, private lounge around a table. One, old enough to nearly be the grandmother of the youngest of them, ground out the stub of her cigar in a glass dish for that purpose and let rich-scented smoke flow from her mouth in a cloud the color of ashes. None wore their entire uniform here, since the intention was to relax, and in one shadowy corner were two darker shadows moving in the unmistakable motions of two women engaged in sexual activities upon a large couch. Such things were not uncommon in that room. "So," said a dusky-skinned woman with her coat draped over the back of her chair, exposing small breasts clad only in a thin undershirt that did little to hide their shape, "the newest crop of baby birds are gathered once again. I've been waiting for this for weeks." "We know," said another woman, she had a glass of dark, amber liquid held in one hand, and her long dark hair hid her eyes. "You aren't happy unless you have a new group of girls to beat up on that aren't used to you yet." "Anyone on the list look interesting?" asked a perkily energetic woman sitting back on a leather divan against the wall. She was still mostly dressed, though her coat was unfastened and there was nothing to hint at anything underneath in the gap. Her gaze and smile kept slipping to the lovers in the corner. Then she locked onto the pale woman at the table. "Hey Kysh, didn't you say you chose one yourself?" "Really?" asked the first woman, leaning forward towards the woman sitting across from her with another woman, this one with reddish skin and leaning against her. "I didn't think you cared about the Academy that much." "Who said that?" Kyshin laughed, sipping at her rather potent glass of rum. "I'll have you know my niece is entering her fourth year at the start of the new term. I'm quite concerned about her education you know." "You mean all the trouble she causes don't you," chuckled the old woman. "Yes, I suppose I do, since her evaluations have been excellent otherwise," Kyshin boasted with a wicked grin. "Which is why I found her something to occupy all that free time she seems to have for mischief." She sipped noisily at her drink. There was a thoughtful silence, and then there was a general wave of mirth around the room, even from the two in the shadows who had paused to hear the news. Then the second woman set down her whisky and smirked at her old friend. "I suppose you arranged things with the Commandant to have this...surprise, for your niece?" "We go way back," Kyshin said, not quite admitting to anything. "But I'm sure things will be interesting." A hand caressed her belly, just avoiding the bottom of her breasts and she looked over into dark eyes. "Kysh, honey," said her partner and long-time lover. Kyshin smiled wide and slugged back the remainder of her drink, feeling the warmth of the alcohol. Then she cast her gaze around her friends. "Well ladies, I'm out for the night. I've got better things to do that jaw with you all night." She slapped down several coins for her share of the bill, and followed her partner out. She had one night left before they left on their next assignment, and her lover was right. It would be much better spent without clothes and drowning in passion. Just the thought made her wet, and as they exited the bar into the night lights of Iskar's capital, she gave her lover's ass a possessive squeeze that earned her a low moan. The promise of the coming love-making was getting them both hot. But she thought once again of her niece and that interesting girl she'd found on a backwards little island. Those two had no idea at what fun was coming their way, and that made her chuckle. They would need it if the dark days that were looming came to pass. She wished them well. |