COF 12

 Her thoughts troubled, the Goddess Freya flew through the halls of Valhalla, not really paying attention to where she was headed. She didn’t like that Odin had dismissed her so suddenly from the room. Nor did she like his evasiveness on just where he had been all this time. Why would he feel the need to keep it a secret, from her of all people? She thought she was his most trusted confidant, but now he treated her differently. He was still kind to her, at times almost caring, but a few times he had been gruff, his words a harsh command rather than a gentle order.

Worse of all was his wishing to be alone. Hadn’t they been through enough, that he would want to savor his return to her, spend long hours into the night in her company, rather than chase her off? She would have been content to merely remain by his side, listening to him, and filling him in on all he had missed out on. Now she was the one alone, and without an assigned task to keep her mind off of things. She supposed she should find Hrist, tell her of this latest development. But she found she didn’t want to face the Valkyrie just yet. She would not be the one to break it to her that once again Odin had no interest in saving either of her sisters from Brahms.

It was hardly surprising, Freya mused. After all Odin wouldn’t want competition for the throne. There couldn’t be two Creators, sharing of such immense power just wasn’t done. Ull and Thor had seemed to accept Odin’s return without a single thought of complaint raised. But then so had she at the time, not daring to ask what about Lenneth. Freya sighed. What about Lenneth indeed. What had happened to the Goddess…?

A shout of greeting broke through her thoughts, and Freya paused, glancing down the steps that led outside of Valhalla. Lucian, a tiny red speck at the bottom of the stairs was waving at her, his arm pumping up and down vigorously. She could see the desperation on his face as he gestured at her, needing answers. She knew she did not have many, but she would offer him what she had.

“I’ve been waiting for you!” Lucian called out to Freya, as the Goddess began her descent towards him. He hadn’t had much to do besides pace. The two male Aesir had gruffly escorted him from Valhalla, throwing him down onto the ground, Thor letting out a cruel laugh. Lucian had coughed against the dirt, even as Ull walked past him as though he was not even there. None had bother to acknowledge his questions about Lenneth, and for a moment he had feared that Freya too would ignore him.

“Lucian.” Freya nodded her head in greeting, surprised to find herself feeling nervous around him. “I’m sorry for what happened. Odin can be…difficult to deal with at times.” She knew Odin didn’t like humans that much, but still his attacks on Lucian had been surprising.

“Yeah…difficult..I suppose that’s one word for it.” Lucian said wryly, a hand rubbing against his throat.

“Have you had ambrosia?” Freya asked, noting that the man’s outward appearance showed no sign of his injuries.

“No. I’ve been waiting all this time for you.” Lucian scowled, his anger directed at the guards of Valhalla. “They wouldn’t let me back in. Freya…What’s going on?!”

“Aside from the obvious of Odin returning?” She asked, then sighed. “I’m afraid it’s not good…not for you and Lenneth at least.”

“Yeah I think I’m beginning to figure that out on my own.” His tone was insolent, but she allowed him to get away with this. Freya knew she should reprimand him, with Odin’s return, the einherjar would be more restricted in their dealings with the Gods. Times were about to become tougher for mortals in Asgard.

“I know you need an explanation.”

“You’re damn right I do!” exclaimed Lucian, and she hissed at him to be quiet. She glanced over her shoulders at the guards, seeing them watching the interaction closely. “Walk with me Lucian.”

“Where are we going?” He asked.

“The destination does not matter. I merely wish to converse with you without risk of being over heard.” She gave meaningful nod of her head in the direction of the guards, Lucian’s face lighting up with understanding.

“Fine…” He said, and randomly chose a direction to walk. He was surprised when Freya landed next to him, putting both feet on the ground. She flushed, embarrassed at the question in his eyes, but merely shook her head. For once the Goddess did not flaunt her powers of flight, choosing instead to walk alongside the mortal warrior.

“I suppose I should begin by explaining why we did not consult the water mirror.” Freya said. Lucian was quiet, allowing the Goddess to gather her thoughts, rather than make a snide remark. “It…wouldn’t have worked.” She sighed, holding up a hand to ward off his objection. “Yes…I know what I said earlier. And I’m sorry. I gave you false hope…though I did not realize it at the time.”

“How can you say that? Your words are confusing me!” Lucian cried, frustrated.

“That energy I felt…the Creator’s? I thought it was Lenneth I sensed…truly I did. But I was wrong…” She hung her head, ashamed.

“How could you get something wrong like that?!” He demanded, his eyes blue and stormy with anger.

“It’s not my fault!” Freya protested. “How could I have known Odin was back?! Do you even realize what that means?!”

“No, and I don’t care!” He retorted. “I only care that no one is doing anything to find Lenneth, my Platina!”

“She’s not Platina!” Freya said, the old habit of correcting Lucian coming automatically to her lips. “And I must make you understand. Think Lucian, think! What is Odin?!”

Lucian frowned, hesitating. “A supreme God…?” Freya just looked at him, not offering up any hints. “A…a Creator…like…”

“Like Lenneth.” Freya finished. “They have similar energy signatures. So alike you wouldn’t be able to tell who it is from afar…”

“Couldn’t you have…I dunno…” He shrugged helplessly. “Maybe…the power would differentiate from a man and a woman?”

“Power doesn’t work that way.” She shook her head. “It doesn’t care what gender you are. And the power of a Creator is so rare, it is not easily duplicated. It’s been an eternity, literally, since there was more than one God with this much power.”

“What will happen with two of them around?” Lucian wondered. His eyes widened. “Can they coexist?!”

“I don’t know. As far as I know there’s never been two Creators before…it was only when Odin climbed to the top of Yggdrasil, taking the power into his half elf body that he gained the title Creator. Before that…” The Vanir maiden let out a bitter laugh.

“What?”

“Before that the Gods used to fight each other to the death, always struggling to be on top. We went through many rulers back then.” Her eyes were sad. “We call it the Succession Wars.”

“The Succession Wars…” repeated Lucian. “So Odin put a stop to all of that?”

“Yes.” Freya nodded. “He alone had the power. No one could stand up against him.”

“No wonder he’s such a blow hard.” muttered Lucian.

“Lucian! You will speak with respect when referring to Lord Odin!” She was horrified at his blasphemy.

“Why should I?! He doesn’t give a damn about finding Lenneth. You heard him!” Lucian crossed his arms over his chest, scowling. “He’s content to let her remain with Brahms…IF that’s even where she is.”

“What are you saying?” demanded Freya flustered.

“I just think it’s kinda funny…The guy’s supposed to be dead…Lenneth goes missing, and now here he is, hale and hearty. Who’s to say he didn”t have something to do with her kidnapping?”

“I will not listen to such…such insubordinate talk!” Freya stamped her feet on the ground. “If you know what’s best for you, you will keep such…such slander to yourself!” She bent her legs, lifting up off the ground.

“A guy can’t ask questions?” Lucian wondered, staring at her. Her face was angry as she floated next to him, her hands clenching into fists.

“Not when the wrong questions can get you killed!” Freya hissed. “You must know Odin would not stand for it! To cast suspicions on him would be tantamount to suicide!”

He was silent, just looking at her. “Lucian! Promise me!” She grabbed him by the arms, shaking him. “I don’t want to see you killed!”

“…Fine…I’ll be…careful with my words. But you have to promise me something too!”

“What?” She asked, releasing her hold on him.

“Don’t give up on Lenneth. Please!” He grabbed at her hand, clasping it to his chest. “She needs us…we have to find out what happened to her.”

“I…Odin won’t like it…” She looked away from him, not wanting to be glared at by those expressive eyes of his.

“To Hel with Odin!” He exclaimed, and his grip would have hurt her had she not been a Goddess. “What about your friendship with Lenneth! What do you want?!”

“Don’t blasphemy.” She easily pulled her hand out of his grip. “And I? I want to find Lenneth!”

“Good.” To her great surprise Lucian threw his arms around her, pulling the Goddess into a tight hug. She stiffened in his arms, unused to such contact from a mortal. “Then do what you can to help me!”

“I can only try…” She said, awkwardly patting Lucian on the back. It was strange she thought, a sad smile on her face. This boy expressed more joy, more warmth to her with a simple excited hug, than Odin had through out his entire return. It was nice, she reflected, wishing Odin could be more…passionate in his response to her.

———————————————————————————————————————————–

With a creaking sound that was too loud to Lenneth’s ears, the door to her room opened. She let out a little dismayed moan, snuggling closer to her pillow, even as the plod of footsteps drew nearer. “Good morning Lady Valkyrie!” Lezard said cheerfully, his voice harshly ringing out. “It’s a beautiful day today!” He drew back the curtains of the window, flooding the room with sunlight.

Lenneth hissed like a vampire, and drew her blankets up over her head. The light hurt her eyes, and balefully she glared at the wizard, though he could not see her face. “What time is it?” She moaned, wishing to go back to sleep.

“It’s time to get up…” She was surprised to feel the blanket being drawn off of her, leaving her blinking up at the necromancer. Lezard stood in the path of the window, his body being framed by sunlight. She stared at him, and with a whimper of pain, plopped down backwards on her pillows. “I feel sick…”

“I’m not surprised.” He sounded amused. “After the way you put away that wine, even a man of a much more hearty disposition would be feeling it’s effects this morning.”

“Go away!” It came out almost a whine, Lenneth throwing her arm over her eyes to block out the light. “Leave me to die in peace.” Her head was throbbing, drumbeats pounding against the temple, and everything sounded so bloody loud to her. Her stomach was rumbling in protest, not liking any sudden movements, and she had a feeling that at any second she might be violently ill.

“So melodramatic.” His teasing tone was lost on her, and she felt the bed dip with his weight. She didn’t even feel like she could muster the strength to look at him, couldn’t even bother to worry over what he was up to now. “You’re not going to die.” Lezard explained patiently. He chuckled. “Though you probably wish you could.”

She felt him finger her hair, playing with the ends of it, and with a snort of anger she rolled onto her side, giving him her back. That was almost a mistake, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle the gag, bile raising in her throat. “There there…” She heard Lezard say, even as his hand reached out to rub her back, in a soft soothing touch. “If you have to be ill, it’s better to let it all out…”

“Don’t say that…” Lenneth muttered weakly, somehow managing to not empty out the contents of her stomach onto the floor. “That’s disgusting…”

“But part of life…” He continued to pet her, his hand cold against her warm skin. “Humans can be…messy creatures…”

“Why are you here?” She asked, slowly turning her head to glance over her shoulder. She was thankful the room wasn’t spinning. It was one less thing to worry about!

“Do I need a reason to visit my beautiful house guest?” He asked.

“YES!”

More of that infuriating laughter from him. “Ah…I thought you might need this…” He leaned towards the bedside cabinet, and she heard the clinking of glass. Curious, she moved to lie on her back, wincing with the movement. “What is it?” She asked, and he pulled back, revealing a pitcher and a goblet. “Oh no…not more of your blasted drinks!”

“It might not be as sweet tasting as the wine but it will do you a world of good.” He had poured some of the liquid into the goblet, and was reaching out to Lenneth. She brushed back his hand, a frown on her face. “I don’t want it…”

“Don’t be stubborn Lenneth. It’ll make you feel better!”

“How?!” She demanded.

“It’s a hangover remedy.” Lezard explained. “We humans use it to combat nights of heavy drinking.”

“Does it work?” She was now eying the cup with keen interest.

“Usually.” He shrugged. “It depends on the person.”

Lenneth considered it, wishing for the ache in her head to go away, and for her stomach to stop feeling like a tsunami was thrashing about in it. “I’ll…I’ll try it.”

“Good.” Smiling he helped her sit up, and brought up the cup to her lips. She tried to grab it from him, eager to tilt back all of it’s contents down her throat but he stopped her with a warning. “Slowly Lenneth, slowly. If you drink too fast, you really will be sick on the bed!” He chased her hand away from his, keeping full control of the goblet as he held it to her lips, allowing only a small amount of the liquid to come out at a time.

The Valkyrie tried not to choke on the foul tasting liquid, wishing to down it all at once and get it over with. At last he pulled the cup away from her, and she made a face at him. “Urgh…what was in it?”

“Some herbs…water…a bit of the hair of the dog that bit you.” listed Lezard.

“What?!”

“It’s a saying.” He smiled. “Don’t take it literally…it just means it had some of what ailed you.”

“More of your wine?” She frowned, not liking this news.

“Yes.” He sat the goblet down onto the cabinet, then turned to face her. “It shouldn’t be long before it takes effect.”

She sighed in relief. “Thank you…Lezard.” She closed her eyes, settling against the pillows.

“You’re welcome. He smiled, smoothing back the hair from her face. He was eager for her to recover, so they could discuss what had happened last night. He wondered what sort of drunk she was, if in addition to being emotional, was she a forgetful one? Not remembering her actions once sober? Lezard hoped not, sure her reactions to his questions would be delightful. He glanced down at Lenneth, surprised to see her fast asleep. With a rueful smile, he stretched out his arms, placing one around her, as he swung his legs up onto the bed. He rather felt like having a nap himself.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

The level of noise in the dining hall of Valhalla did not die down as the doors parted, admitting two cloaked figures. People were always coming and going in the evening, faces in the crowd constantly changing. These two seemed no different, even as they made their way through the throngs of people, heading for one of the smaller tables. There was four men already sitting at the table, but it did not matter to them.

“Get up.” ordered the shorter of the two, the voice clearly that of a woman.

“Why should we?” demanded one of the men, his slovenly habit of talking with his mouth full spraying bits of food onto the table.

“I can give you four good reasons.” The mountain of a man said, behind his female companion. His cloak lifted back, to reveal a sword as long as he, with a blade twice as thick as his impressively muscled arm. His chest was bare, except for several straps, and blue gauntlets and shoulder pads the only metal adornment he wore. “Your lives…” He tossed back his head, the hooded cloak falling away to reveal a scarred face, a snarl on his lips. It was true that einherjar were already dead, but to be killed as a spirit meant to be destroyed forever. Few if any would want to suffer the cold fate of permanent obliteration.

“The warrior Arngrim!” A black haired man cried, recognizing the face. A hush fell over the crowd, all eyes turning to the corner of the room to see what would happen next.

“Then you must be…” Gulping, the raven haired einherjar turned to look at the female. She was drawing back her hood, a smile on her beautiful face. She gave a toss of her head, and long blonde hair fell down to the back of her knees, free of the cape. Knowing she had an audience, she made a show of dropping the cloak to the floor, letting it slide down her body, revealing her tight fitting tunic of royal purple. The skirt was ultra short, flashing daring glimpses of her thighs, and she wore long white stockings that went high up on her legs. Long opera length gloves of snow white, and brown shoes completed her look, and a few men, hidden in the crowd couldn’t help but let out appreciative whistles.

“Mystina, stop preening.” Arngrim said, annoyed at his companion’s antics.

“Now now, dear Arngrim. Nothing wrong with letting them get one final glimpse of perfection before you slaughter them where they sit.” She laughed then, hair bobbing around her.

“Now see here!” One of the men protested, standing up. “We were here first.”

“And I just don’t care.” Mystina told him, placing her hands on her hips. “Now what say you be good boys, and vamoose. I might just be able to keep Arngrim from hurting you if you behave.” Eyes shifted towards the beserker, not believing this slip of a woman could control him. “Of course…” And she sighed, shaking her head. “He does like to work up an appetite with a good fight…you might even stand a chance against him. We’re been traveling for oh so long.”

“Uh…no thanks…”Dust clouds were almost stirred up as the men hastened to evacuate from the table. Mystina grinned, and slid onto the bench, stretching out her legs beneath her. “Ah…it feels good to be back home.”

“You know you guys could always wait for a table to open up.” said the approaching woman. It was Aeila, with her short red hair standing next to their table. She frowned at them, arms crossed over her chest. “You don’t always have to scare the newbies witless with your antics.”

“Maybe some other time. When we are not so tired from our journey.” Arngrim said, shifting over to allow Aeila to join them at the table.

“Ooooh where’s the fun in that?” asked Mystina, waving at a waitress. The woman hurried over to take their order, leaving three mugs of ambrosia behind.

“You’re back early.” Aeila noted, after they had all been served.

“Yes.” nodded Arngrim, munching on a chicken leg. “We were ordered back.”

“But we don’t know why.” Mystina said, frustrated. She had been enjoying touring the nine worlds of Yggdrasil, Lenneth being true to her promise. As an einherjar Mystina could now travel to places she had never even dreamed of seeing, her ambitions moving on beyond the study of Biforst, to her work with the fairies in Alfheim. Arngrim had been assigned as a bodyguard to the mage, and the two had become good friends during their travels.

“I’m not surprised they didn’t tell you.” Aeila said, grinning wide. She always loved to be the bearer of news, be it good or bad. “They wouldn’t want this to get out to the other realms.”

“What do you know Aeila?” Mystina asked. She and Arngrim had been puzzled by the summons they received, ordering them immediately back to Asgard with nary an explanation as to the urgency of the order.

“Well…it’s common knowledge here in Valhalla.” The Dragoon said. “It’s all anyone has been able to talk about. I’m surprised there hasn’t been a gag order placed in case there are spies about.” With that thought, she looked around to see if anyone seemed to be paying close attention to the trio. She leaned in closer to Mystina. “If word got out to the other realms, it could lead to a war!”

“War?!” Mystina put down her cup, staring at Aeila. “What are you talking about? Get to the point…why would we have another war so soon?! And why involve us? I didn’t sign up to fight anything, I became an einherjar for knowledge!”

“Ehh…We all have our own reasons for why we were chosen.” Aeila shrugged. “But right now Hrist wants every available einherjar here for battle.”

“Hrist.” Mystina made a face. “I don’t take order from her.”

“Me neither.” Arngrim said. “Lady Lenneth is my master.”

“Oh, but that’s the thing.” Aeila’s eyes flashed with excitement. “Lenneth isn’t in charge anymore.”

“What?!”

“She’s been overthrown?” demanded Arngrim.

“Oh no, perhaps I spoke too hastily.” amended Aeila. “What I meant is simply…she’s gone.”

“What do you mean she’s gone? How can the Creator vanish? And what does it have to do with us?” demanded Mystina.

“Well rumor has it, she’s been kidnapped.”

“Kidnapped?!” Mystina’s jaw dropped. “Can anyone really have the power to do that?!”

“It happened, so yes. It also appears to be Brahms.” The Dragoon said. “The evidence points to him.”

“The Vampire King?” asked Arngrim. “What’s he playing at, collecting the Valkryies?!”

“No one knows.” Aeila shrugged, finishing off her cup of ambrosia. “I guess we’ll find out when we face him in battle.”

“Maybe…” Mystina looked thoughtful. “Brahms…to face him this time as enemy instead of ally will be a strange thing indeed. I can’t help but wonder why he would do this…when he helped us to regain Lenneth’s body last time.”

“You don’t sound like you’re ready to believe he did it.” Arngrim pointed out.

“I’m not.” Mystina shook her head. “You know, if you hadn’t said there was evidence that points at someone else, I would have thought that little freak had done it.” She laughed. “He certainly was obsessed with Lenneth. He called her his immortal beloved.”

“You mean the twerp with the glasses? What was his name…” Arngrim wondered.

“What are you talking about?” asked Aeila, worried she had missed out on some juicy gossip.

“Hmm? Oh just an old…acquaintance of mine. His name was Lezard…Lezard Valeth. Twisted little individual, but I’ll admit he was talented.” She gave a toss of her head, nose in the air. “Not as naturally gifted in the magics as I was of course, but he did have his uses.”

“He was obsessed with the Valkyrie.” Arngrim added. “He wanted to make her his.”

“I wouldn’t have put it past him to have done this, but if you say Brahms did it…” She looked at Aeila. “You’re awfully quiet.”

“I…this is the first I’ve heard of this Lezard.” Aeila admitted. “Who else would know about him?”

“Who? Well…” Mystina had to think. “Aside from us, and Lady Lenneth? Lorenta would…though she didn’t know the depths of his depravity. Oh dear…” She placed a hand to her mouth, stifling a gasp. “Arngrim, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Yes.” He said, sounding grave and worried. “There’s not many in Asgard who know about Lezard. He could easily commit this crime without anyone to point the finger at him.”

“How fortunate we are back.” Mystina smiled. If the little freak really did have Lenneth as his prisoner, he was about to lose–big time! She let out peals of laughter, causing her companions to stare at her strangely. How sweet. she thought, trying to gain control of herself. She would finally be able to pay him back for killing her, by taking away that which he valued the most.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

It wasn’t surprising that she woke up with a scream. Lezard had expected her to react in a less than pleased way upon awakening to find him cuddling with her. He hadn’t expected the punch in the stomach though. “That was really uncalled for!” He muttered with a gasp.

“What do you think you are doing?!” Lenneth demanded, grabbing a pillow and placing it before her as though it would make an adequate shield against him. She was staring at him as though she had awakened to find him doing a lot more than just holding her.

“Making a mistake apparently.” He said, pushing his glasses back up his nose. He sat up then, watching as her fingers tightened on the pillow. Lezard sighed, wishing she had slept for a while longer. It had been nice to have her in his arms, quiet and unmoving, not trying to get away. Now she was glaring at him, looking very much like she intended to hit him again should he say or do the wrong thing.

“And we were getting along so well last night.” He said with real regret.

“Last night?” Her brow furrowed as she thought back to the previous evening. There had been a necklace…and that wine of his…The wine! Her eyes widened as it all came back to her. A blush began on her cheeks, and she lifted the pillow up higher so that it covered her face. She remembered practically throwing herself at Lezard, for once being the chaser instead of the pursued. How she had wanted to kiss him, how eager she had been to touch him, and be touched in return. “Oh no…” She murmured too soft for him to hear.

“Lenneth?” He reached for the pillow, and she shook her head, burying her face in it. “I think I really am going to be sick this time…” But it wasn’t her hangover that was making her ill. She was remembering something else now, the hopeful tone of a girl wanting a man to take her to bed. Thank the Gods he didn’t follow through! She thought, feeling if she blushed any harder she’d look like a tomato.

“Gods! I hate being a mortal!” She wailed into the pillow, hiding from him. She felt Lezard’s hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her backwards. She kept her head lowered, trying to avoid looking at him. She quivered as a hand went to cup her chin, lifting her face upwards. He studied her face intently, noticing her blush, and the shifty way her eyes avoided his. “You do remember!” He exclaimed, and the satisfaction in his voice made her cry out. “Oh God!”

He frowned, not liking her overly dramatic reaction. “Kissing me is NOT that bad.” She let out a strangled sound, and he realized it was an embarrassed sob she choked back. “I’ll have you know I’ve kissed plenty of women and they LIKED it.” He could give her names and addresses if she wanted to go confirm this.

“It’s not that…”

“Then you did like kissing me?” He winced, thinking he sounded pathetic even as he hoped against hope she would say yes.

“I don’t have to answer that!” Lenneth retorted, chasing his hands away from her. “How could you let me do that?!”

“How could I not?!” He shot back, and her hand came up to smack at him. He caught it easily enough, and he held on, refusing to let go. “You should have stopped me.” She said tersely, trying to tug her arm back.

Lezard laughed then. “Are you mad?” He asked her. “Do you know how long I’ve waited for you? How much I’ve wanted you to come to me of your own free will?” He sighed, his eyes closed. “It was exquisite…” He said softly, thinking back to her lips on his. How soft they had been, gentle rather than stiff, yielding against his, rather than a thick wall he had to fight past to gain access to her. “Absolutely wonderful.” His grip on her loosened, fingers caressing against her wrist.

“You exaggerate.” Lenneth shook her head. “It was just a kiss…”

“It was several kisses.” His eyes opened, and he looked at her. “And I could have had more…you were ready for me, so open and willing to give everything to me. Ripe and mine for the taking.” Lenneth let out a shaky breath, eyes locked on his. “What stopped you then..?.”

“It wouldn’t have meant anything come the morning.” He shook his head. “Oh it would have meant the world to me of course, but I don’t want to be a one night stand you regret when alcohol’s haze has lifted from your mind.”

“…I…thank you Lezard.” Lenneth had the sudden urge to lean forward, and reward him with a kiss on the cheek. She fought against the compulsion, instead giving him a shaky smile. “For proving you really are a gentleman.”

He look embarrassed. “You’re welcome…just know this.” He held up a finger before her. “You’re really hard to resist…the next time I might not behave…I might let you have your way with me!”

Lenneth stared at him. “You’re overly confident, you know that? What makes you even think there will be a next time?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I plan to never drink any of that…wine stuff again!”

“Confident?” He cocked his head to the side, spectacles flashing in the light. “Yes, very. As to what makes me think there will be a next time well…” He slowly smiled at her, turning it into a smirk. “A woman doesn’t kiss a man like that without feeling something for him!”

“Like what?” She asked warily, forgetting to deny it.

He grinned wider, thinking this too easy. “Do you really want to know?” The bed creaked, as he moved closer to her. “What are you doing?” She asked, trying to inch away.

“I just thought the best way to explain would be to give a little demonstration…” His tone was teasing as he reached for her, but the pillow slammed into his face, his lips puckering up against the coarse material.

“Nice try.” Lenneth said, holding the pillow to him. “But I’ll pass on knowing.”

He sighed, falling backwards on the bed. “You are too cruel my dear.”

“Don’t you have anything better to do than waste your time here?” She demanded.

“I don’t find it a waste at all…but..” He thought about it. “Actually I don’t have much to do. For too long my experiments have focused on you…on getting you here…I’ve accomplished that goal…now I must work on the next.”

“And that is?” Lezard reached up to play with her hair, bringing some of it to his lips as though to kiss it in place of her mouth. “Seducing you of course.”

Her blush had faded, but now it flared up again, and she nervously grabbed at the pillow. Lezard reached for it too, holding it high above his head, temptingly just out of her reach. “Ah ah ah, not so fast Lady Valkyrie!” He tsked. “You can’t hit me every time you get embarrassed. It’s not…lady like.” She glared at him, but kept her hands in her lap, behaving.

“I really have been a gentleman…” He marveled. “Keeping my hands to myself for the most part. Aren’t you impressed Lenneth?”

“No.”

“Come now, not even a little?” He asked.

“Fine. For a heretic and defiler of souls, you…do not act like a savage around me.” She conceded.

“Why Lenneth.” His eyes danced with laughter. “That almost sounded like a compliment.”

“It’s as close to one as you will get from me!” She told him.

“We will see.” He got up off the bed.

“You’re leaving?” She asked, watching him stretch.

“Don’t sound disappointed, my love.” He smiled again. “I just thought to give you some time alone to bathe and change your clothes. I will be back soon enough.”

“Don’t hurry on my account…” Lenneth told him.

“When it comes to you, my dear, I am extremely patient. I would wait several lifetimes for you.” He bowed then, backing out of the room with a laugh.