Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 125422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125422 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 627(@200wpm)___ 502(@250wpm)___ 418(@300wpm)
“I feel you,” the Magician’s voice surrounds me as I feel him singular again, lips at my neck, his cock pounding inside me, coaxing orgasm after orgasm from me. “I feel who you are, Lovia, and you are lovely.”
“I don’t want this to end,” I cry out. It could go on for infinity. I am infinity.
“It has to at some point,” he says. “Let me feel you again, one last time.”
And so it begins once more, the onslaught of mouths and lips and hands and cocks, filling me until I burst into starlight, until I’m just a former goddess spinning into another galaxy.
I whirl and turn, and I am one and I am everywhere.
And then, I feel hard ground behind my shoulders.
And I am no longer everywhere, but somewhere.
In my tent.
Staring up into the dark. No stars.
“Magician,” I whisper into the dark. I slowly sit up, my head brushing against the canvas. I run my hands over my legs and feel my tunic and trousers.
I am me again.
Alone.
And yet, deep inside me, fragments of the universe still burn.
The next morning, I sleep in and don’t wake until Vellamo shakes my tent.
“Get up, Lovia,” her deep voice says. “We’re ready to move on to the Iron Mountains. It’s starting to snow.”
I let her know I’m coming and then quickly get ready, my body sore, my mind groggy from the wildness of last night. By the time I’m all packed up and hauling my tent over to the main camp, where someone loads it into a supply wagon, everyone is staring at me like I’m holding them back.
“Sorry,” I apologize sheepishly.
My father gives me a stern nod. “I suppose even generals need their rest sometimes,” he says gruffly, but his eyes are kind.
We start walking, and I look over to see the Magician. I go to him, falling in step beside him.
“So…” I start, not wanting to say too much since we’re surrounded by people.
“I take it you slept well,” he says in that smooth, blank voice of his.
A shivery feeling takes hold of my chest. “Very well. I had very unusual dreams. I was floating in space, one with the universe.”
He glances at me, and a shooting start curves up in a smirk. “That’s funny. I could have sworn I had that same dream, except in mine, I gained something invaluable. Of course, I don’t dream, but I’m glad you had a good one.”
And at that, he moves a little quicker, as if he’s trying to leave me behind. I’m about to rush after him when I sense Torben at my side.
“Peculiar fellow, isn’t he?” Torben comments. I study his weathered face to see if he’s being facetious, but he seems sincere.
“Very,” I say.
The plan for the day is to walk into the Iron Mountains and then down to my father’s secret cave, into what he calls his Mountain Lair. From there, we should be able to travel all the way to Shadow’s End hidden in the cave system. Of course, there are risks involved, one being that we could end up trapped and ambushed, but I doubt even my mother knows about the existence of these caves. For now, my father believes it’s the best option for us, and as his general, I agree.
Of course, the mountains themselves are no small feat, especially with the weather systems that usher in snow and freezing rain.
We’ve been walking for a while now, the wind getting colder by the second, funneled through the looming slopes of the mountains. Our troops trudge forward in a narrow column, the sound of boots scraping over loose stones echoing between sheer cliffs. I’m at the back of the line, walking a good distance behind the main group. I volunteered for this position—someone must watch our rear, make sure nothing follows us. It’s a quiet vigil, but I find some comfort in isolation. It gives me a chance to think about what happened in my tent last night.
That had been real, hadn’t it?
As we snake around a switchback, I can see the rest of the line ahead, my father’s silhouette barely visible as he leads the others, cloak flapping in the wind. Hanna, still distant in more ways than one and glowing faintly, walks near him. The Magician hovers at their side, choosing to be up ahead instead of back here with me. I figure maybe he needs some time apart to think. I just hope he doesn’t regret anything.
Rasmus is usually closer to the front with them, but today, he lingers at the rear with me. I sense his hesitation—maybe he thinks I still don’t trust him, or maybe he wants to prove something. We’ve barely spoken since we left the forest. I feel like he has consistently been trying to redeem himself, quietly aiding in small tasks. He’s still a shaman, still powerful in his own right, and maybe he wants me to see that.