Chapter 2 - Sweet intoxication of the fog

The dawn was closing in.

‘Aren’t you coming back in the sheets, with me?’ she offered, with a lazy, sleepy smile. ‘We both hate it…’ she pointed the sun.

‘Not yet, my lovely pet!’

She stared at him in dismay.

‘PET? Who the hell are you calling pet?’

She jumped out of the warm sheets, still enriched with their scents of lovemaking.

‘I believe you are mistaking! The fact that we screwed like wild dogs doesn’t mean that I’m your slave!’

‘You know, you look quite charming, sitting there, all naked! If I were not thinking of much more important things, I would have joined you back to our bed, over there! Moreover, please, I hate the term of ‘screwing like wild dogs’! I do not screw! Another thing that should give you enough trouble: I’m as noble about this subject as any other matter. Treating everything in life with respect is much more interesting and hard, than to kill and sever it from its roots. Sex, for example; I am not screwing, I am not fucking and I am certainly not “ramming”! I’m more interested in love, than sheer reproduction!’

‘Charming? How many women have you bedded before, if you find me only ‘charming’? I’m even wondering if you’ve ever used your spells to bed an Undead thing. What do you know about love? You are collecting dead bodies only to send them to their second death! Such compassion, it makes me cry!’

‘Don’t be so cruel to yourself… You are a marvelous creature, but you just do not seem to understand my meaning! Charming is more of a figure of speech! No wonder, those barbaric trainers of yours stuffed your precious head with swears and hardship and nothing about knowledge or diplomacy! And yes, I’ve bedded more women than you can imagine! I am a Necromancer; therefore, I can stretch my existence. As for the Undead, they are the instruments of our plans. The masses usually get the job done. However, there are times, such as this one, when we do not hold the advantage in body count! The legacy of mankind is growing thin with every day, with every Undead which takes birth. I’d hate to see you extinct.’

‘Are you suggesting an alliance with the Assassins? You must know this is just a mad dream, if you really are considering such an alternative’ she said, while crossing her legs, lying on the bed, once again.

« The way pride and power vibrate through her, even while she is exposing her naked body… Hmm…It would be such a terrible waste! You wouldn’t want to turn her into a horrible creature, the way Driz did with that… ew! That is an absolute and irrevocable no-no! »

‘I’m not suggesting anything… yet! Now, if you’ve decided to wake up…’ Another small hurricane was summoned, only this time it wrapped the bed and turned it into nothingness, under the shocked view of the beautiful Assassin, who had only enough time to tumble to the ground.

‘Since our argue is over, would you be so kind to put some clothes on and freshen up, so that I can show you what I have just discovered? There are towels and clean water, over there, next to the mirror. If you would like to try a few fragrances, feel free to rub your thumb into those powders, next to the bowl and then snap your fingers. Once you find a desired perfume, repeat the process until you get your satisfactory amount on your body!’

She smiled and then began to laugh. ‘You really think that I’ll obey like a little girl? You must be mad!’

‘Is it? Let me show you where we are! I wouldn’t want to give you a false hope, regarding our present location!’ He opened the tent and her defiant smile died in an instant.

‘When did we arrive here?’ she asked, visibly shaken.

‘After you ceased fighting me.’

It was a tent where he had brought her and they were in a small cave, up on the mountain that watched the two guilds engage into battle. As hours passed on the field, the peaks witnessed reasonless bloodshed under their greatness. The Necromancer and the Assassin were above the remnants of the butchery chaos that took place just a half-day behind.

‘I’d hate to let you die, in your attempt of going back to your guild.’

‘Do I sense a little fondness, Necro?’

‘Only too little! You will stop calling me names and stop being insolent as long as I am true and fair towards you! Otherwise, you will spend precious time in my cube, taunted and brought to a near-crazed state by my naughty wraiths. Is that clear?’

‘Now you sound like a Necromancer, after last night.’

‘Is it clear, then?’

‘Crystal…’ she answered, in a lowered voice.

‘I assume that it must take between two and three days to climb down the mountain and pass the field that lies just ahead of us! Tell me: which alternative do you prefer?’

‘I come to hate you with every passing moment!’

A flashing grin on his face… then concentration took over. She was dressing-up, while he went outside.

She removed the caresses of the other night with a few bowls of water. Outside, he could hear the repeating snaps of fingers, for a few minutes.

‘Make up your mind, already! We don’t have all day, you know!’ «Women…»

**

‘Unfortunately, we don’t have the necessary time for an alternate route’ he said, pointing at the path that lay right under them.

‘Not enough time? Tell me, what is so important that we must face directly the sun? Is it about that recent, fascinating discovery of yours?’

‘Are you anxious to find out?’

‘No… Just curious’ she answered, carelessly hitting a small rock with her foot. She watched the thing falling. «Long way down…»

‘Just to give you a clue, then. Consider the source of this war. Who caused it? Have you ever wondered?’

‘Not really. I always knew that someone had an interest, but I never really cared. I did my job and killed what was considered to be disposable and filthy. Your kind, that is!’

‘The beauty of a goddess, the manners of a pig and the brains of a pigeon; no wonder you’ve never evolved! Killing whatever you were ordered to and not thinking for a damn bit sounds very… Assassin-ish!’ She took the insult lightly.

‘I believe it would be a waste of time to remind you what we believe of your necromantic ways. Besides, what did your people do? Haven’t you killed countless warriors, transforming them, afterwards, into your brainless Undead slaves?’ she fought back, frowning.

‘We merely defended our rights to our life! The fact that we outnumbered you, with the increasing deaths from your living, warm-blooded side, does not mean that we are the same murderers you are. You started the conflict; we wanted to end it; even with the risk of your extinction!’

‘Extinction? Us? HA!’

‘Yes, you! Do you find it so hard to believe? Being overly zealous, afraid of nothing, going into a killing spree every time you enter the battlefield…?’

‘We don’t have cracks. We DO NOT have flaws! We are trained in hardship. We learn how to control our emotions, how to become a deadly weapon, when confronting an enemy!’

‘So I see… That’s just the crack I was talking about. There is not one thing in this world which holds perfection in its grasp, NOT ONE! And you’re talking about the perfect human being, the animal that is more filled with faults, than any other in this world. This will be your downfall. This will assure your death as guild, tribe, name it as you will. Let me remind you: you cannot even oppose yourself. How do I know that? Last night was more than I needed to explore your inner workings… both literally and figuratively.’

‘I was spellbound!’ she offered.

‘My turn to laugh, beloved! You were not spellbound, from the moment when you woke up in my tent. The whirlwind only tore your gown apart. The rest of the thing was a real deal. And I’m positive of the fact that I needn’t remember the way you almost begged me to come back to you, just this morning!’

She stood motionless, saying nothing, a little shaken of the fact that he knew about her lust. How couldn’t one seek pleasure, especially if the offering was so inviting and such a good an offer?

‘Now, remember these words, as they might be the last friendly ones, in this war: always consider the decisions of your heart and brain, before blaming your body for the consequences of your actions! That’s the way you begin the search for a better life!’ he recited, in a contentuous way.

‘You made that one up, or is it a creed of your people?’ not looking at him.

‘No, actually it’s just a guideline from one of your masters, while I was inspecting his heart with my dagger. Ironic, don’t you think? Now, let me take your arm and off we go.’ As he spoke those words, a sudden blackness surrounded them, leaving no trace of the real world. In an instant, they were gone and the cave was intact, not leaving a clue of their spent night.