The Mountain Pass
#8 of Great Tales of Antaris: The Lady of Luck
Yes I know it has been a while since I chucked one of these out but waiting making the stories take on a whole new level.
Lady of Luck: The Mountain Pass
"I am serious we have to bar the door" Peter said as they lay in bed.
"Oh don't be so hard on them, they don't see very many men around here" Dawn replied.
"Somehow I get the idea you would kill me if I was in a room alone with one of them though" Peter said slyly.
"You wouldn't if you saw me with another man?" Dawn asked sweetly.
"No of course I wouldn't kill you I would kill him" Peter said simply and burst out laughing, Dawn joined in and soon they were almost crying with mirth.
Dawn and Peter lay together and slept and while they did the world moved on, moving closer to its defining moment the real question was could it be changed?
The door burst open and the was a Dryad in the door way "Son of a bitch" Peter swore as he fell out of the bed in shock stark naked.
"The Queen requests your presence as soon as possible" the Dryad said slowly appreciating the view of Peter.
"Fine, fine for the Gods sake let's get the hell out of here" Peter shouted grasping for his clothes.
Dawn laughed as she sat up in the bed "You said you were going to bar the door" she said
"Well I forgot, for the Gods sake will they bloody well stop doing that" Peter replied tersely.
Dawn shook her head as she slipped on her flowing dress "Well let's go see the Queen I think she wants us to leave" Dawn said
"Why would that be?" Peter asked.
"You saved the daughter of their enemy from them, what did you expect? They're pissed so we should go" Dawn said simply.
"What now? Or after we see the Queen?" Peter asked.
"Definitely now" Dawn said "We'll find the Healers and get Gryll then go down to the River Master and get across the River close to the mountains which is where we'll want to go"
"How do we avoid the guards on the way?" Peter said doubtfully.
"We find Gryll avoiding them but after that we will just bolt" Dawn said quickly.
"Good plan" Peter said.
"Let's go then the longer we tarry the more chance we'll be discovered" Dawn said running out the door pulling Peter after her.
Peter and Dawn raced through the forest city towards the Healers complex just barely avoiding the guards countless times but they reached the Healers complex without being seen, they hoped.
"Alright we grab Gryll and get the hell outta here clear?" Peter said as they approached the door.
Dawn shot Peter a venomous glance as she opened the door, they couldn't see any healers.
"Why does this feel like a total trap?" Peter asked as he looked around.
"No idea it might be the fact that this place is empty or..." Dawn trailed off then walked down a hallway to the room on the end "Ah you might want to be ready for this" she warned.
"What?" Peter asked.
"Well I think the Healers may be getting to know Gryll a lot better" Dawn said meaningfully.
"Ah right" Peter said quickly "Should we knock?" he asked slyly.
"Why?" Dawn said then opened then the door.
The bed in the room was a mass of limbs and if Peter was not mistaken there appear to be a gryphon's limbs somewhere near the centre of bodies.
"How the hell can we get her out of there?" Peter asked
Dawn looked skywards "That is a good question" she said
"Could we call Gryll out?" Peter wondered.
"If she could hear us then she would hear us now" Dawn said.
There appeared to be some movement in the Dryads and the gryphon's limbs seemed to move "Looks like she woke up" Dawn laughed.
Gryll pushed herself out of the bed and gave a shriek of fright as she saw Peter and Dawn standing there bemused "Are we leaving?" she asked.
"The Queen wants to talk to us this early it's a bad thing" Dawn said grimly "We're leaving now and the guards are probably coming this way now"
"Shit alright" Gryll said pulling her armour together "Let's go."
Dawn, Peter and Gryll left the Healers complex behind reaching the road that lead to the River Master's Station as they walked Peter noticed something glinting in the dust. He leant down and picked it up, it was the axe he had thrown to drop an enemy gryphon but what was it doing here?
"Hey Dawn check this out it is the axe I threw at a gryphon, killed the gryphon too but what the hells is it doing here?" Peter wondered.
"Let me see that axe" Dawn said urgently.
Peter handed the axe over wordlessly "It would seem you have found something well worth keeping Peter" Dawn said after a while "This axe is enchanted to return to its owner no matter where he or she is as long as they are alive and it is pretty much invulnerable to harm."
"Great well that solves my problem of replacing the sword" Peter said taking the axe and strapping it to his belt.
The strange group approached the River Master's station with a good deal of caution looking out for the Dryad guards but there were none in sight but in the Dryad Forest that meant nothing at all, you could literally walk past a legion of them and be none the wiser.
"River Master, you here?" shouted Peter.
"Of course" said the River Master materialising out of the shadows.
"We need to leave without the Queen knowing can you help us?" Peter asked bluntly.
The River Master smiled "Yes I can help you" she said "First is the Queen after you yet?"
"I don't think so" Dawn said slowly.
"Good, Good then I can send you straight across to the Mountains" the River Master said "I assume that's where you want to go."
"Yep just like last time" Dawn laughed.
"Yes but last time the Queen was right behind you" the River Master jested.
"Yes but last time it was my fault this time it isn't" Dawn said seriously.
"Fine now get over to the boats" the River Master said hurriedly.
"Why?" Peter asked.
"I can hear the Queen's escort" the River Master hissed.
"Shit" Dawn swore "Let's go."
"Why is the Queen's escort so bad?" Gryll asked suddenly.
"Not them but they ferry the Queen back and forth so if they are coming so is the Queen" Dawn replied pulling Peter and Gryll into the boat.
Peter jumped right in but Gryll looked really hesitant "What's the issue?" Peter demanded.
"Shit I forgot sorry Gryll" Dawn apologised "The flyers of the gryphons' race are next to useless in the water their wings pull them down. So they are instinctively afraid of water"
"Great, Dawn" Peter said sarcastically "Look Gryll if you stay here the Dryads will crucify you"
Gryll seemed to struggle with her fears for a moment possible worst case death of drowning or guaranteed death at the hands of Dryads.
"I'll take the boat" Gryll said quickly and clambered in and sat in the middle of boat.
The boat began to move of its own accord stretching away from the shore towards the mountains a couple of miles away.
"Good thing we left when we did" Dawn said after a while.
"Why do you say that?" Gryll asked
"The Queen would only ask us to her court that bloody early if she wanted something, I reckon that something was you" Dawn said bluntly.
"She wouldn't have got it" Peter promised.
"Thank you" Gryll said simply.
"So you are leaving us on the other side?" Peter asked directly.
"I doubt I'll receive a friendly homecoming if I return now" Gryll said flatly.
"Why is that?" Dawn asked concerned.
"Been away for to long" Gryll said abruptly "They won't trust my apparent miraculous reappearance"
"Can't blame I wouldn't believe it myself" Peter replied.
"So I am with you guys" Gryll said perking up a bit.
"Need a weapon?" Peter asked.
"You didn't see us fight did you?" Gryll mocked.
"The gryphons were using weapons weren't they, Dawn?" Peter said looking to Dawn for confirmation.
"Yep, they were using axes and maces, no swords" Dawn confirmed.
"That's strange" Gryll mused "My war party had no weapons whatsoever."
"Oh great, so we can assume the third party was Shadow's" Peter said sarcastically.
"If only" Dawn agreed "It seems there are more alliances in our world than ever and many more sides than I would have thought possible"
"This just keeps getting better doesn't it" Peter groaned running his hands through his hair.
"Well, where are we heading?" Gryll asked curiously.
"You know I really don't know" Peter said laughingly "Dawn, do you know?"
Dawn shoved Peter "Yes, we need to get to a fortress hidden in the mountains, the quickest way would be through the mountain pass"
"Why is there anything wrong with it or the area?" Peter asked suspiciously "You know monsters, Genthre assassins and the like"
Dawn moaned "Are you going to be doing that the whole trip?" she asked "To my knowledge there may be some bandits but nothing we can't handle"
"So what your saying is that it will easy" Peter commented.
"Oh hell no, if we don't get there in two weeks winter will hit and block the passes with snow" Dawn replied
"Oh good, just thought it sounded to easy" Peter said dryly.
Dawn laughed as did Gryll and soon the sounds of their merriment rang across the water and from the shade of the shore, a cloaked figure watched in amusement at the strange group coming towards him.
"That you Dawn?" the figure shouted out.
"Who is it?" she cried back.
"It is Fenir" the figure yelled.
"How'd you get up here?" Dawn shouted "Wait there until we get to shore"
The figure shook his head and picked up his staff "Why have you come to my land?" Fenir asked Dawn when she got to shore.
"What do you mean?" she asked confusedly "This is the territory of the Bandit Kings."
"Indeed it is" Fenir replied mysteriously.
"So you are a Bandit King?" Peter asked.
"No, I am a priest of the One" Fenir replied.
"Then how is it your land if the bandits control it?"Gryll questioned.
"I am a better warrior then they are so it is my land but now my god says I should go with you so it is there land once more" Fenir replied arcanely.
"Do all his wheels spin in the right direction?" Peter whispered to Dawn.
"Most of them if not all of them" Dawn replied "You do realise astrology is bullshit?"
"You told me that years ago and I accepted it and found Sokl, so why do you remind me of my previous folly?" Fenir asked
"To make sure" Dawn said urbanely.
Fenir gave Dawn a hard look then laughed "Well you haven't changed much" he chuckled.
"We have some bad news" Peter warned "That Temple town of Sokl, it is burning "
"What the hell are you serious?" Fenir almost screamed.
"Yeah partly my fault" Peter admitted "It gets worse though."
"How the fuck could this get worse?" Fenir moaned.
"Shadow has Sokl" Peter said shortly.
Fenir swore loudly then demanded "You're going to that fortress aren't you?"
"Yes we are I advise you come with us" Dawn replied.
"Of course I am coming, I was about to say though that there is a great Bandit army gathering only two miles from here" Fenir said irkedly.
"Can we get past?" Gryll asked.
"No, that means we must go through" Fenir replied smiling darkly.
"He does this a lot doesn't he?" Peter asked Dawn.
"Actually no, this is new" Dawn said.
"I feel I must say this" Peter said slowly "What you are proposing is suicide."
"No just highly dangerous. It can be done, we just need to run or on the other hand we can risk certain death in the caves" Fenir replied.
Peter raised his eyebrows "Surely the caves are more safe then a bandit army?" he asked.
"Something lives in those caves" Fenir said in a shaken tone "No-one who enters leaves."
"So you entered didn't you?" Dawn questioned.
"Yes but okay so I got out" Fenir admitted "Nothing makes sense in there"
"What do you mean? It is just a cave system" Peter said derisively.
"The things that live in there don't die!" Fenir shot back "I rammed my fucking spear through one's eye and it stood back up."
"Interesting" Peter said "What did they look like?"
"Like nothing I've ever seen" Fenir replied "They looked like they were made of metal."
"Maybe after this is all done and finished we should check that out" Peter mused "That definitely needs checking out."
"It does" Dawn agreed "I've never heard of something like that."
"Neither have I" Gryll added "And there is some weird things living up where we live."
Fenir threw back his cloak hood so that they could see his face, one side has a curious scar curving down from his right ear to the corner of his right lip "They also use strange weapons" he murmured "Their blades glow with an unholy light."
"Hey, I know you" Gryll interrupted "You were in the Norlands four years ago you really helped us."
"I am glad to help the gryphons destroy the heretics of the Blacklands." Fenir replied.
"Though I never saw you close enough to know you were a dragon, surely you know your people joined us last year and the hail you as a hero" Gryll told him.
"I did not, I serve the One's will and that is enough for me" Fenir said piously. "Moving on, I have friends amongst the bandit clans they could get us through."
"Well now, this is slightly better and survivable." Peter said shaking his head.
"Good enough for me" Gryll agreed.
"I'm in, time is short" Dawn said.
"Then follow me" Fenir replied.
Fenir lead the group on a merry hike through the tangled woods which finally emerged into a clearing the was blocked quite suddenly but a large camp wall manned by guards "That you Fenir?" one called down.
"Who else would it be?" Fenir shouted back.
"I don't know" the guard replied sheepishly "Let him and his mates in boys."
The wall shifted back smoothly "Impressive" Peter noted as they walked in.
"Their engineers are of the first order" Fenir said.
"Looks like it, those are trebuchets by the far wall and they are well made" Peter continued.
"Well thank ya kindly" said a laughing bear.
"This is Smithe" Fenir said introducing the massive bear.
"You make good war machines" Peter congratulated.
"You have a good eye for detail" Smithe replied "Most don't notice them till they fire."
"The camouflage patterns are good but try splotches instead it'll blend better" Peter recommended.
"I'll try it might save a few lives" Smithe said "Anything else?"
"Sow leaves and bushes together to throw over the machine when you aren't using them it'll make it blend better" Peter replied.
"Many thanks though I doubt my engineers will thank you they'll have to make those changes" Smithe said then went off laughing.
While Smithe had distracted Peter someone had grabbed Dawn, she was nowhere to be seen.
"Dawn stop struggling" said a voice in a forced tone.
"Who is this?" Dawn asked.
"A very old friend Dawn, remember me?" Dawn's captor released her and allowed her to turn and see her captor.
"Mikelus! How the hell did you get here?" Dawn exclaimed.
"I got tired of waiting for my goddess to return so I have taken her place as God of Time until she returns" Mikelus spoke "What you are doing is very smart, Dawn but extremely dangerous."
"How is it dangerous?" Dawn challenged.
"You are changing the future" Mikelus explained "Just by bringing Peter here you changed the future."
"Wait, you mean you know what will happen?" Dawn asked.
"No I don't, not any more" Mikelus said "You have changed the future, for better or worse I cannot say."
"So I am safe from you?" Dawn questioned.
"Yes, you can change certain things but I warn you, some things are meant to happen and you cannot change that" Mikelus spoke then walked out of the tent and vanished.
"By the bloody damning hells! Why does he do that?" Dawn said exasperatedly.
"Dawn! Where the hell have you been?" Peter asked.
"Talking to an old . . . friend" Dawn said mysteriously.
"You scared the shit out of me" Peter confessed.
"Why thank you Peter" Dawn replied mockingly but stopped when she saw the look in his eyes.
"You saw that didn't you?" Gryll asked Fenir.
"It's very hard to miss" Fenir replied "I pity Peter, he has no idea what the times have in store for him"
"Neither do you" Gryll said pointedly.
"Ah but that's where you are wrong" Fenir mocked "I have you" and he kissed her then danced away before she could hit him.
"Get back here" Gryll roared and chased after Fenir.
Peter just looked at Dawn bemusedly and they laughed together.
Fenir lead Gryll on a merry chase around the camp which proved to be very large until they reached a meadow-like place, Gryll was still chasing him Fenir noted with some curiousness. Gryll saw Fenir hit the tree line and vanish "You're not getting away that easily" she growled and stomped down to the trees.
Gryll waited at the start of the tree line not willing to go blundering through the forest when she could just wait for Fenir to move and give himself away. Unknown to Gryll Fenir was already out of the forest having circled around and was now sneaking up behind her, Fenir grinned darkly for a moment then tackled Gryll.
Gryll rolled with the tackle and ended up sitting on top of Fenir "Bad mistake" she murmured then kissed Fenir.
Gryll murred into the kiss which after a few seconds of shock Fenir returned enthusiastically, Fenir sighed his relief into the kiss. Gryll opened her eyes and sloughed off her armour tossing her armour within a moments reach, Fenir noticed the movements above him and it was no great shock to him when his clothes got torn to pieces.
Gryll broke the kiss "Interested?" she practically purred.
"I think this give a rather blunt answer" Fenir replied gesturing at his stiffening dragonhood.
Gryll eyed Fenir up, he stood almost taller than her but not quite and he was also fairly impressively hung even for a dragon. Gryll and Fenir nearly threw themselves upon each other as their combined passion overrode their normally constrained personalities.
Fenir kiss Gryll roughly sliding his finger down and pushing them slowly into her depths as far as they would go, Gryll moaned into the kiss lightly nipping Fenir on the lip as her hand rushed down to his dragonhood. Gryll grinned darkly as she began stroking Fenir's length feeling it's warmth between her fingers, she never expected Fenir's sly slip, leaving her on her back trapped beneath him.
"Never forget that I brilliant at this" Fenir gasped and pushed his length against Gryll's awaiting slit.
Gryll moaned involuntarily as Fenir's dragonhood brushed against her and gently began to split her open.
"I'm no virgin" Gryll moaned "Fuck me hard"
Fenir smiled darkly "You may regret that but not likely" he murmured then slammed in to the hilt.
Gryll gasped as she was rapidly filled by Fenir's cock and she almost cried when Fenir drew it back to thrust in again. Fenir sensed Gryll's need and deliberately slowed down which proved to be a mistake.
Gryll almost roared at his torture and pulled a movement very much the same as the one Fenir had pulled leaving her on top "Either you pleasure me now or I'll take pleasure from beating the hell out of you" she snarled.
Fenir, ever willing to stay alive, slammed into Gryll again making her moan loudly. Fenir pulled out and slammed in harder than before quickly building up a rapid tempo, Fenir waited until Gryll was suitably mellowed to slip her putting him once again on top and put all his strength into the thrusts.
Fenir leant forwards and began nipping on Gryll's breasts causing shocks of pleasure to radiate through her adding to the already huge amount of pleasure that was boiling towards its peak. Fenir kept pumping through Gryll's hot tunnel shuddering with the pleasure of Gryll.
Gryll clutched at Fenir's shoulders "Make me cum" she begged as her pleasure began to boil over.
Fenir slammed his length in as hard as he could sending Gryll over the edge and making her slit spasm around Fenir sending him spurting into Gryll's hot depths.
Gryll almost screamed with the pleasure and the warmth of Fenir's cum which was filling her up to the brim. Fenir continued as thrust weakly at Gryll then collapsed atop of her still deep inside her.
Fenir held onto Gryll like a drowning man not wanting to leave her ever "That was brilliant" he said huskily
Gryll struggled to catch her breath "I totally agree" she gasped.
They lay there together for a while but soon the sun began to sink beneath the skyline "Ah we need to get back" reminded Gryll.
"Ah I have one problem with that" Fenir said frankly.
"What's that?" Gryll asked.
"You seem to have destroyed my clothes" Fenir said flatly.
Gryll laughed loudly and soon Fenir joined in, with some effort Gryll managed to snag some clothes for Fenir who put them on with obvious distaste.
When Gryll and Fenir found Peter and Dawn they were around a camp fire sharing a cup of mead. Dawn took one look at Fenir's clothes and burst out laughing as did Peter who almost choked on the mead he was drinking in the process.
"What happened to your clothes?" Dawn asked after she stopped laughing.
"Gryll" he answered flatly.
"Well drown your laughter in this Fenir I'll find you some decent clothes tomorrow" Peter promised.
That night around the campfire the whole motley group got splendidly, rousingly drunk off bandit mead and for one night their troubles were forgotten.