Seeds of a Glowing Ember – 10
#11 of Seeds of a Glowing Ember
A garbled grey mess of on and off drizzle had been endured for much of the past day and a half from one saddle or another. The skin of his inner legs and rear had been hardened from years of hard leather enacting their toll, but ever since setting out the previous night, he had been beaten and worn by the chill and rain. When he had opened his eyes earlier that day, he dreaded the thought of more riding, but now he hoped this ride would not end.
A soft but sturdy presence snuggled against William's back with a gentle warmth which he adored. The pounding of his heart could be felt over the beat of his horse's hooves, but it was a rhythm which kept his spirits high. The foulest of days would be bearable with such a woman, and he felt helpless before her wishes. He was as Father Harold had always said ... helpless against the farer sex and glad for the weakness.
"There," Marion said in his ear, and the horse responded easily to his weight on the reigns. The animal trotted calmly into the rich green clearing and was not at all alarmed by the large stone alters or the statues of Pagan Gods. William too felt free from the dread which had plagued him at the manor, and he decided that whatever magic had been used at this place, it was a good sort.
A cold lump of disappointment lay across the friar's back when the maiden slipped away, but the intensity of her gaze forced him to keep himself together. Dropping to the ground reminded him just how saddle worn he was and he was grateful that the lady was intently looking away from him.
The question of what they were looking for came to mind, but William forced himself not to speak. The warnings of his teacher filled his mind but this was no lonely housewife for him to cuckold ... and he was uncertain how to proceed.
The call of a blackbird snapped him out of his reverie, and he drew the bastard sword from the horse's saddle sheath. Animals flew away for many reasons but he could not tell what had spooked these.
"Over here," Marion called to him, and he crossed over to the base of an oversized flat stone. "Help me," she ordered, and without thought he set aside the weapon to help her dig. A moment later they found a box with a goddess statue inside. The statue was small and headless; a pregnant belly with large breasts, "the perfect woman" he remembered some of the other squires joking. Missing the best parts, William's mind would always say. But though they were here, a single question still lingered.
"Now what?"
"We must wait for the moon to rise," Marion told him.
"What? Why?" he asked.
"Because that is when we can speak to the dark lady ... and that is when we will get our answers."
"I ... what should I do?" William asked her, and this question caused her stony gaze to turn inquisitive. "I studied the dark lady ... but I never joined my brothers in their rituals. I always intended to become a Templar but ..."
"But they were destroyed by the Pope before you could," she finished when his voice trailed.
"Aye," he nodded.
"Come," she told him as she produced a blanket seemingly from nowhere, and she cast it over one of the large flat stones. William hesitated only a moment then moved the sword next to the stone and joined her, leaning against an old oak tree and letting his muscles recover from the journey. "You were not knighted, but you would have been."
"That is kind of you to say," William said as he tried not to lean against her.
"I can tell the quality of a man shortly after I meet him," Marion said gently, "and I knew quickly that you are a good sort."
"That is kind of you to say," William said again as his mind traveled back to his voyeuristic adventure in the garden, "but I have never been worthy of such an honor."
"Humility suits you," she said with kindness in her voice, "but you must not let it hold you back."
"This is all that I am," he said with a sigh. "I don't believe I will ever be more."
"Would you champion my lady and myself?" Marion asked, and he turned toward her. It did not occur to him until this moment just how close she was. Turning toward her nearly caused their heads to knock together and the distance between their faces allowed him to look deep into the storm clouds in her eyes.
Kiss her fool, whispered the lustier part of his mind.
Are you kidding? He scolded the voice. I don't know her well enough for that!
Oh, come on, chided the other voice, a woman does not get this close without reason! But this is accidental!
Is it?
The question hung in his mind as he inhaled her scent. The balance of chaotic control whirled ... but she did not pull away. The intensity of her caused him to close his eyes and listen to the prattle of rain striking leaves and the breathing of the angle before him. A slight smile formed upon her, causing the depth of his feeling to well up inside of him. Then before he realized what he was doing, he touched her cheek and placed his lips to hers.
The sensation was not like that of any other woman he had ever kissed. Something sharp jolted between them when they broke there was a lingering tingle on his skin. The sensation dispersed through his face, resonated through his face bones, and began sliding down his throat as if he had swallowed her energy. When the tingling reached his heart, he was suddenly aware of the path of his entire circulatory system for the beating of it pushed the sensation through every vein and artery.
Marion's deep breathing grew shallow with excitement, and she lunged forward to kiss him back. The sense of their surroundings faded into background noise as they continued, raising to another level with every taste. Then the maiden crawled the rest of the way onto his lap, straddled him, and pressed him against the tree. Though she was light in frame, he was trapped by her presence and soon his arms were wrapped around her.
William's hands felt the layers of muscle contained within the maiden's small body and reveled in the way which she pressed back against him eagerly. The taste of her tongue in his mouth brought him deeper under her spell, and he was thrilled at the sensation of her similar need. The indifferent coldness was just a façade, he thought with a smile. And though it continued to rain all about them, and as the day passed by, William only noticed the feeling of her energy melding with his flesh and bone.