A Warrior's Perception (34 page)

Tom Reigner sorted through a pile of training shields, finding the best one. Tom had been Kagan's sword trainer for twenty and two years, after all, his mother had insisted he be the one to teach Kagan how to fight. Tom stood eye level with Kagan and always had a fierce glow in his hazel eyes.

He had beat on Kagan unmercifully over the years and had pushed him past the limits of hell on several occasions. Kagan respected him for his skill and liked him as a man. He was one of the few that Kagan had allowed to best
him
. He would take a beating before he split one hair on his sandy head. And he had definitely taken several well placed blows to the head in his genuine con
cern for the man's welfare but T
om could hold his own.

He advanced toward Tom and struck with the speed and accuracy of lightning. The strike sent Tom backwards to his knees. He smiled as Tom stood and laughed. The shield fell into two pieces at Tom's feet. The cut was clean and precise. The wood had not splintered as it did with Kagan's long sword that rested in
its
sheath on his side. Kagan examined the blade closer and ran his finger along the etched pagan creatures that ran down to the hilt. The hilt itself was gorgeous and made of a bone that Kagan could not identify.

He turned to the great post that stood beside of Tom and smiled. He struck it with all his might and watched in amazement as the sword danced through the seven inch wooden post like a knife through butter. The blade sang with biting laughter as the post fell to the ground with a loud thud.

“
Next time, I think we should use the metal shields, less I want to lose an arm or my head,
”
Tom gritted as he looked upon the sharpest blade he h
ad ever seen.
“
Ye na be breakin
' that sword with wooden devices. Want me to put the smithy, busy forgin' a metal post to unleash yer strength on, so ye will'na be a breakin' any more of my trainin' posts?
”

Kagan was still pondering the blade’s beauty when he caught sight of Ell'andra. Her dress was wet and tattered at the hem. It clung to her legs revealing her ankles and bare feet. He looked to the sword and marveled at the beauty of them both. She edged forward and held out her hand.

Andra waited patiently as he held her gaze. He shrugged and handed the blade to her small hand. His fingers caressed hers as she took it. It fit snugly as if intended for a woman's hand. She sliced through the air and turned on her heel in her display of knowledge. She danced as she welcomed the sword's song to her heart.

She instinctively knew it was forged on Vacrey Isle. The unusual metal pulsed and burned as it sliced through the post to Kagan's left. The wood fell and Kagan's heart soared with pride. She handled it as if it belonged to her, as if it were part of her.

Tom stared in bewilderment as the woman proved her sword skill. His bewilderment turned to heated desire as her skirts flew to her thighs and he was graced with her firm muscled legs. He stepped back as she stopped and turned to Kagan. Her words left Tom's mouth agape with denial.

“
Draw ye sword McKregan and face me,
”
Andra smiled as she pointed the blade at his heart,
“
Or do ye fear ye will lose?
”

Kagan's hand trembled as he drew his sword and met hers,
“
I fear nothin'. Especially a woman whose legs could carry a man to the gates of Valhalla and whose breast could quench a beast from hell.
”

Andra smiled in delight as she swung and turned to dodge his advance. She laughed as he swirled around and met her sword inches from his chest. Her eyes beamed brighter than the sun as she retreated and advanced again. He met her attack and laughed as he sent her sprawling backwards. She effortlessly caught her balance and advanced again.

Her laughter filled the bailey as he groaned under her barrage of slices. She dared not graze his beautiful skin as she twirled the sword before his chest. She stepped back and bowed as he frowned.

“
How am I
supposed to
fight a woman who could bring a god to his knees with her kisses? How do I calm my hand when my body wants to taste the succulent fruit of ye breast?
”
Kagan words were heated and his need was growing faster by the second.
“
Ye play an unfair game Ell'andra Duncan.
”
He tried to raise his sword to confront her while she listened, but found his arm heavy and burdened with undue weariness.

She laughed and bowed again, revealing the cleavage that threatened to show more to his feverish gaze,
“
Ye must be prepared to cage all that desire if ye wish to best me in this sport. Trust me Kagan, I am a master at sword play.
”

“
Ye a master at bestin' my temper! Off with ye and take that blasted sword from my sight!
”
Kagan would have simply given it to her if she had asked, but he knew she would not ask. And after all, it suited her and fit in her small hand like a tailored glove.

“
Then I can place it on my mantle with my other sword?
”
Andra teased Kagan as she inspected the familiar designs.
“
Next to the one that bears ye crest? Just like the one that Dagma's statue holds in the gardens.
”

Kagan frowned as he thought of his mother's gift. She had given him that sword on his eighth birthday, making him swear his allegiance to Dagma and to the warrior's way of life. He had carried it on his side ever since. It had become part of him and every time he swung it against an enemy, his oath to his mother rejoiced in his victory. He had never lost a battle with that sword and his hip missed its presence, his heart missed it even more.

Tom spoke as Andra waltzed away,
“
Ne'er ha'e I seen a woman of her quality.
”

“
Women are women, born to breed successors and heirs. She is na different,
”
Kagan replied harshly as he watched Andra's hips sway up the steps.
“
I let her get her way so she will call me to her bed.
”

Tom sighed,
“
Tell me milord, is she as wild in bed as she is with a sword?
”

Kagan tried to force a grin to his lips, but found he was casting Tom a wary eye,
“
Such is a secret meant only for me!
”

Tom laughed as he rubbed his crotch,
“
I think I would love to ha'e a romp with her. She sets fire to my shaft.
”

Kagan hand wrapped around his sword hilt and he growled at Tom,
“
If ye e'en think 'bout her again, I will rip ye head from ye body!
”

Kagan turned and pounded the ground with his heavy boots. His head suddenly pounded and the veins in his temples threatened to rip from his flesh. His muscled neck twisted in pain as he entered the keep. He groaned as some unseen force tried to break free from his body for the ten thousandth time in his life.

Tom laughed heartily as the sun set beyond the horizon. His satisfied smile twisted his melting face and his beard edged into his chin as if time were going backwards. His sandy locks turned black and his eyes shimmered with fire and ice. 

He turned to the sunset and vanished in a cloud of black smoke. Lightning flashed across the clear sky as the smoke cleared. His laughter echoed across the highlands as Kagan retreated to his dark room. No longer in the form of Tom, Dagma clearly understood why he loved Fae. Only she could have been responsible for bringing Ell’andra into the world of man!

The longer Kagan lay in his bed, the more his neck and back ached. He had not realized how taxed his body had been until his bout with Andra. His curse pounded in his head. He was no weakling. His body was strong and his mind was even stronger. It had been a long four months and he had slept little. His pain and weariness was surely a symptom of sleep deprivation.

He looked to the secret door and sat up. Andra could relax his body, but she would stir his desire. Could he bare her touch tonight? Could he refrain from taking her? He grinned knowing he could not leave without touching her.

She was sitting in the window when Kagan walked to her side.  The moon light showered her with kisses as she turned to face him. A crimson sheet laced with silver stripes was wrapped around her body. A body he knew was naked. A body covered in his colors, McKregan colors. Her eyes met his and a spark of anger flew from hers and pierced his.

“
Four moons ha'e passed!
”

“
I need ye,
”
he stated slowly as her grass green eyes watched him sit down on the bed.

“
Four moons,
”
she repeated.

“
My back aches woman, come and make it go away,
”
he pleaded as he bowed his head in pain,
“
E'ery muscle in my body is taxed.
”

“
Serves ye right after ye ne'er e'en sent word back whether ye were dead or alive!
”
She stood and crossed the room to her bed. She tapped her foot on the stone floor in front of Kagan.
“
Four moons, I waited for ye, wondered if ye were alive.
”

Kagan reached out and took her hands from her hips and kissed her fingers,
“
I had'na the time to send word. The battle was long and heavily weighed upon our shoulders. We ate little and slept less. Make the ache go away.
”

Andra slid her hands up his arms to his shoulders as his hands pulled her closer. She rubbed his shoulders and neck until he looked up with a grin on his face. He tugged at the sheet and she caught it before it fell.

“
Are ye naked Andra?
”
He tugged again and the sheet fell from her fingers.

Her body burned his eyes with its beauty. She glowed as his fingers trailed up her bare legs and caressed the skin on her stomach. He leaned forward and kissed her belly button, letting his tongue linger to taste her sweetness. Ecstasy. His shaft hardened as she moved forward and straddled his lap. Her hands ran through his hair and pulled his head back.

She leaned forward and whispered,
“
Four moons, Kagan Arkanine McKregan, I ha'e waited for ye to come home.
”

He smiled as she used his full name and ran his hands up her back molding her chest to his. His lips kissed her chin, her throat, her shoulder, and the indention between the cleavage that was pressed to his chest. She pulled his head up to meet her gaze. She lost the urge to fight and argue as she met his fiery eyes. He wanted her. He was near exhaustion and he still wanted her.

She pushed him back and leaned up onto his chest as he spoke,
“
Touch me Andra, please woman of mine touch me.
”