Age of the Gods: The Complete, twelve novel, fantasy series (The Blood and Brotherhood Saga) (24 page)

Sara

Sara and her companions arrived at the dining hall shortly after their conversation with Sasha. This time the hall was not empty as it had been earlier in the day. A few random tables were occupied, however, the one they had sat at before was vacant and so they resumed their places around it. They spoke quietly for a time, a little uneasy with others in the room. Before long the man who had served them earlier appeared in the same outlandish white clothing.

“Greetings honored guests,” he said to them, a wide smile splitting his face in two. “What can I have the pleasure of preparing for you this evening?”

Sara found herself once again unprepared for the question, but quickly decided upon a solution.

“I really hadn’t thought about it, sir, but it seems to me you enjoy cooking. Is there any dish in particular you enjoy preparing more than another?” she asked him, happy to see his surprised reaction.

“Indeed there is such a dish,” he stated honestly. “Would you have me prepare it for you?”

“I most certainly would,” Sara answered.

“What will you be having, Master Seth?” the man asked Seth with a smile.

“I will have what she is having, if it’s not any trouble,” Seth replied.

“Me too,” Garret added.

“And I would like the same as well,” stated Ashton.

“You are all so very kind,” the smiling man told them. “Four of my specialties coming up,” he added with a twirl of his finger in the air.

With that the man spun and limped his way back across the room and disappeared into the hall. The four companions watched him go. Speaking quietly once more, while waiting for their food, they saw Sasha pass through the room once and each of them flashed her a smile.

It was not long before the man returned with their food. He placed in front of each of them a steaming plate containing a small duck smothered in a thick tangy sauce that made their mouths water. Beside each duck was a large pile of mixed steamed vegetables, and several fried apples carved into the likeness of rose buds and drizzled with honey. Each plate was its own astonishing masterpiece and they each thanked the man wholeheartedly before he left them to eat their meal.

The meal was beyond delicious. Each savory bite left Sara’s mouthwatering for another. The duck was tender and nearly fell from the bone. The vegetables were also tender, but not overcooked so as to lose their flavor. The apples were like nothing she had ever tasted before. They were soft but not mushy, and the tart flavor hinted at wine and lemon, all the while added to by the sweet honey filling every carved crevice. The entire meal was like ecstasy to her taste buds.

Sara and her friends finished their food and waited a while, hoping the man would return so they could pay him their compliments. However he did not and so they decided to head off to their rooms early for some sleep so they could begin exploring the city in the morning. Pushing in their chairs, they made for the hall. Bidding one another goodnight, they parted company at the room Seth and Sara were sharing. The two other boys continued down the hall to the stairs that would lead them to their own room before Sara followed Seth into their own chamber.

Seth

Seth let Sara pass as he turned to the door and closed it behind him. As Sara crossed the room towards the bed, Seth locked the door and tested it to be sure it worked correctly. Turning, Seth witnessed Sara picking up a small package which she peeked inside with a smile as he approached.

“What’s that?” Seth asked, eyeing the package suspiciously.

“A surprise,” Sara answered, a teasing smile on her lips. “There is one here for you too,” she added pointing to another smaller package.

“Hmm…what do you think it is?” Seth asked reaching for it.

“Why don’t you open it and see?” Sara suggested, again with the teasing smile.

Seth put his hand into the small container and pulled out a small bundle of silk. He unfolded the small bundle, and holding it before him, revealed a pair of black silk men’s underpants. These particular ones were fashioned as quarter length shorts. Seth eyed the garment, scrutinizing it, certain it would hurt him somehow.

“What is it?” he asked quizzically.

“Something for you to sleep in,” Sara stated, eyeing what he held with a big smile on her face. “I like it.”

“What did you get?” Seth asked, silently hoping she did not have anything to sleep in.

“I guess you will just have to wait and see,” she said in her most angelic voice. “Why don’t you change here, and I’ll go change over there,” Sara instructed, pointing to the small partition in the corner.

Seth nodded his agreement and waited for her leave. Watching the accentuated sway of her hips, he knew he was in trouble before she even stepped behind the partition to undress.

Undressing as fast as was possible, not wanting to get caught in the act, Seth pulled on the black silk garment he had been given. Looking down at himself he realized he didn’t look nearly as silly as he had imagined he would. He climbed onto the bed and sat watching for Sara to reappear, trying to flex various muscles while looking relaxed.

Sara

Sara stood naked behind the screen. She was not worried that Seth might come and catch her in this condition. She knew he would wait patiently, though she thought it might be more convenient if he did appear. She reached into the package she had requested and pulled out two silk garments. Looking them over she realized they were actually two halves of one garment. She placed the bigger of the two upon the clothes she had just removed, and attempted to ascertain what the remaining piece was meant to cover. It was a small triangle of silk no bigger than her palm with a satin cord attached to all three corners. Two of the corners were connected by the cord in a large loop. The other cord was sewn by its end at the middle of the loop created by the first cord. Sara held the piece before her face, turning it this way and that, when it struck her. Holding the garment by each end of the large loop, the triangle in front of her, she stepped into it with each leg on either side of the remaining cord. She pulled the garment up her legs and into place expecting it to be uncomfortable. The placement of the cord that wrapped under her and up her backside was not as unpleasant as she had assumed it would be, but it wasn’t exactly pleasant either and would take some getting used to.

Having successfully figured out the first piece, she reached down and retrieved the other. This one looked a bit more self-explanatory, and only took her a second to derive its orientation. This too was made of black silk, but it was much thinner than her lower garment, nearly completely transparent. She flung it around her shoulders and pushed her arms through its sleeves. Pulling it around her she tied the single tie upon the front. Finally dressed, she turned to look in the mirror that sat behind the screen. Looking at her reflection, Sara decided to unbraid her hair and let it fall around her shoulders. She ran her fingers through it, straightening it as best she could and stood to look at herself. The upper garment was open from top to bottom revealing her bare skin from her neck all the way down to well below her navel. The only tie was just below her breasts, pulling the front together slightly. It accentuated her body nicely but left nothing to the imagination. The sheer fabric was so entirely see-through she hardly saw any point in wearing it at all. The bottom also left very little to the imagination. It was a thicker silk and so hid the portion of her body it was designed to conceal, but it left the rest of her totally revealed. The thin cords traced lines up over her hips and came together in the back. Her backside was completely exposed except for the thin cord that ran down its length disappearing between her legs. The outfit was significantly more revealing than Sara had intended, but she found it did appear to make her body more attractive somehow. The black silk stood in stark contrast to her creamy white skin, making her seem more visually appealing. Sara gathered what little courage she had, and with a nod to herself in the mirror, she turned and walked out from behind the partition.

Seth

Seth watched the partition patiently waiting for Sara to reappear, all the while imagining what she might be wearing when she did. None of his imagined fantasies had prepared him for what he saw when she stepped out from behind the barrier.

Sara strode out from behind the small screen, her head held high, and a look of determination on her face. Seth tried not to stare, but was unable to wrench his gaze from her. He could not believe what he was seeing and silently swore to himself if there was anything at all worth worshipping in the world, he had found it. Sara strode across the expanse of the large room and stopped at the foot of the bed, smiling at him sheepishly.

“Do you like it?” she asked, her teasing smile returning.

Before he could reply she turned around slowly allowing him to see her from every angle. Seth, try as he might, could not help but study her inch by inch in fascinated wonder. Her outfit was composed of two pieces, both made from black silk like the one he now wore. Her top was split all the way down, revealing a trail of milky white flesh from her neck to her lower abdomen. The silk of the top fluttered at the edges with the rise and fall of her breasts as she breathed. These too he could see clearly through the clothing, though he tried his best not to stare. As far as he was concerned, however, they were perfect, firm and round, and apparently she was a bit cold. As she turned he watched her hips twist, and his eyes trailed down the entire bare length of her toned legs. She paused briefly when she had her back to him, and he traced her body again with his eyes up her calves, to her thighs and up again to her completely bare backside. Seth’s breath caught in his throat at the discovery and he choked, unable to control the reaction. He heard a small giggle escape Sara’s lips as she twirled slowly to face him again, and it apparently pleased her to no end, finding Seth’s face had gone completely red.

“So?” Sara asked. “How do I look?”

“You look breathtaking,” Seth admitted.

Seth fought his body’s urge to displace the blood his brain would need if he were to try and escape her advances this night. Seth knew that if she pushed the issue he would be hard pressed not to give in.

“I’m sleeping on top of the covers tonight,” Seth stated jokingly, but thinking to himself it was his best defense.

“Don’t be silly, my love. I will be good, I promise,” Sara said, her smile fading slightly. He had offended her.

Sara

Sara walked around the bed to the side Seth was seated on, his eyes following her the whole way. She walked until her legs pressed against the mattress and reached her arms out to hug him. Grasping his neck with one hand and his hair in the other, she pulled him to her, hugging his face into the bare flesh between her scarcely concealed breasts. She held him there for a minute before releasing him, and when she did he gasped for air and looked at her accusingly.

“I thought you said you were going to be good?” Seth accused.

“I’m sorry, was that too much?” Sara asked sarcastically, the teasing grin returning once again.

“Just a little,” Seth stated, trying once again to regain his composure.

“I’m sorry. I will try and be more cautious,” Sara said, a hint of mischief in her voice.

Without another word or warning Sara leaned over, and pressing as much of her body against his as she could manage, she crawled slowly across him, to her side of the bed. As she cleared his body she paused, her bare backside in the air only inches from his face, and she gave her hips a little wiggle. Finished with her charade she settled into a sitting position beside him and waited for him to start breathing again.

When Seth finally did, Sara gave him a few moments to relax and regain control of his body. Feeling he had had enough time she placed one hand against his chest and let it rest there a moment. No protest forthcoming, Sara decided to once again push her limits with him just for fun. She slid her hand down from his exposed chest, tracing the line of his muscles. Leaving his chest she continued to slide her hand down his abdomen. Not wanting her plan to be an obvious one, she traced the line of his uppermost abdominal muscles across his stomach and then down his side. Tracing the black silk down his hip she slid her hand down the outside of his muscular thigh as far as she could reach comfortably. Tracing her fingers around the curve of his kneecap she began to glide her hand up his inner thigh, letting her fingers brush his skin lightly. She watched his face out of the corner of her eye as she moved her hand further and further up the inside of his leg. Feeling silk once again she looked down to watch her hand trace the rest of the way up to her goal. She directed her hand up the remaining inches until Seth grabbed her wrist, only a fraction of an inch away from what she sought.

Defeated, Sara sighed loudly. She knew she shouldn’t push him. She should wait as he had asked her to. But she wanted more than anything to give herself to him, and though teasing and enticing him was fun, she found it increasingly hard to wait. With her lower lip jutting out in a pout she turned her body to face him.

“I guess that’s a no then?” she asked him.

“No, it’s a not yet,” Seth answered.