Akira Rises (24 page)

The biggest problem for the mages was deciding which mage would control the alpha wolf. The mage selected would have to remain in a trance for the duration of the wolves’ hunt for the baron’s daughter. Each wanted to be the one to please the baron. For as much as they were gaining power over him they had did not have total control. No mage wanted to be the mage who failed. The mages did not trust each other. The baron had secret alliances and spies even amongst themselves. With their services provided to the baron, the baron would continue the practice of banning the hunting of witches, mages, wizards, all the feared unnatural beings. It had been a relief to practice their arts without fear of reprisals in the lands the baron controlled.

It was decided the youngest mage would go into the trance. They would have to imbue the young mage with some of their own powers. It was a difficult thing to do, more correctly, it was a dangerous if the young mage refused to relinquish his borrowed powers. When he came out of his trance, he could be dangerous. They picked the youngest mage, hoping his inexperience would be to their advantage. A young mage was less likely to be as power hungry as some of the older mages, having had little time to be driven for power while trying to learn the dark arts.

As the mages argued and schemed, the baron was becoming more volatile and unpredictable. Even his sons seemed like they were walking on eggs around him. They talked about him behind his back daily. That he would be so violently angry, disturbed, over Akira's disappearance was disconcerting. It was as if he was possessed. Perhaps, the sons wondered, all their father’s affairs with many bed partners gave him the disease that entered through a man’s sex organ that traveled upwards, that ate away at men's brains. They had talked about it. The old man would hump anything he wanted, how he wanted, especially since the death of their mother. That he could still perform in bed was a mystery. Surely he had almost worn it wear it out they joked. The jokes were hollow as they realized the danger to everyone around their father. Sometimes they suspected he could not perform. His fury was directed at any unfortunate wench who failed to help him arise to the occasion. Often a badly beaten half dead woman would be whisked away in the dark.

The older the sons of Baron Rolfe had grown, the more the brothers despised and distrusted their father. They had helped with the searches for Akira, reluctantly, after all, she was their sister. She had shown incredible courage to run away. Had they found her on their own they would not have told their father. It was agreed among the brothers to whisk Akira to a city close to the King and ask for royal protection. Ben voiced the opinion that they should have taken Akira into their confidences. Marcus agreed in hindsight it would have been better had they done so. They knew they been hard on her as a child, for it was expected by their father. All of the brothers expressed remorse. As much as their environment shaped them, there was a part of them that carried their mother's blood, her influence. There were hints of compassion in their conversations regarding their young sister.

They each had longed for more contact with their beautiful mother. Each had been jealous at one time or another of the sister their beautiful mother kept close under her wing, and close to her heart. Each son had been told their mother preferred that their aunt should be in charge of them. They grew to doubt that as they grew older and recognized a longing in their mother that did not match the lies they had been told. She always seemed to call out to them with her eyes. They had to pretend to not notice her tears when they were ushered away from her as children. Their aunt would twist an ear if they looked back at their mother when their short visits were over.

If they had any idea where Akira was, they would keep it to themselves. They made a pact. Without their mother to protect her, she was better off far away from their father. The brothers agreed they owed him familial loyalty, but they did not owe him respect. He would turn on them, cast them away, if he sensed any disloyalty. Cast away, they would find little assistance from anyone in the kingdom, for Baron Rolfe was hated. Baron Rolfe's family was hated. However, time was on their side. He was ageing fast before their eyes. All the excesses he indulged in were showing. They waited. When his power slipped, they hoped it would be because he was dying. Anything less would bring chaos, and a sudden death would be a good death. As much as he deserved to suffer, a sudden death would be best for all. In the interim their only option was to have him placed in an insane asylum. It would be a dangerous maneuver and would take allies in high place.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

A
kira wore a leather tightly laced vest for wrestling practices. Her arms were bared as well as her legs. Her hair was in tiny braids close to her scalp, braided to the crown of her head, where they were secured with a leather wrap. She had tied the fall of dark tresses coming out of the leather wrap hair atop her head. She had learned quickly long hair was a disadvantage. It was tempting to cut it short for practicality. She had already sawed off a length of braid so it only reached her mid back. She did not miss the weight of her it. She eyed the man standing before her.

Dimitri was her teacher today.

“Keep moving Akira.” Dimitri instructed. “Keep track of my eyes as well as my arms and legs.”

Akira acknowledged his curt advice with a nod of her head. She circled him inside of the circle drawn in the sand of the wrestling pit.

Dimitri outweighed her. No matter she hoped. She and the Mage Morgan had been working on a counter strategy. Dimitri could be in for a surprise if she was quick and could get him into a pinning position for just a few seconds. Akira focused on her body. She imagined herself light as a feather.
Yes, Dimitri, I shall keep moving. Fast as a humming bird....

Damn!
Thought Dimitri.
What she lacks in size she has made up for with quickness.
He smiled. The challenge was going to be fun. That she would win never crossed his mind. Would she make the first lunge? He hoped so.
Why is she smiling? What part of her gifts had she mastered now?”

“She's too fast for you old man?” Nels said. He watched with interest. He was cheering for Akira. He had bet she would evade being pinned by Dimitri for at least two turns of a fast sand timer. Only a fool would bet against Dimitri.

“She is fast isn't she?” Dimitri replied. He reached out for one of her arms, and made contact. But she turned quicker than he could prepare for and broke his grasp by using her body weight against his wrist.

“Oh and slippery too” hooted Nels.

Akira surprised herself. Dimitri's grasp was strong
. Hummingbird, humming bird, dipping diving light and airy.
She focused on his eyes, willing her peripheral vision to alert her to his slightest movement. Akira decided on a full frontal maneuver. She reached out both hands. Dimitri's hands clasped with hers.

First mistake
Dimitri thought.

Just as he finished that thought, Akira was visualizing a plough horse.
Heavy, heavy, I’m heavy.
She leaned into Dimitri's wrists and pushed with all her might. Nothing much happened... she had hoped to push him out of the circle. He didn't budge an inch. He smiled. His eyes twinkled. Her concentration broke. A strong leg shot out and swept Akira' legs out from under her. |Down she went rolling to one side to try break his clasp. It held. She twisted and tried to evade the weight of his body as it descended. She managed to keep most of her body out from under his with a fast roll that freed one hand from his clasp.

He had one muscular hair roughened leg over one of her legs. He was trying to lift himself to maneuver himself on top of her. Akira used her free foot to dig into the sandy ground and push away from him. He anticipated her move and within a few seconds, he had her pinned. Akira groaned.

Dimitri said nothing as he stood up. He reached his hand down to help her up, about to praise her first quick moves but Akira could not resist, she hooked her foot behind his heel as he pulled her weight up towards himself. She unbalanced him and as he fell backwards, she was pulled on top of him.

Heavy feeling, heavy.
Akira tried her best to concentrate. It worked ...for a few seconds.

A sudden amazing amount of weight on Dimitri's chest took him by surprise as. It was as much of a surprise as her successful attempt to take him down to the ground. Not fair! He laughed despite the crushing weight on his chest. He was trying to teach her to fight, not fight fair! The unexpected laugh broke Akira's concentration.

Nels was laughing, as was Crow. They were the only ones who dared.

Dimitri's smile grew bigger. Suddenly, Akira did not seem so heavy.

Akira's face scrunched up. She realized she had lost her advantage.
Hell, what do I do now?
She scrambled off him and was about to give him a hand up when his hand shot out and he had reversed the tables on her. Now he was straddled across her waist and she was looking up at some very amused eyes. Nels and Crow were consumed with mirth. The previous shocked look on Dimitri's face, the “oh god aghast look” on Akira's face would be a source of laughter for days. Even the other candidates joined in the laughter.

“Are we done helping each other up?” Dimitri did not even try to sound stern. He needed to laugh. He really needed to laugh to get his mind off the delicious hellcat underneath him, the hellcat that was stirring up more than laughter in his body. He stood up. He reached down again to help Akira off her back. Just as she reached up to grab his hand he withdrew it for a second.

“Yes sir.” Akira answered. She managed to look somewhat contrite, even though she was not one bit contrite at all. She decided she had pushed him far enough and would not tempt fate for one second more.

Akira was about to ignore his hand and get up on her own power when Dimitri reached further down and pulled her up. “We are done wrestling for the day, people!”

Akira walked back to the barracks with her comrades amid a fair bit of good natured teasing. None of the men would have dared to do what she had done. She thought about the attempt to use her gift. Apparently, a lot more mind over weight practice was needed. Switching from light to heavy feeling was awkward and slow. Akira decided she would rather feel like a hummingbird than a heavy horse. Speed and dexterity were going to more advantageous.

As she walked back to the barracks, Akira realized she had not only learned from her mistake, she had learned something else. She realized as she was teased by her companions, she liked her comrades even though they were men. She even enjoyed their teasing. She liked men! Her heart lurched. She liked one in particular. Her heart beat faster. The memory of him straddling her made her feel warm in places she never felt warm before. A new awareness of her body entered her consciousness.
Is that what all the fuss is about? Is that the same feeling men have towards women? Is it Dimitri's body that makes me feel that way? Will any other handsome man make me feel that way?
It had been a most peculiar sensation. A curious sensation at worst, and an exciting sensation at best.

Akira groaned. Wrestling had just become more complicated.
Why can I not just focus on bow skills, on sword skills, skills that did not need body contact?
Mind over weight practice was going to become a full time exercise. She suspected Dimitri was the cause of the current discombobulation of her equilibrium. The new words learned from Mage Morgan fit very well.
Discombobulation of equilibrium.
Akira laughed out loud. Her thoughts had worked out a disturbing realization.
I think I know why I’m discombobulated ... I think ... I think I'm goatish! Damn you Dimitri! You are a virile handsome distraction I don't want! At least I hope it is just you that does this to me! I'm in big trouble if it isn't just you! Do you know how many strong handsome men I sleep with?

A short time later when Akira entered the rejuvenation pool after being rinsed clean with a bucket of warm water to remove the daily dust and sweat she was acutely aware of all the male bodies. She was acutely aware of her own body. Looking for or at Dimitri was just out of the question. She went deep into the pool, towards the hottest end of the water, till the water was right under her chin. She closed her eyes and let the hot water ease the aches and pains of the day. With eyes closed she suddenly was picturing Dimitri looking down into her eyes while straddling her waist. She remembered strong hair roughened legs against her sides, the smell of his sweat. The warm tingly feeling came back. She shuddered then shivered despite the hot water. Something was coiling and tightening inside of her. Akira now knew she had the body of a woman. Her body was responding to one man, not all the handsome would be warriors seated around the pool.
I’m doomed
she thought.

The White Rose Order forbade fraternization between men and women of unequal status. The rule was to prevent those in positions of authority from taking advantage of those under their authority. Akira mulled over the situation. All the more reason to become a warrior, to prove herself equal she decided. Determination refreshed, she left the pool and went to her bed behind the curtain. It was time to practice mind over weight. First she had to get her mind off the fact that Dimitri's bed was not far from her curtain. She snickered.
Perhaps I should think of the monk who sleeps outside of my curtain at night as Dimitri's protection?
She sighed.
Oh! I am so discombobulated.

CHAPTER TWENTY

T
he grey timber wolves crossed the plains loping in snow sometimes only deep as their knee joints, and sometimes deep as their bellies. Some stretches of snow had a crust on them and then the wolves would race quickly, always in the direction of the mountains. They stopped once to kill a deer, dragging it down with practiced teamwork and then feasting on the blood covered snow. The alpha male snarled and tore off the first, and choicest pieces of warm deer flesh. He marked the territory again, lifting his leg, yellowing the snow as he had everywhere they paused to rest or sleep. The other two wolves knew their place. Yips, snarls, and growls were frequent reminders of the hierarchy. On and on they travelled.