(Anthology) Forever Read online

  But he was so pessimistic!

  “Well, make haste woman!” Luster laughed as he turned his purple eyes, happy once again, in my direction.

  “But go where? We always spend our day in the tent, here! Next to the ancient Rowan and the crystal clear stream.” I closed my eyes and listened for a moment, hearing the roar of the waterfall that fed the stream that I hailed near in my dreams.

  “Yes, but now I will have to take you with me.”

  “Where?” I wanted to know! In all the time I had been journeying through the mirror to these foreign lands, I had always found myself in the company of Luster and his people, here! I had been nowhere else! I knew of no other places. And what if I could not make it back here before the enchantment ended?

  I shuddered as I recalled the blank void of cold nothingness that separated these two places, my world and his.

  “We go to the Citadel,” he said as he held up the garment that Glow has chosen.

  It was very feminine, in a homespun kind of way. It was a long gown; a light tan color that I knew would compliment my complexion and my eyes. But I had never worn anything like it. My tunics were made mass-produced by the government. Everyone wore the same shapeless thing, thought the men’s tunics were a bit longer. But still, uniformity was kept. This was completely new to me.

  “Get dressed,” he urged as he plopped the thing over my head.

  It felt almost rough to the touch, but so light and...and feminine. I could almost picture myself running through the trees and picking flowers, something I had been only able to do here.

  Shrugging and struggling to hide my delight, I slipped the garment on and stood, easing it down my bare legs.

  But then I felt something else easing down my inner thigh.

  I blushed as I looked up at him.

  “What?”

  “I need to use the...river,” I stammered as I took baby steps to the exit.

  Laughing and understanding my predicament, Luster nodded and called for Glow to help take down and pack the tent.

  “Five minutes,” I heard as I gingerly made my way to the bushes that grew along the bank. “And then, to the Citadel.”

  I let a smile break free as I made the river and stripped off my new garment. After all of these years, Lust was taking me to his home.

  Chapter Four

  I smiled as I tromped through the tall green grasses and delighted at the feel of their dampness beneath my bare feet. I looked up, towards the heavens, as sunlight filtered down between the tall branches of stately trees. The air had never smelled so sweet, felt so fresh, been so important to me! I stifled a giggle as I fought the urge to race ahead, touching everything that I could, gathering nature to my chest, burying my face in the splendor that no one from my world had ever experienced.

  “Slow down!” laughed Luster as he followed in my wake. “It is not as if you know the way.”

  “But I am free, Lust! Free and I have never felt more alive!”

  I twirled around, getting my hem caught on the odd bush, but even that was a joy.

  “We don’t have trees where I come from. Only pictures.”

  “Where do you come from?” Glow asked. Between the two of them, Luster and Glow had broken camp and had stashed the tent and the pillows behind the waterfall. Luster said that is where they kept special things, and I agreed. That tent was indeed special. Luster still carried my ancient box of letters and both men carefully listened for any signs from the still unseen Glimmer.

  “From the other side of the mirror,” I said as I fell back to march between the two warriors. “Where thinkers rule and life is dull.”

  “But where is that?” Glow would have made an excellent scientist, with all of his questions and queries.

  “It is just there, Glow. And it’s so different than what is here. I mean, there is no grass and trees. Well, there is some grass at the University. They are trying to grow or create more. And the air is not as sweet. That is because of the lack of trees. There are some trees left, but the great wars killed off most of them.”

  “That sounds...ugly.” Glow decided as he held back a branch from a large tree for all of us to pass.

  “It is very brown.” I decided, after a moments’ thought, and nodded my thanks as I walked past him, almost slipping as the land began to curve downward. “And the people, well, there are no people like you where I come from.”

  “And what does that mean?” Glow asked as he tried to picture a world beyond his imagination.

  “Well, we all kind of look like me.”

  “Everyone?” he asked incredulity in his voice. “That’s not possible! We are all born with certain gifts.”

  “There is no magic where I come from Glow.” I said, sighing in true regret. There hadn’t been magic back at home for a very long time. And for me, more so, since my parents had disappeared. “And just about everyone looks like me. There are no people with glowing eyes or translucent skin. We all are kind of...brown.”

  “Like the land.” He shook his head as if oddities like this were abominations.

  “Like the land.” I assured him. “The land and the people are quite plain and brown.”

  “But you are not plain, Sinopee,” Luster laughed as he finally spoke. “You are full of wonder and energy. And you are mine.”

  “As you are mine,” I laughed. “But I am plain and brown. The land is plain and brown. We kind of match.”

  “But with magic...”

  “There is no magic, Glow.” I sighed. “We have science. Only science. Science will help create a better world for our future generations. My parents died searching for a way, and I will carry out their work to find away. Perhaps being here has inspired me, but for now, there is only science.”

  “But I have heard you mention these weapons of war that destroyed your planet, your Earth.”

  “Yes,” I sighed again as he marched onward. “We created the bombs and the chemicals that caused a lot of damage.”

  “Then did your science, the science that you depend on now, not destroy your land?”

  “People...”

  “Same with magic,” Glow interrupted. “The people who control it shape the use, be it for bad or for good. But with magic, only certain people get certain gifts. There, anyone can use this science and create disasters. It is what made the Tritons so powerful. Any one of their choosing can yield it, use it, and destroy with it. Magic is scarce. Those of us who posses it regulate others. We cannot hand it down to people who will follow. It is...sacred.”

  “Good point, Glow.” I conceded as he began to leave the tree-studded forests and head for clearer land. “But look what science is doing here. Only a few have the magicians on the run. You need to even the battle field, to regulate it.”

  “The best way to defeat you enemy is to know your enemy.” Glow said, nodding in agreement.

  “The best enemy is one who can make you think that he does not exist.”

  Glow paused and turned to face me, his eyes...glowing.

  “The woman has some intelligence, Luster!”

  Luster beamed.

  “And here I thought that she was just a good lay!”

  “Hey!” I glared at Glow for his comments, but both he and Luster exploded in laughter.

  “But it was not me, screaming like a cat in heat!” I sniffed as I walked ahead, grinning as Lust’s face exploded blue with embarrassment and Glow’s hissing snickers filled the air.

  I could take it, but I dished it better.

  “Coming?” I called back. But as I turned to resume the trek, a whistling sound filled the air, and the land to my left exploded as though struck by lightening.

  “Tritons!”

  Chapter Five

  “Move!”

  It was Luster’s voice that sounded in my ear a moment before his heavy body thrust me to the rocky ground I had earlier reveled in.

  “Where the hell is Glimmer?” Glow’s voice whispered and I realized that he was lying off to my rig
ht, close enough to protect Luster with his body if need be, but far enough to give him room to maneuver.

  “No time!” Luster hissed as he peeked over his shoulder, up the hill, to see how far we were away from the timberline, I assumed. “Where did the blast come from?”

  “Ahead,” Glow answered as he cautiously rose up on his elbows.

  I realized that we were sheltered partially by an outcropping of stone that grew out of the earth near the bottom of the hill. As I lifted my head a bit, I could see where the trees started again at the bottom of the hill. But I could also see the great distance we had to cover without any protection at all.

  “Positive?” Luster asked as he dropped down and looked towards Glow again.

  “Positive enough,” he hissed a moment before another blast tore up the ground a few feet away from us, the closest the blast could get with us behind our protective barrier.

  Fear struck me numb, but also there was curiosity. Would I finally get to see what the feared Tritons looked like, and would I live to tell the tale?

  “Can you do it?”

  What? They had slipped into that damn code speak they sometimes did. I realized that it was an efficient way of giving orders when time was short, but it kind of bugged me. I hated not knowing what was going on around me. Maybe it was my analytical mind; maybe it was because I was curious by nature. Or maybe it was because I hated being in the dark about anything. But I looked over at Glow, trying to see what it was that he was supposed to be able to do.

  “No choice.” He hissed back, then he did something that I thought I would never see. Glow began to undress.

  Peeking over the stone every few seconds, Glow mentally plotted some course of action while he divested himself of his garments. His gauntlets went first, the black leather sliding from his powerful forearms and fists. Next, he slid his tunic over and off his chest. Unlike the men that I had met previously, Glow was the only one to run around with a shirt on. Now that the muscular planes of his chest were exposed to the dim light of the growing day, I wondered why.

  Each muscle was perfect in their ebony skin. Each bulging with strength that can only come from hard work and practice. His massive shelf of a chest tapered into a neat triangle of muscle, a tiny waist and a stomach that rippled with tight drawn abdominals.

  The ties of his pants were unknotted at one side and the material pulled down thick thighs tense with the rising tension around us. He paused for a moment to ease his boots from his feet, before the dark leather was drawn away from his body.

  I tried desperately not to look at what I wanted to see, but curiosity moved my eyes.

  As Glow leaned up to peek over the boulder again, I let my eyes roam over the very core of his body, to see if he measured up to Luster. Crass I know, but under the circumstances, not knowing if I would live to see another year, I had to peek.

  Even limp, Glow carried a formidable weapon. Just as dark as the rest of him, Glow’s manhood hung heavily between his muscular legs. It rested atop a pair of neat rounded balls with its large flange of a head that was strangely enough, circumcised.

  For that matter, Luster was circumcised. For rebels whom escaped and now lived in the underground protected by the forests and who were immersed in magic, it seemed quite odd to me.

  But Glow’s next words brought me swiftly out of my musings and back to reality.

  “If you are done examining me, I will endeavor to explain what is happening.”

  My face exploded in color and Luster chuckled from behind. Thank God he wasn’t upset by my lapse in manners, but Glow was worth a few glances.

  “Not funny!” I hissed. “Besides, I wasn’t expecting a strip show. My people just don’t remove their clothing at a moment’s notice.”

  “A pity. If they did, I am sure that you would find the thought of our encroaching death more attention holding than a few bits of male flesh.”

  I stuck my tongue out at Glow. Childish I know, but it was the only thing I could think of at the time.

  “No wonder you were screaming,” Glow had his eyes firmly on Luster as he delivered his words. “I bet that thing could wrap around you twice, it is so long.”

  With all the dignity I could muster, I pulled my tongue back into my mouth and felt the burn as my embarrassment reached new heights.

  “Nay!” Luster chuckled. “I am far too thick, but she can use her tongue in ways I never imagined.”

  “Luster!” I hissed, reaching out to pinch a conveniently located thigh.

  “Ouch!” he hissed, sounding wounded. “It is a talent; something to be proud of.”

  Then I realized that they were trying to use a bit of humor to break the tension a bit. I noticed that Glow’s muscles still bulged, but were not as tense. His attention was once again drawn over the lip of the boulder, observing something.

  “There are shadows there,” he explained as he eased back down beside us. “There are shadows, and that should be enough.”

  “Enough for what?” I asked quickly. I wanted to know what to expect. I couldn’t fathom Glow moving from behind the protection this boulder offered. It scared me to think of the rough spoken man putting all of his naked glory on the line for us, while we did nothing.

  “The shadow’s, Sinopee,” he reminded me. “The perfect enemy? Remember?”

  The perfect enemy was one that could make you believe that he didn’t exist.

  “Glow?” I reached out to touch his arm. What was this man planning on doing? What was Luster letting him do?

  Before I could say anything more, Glow nodded to Luster who rose to his knees, a perfect target, and let loose with a flash of purple white light.

  It flared so bright that I had to cover my eyes, yet I knew that it exploded from his person. This I had seen before, when we first met, when he first recited the spell in the letters that brought me here. He used a bit of his energy to gain my attention through the mirror. But now, I saw no purpose to what he did.

  I turned to ask Glow what was happening, but there was no one there.

  I rolled back to face Luster, but he dropped to the ground beside me, just as several bolts of light struck the stone just above where we were hiding. Stone chips and dust kicked up and encircled us as Lust once more covered my body with his.

  “Now we wait,” he said as he settled himself more conformably on top of me, burying his face in my neck.

  “Wait for what?” I asked as I reached up to grasp two handfuls of his hair, pulling his face up so that I could look into his eyes. “Where is Glow? What just happened?”

  “Glow has gone to be the perfect warrior or the perfect enemy.”

  “What?”

  “The shadows, Sinopee. Glow is perfectly suited for moving in shadows. I just provided enough light to creates some, so that he can utilize his magic to its fullest potential.”

  “Speak English!” I shouted at him. “What did you do? Where is Glow?” I was almost shouting in my fear.

  I had never sent anyone out to die for me! I didn’t want Glow to be the first! I would rather us perish together than to carry that guilt for the rest of my life.

  “Glow’s magic,” he soothed as he pulled his hair from my frantic grip, wincing all the while, “Is based on shadows. If he can find a shadow as small as a blade of grass, he can meld with it, hide in it. That is why he thought your words about the perfect enemy amusing. Glow is the perfect enemy. The light blast I provided distracted the Tritons watching, and created a big enough shadow so that Glow could have a good start on making his way down the hill.”

  “He is going for help?” I hoped that he could reach the Citadel in time. I had no idea how long the Tritons would hold their position. If they knew that he had no serious weapons, they could rush us and end the matter permanently. I knew of no magic that could bring the dead back to life.

  “No, he is going to get the Tritons.”

  “What?” I shrieked and tried to rise to my feet. If Luster would not end this foolishness, I would
call Glow back!

  “Calm down!” Luster hissed as he pulled me back to the ground and this time added his weight to my body, so that I could not move. “Glow knows what he is doing!”

  “He is going to get himself killed!” I tried to fight against Luster’s strength, but he easily held me o the ground.

  “This is our fight, Sinopee. We are experienced. We know what we are doing!”

  “He is but one!” I argued.

  “One of us is all it takes.”

  “But...”

  Tears began to fill my eyes as I stared up at Luster, at the beautiful eyes that on the surface appeared calm. But being around him long enough gave me insights into his person. Under the façade of ease and confidence, there was worry.

  I realized that doing this, allowing his men to tromp out into danger, hurt him. He was almost like a parent, wanting to protect each one, and hurting when they faced danger. But he had confidence in Glow’s abilities. I saw that as well. But this course of action was eating him up.

  “Glow knows what he is doing.” Lust stated with authority. “He knows what to expect and has gone against the Triton before. He will signal when all is clear.”

  But as he rested against me, I could feel the rapid beat of his heart, feel the tension that never quite left. And I knew that Lust would suffer until he saw that signal.

  I did the only thing I knew that would calm him a bit, that would ease his tortured spirit.

  “I believe,” I whispered as I stared deep into his eyes, showing him that I meant what I said. “I believe in Glow and I believe in you.”

  I had no idea that my doubts were causing him to worry. Now I tried as best as I could to ease the damage.

  Instead of answering, he lowered his lips to mine. I felt the brush of his tongue, a moment before his mouth descended and took control of mine.

  I moaned as his tongue invaded, as it coaxed mine to duel and his unique flavor filled my mouth.

  In that instant, worry became desire, and God help me, I relished it.

  Chapter Six