Bridge

A chime sounded from the circular blue receiver on Aerlin's desk. She was gazing out the open window across the ten mile expanse toward the southern wall of Bridge. The city straddled the Great Rift, a gash in the earth twenty miles from one side to the other which stretched beyond the horizon north and south. Bridge was the only way across the Rift and the only gateway between the Eastern and Western halves of the Realm. The city was a meeting place for every culture: elves, dwarves, elementals, goblins, beastmen, and humans from every corner of the Realm, all gathered here at the choke point between East and West. Aerlin had been wondering for the hundredth time what terrible power had made the Rift, and what awesome Will the Shapers had wrought to bridge the gap.

She pulled herself away from her musings to gaze at the receiver. It chimed again, a pleasant but insistent tone, and she waved her hand, Willing it to activate.

"Hello?" she said.

"It's me," came the voice of Altena, the Mairie of Bridge, the highest executive and voice of the city council. Her voice was melodic, but as usual her tone was curt and to-the-point.

"Altena," said Aerlin, letting a bit of want slip into her voice, just to tease the Mairie a bit. "I do so love when you call."

"Spare me the pleasantries," said Altena. "I've got an urgent job for you. A very important client is in town, and I'm prepared to pay double your normal rate. Can you meet me at the Bell and Candle in an hour?"

"Let me check my schedule," said Aerlin. She walked back over to the window, taking a deep breath of the afternoon breeze, smiling contentedly. She didn't have any clients booked for the rest of the week, and truthfully was thrilled at this opportunity, but Altena didn't need to know that. After a minute she said, "Very well, one hour."

A low tone sounded, indicating that Altena had turned off her receiver on the other end.

That's one way to end a conversation

, thought Aerlin.

But the Mairie's never been one for chatter.

Sineo, her business partner, poked in his head from the other room. His amber eyes glinted with knowing humor, and his mouth curved up in a half-smirk. "Important job, huh?" He said. "Did she ask about me?"

"If you were eavesdropping, you'd know that she didn't," replied Aerlin.

A feigned hurt expression played across his handsome features. "Poor, wretched Sineo! I long only for your sweet lips, gentle Mairie. When will you stop denying your love for me?"

Aerlin crossed the room and laid a hand on his right cheek, dusted by dark stubble, and looked deep into the eyes on either side of his angular nose. "Don't fret, Sineo. She'll come around. And either way, this looks like a nice payday for us. Maybe more to come, if we play our cards right." She tousled his wavy black hair playfully. "Now I need to go get ready."

"Put in a good word for Sineo!" her partner called after her. "Let my dear Altena know that I am always hers to command."

An hour later Aerlin walked between two immense white columns and into the front door of the Bell and Candle. It was the most luxurious and opulent hotel in Bridge, with a price tag to match, so the foyer was thronged by rich tourists and visiting nobles from across the Realm. She immediately recognized the three people she was here to meet standing at the far edge of the room, and she started walking towards them. Her brown hair was pulled up into an elaborate bun. She was wearing white gloves that reached near to her elbow and a purple sleeveless dress which came up to her neck in front but left most of her back revealed. The form-fitting garment hugged her generous breasts, drawing the eyes of the hotel's wealthy clientele. Aerlin allowed herself a confident smile. She had brought one of her favorite staves, a gold-plated oak rod with four concentric gold rings mounted at the top. In the center ring was a medallion which bore a rune meaning "Fulfillment." To her it had many meanings. She was resting the staff on one shoulder, and as she walked she rolled it back and forth, subtly Willing a mild charm field into existence around herself. She was confident in the sway of her own hips, but it couldn't hurt to be certain.

As she approached the trio she could feel all eyes in the room on her including theirs. Altena stood in the middle, watching her intently yet impassively with cool blue eyes. The Mairie looked striking and handsome in her tailored uniform of office, black hair drawn back in a tight ponytail. If she felt the effects of the spell, she didn't show it. On Altena's right was the hotel's concierge, Pendelwort. The man was portly with graying hair, but still maintained an air of refinement. He was watching Aerlin unabashedly, no doubt wishing he was the client she was here to see. Aerlin didn't mind the old man's lecherous gaze; he was a nice old man, really, if a little bit greedy and a little bit perverted.

On the Mairie's left was a man Aerlin didn't recognize, but from his regal bearing and aura of authority she knew him to be the client. The man had handsome yet severe features, with high cheekbones and windswept black hair. His golden yellow eyes were predatory, yet more inquisitive than cruel. He wore a red and yellow doublet, the Heggrian coat of arms stenciled on the left breast. There was something dangerous about him, but something intriguing as well.

"Good," said Altena when Aerlin had drawn in close, giving a satisfied nod. "Aerlin, it is my pleasure to introduce His Royal Highness Prince Urien Torland, son of His Majesty King Rogar Torland, Lord and Protector of Hegg. Prince Urien, this is Aerlin, a wizard trained in the the halls of Maridel's great Academy. She is well versed in the history and culture of Bridge, and it will be her pleasure to show you around the city this evening."

Aerlin smiled throughout the introduction, but beneath her calm appearance alarm bells had started to go off.

What is Altena getting me into? A Prince of Hegg? Double the usual rate isn't half enough! He could have my head for a word spoken out of turn!

But she fought down her urge to flee and extended a hand, saying "I am charmed to make His Royal Highness' acquaintance."

"My lady," said Urien in a rich baritone. He took her hand a bowed slightly, bringing it to his mouth and kissing her gloved fingers lightly. "The pleasure is mine. And please, dispense with the formalities. In Hegg I am a prince, but in Bridge I am only Urien."

The prince's courtesy caught Aerlin completely off guard. Hegg was renowned for its aggression and military might, and its nobles were typically direct and without manners. This prince was a different story.

His visit is most unusual,

thought Aerlin.

And I'll bet it was unannounced, which explains why the Mairie summoned me on such short notice. Just what is going on here?

Altena shot a warning glare at Aerlin, as if to say

Bridge is my city, and in my city we do things properly.

Aerlin chose her next words carefully.

"I would feel crass addressing Your Highness with such familiarity. Perhaps 'Prince Urien' would suffice as a compromise?"

Urien nodded agreeably, and Altena slowly let out the breath she'd been holding. Aerlin sent a seductive smile in the Mairie's direction, and couldn't resist ribbing the uptight woman just a bit. "Sineo sends his regards, Mairie. He wishes you to know that he is always yours to command."

A flicker of uncertainty passed over Altena's face. The Mairie always seemed to balk uncomfortably at Sineo's advances-or Aerlin's, for that matter. Strange that someone who knew the value of their services and had no qualms about using them could appear so prudish. It was almost too easy to get Altena's goat, but that didn't make it any less fun.

"Well, I'll leave the two of you to get acquainted," said the Mairie. "Come, Pendelwort, I have further matters to discuss with you." The concierge nodded, giving one last desiring glance at Aerlin before following Altena away.

Aerlin turned her full attention to the Prince. He looked at her with polite interest, but his golden eyes met her own brown orbs without straying lower. The charm field appeared to have no affect on him whatsoever, so she let it drop, reasoning that he might have some warding talisman around his neck that was making her efforts pointless.

Maybe Sineo would have been a better choice for this job

, she mused.

"What manner of entertainment would please you, Prince Urien?" asked Aerlin. "Every culture in the Realm gathers here in Bridge, and we have anything your heart might desire."

"It's your city, madame wizard," replied the prince. "Show me something captivating."

Interesting choice of words,

thought Aerlin. "I know the perfect thing."

The sun was setting when they left the Bell and Candle, casting a warm red glow over Bridge that filtered down into the Great Rift until it was lost in the blackness miles below. The summer night was warm, and it put Aerlin in a content and playful mood. She walked ahead of the prince so that he could watch the sway of her hips as her blue-slippered feet picked their way through the busy sidewalks. Horses and carriages still thronged the boulevards of Pomp Square, the lodging and entertainment district where the Bell and Candle was located, but they walked, as it wasn't far to their destination.

At first Aerlin had been surprised that the prince would choose to accompany her without a guard of any kind, but then she noticed the black-garbed man following them at a discreet distance, no doubt an assassin who could be at Urien's side in a moment. Still, it was uncharacteristic of royalty to behave so nonchalant in public. Urien said little on the way to the theater, politely answering her questions about his trip from the west and his impressions of Bridge, but his responses were reserved. There was something withdrawn about the prince that made her fiendishly curious to learn more about him.

Much more

, she thought, thinking about those intense golden eyes.

The theater she led them to was a squat, round building called Force Majeure which lacked the usual opulent design of buildings around Pomp Square. It was run by an enterprising pair of businessmen, one an elf from the Forest of Lirael and one an earth elemental from the underground cities in the Redstone Caverns far below Bridge. Strange that two representatives of notoriously insular cultures should befriend one another in Bridge, and stranger still that they would choose to be impresarios. Perhaps because of their unique backgrounds, the shows at Force Majeure were always unique and always spectacular.

The doorman recognized Aerlin and admitted Urien and herself immediately. Aerlin had a business relationship with the proprietors of Force Majeure stretching back years, a network of favors owed so dense that they'd gotten to the point where they did things for one another no questions asked. Urien made a hand signal towards his shadow, who took the hint to stay outside. Aerlin was again impressed by Urien's lack of fear to be alone in public, but she suspected the doorman wouldn't hold back the shadow from entering the theater if a sudden danger arose.

Inside an usher led them to a private box near the front, affording them an unparalleled view of the stage. Aerlin called for a bottle of red wine from the finest vineyard in southern Langelia. The waiter soon appeared and poured a glass for each of them.

"To your health, Prince Urien, and to an enjoyable stay in our fair city."

"And to you, Miss Aerlin," said Urien. "I trust that this night, which has been most pleasant so far, will only become more so as it continues."

The touched glasses and drank.

There it is again

, thought Aerlin.

He's a perfect gentleman, but he turns all talk of himself back towards me.

The house lights dimmed and the curtain rose. The elven half of the impresario duo, Lothor, stepped out onto the stage and was met with polite applause.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, his voice booming across the crowd. "Tonight we bring you a new performance. To describe it would be to spoil the show you are about to see. I will say only that we hope to inspire you tonight with equal parts terror and awe."

Lothor left the stage and the curtain went up, revealing a woman with long blond hair lit from above by a magic-fueled spotlight. The rest of the stage remained dark. She was dressed in a thin white dress, cut low to showcase the performer's impressive cleavage. Aerlin had been to many shows at Force Majeure

,

but she didn't recognize this woman at all. The orchestra began to play, first the bass drums and then the brass picking up a driving and foreboding tune. More lights came on, and two shirtless men appeared at either end of the stage. Their angular eyes and high cheekbones covered in bright red tattoos marked them as fire elementals. A light came on at the rear of the stage, revealing a large tank with a glass panel covering its front surface, showing that the inside of the tank was full of water. A short staircase led up from the stage to the open hatch on top of the tank.

As the men approached the woman in the center, she made a show of trying to run away from them. She darted this way and that, like a rabbit fleeing a hungry dog, but no matter which way she went the fire elementals were there to block her way. They drove her back with gouts of flame spat from their mouths, eliciting gasps from the audience, until they had surrounded her in the center. The men produced two lengths of rope and laid hold of the woman, who struggled against them, thrusting out her chest and gasping with effort. The eroticism of the performance was having its intended effect on the audience members, who had all seemed to sit forward in their seats. Aerlin stole a glance at Urien, seated right beside her in the dim private booth, and noted with pleasure that he was watching intently. His wine glass was running low, so she refilled it.

The men tied the woman's hands behind her back and bound her feet, though she continued to struggle. One of them picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder as she continued to strain. The music crescendoed as he carried her up the stairs to the tank and dropped her in. She thrashed around in the water, desperately flailing towards the top, but the elemental above her slammed the lid shut. It locked into place with a metallic clank, and the audience gasped. Aerlin herself was growing concerned at this point. She thought:

What's going to happen now? They're not going to let her die, are they?

Urien had leaned forward a bit, and she risked putting her hand on his own. He didn't take her hand, but he didn't push it aside, either.

The woman continued to struggle against her bonds. Now that she was submerged in water, the thin white fabric of her dress clung to her body, revealing for all to see that she wore nothing underneath. Her pink nipples were visibly erect inside the tank, and her sex was shielded only by a blond tuft of hair. The elementals gathered in front of the tank and began to dance and sway in time to the music. In unison they summoned streams of flame and directed them towards the bottom of the metal tank. Bubbles began to rise as the water grew hotter. As the woman inside thrashed and strained against her bonds, Aerlin found herself getting hotter too. Almost without thinking about it she exhaled, Willing a charm field into being, this one a bit stronger than the one she'd used in the Bell and Candle. Urien spun his head to look into her eyes, and she could see naked desire there. He was breathing heavily, and entwined his fingers through her own.

No talisman after all

, she thought.

They tore their eyes off of each other and looked back to the stage. The terror on the woman's face settled into a calm determination, and she began to writhe about with renewed purpose. She stretched and contorted her body until she could pass her bound hands under her feet and in front of her. A cheer went up from the crowd. In another moment the woman had slipped her bonds and reached down to free her feet as well. Then she turned her attention to the lid. A wheel on the bottom could open it from the inside, but it was locked. Panic appeared on her face when she realized the wheel wouldn't turn. The audience gasped again, a low murmur of fear passing through them. The water was near boiling now, and the orchestra music had become loud and climactic.

The performer closed her eyes, looking ready to surrender to being drowned or boiled alive. A few tense moments later her eyes snapped open. She brought her palms together, pulled them towards her chest, and thrust them forward. A crack appeared in the front of the tank. She repeated the gesture, Willing the crack to grow larger. Water began to leak through, spilling onto the stage. She thrust her hands forward one last time and the crack split the front of the tank. Water cascaded onto the stage, where it swept up the elementals and pulled them through a long trap door that had opened at the front of the stage. The woman tumbled forward out of the tank, gasping for breath. Slowly she stood up to look at the audience. The music had stopped, and the crowd was deathly silent. The performer may as well have been naked the way her wet dress clung to her skin. Then she raised her hands and took a bow. The crowd erupted in applause.

Aerlin looked at Urien, who was clutching her hand tightly. He looked back, the want in his eyes still apparent.

Was this captivating enough for you?

She thought. "Miss Aerlin," he said. "It seems Bridge is full of wonders. You have my profound thanks. I have not seen such a show in all my years living in the West."

"There is much yet to see," replied Aerlin, her voice husky.

I have him,

she thought.

The only question is whether we finish the wine

.

One bottle of fine red wine later, they arrived back at the Bell and Candle, both giddy from the performance and the alcohol. Urien led her straight to his rooms, waving his shadow off for the night. He'd been given the finest suite in the building, with a sitting room, a balcony, an immaculate bathroom with an enormous tub, and a well-furnished bedroom with a plush four-poster bed. As soon as the door shut behind them Urien came to her, kissing her intensely as his fingers twined through her brown hair and pulled strands loose from the bun. Aerlin kissed him back, and when his tongue pressed against her lips she opened her mouth acceptingly.

Aerlin broke the kiss and stepped back, tossing her staff to the ground. She reached up and unfastened her dress at the neck, and it fell away, leaving her naked except for her slippers. Her breasts heaved up and down as she breathed heavily, heart thudding with excitement. She pulled the pin from her hair, allowing to the fall in a cascade down her back. Urien followed suit, quickly pulling off his boots and doublet, followed quickly by his undershirt and trousers. His arms and torso rippled with muscle, and his cock stood proudly erect, throbbing slightly with his arousal.

I love my job

, she thought.

She walked over to him and fell to her knees before him, taking the head of his cock into her mouth. He let out a moan of pleasure. She grabbed his taut buttock with both hands and used a bit of Will to suppress her gag reflex so that she could deepthroat his impressive length. His cock slid down her throat and she held there, looking up as Urien gasped in pleasure and put his hands on either side of her head.

"Aerlin," he said roughly. "I'm so close already. Slow down."

She laughed around his length and pulled back, free her lips. His head was purple and glistening with her spit. "Don't worry. We have all night, and I have many things to show you. Now I just want to swallow Your Highness' royal seed, if thou deemest me worthy." She gave a wicked grin and swallowed his cock once more. He groaned as she took it all the way until her lips touched his trimmed tuft of black pubic hair. She reveled his his taste and scent. Aerlin pulled back almost all the way before moving her head forward again, swallowing his entire length down her throat once more. She repeated the motion four more times before he grabbed her head roughly and held it in place as he came, his seed pouring down her throat in a thick stream as he gasped and moaned roughly. She swallowed every drop. When he had spent himself he released her head, and she pulled back, a satisfied smiled on her wet lips.