Tale of the Nemorvian Band

Chapter Sixteen: Truth Revealed

"We'll make camp here for the night," Meadow said. The rest of the party trudged wearily into the small wooden clearing after the sprightly Fey woman.

Zomos set her huge double-headed axe against a tree then moved off into the nearby forest, returning a few moments later dragging the trunk of a downed tree. The Collossi lifted the tree with ease, her thick muscles flexing only slightly as she hefted it up then dropped it near the center of the clearing.

"Should make a passable bench you can all fit on," she said before returning to the dense forest surrounding the clearing. She returned a moment later hefting a huge rock that she dropped near the length of the tree then sat down on it. "But a hard rock under my ass is far more to my liking."

Destine Foy, the Human Mage that was the most recent addition to their little party, began slowly pacing around the edge of the clearing. She muttered arcane enchantments and held her hands out before her. Spinning circles of glowing runes appeared before her hands, leaving faint wispy trails of magic behind them.

Once she had fully encircled the clearing she turned and flashed a weary smile at the other women. "Those wards should make sure no one who wishes us ill stumbles upon us during the night. They'll also help protect us if anyone who knows our identities tries to scry out our location."

"Many thanks," Meadow said, nodding appreciatively. "Are you up to starting a fire? It will be dark soon and I'm sure we'll all appreciate the light and warmth before long."

"I'm tired from our long march through the woods today," Destine said, "but even should I be so exhausted as to need sleep right away such a feat would be possible with great ease."

That one likes to show off,

Amitkoa thought as she watched the young Mage gather flowing green energy between her hands then push it into the ground near the center of the clearing. Bright green flames erupted into life, seemingly needing no fuel to keep their flame burning.

She looked over at Zomos and saw that the Collossi was rummaging through the large pack she had been hauling on her back, pulling out the small but nourishing food they would soon be eating. The members of the party went up to her, one by one, taking the Fey trail bread they'd brought along as their main food source.

After taking hers Amitkoa went and sat on the tree trunk then opened the thick leaf wrapped around the food. Inside was a thick, dense bread. The leaf had some simple enchantment on it that helped keep the bread fresh while the bread itself had some magic of its own. A single piece provided enough nourishment for a long day's march and even though it was a bit dry for her liking it still tasted delicious.

Kilne sat next to her, eagerly opening her meal and hungrily taking a few big bites. She looked up at Amitkoa after that and smiled. "This stuff is pretty tasty."

"It is," Amitkoa replied with a smile. She was happy to see that the young Nemorvian was seemingly back to her normal self. She'd seemed strange at first, quiet and then

odd

. But as they had continued through the forest she seemed to finally shrug off the events that had so shaken her.

Kilne glanced at Zomos, sitting on her rock and munching on her bread, then over to Meadow and Destine who were talking quietly together on the other end of the tree trunk. She then leaned in and whispered to Amitkoa. "Still no hint as to what this quest we've been sent off on?"

Amitkoa glanced over at the small but fierce Fey woman who was the leader of their party. "No," she whispered back, "but I have faith in Meadow. She must have a good reason for not telling us yet."

"You think that blue-haired Mage knows?"

"Maybe," Amitkoa whispered back, looking at the Human. She was a very cheery woman, full of youthful exuberance and even when tired after their long march she still seemed to be always smiling and laughing prettily. Meadow and Destine were both warriors who had enlisted in an army of feminine might to take on great evil, yet there was an almost innocent wholesomeness to both women that felt odd to her.

Kilne lowered her voice even further and asked, "You think they are lovers?"

Both Nemorvians looked over at the two women. As they talked and laughed quietly together they sat intimately close. Occasionally Destine would reach out and place a hand on Meadow's leg while the little Fey woman would often reach up and brush some of the Human's long blue hair out of her face.

"Maybe," Amitkoa whispered. "But what of it?" She stared hard at Kilne, curious why the question seemed so important to her friend. Kilne was staring at the other women, her brows furrowed as if she was trying to puzzle out some deep mystery. The green light of the flickering Mage flame made her face look sinister. Amitkoa felt a sudden urge to pull away from her friend, but a moment later the intense look on her face eased and the urge to pull back passed.

"It's just that this evil we're supposed to be fighting, this Corruption they keep going on about," Kilne whispered before trailing off. "They keep talking about how perverse and sexual it is," she restarted. "At first the way they talked made me think they thought any kind of sex was part of this evil, almost like sexuality itself was an enemy to be defeated. But the more time we've spent with them the less that's seemed so. They are part of an army made up of only women, I guess I was wondering if they are all celibate or if they find intimacy between women acceptable."

Amitkoa shrugged. "Why not ask them? Me, I don't really care at the moment. My stomach feels full and now that I've been off my feet for a bit I'm feeling the weariness of the day." She stretched sleepily and yawned. "I think I'll need to sleep before long."

Zomos was already pulling the bed rolls out of the large pack. "Do we need to set a watch through the night?" she asked, looking to Destine for the answer.

The blue-haired Human shook her head. "No, my wards should be enough. If we were pursued by some foe then they might fail, but as far as we know no one specific is hunting for us yet."

"And if we are lucky," Meadow said, "that won't change anytime soon. But even so, I'll stand watch. We Fey don't need sleep the way you all do. I can rest while staying awake for days before I need proper sleep. The rest of you can bed down whenever you are ready."

* * *

Meadow sat at the very end of the tree trunk, her feet perched on the edge and her body crouched over like a waiting gargoyle. Her fairy wings were extended and flickered and fluttered now and then as if in agitation.

Kilne was the only one beside Meadow still awake. She sat some way down the tree, watching the small Fey woman. The green flames of the magical fire still burned, but less brightly now and filling the clearing only with a faint flickering green hue. The bright moon above and a sky full of twinkling stars seemed to shine brighter than the fire. Meadow was staring up at the night sky, her shoulders hunched over.

The young Nemorvian got up and moved closer to Meadow, sitting near her. "What are they?" she asked quietly so she didn't chance waking the others.

Meadow started and it was clear she had not realized Kilne was still awake. She turned to her, looking a bit sheepish that she'd been so surprised. Her translucent wings fluttered for a moment then folded into her back, disappearing as they melded with her skin. "What do you speak of?"

Kilne nodded to the sky. "The stars," she said, scooting closer. "And the moon, I suppose. I've lived nearly all my short life in one brothel or another and barely got to see the night sky till Novaoa saved me from that life. I have immense knowledge about how to please someone sexually, but I am very unlearned in almost anything else."

Meadow's legs slid down off the log so she could sit properly. She remained silent for a long time, staring up at the night sky, then finally answered slowly as if choosing each word with great care. "There are many Human scholars that think the stars are simply faraway suns, like ours but at a distance so vast all we can see are their faint twinkling glimmers in the night sky. They say the moon is a thing like Alaria, but much smaller and devoid of not just any life but air itself."

She paused, looking from one part of the sky to another. "There are Elven scholars who tell a different tale. They say the stars are part of the Ethereal Plane that hangs above Alaria and that the moon is a beacon in the night set by the gods before the Great Collapse to help light the world when all is dark.

"I've heard some Dwarves think the stars are magical gems set in the void that surrounds Alaria, marking the edge of existence. They say the moon was forged by a mighty Dwarven god who had shamed their race and had been banished from Alaria, never to feel the joy of rock underfoot again. And I've heard some think it's a floating ball of Emberstone that's light is dimmed with distance."

Kilne looked up at the moon and stars then looked back down at Meadow's small but pretty features. She moved a bit closer, placing a hand gently on the Fey's leg. "And what do the Fey say?"

Meadow looked down from the sky and smiled mischievously. "The Fey do not share what they believe with outsiders. We are not like other races of Alaria, not truly mortal in the sense that Humans and Dwarves or even Nemorvians are. Even a full-blooded High Elve is mortal, they will eventually age and die. We are...

different

. Our people's history is long and sad, for Alaria was not always our home. There are other worlds, and we once lived in one, but the Fey can no longer return there. It is a sad thing that we rarely talk about even amongst ourselves. And because we are so different, because we don't feel we belong in Alaria, my people have mostly tried to remain hidden from the mortal races."

"But your Queen is leading your people to a great war! Surely soon you shall all be revealed to the world, no?" Kilne asked.

Kilne giggled quietly. "I forgot you never made it to Queen Faeven's camp. I suppose you imagine a great host of Fey leading a handful of women like Destine Foy. The forces my queen has gathered are strong, but even so, our numbers are not very large. It's an army, but only a small one. And the Fey gathered here in this forest, we are but a small band of my people. If the Fey are a people who cannot go home those gathered under Queen Faeven's banner are those cast out from the homeless. Our decision to go out into the world, leaving behind our hidden homes, will forever make us outcasts from the rest of our people."

A heavy silence hung between them for a time, Kilne not knowing what to say and Meadow seemingly not interested in saying more. Still, Kilne remained close with her hand on the small woman's dainty leg.

Meadow began to slowly lean in towards the young Nemorvian as if drawn to her touch. When she noticed she pulled away, looking confused and sheepish. "I'm sorry," she muttered, pushing Kilne's hand off her leg. "My people have a natural affinity for physical affection that I've had little time to indulge in recently. I should not have drawn so near to you."

"I didn't mind," Kilne said, starting to reach back out but stopping when Meadow slid away. "I've been meaning to ask," Kilne said quickly as if trying to draw Meadow back towards her with conversation, "are the warriors in Queen Faeven's army... celibate?"

"No," Meadow replied without hesitation. "We do not willingly give ourselves to

ANY

man, but we give emotional and physical love freely to other women when the mood pleases us."

"My racial weaknesses have made me a sexual servant to men all of my adult life," Kilne said, looking at the ground and speaking slowly. She paused for a moment then looked up at Meadow, her expression suddenly fierce. "But I've always preferred the touch of a woman."

"It is a much nicer form of physical intimacy," the Fey woman replied. A moment later Meadow reached her thin arms up into the air and stretched. "I'm not tired or weary but I feel dirty from our long travel. I think the thing I wish for most right now is a bath, a good long soak in clean water."

"There's a pool nearby," Kilne said eagerly, jumping to her feet and holding a hand out to Meadow. "Come, I'll show you. We can leave the camp for a short time, everyone is sleeping and will never know we left. And thanks to Destine there's no need for a watch." She grabbed Meadow's hand and pulled her to her feet before the woman could answer.

A moment later she was pulling her out of the clearing and into the dense forest. They moved fast, Kilne moving as if the way was a path she'd taken a hundred times. She ran, practically dragging the Fey woman after her. Meadow had to leap up, her wings unfurling and fluttering to hold her in the air to keep up.

Meadow giggled prettily, the sudden journey filling her with glee. "How do you even know of this pool?"

"I saw it as we neared the place we are camping," Kilne told her. A moment later they came to a stop. Before them the trees were tall, their trunks thick. The underbrush, hanging vines, and moss before them were so thick it was like a wall. "Come on, it's through here," she said, parting some of the hanging greenery and pulling Meadow through.

Meadow gasped at what was revealed as they passed through the vines. Before them was a small pool of perfectly clear and calm water. The canopy above them was so thick the sky above was blocked from sight and all around the pool the vines and underbrush were so dense that it left the pool feeling as though it was in a small room.

It should have been pitch black but beautiful shimmering lights were slowly rising from the pool and floating up into the thick canopy above. They glowed with faint pink and red light, sparkling brighter at times and illuminating the enclosed area in shimmering, flickering light.

"Whisps," Meadow whispered reverentially, staring at the lights as they came into existence on the surface of the water and started floating slowly up. "This is a magical place! It feels like home," she said, her wings fluttering furiously and taking her up into the air. She giggled and spun about, running her hands through the whisps as they floated past her. "I've seen and felt yellow and blue and green whisps, but I've never even heard of pink and red ones!"

A moment later Meadow landed, eying the pool greedily. "It feels almost as if this place was created just for me! That pool is the perfect depth to bathe in. And look here at the edge of the pool, the way these rocks are formed is perfect for sitting on like they were carved for that purpose. Thank you, Kilne, for taking me to this place!"

Meadow was staring at the pool as she spoke and didn't see the way Kilne was looking at her. A sinister smile had spread across her full lips as she stared at the little Fey woman while the irises of her eyes flickered and turned red. "Yes," Kilne whispered to herself, "almost as if it was created just for you..."

Then she blinked, the red fading from her eyes. She stepped up behind Meadow, moving in silent and close. "The water waits," she whispered into the Fey's pointed ear, making sure her lips brushed against one of the elongated tips. She wrapped her hands around Meadow's small body, grabbing her clothes to start pulling them off. "You don't want these getting wet," she said a bit louder.

"No," Meadow said, her voice sounding strange. Her eyes had become glassy and she was moving oddly as if falling into a trance. "And I must bathe in the pool. I must!"

"Wait a moment," Kilne said as she helped Meadow take the last of her clothing off. She grabbed the small woman by the shoulders and turned her around to face her, looking down at her naked body.

Meadow stood a head shorter than Kilne, her body thin and narrow. Her chest was nearly flat, but what little breasts she had were perky and her tiny pink nipples were hard in the cool night air.

"You're beautiful," Kilne whispered, running a hand through Meadow's short hair and staring into her eyes. "May I bathe with you?"

Meadow blinked, confused. "What? Y-yes. Yes, that would be nice." Her eyes were still glassy and she was very clearly not her normal self.

Whatever strange power was befuddling the little Fey woman's mind was having no effect on Kilne, although the Nemorvian did seem to be acting differently. She was the youngest of the three Nemorvians and had always been the shyest and most hesitant. But now an intense fire burned in her eyes and she seemed both driven and confident.

She took a step back from Meadow, leaving the Fey woman standing still and watching the whisps rise as if they had hypnotized her. Kilne began undressing, revealing a body very different from that of the small Fey woman standing beside her.

Where Meadow's body was small and almost inhumanly thin Kilne's body was nothing but thick curves. She had full meaty thighs and a large, wide, fat ass. Her breasts looked huge standing next to the naked Fey woman, each wide heavy tit far larger than the little woman's head.

Once Kilne was undressed she stepped up behind Meadow, gently grabbing hold of her shoulders. She stroked one of her arms as she leaned in and whispered into her pointed ear, "The water looks so cool and inviting, doesn't it? You can't help but need to enter the pool... It calls to you and you need to answer that call."

Meadow nodded slowly, staring at the pool. "Yes... It... It calls to me. I must go deep into its waters..."

"Deep into its waters," Kilne agreed. "You must go to the center and submerge your whole body. There, you will find the truth."

"The truth," Meadow whispered back.

Kilne let go of her shoulders and took a step back, waiting and watching with red back in her eyes.

* * *

I must enter the pool and discover the truth,

Meadow thought as she slowly walked toward the water's edge.

The closer to the pool she got the more whisps appeared on the water's surface. With every step there were more of the glowing pink and red lights which rose faster and faster. When she took her first step into the pool the whisps began floating towards her as they rose to the canopy above. Those that came within a foot of her seemed to be pulled to her and instead of floating up they began to float around her. By the time she had her second foot in the pool the whisps were flowing around her, a slow-moving tornado of magical lights that glowed brighter and brighter.

Where she had stepped in the water only went up to Meadow's ankles. The lights swirling around her were so intense she could barely see the pool anymore. But that didn't matter, she didn't need her eyes. All that mattered was the pool and the truth it held.

She took a few more steps and found the water there was up to her knees. A few more and it was up to her waist. Another few and all but her head was submerged.

There were no steps, natural or otherwise, built into the bottom of the pool. Meadow was vaguely aware that the change in depth was magical in nature. If she were to turn around and try and leave the pool she'd find that the water would be up to her neck all the way to edge. But she wasn't going to turn around, she couldn't. She had to know the truth.

Meadow took one more step, knowing her foot wouldn't find the pool's bottom this time. She didn't care, she knew she had to be plunged all the way into its waters to discover the truth it held.

With a splash she fell into the water. For a moment she could feel herself sinking towards some unknown depth. But the sensation of water all around her lasted for only a few moments.

The world jerked and she was thrown down then to the side then up. There was no longer water around her. She was nowhere, propelled through an endless void that blew through her very soul. She gasped, her wings peeled off her back and began to flutter furiously. It did no good, she flew wildly, tumbling and shooting through the nothingness.