Trallis: Summer Storm Dancer

Authors Note: Thank you to the wonderful people who helped me edit this story, BillT, JBJ ans RK Moreland. It is my summer entry this year and I hope you all enjoy it. A map for the realm of Trallis will be made available in the Literotica forum.

Twins of Trallis: Legend of the Summer Storm Dancer

The nine realms of Trallis co-existed under a tentative pact that saw a council of nine come together on a central wooded ridge each year just before the harvest season. Over time the council meeting had become a wondrous festival that spanned the waxing and waning of a summer moon. All items could be traded at the fair, richly-crafted materials, exotic foods and wines, and, although frowned upon by some of the realms, a small slave trade flourished on the outskirts of the fair each year.

It was here that the bounty hunters from the nine realms brought runaways and wanted criminals for justice and to receive their rewards. During the final days of the council two disgruntled bounty hunters dragged in two young women in shackles. The man sitting behind the Horse Lord Haef choked and spluttered, seizing the handle of his sabre before leaning forward to whisper urgently in his Lords ear.

Haef stood and spoke with considered words, "These two women are from the horse people of Cavalia, a small village far to the south, what could they have possibly done to be presented here in chains. I demand you release them to my keeping immediately, lest there be a fracture in this council that cannot be repaired."

"Let the man speak before throwing your accusations at any realm about broken pacts and fracturing the council." Ragnar stood and glared at Haef. The hostility between their realms had a long and complicated history.

"I took them for sea witches. Despite their clothing one of them is said to be a storm-dancer, but I have not had a globe to test her," The bounty hunter said quickly trying to diffuse the tension.

Toka quickly looked at Haef, who leaned back in his chair as his second began whispering urgently again. Toka then murmured to his second who produced two dimly lit balls of light and took them to the girls placing them in their hands. The ball given to Dana remained at a steady dim glow but the ball given to Kerys glowed brightly and, as if sensing the power of the storm within her, it began to throb in time with her heartbeat.

A loud rumble of voices erupted from the gathered council members and with a look of horror, Dana knocked the ball from Kerys' hands even though she knew it was too late and everyone had seen which of them held the power of the summer storm within them.

Iken stood on his chair and made a strange sounding call that was high pitched and undulating causing the others to cease their arguments and look toward him. The call reverberated around the tent until he was sure he had everyone's undivided attention before ceasing the sound and smiling.

"Let us all take our seats and consider the two beautiful young women at hand. Do we not owe it to them to hear the version of events that lead them here before we start making assumptions and accusations?" Iken was a new member of council having succeeded the elderly Sand Lord who could no longer travel or remain in such a position of power.

Haef nodded, his steel gaze on Ragnar, "Yes I think I would like to know how they became separated from their family. Three formidable men, if I recollect, would have been protecting these girls from slave raiders at the very least, their father and two older brothers." He looked around making sure the council realised they were not runaways by adding, "Their mother was from the sea realm and given in reparation for an attempt to cheat the horse people of that clan."

Toka was about to bluster when Ekeynui of the rainforest people laughed uproariously, "I told you your cheating would end in disaster Toka. Enough of this, let the girls speak for themselves."

It was Dana who began to speak. She was not so much scared for herself since there was nothing special about her that these people wanted to hear or know about. Her sister, however, who held the power of the summer storm within her was shaking with abject terror beside her. Taking a deep breath Dana took herself back to four years earlier, the summer of their fifteenth year.

In a slow and slightly melodic voice she began to recount her memories of that fateful day that the first of the really big storms rolled across the sky. They had been sitting in a tree awaiting their father's return from the hunt with the other young people of the clan. Lightning buzzed the air and her sister's eyes had glowed brilliant blue -- it was as if she caught the light in her hands thrusting it from the tree and the screaming children. They had helped all of the younger children down from the tree and ran with them toward the long house, her sister stopping often to seemingly push the lightning away from their group as they trailed behind with the smallest children.

The memories replayed before her eyes as she told their story of summer storm dancing. In her mind she relived it and tears sprung to her eyes as she saw once again the heavy burden her sister and family had endured to keep the secret and help the clan.

*****

Four Years Earlier:

The heat of the summer's day had taken its toll on the land and the people of the grasslands. Mowana looked up at the darkening sky and breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of the storm that rushed over the eastern horizon. She gathered her basket, now full of the sweet tuberous roots she been gathering, and turned to call to her children before turning toward home. Mowana smiled at the routine way of seasons here on the grasslands. The winters were mild and waterless; it neither rained nor snowed unlike the countries far to the south and east. The summers though, baked the earth and its peoples during the days, brought afternoon storms filled with rolling thunder and blinding flashes of white hot light. These storms were milder than the ones she had endured during her childhood with the people of the sea, in the realm of Solaris, but still held some power.

Returning to their small village the children ran to the small clump of trees to hide in the branches and await the return of their fathers from the hunt. Mowana turned toward the long house with her basket, meeting with the other women of her clan as they came back from gathering stores. Life in the small village suited Mowana who had been brought to this clan by her husband many moons ago. She had met him at the markets of the cliff bound sea clan she had been born into. She had been one of the lucky ones not to be born with storm-dancer magic and therefore able to choose her own path until the arrival of her husband in the markets that day. Her sister though had not been so lucky.

Mowana took a last look over her shoulder at the approaching storm, it would have hit the east coast by now and her sister would be out on the rocks in the driving rain gathering the force of the storm into her and directing the bright flashes of hot light to the beach where in the instant of its contact it would form the sand into a brilliant glowing sphere of light. Summer was the time of storms, the heat of the summer sun combined with the electric atmosphere to create wild storms each balmy afternoon on the coast and the storm dancers would be worked to exhaustion harnessing the power before it blew itself out and dissipated to reform the following afternoon.

Mowana had been lost in her own reminiscing as she entered the long house where they shared communal food and clan stories by the great fire pit in the evenings. Zira the clan chief wife had surveyed Mowana's basket as she entered and given a small snort of acceptance allowing the woman to pass without rebuke. Mowana had learned early on that no matter how much she tried to become one of the clan she never would be fully accepted by the other women. If she gathered too much she would be berated for being wasteful and boastful, too little and she would be branded as lazy, It had taken many years to understand what was acceptable to Zira, first woman of the clan. Mowanna had married the man who had claimed her rather than living as his servant and a servant of the clan. He had given her children and as such they required the respect of the clan even if she did not.

With so few storm-dancers being born into the sea clans, once discovered, they were immediately placed into servitude to the Lord of the people of the sea. They were then worked to exhaustion to create the valuable spheres of light that lit the cities of stone throughout the nine realms. Akaton brought his men and the valuable stores of fresh produce, from the grasslands to trade for the glowing spheres of light. The sea people, always in need of fresh produce, were eager for the trade but the globes production had diminished with the number of storm-dancers being bound into servitude. The clan chief of the sea village had tried to cheat the horse lords. Shrewdly though, sensing the unease of his host, Akaton had inspected the whole of the consignment. He noticed some of the spheres were dim and the number of spheres was low by 10 percent. Incensed the horse lords took not only the remains of produce they had traded back but also several of the noble women of the sea clan including Mowana.

She smiled at the memory of Haydar appearing at her home and taking her from her family. She had kicked and fought but secretly she had been thrilled that the handsome horseman had come for her after their short dalliance at the market. She had been helping her mother in the kitchen when the door had been hammered upon and a deep voice had demanded entry. Mowanna had walked out to the main room of the home she had grown up in as her father rose with an angry expression and opened the door. Haydar and his brother had swept the man aside and as Akaton stood threateningly over the sea clan man Haydar had picked up Mowanna slinging her over his shoulder and exited the building. She had not heard what Akaton had said to her father but there had been no immediate pursuit of her abductors.

Both terrified and thrilled Mowanna did not make a sound as she was strapped to the saddle of of a horse and large muscular arms circled her waist holding her in place as they galloped from the only home she had ever known. They rode hard catching up with the rest of the trade party just before they crossed the border into Glean, the land of rainforest jungle. The wide and well used trade route through the jungle offered some protection for travellers but as the day grew dark with the coming night the men took out spheres of light rather than set up camp in the dangerous lands. The men slowed their travel during the long night, watchful of the jungle that crowded the edges of the trade route. Mowanna had the time to look at the party more carefully. Two other women had been taken along with her. She recognised one as the daughter of a high ranking palace official the other she did not recall and guess that she was probably of a high born family that rarely came to the markets or her part of the city.

Mowanna knew that in theory the Horse Lords did not condone slavery and she felt that the man who held her within his strong arms meant her no harm apart from separating her from her family. She found him very attractive, his deeply tanned skin and straight long dark hair highlighted by brilliant green eyes that matched the grass of his homeland and she found herself half wishing for him to ravish her and take her as his own. Throughout the night his hold had around her waist had become less tense and more of a comfortable sense of riding as a couple. She had not dared to look back at him staring straight ahead or to the side on occasion as they rode at the rear of the party.

The sun had risen high in the sky before they breached the dense jungle route and come out onto the open grasslands of the horse people. Needing to rest the horses and men alike they rode a small way from the edge of the rainforest and began to set up a camp in a sheltered lea. Mowanna was unceremoniously dumped in the centre of the circle of activity as the men worked to build a comfortable camp to spend the night in and relax. Although in their homeland, the men remained vigilant and set a watch on the trade route they had veered from. The two other women she sat with had cried at their fate, trembling in feat as they watched the men build small shelters and create a fire to cook upon.

The sun was setting for the second night after leaving Solaris, and the city by the sea when the men who had taken the women hostage sudden stood and took up defensive positions within their camp. Three riders had split off from a larger group that had been travelling the trade route and approached as Akaton and Haydar moved forward to meet them. From where Mowanna sat she could see that three sacks were thrown to the ground at the horse lords feet and she realised that this was a ransom for the return of the women.

Other horse men grabbed the women and brought them forward including Mowanna and she found she was disappointed in a way to be returning to her home and she looked at the handsome horseman who had taken her as she approached him. He put a hand out to stop her progress and softly said, "I give you the choice, return home or ride with me." He stared at her intently as she looked between him and the men of the sea now helping the two other women to their horses.

She knew that leaving would mean returning to the safe secure life she had always known, married to a man of her parents choosing hoping that she too would breed storm-dancers but the pull to the man looking at her so intently was a force she could not resist. Embracing the unknown danger of her actions she met his intense stare and nodded whispering, "I choose to ride with you and you alone."

Haydar grunted, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips, he bent to pick up one of the bags and gold and threw it back to the sea men before picking Mowana up and carrying her back to his horse. He quickly mounted and they rode away to the southwest. They arrived at a small rock pool hidden amongst large boulders and high willowy grass and flowering shrubs. Mowanna was enchanted and looked up at the man she had so recently given herself to with her words, she knew now that he would take her in mind and body as well and a thrill ran through her.

Haydar was surprisingly gentle as he undressed her. She did not resit him at all and revelled in his slow purposeful movements as he kissed each new area of flesh he uncovered and slowly stroked her his eyes drinking her in and making her feel desirable and adored. Her fingers trailed over his skin as he disrobed, marvelling at the contours of the muscles that played under the skin in his chest and rippled over his abdomen. Taking a rolled skin from his horse he lay it over the long, soft grass and drew her down beside him, rolling and pinning her to the soft skin.

Their lips met in a first tentative kiss. Haydar seemed to be holding back still gaging her responses but Mowanna had given herself over to the feelings this man gave her. Wrapping her arms around his body kissed him harder and pulling him closer inviting him to enjoy her as a lover and make her his own. She felt an amazing power fill her as she lay there with him as if the earth itself sung to her. Having grown up with only sand at her feet and the hard rock of the sandstone cliffs on which the city of her home was built, the soft earth and green grass she lay on now seemed to energise her.

Haydar moved over her, his arms moving to hold her still as he manoeuvred between her legs and thrust forward. Mowanna cried out as the barrier to her inner most depth put up a struggle to deter the intrusion but it was soon gone and the slow gentle movements of her lover eased the feel of losing her innocence to such a large and virile man. In time she began to move with him urging him, faster and deeper, wanting to feel all of it and marvelling that joining with another could feel so wonderful.

Haydar too was full of wonderment. Rather than tiring or spilling his seed all too soon as he had with the earth maidens who welcomed young horsemen to their beds he seemed to gain energy from the woman below him. It was if the glass and the very air about them were charged with energy. Shining with perspiration and breathing raggedly it seemed like an age before Haydar groaned deeply and stiffened, thrusting hard into her and filling her with his seed.

Haydar rolled from her but continued to hold Mowanna in a tight embrace. They lay spent in each other's arms, comfortable in the silence until sleep pulled them down into its murky darkness. In the morning they had woken and made love again as the sun crested the horizon. It was when they moved to the stream to bathe that it became apparent that the grasses around where they had laid down had flowered overnight. Surprised and pleased, Mowanna had gathered the flowers into a bouquet and as they rode back to his clan she threaded them into a circlet for her head and a lei for his neck. Happy in their own company they had ridden slowly, wanting to make these first moments together last.

Mowana brought herself back from her memories and looked out of the door once more towards her small home. She smiled at the wild flowers that grew there; the buds from the flowers of that long ago time. Turning her face once more toward the trees and satisfied that the children were safe she turned back into the long house taking her basket to the store room keeping half of what she had gathered for the shared evening meal. Sitting alone to the side of the fire pit she began the preparation of the roots she had gathered, thinking once again of her husband and that first night of passion they had shared.

*****

Akaton rode at the head of the column of hunters, his brother and second at his side. The hunt had been successful and they would not have to range far for some time. He did not like to trade with other realms since the incident with the sea people and he frowned remembering how the Lord of the sea people had thought them foolish enough to fall for his lies. There was little available wood for fires in the grasslands and raiding the forests of the southern and eastern realms had become fraught with danger. His clan had wanted the light spheres to conserve what little timber they had and to guide night travellers.

"The storm comes too fast," Haydar muttered from beside the clan chief. Akaton grunted and spurred his horse forward to a gallop, the men in column behind matching his pace. The storms, he noted, had been getting worse each summer, without the greater numbers of storm-dancers to harness the power of the storms there was not much to stop them as they rolled in from the sea across the grasslands.

The village came into sight as the storm hit and in the distance the men could see the children of the clan flee toward the long house as lightening lit the sky followed by the loud crack of thunder. It seemed as if the lightening was being drawn to the small of group children when it suddenly veered at a strange angle mid-air and crashed to earth with deafening noise and blinding light some way away. The men stood in the saddles and urged their horses to run as the children screamed in terror, frozen where they stood.

The lone figure of a woman emerged from the long house and ran toward the children, separating the group she sent several running to the safety of the longhouse inspecting the ones she had in a small huddled group. Making quick decisions she sent them one by one back toward the long house. Left only with her own twin daughters and unable to separate them she ran with them to the shore of the small lake beside the village yelling instructions to them.