The Betrayer's Mask
CHAPTER 7
© SuperUnexpected Girl
The evening is raucous, full of celebration. The spiriteater is gone, Akachi laid to rest, my soul restored and I feel whole and rested for the first time in months… but with that comes the knowledge of an impending choice that I must make… And I've resolved to put it out of my mind for a few days… Let everything calm down I think to myself… and then we'll see what happens. After everything, somehow this now seems the harder quest…
Bishop and Gann seem to be on reasonable terms tonight, as is everyone else, the euphoria of the victory has even made Kaelyn let her guard down for once and she is dancing and flirting like any normal person… well… any normal person with huge angels wings… A number of the men there seem to find that quite attractive too…
The wine flows thick and fast and I feel myself becoming drunker. At one point I find myself gulping down large glasses of water, trying desperately to clear my head and make sure I don't fall down after a few more drinks. Safiya finally plonks herself down next to me as I stand at the bar, steadying myself against the blurry room.
"You ok?" she laughs and I grin back.
"I'm great! Just a little drunk," I giggle. "I'm trying to pace myself a bit at this point… trying not to fall over!" She grins again.
"Well I've had quite a bit myself! And I don't normally indulge much… it certainly is a cause for celebration though…" She looks out across the room and I see a sly look cross her face as she looks at me out of the corner of her eye. "So… on this night of celebration…" she smiles at me cheekily, "which one of those drunken louts are you going to take to your bed?" I look out to see them downing ale after ale together whilst people crowd around, egging them on. I laugh.
"At this rate it might be neither!"
Safiya smiles slyly again and I wonder what she is thinking. "Or perhaps both…?"
I blush, I can't deny I haven't considered the possibility, and we both giggle. I refrain from answering, trying to avoid making any sort of decision that involves either of them at this point. Safiya doesn't push me for an answer, content to sit and watch the room and the band as they strike up a jig in the corner. By and by, a handsome man I've noticed watching us from the corner of the room makes his way over to us. Safiya watches him cautiously, albeit a little blurrily after all the wine, as he stops in front of us and clears his throat nervously.
"Good evening ladies," he says, his voice deep and pleasing to my very drunken ears.
I smile back and Safiya looks at him curiously but says nothing. He clears his throat again and glances at her shyly. "I was wondering if you might honour me with a dance beautiful Thayan?" Safiya's eyebrows shoot up in surprise, and where she would ordinarily say no, she is taken off guard and accepts. As he takes her hand and leads her away she shoots a look at me over her shoulder, and I notice smugly that it's one of pleasure, not her usual imposing expression.
A moment after Safiya leaves, the seats on either side of me are occupied. I look around and see Bishop and Gann flanking me, both looking rather drunk, but endeavouring to appear casual. "Enjoying yourself my beautiful thief?" the ranger asks. I smile at him cheekily, emboldened by the wine.
"So far." I say. "Although of course the evening isn't over yet…"
He grins back at me and puts an arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him as he kisses me unexpectedly softly on the lips. The wine has worked its usual tricks and the feeling of desire rises quickly as his tongue slips into my mouth. Suddenly I feel another mouth on the back of my neck and I gasp in surprise and pleasure as shivers run down my spine. I turn my head and see Gann's long hair falling loose as he moves his mouth onto my shoulder and bites gently. I groan softly and turn back to look at Bishop, expecting to see his usual jealous expression when it's anything involving Gann, but he merely smiles seductively at me. I realise suddenly that this is something they've agreed on, perhaps even what the drinking competition was about, and I wonder briefly who won…
I close my eyes and feel Bishop's lips press against mine, Gann's against the back of my neck, his fingers softly tracing the contours of my shoulder and running down my arm. Bishop's arm tightens round my waist as his kiss becomes more demanding, full of the desire I feel myself at this point. I break away, gasping, my head spinning from the wine and the unexpectedness of this situation. "Perhaps we should take this somewhere more private," I say softly, barely able to get the words out. Both of them break away and Bishop looks at Gann over my shoulder and then nods, neither speaking a word. I take a deep breath and reach for my wine glass, draining the last of it in a single gulp. I hop down from the stool and make my way unsteadily across the room, not stopping to look behind me to see if they are following, or if anyone is watching, although I don't doubt that more than one person has noticed the exchange. I vaguely notice Safiya walking out of the room with the man who asked her to dance and I smile to myself… He obviously wasn't so bad after all…
I make my way to my quarters, and only as I open the door and step inside, leaning against the table as I try to steady my breathing, do I turn to see if they've followed me. Both are standing in the doorway and Bishop closes the door softly behind us. He stops and leans against the door, closing his eyes briefly as Gann steps forward, kissing me hard, his mouth unusually demanding and fierce. I wrap my arms around his neck, tangling my fingers in his long, silken hair. I hear Bishop move away from the door, but can't concentrate on what he is doing, until I feel him come up behind me and kiss my neck, one of his hands sliding my shirt off my shoulder as his other hand slips under it, caressing my stomach and sliding up towards my breasts. Gann breaks away from the kiss and leans his head towards my other shoulder, kissing and biting softly. I close my eyes and lean my head back against Bishop's shoulder, my heart beating so fast I feel sure it's going to explode out of my chest. My skin tingles and I feel hot, after a while unable to differentiate whose hands are where, swept away on the current of sensation and emotion that course through me as the two men I care most about in the world explore my body in unison.
Somehow my clothes are on the floor and I stand naked before them. Now this just won't do I think… and reach out to strip the clothes from both of them, but then Gann kneels in front of me. I gasp as his tongue explores me, one hand reaching up and teasing my nipple whilst Bishop lowers his head and draws the other into his mouth. I can feel the heat and hardness of him pressing against me as Gann's fingers enter me, sliding in and out and rubbing in places that send jolts shooting through me. When I am finally gasping for breath, every nerve in my body tingling and my knees feel weak, Gann rises. I slip my arms around him, lifting his shirt over his head and start to unfasten his breeches. Gann turns his back to me as he starts to remove Bishop's clothing. Bishop doesn't protest, but merely stands quietly as the shaman's deft fingers pull the laces from his shirt and remove it, exposing Bishop's muscled chest. Moments later all clothes are on the floor and we tumble towards the bed.
This was my first time in this situation. The kind of event I had fantasised about, but never had the courage or the opportunity to explore before now. Both men were focussed entirely on me, and although I got the feeling that Gann was far more open to experimentation than the ranger, he neither said nor did anything to make Bishop uncomfortable, rather focussing his attention on co-operating with Bishop to please me. I explored their bodies simultaneously, as legs and arms and flesh intertwined in a sinuous discovery of pleasure.
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
I wake up, my head spinning and my mouth dry. It's early; the light is still dim although I can hear birds singing outside the window. I close my eyes again as I feel faintly nauseous and recall all the wine I drank the night before. And then I recall the rest of the night and my heartbeat doubles in speed. My eyes snap open… and I sit up, perhaps a little too fast… oh, that was a bad idea…. I close my eyes and lie down again, trying not to throw up and ignore the dull ache at the back of my head. Eventually the worst of the nausea passes and I sit up again, slower this time and open my eyes. Clothes are strewn around the room and I turn to look at the sleeping figures beside me. Gann's face is relaxed, his long hair splayed out on the pillow, silken as always and he doesn't appear to have noticed my sudden movement. Bishop lies on the other side of me, his face creased in its usual frown and he mutters and twitches in his sleep.
I briefly wonder what everyone else will think, and then realise I don't really care. Last night was one of the best nights I've ever had. Apart from the excitement of the physical experimentation, to be able to have both of them there, not competing over me was fulfilling and I feel happy. I lie down again, my back to Bishops chest and he murmurs and throws his arm over me heavily. The bed isn't really big enough for three and so I have no trouble reaching out and putting my arm over Gann, who simply stirs slightly but again, doesn't wake. My thoughts turn again to the idea of the three of us, and I wonder if it can last… if there really is a future for all of us together… or if I will have to choose… and whom would I choose? Suddenly I realise that not only do I have to make a decision about Gann and Bishop… but… that it's over… the spiriteater is gone… and I have survived. Strangely I feel anxious. I have been following a cause, a quest for so long that now that I have nothing to do… something I have yearned for, for I don't know how long… I feel lost… Where do I go? Crossroad Keep? Neverwinter? West Harbor? Or… somewhere else… somewhere quiet, with no distractions… would Bishop follow me there? Would Gann? I close my eyes again… try to ignore my hangover… and slip towards sleep, my dreams troubled by images of my companions, past and present.
I awaken again a few hours later. The sun is slanting in through the window, and it's shining on the bed, making me sweat. I reach out and find my bed empty. I groan and open my eyes, anticipating the onset of the hangover again, but the few extra hours of sleep has made a world of difference. I feel groggy, but not sick anymore and once I have some coffee and some food in my stomach I know I'll feel substantially more human. I look around the room, and notice that it's empty except for me, the clothes that were strewn on the floor now gone. Bishop and Gann must be awake already. I wash, dress and make my way downstairs, trying not to make any sudden movements to set off my headache again.
I walk into the room to see Bishop and Gann sitting talking quietly at a table over cups of coffee. No one else seems to be up yet, and I wonder what time everyone else eventually stumbled to bed. They both look up as I walk in and twin smiles greet me, light and dark, yin and yang. I sit down at the table and take a sip of Bishop's coffee. He likes his the same way I do mine… black, one sugar.
The coffee has already made me feel a bit better. "Gods I needed that… where can I get a cup?" I ask.
"I'll get you one," says Gann, getting up. "Just a moment." He goes off into the kitchen in search of more coffee for me and I pass Bishop's mug back over to him. He cups his hands around it, warming them.
"So…" I say. Bishop looks up at me and smiles, tired but with a naughty look in his eyes.
"So…" he says back. I blush slightly but he says nothing. The silence stretches, but it isn't uncomfortable as we sit, both lost in our thoughts. Eventually he clears this throat. "So… I… uh, guess that the hagspawn isn't quiet as contemptible as I once thought…"
I laugh softly, still staring down at the table. "When will you learn to trust my judgement ranger…?" I look up to find him staring at me intently. He leans over and cups my chin, kissing me softly. "Probably never thief," he whispers. "But know that I'll always be here regardless." He rests his forehead against mine. "I can never forgive myself for what I did… but I'm willing to spend the rest of my faithless life making it up to you…" My heart starts beating wildly and I start as Gann puts my mug of coffee down on the table, even though he does so softly.
"Thank you," I say and he smiles gently at me. He sits back down and picks up his mug again, sipping slowly. Bishop's hand rests on my leg and we all sit in companionable silence, sipping our coffee.
"What are your plans now Sennah?" Gann asks, and peripherally I see Bishop look up, watching me, waiting for my response.
"I thought…" I stop. I don't really know what I thought. I don't know what I'm going to do. "I don't know," I admit. "I was hoping that uh… maybe one of you had an idea?" They exchange a look, and then Bishop looks at me.
"We thought, perhaps… you'd like to go back to Crossroad Keep? You do have rights to the land there after all, and I'm sure Kana and Nasher would be overjoyed to have you back there…" he says.
"I've thought about it," I admit. "But… I don't really know if I want to deal with all the responsibility of running the Keep… I thought… I don't know… that maybe I could go back to West Harbor," I say, a desperate note that I hate creeping in to my voice.
"Sennah," Gann says gently, "We all know that you'd be stifled in West Harbor. Not to sound cruel… but… most of the people you knew there were killed… do you really feel such a connection to the place, or was it perhaps the people that lived there?"
I say nothing, just stare into my coffee morosely. "He didn't mean to upset you love," Bishop says to me, I'm sure glaring at Gann as he says it. He places his hand over mine as it rests on the table.
I sigh, "I'm not upset…" I look up at the shaman, "and you didn't say anything wrong Gann… It's just that…" my voice breaks slightly and I flush, embarrassed, but not even Bishop sneers at me at this point. "It's just… I don't want people looking to me to always be the hero you know?" Gann reaches out and puts his arms around me as I suddenly break down and start crying. A part of me is mortified to be doing this, particularly in front of Bishop, but the bigger part of me that aches at all I've been through in the past months can't stop crying and I sob into Gann's shoulder as he merely holds me and kisses my hair. Eventually the sobs abate but I stay where I am, his arms around me.
"Sennah," Gann whispers, "destiny has plans for you…"
I hear Bishop's irritated grunt at this. I remember all he has done in order to help me carve my own fate and I can't help but agree with him for once. I break away from Gann's embrace.
"Destiny!?" I say, my voice too loud. "Destiny continuously tries to kill me and stop me living a normal life!" Gann doesn't flinch at my tone but merely sighs. He reaches over and takes my chin gently in his hand, forcing me to look at him.
"You can run from it all you want my love… you can go back to West Harbor, to Neverwinter, to Crossroad Keep, but it's always going to catch up with you." His voice takes on an urgent tone. "You've been marked for great things Sennah T'sha'balala, and nothing you do is going to change that. Your gods watch you, and use you. You can fight it, indeed both of us would love you to fight it…" Peripherally I see Bishop nod to himself, and I have to suppress a smile. "But the fact remains that they will find you… and eventually you will have to submit, even if it's merely to save your own life and the lives of the people you love…" He looks into my eyes, and I know what he says is true… but my head fights it. It's not fair! I think. Don't I deserve some rest after all of this? Some peace?
I look over at Bishop, who meets my gaze, his eyes anguished. "We could run Sennah… my offer still stands." I remember back to a time before the battle of Crossroad Keep. Bishop asked me to go away with him… to leave it all behind. I close my eyes. It's so tempting.
"They would keep coming…" I whisper.
"We would keep fighting…" he says, his voice, low, urgent, "Together…"
I am lost for words, my indecision crippling.
"Sennah…" the shaman's silken voice is soft. I turn to look at him. His eyes are closed, his face set in a mask of concentration as he searches for words. "Bishop and I talked about this while you were asleep. We disagree on the course of action that you should take…" My heart almost stops… it seems my decision is about to be made for me. My insides tremble and I suddenly feel sick again. The thought that I will lose one of them again is terrifying. "But we are agreed on one thing…" I wait, my heart now thudding painfully in my chest, "No matter what you decide, we will both be with you every step of the way." He opens his eyes and looks directly at me. I stare back disbelievingly. I turn to look at Bishop who gazes at me and nods.
"I won't lose you again thief, no matter what you think…" He smiles wryly. "Did you really think you would have to choose?"
I nod, a lump in my throat. Gann laughs softly. "I think we've come to an arrangement," he smirks and I blush again, not quite used to the idea that I can have both of them and they won't fight each other for me.
"So…" I say, finding my voice again. "What now?"
"I think Crossroad Keep would be a good starting point," Bishop says and then smiles thinly, "although I think you might have to convince most people there not to kill me first…" He grimaces and I sigh.
"I think that can be arranged," I smile, "I am a Knight-Captain after all." I drain the last of my coffee. "So I guess I should go get my stuff…" I sigh. "And say goodbye…" I whisper…
Both nod in agreement. I get up and then turn and kiss Gann on the lips, feeling the warmth of his skin against mine as he places his hand gently on my face. I pull away and turn to Bishop, whose mouth finds mine in the natural, familiar kiss I am so used to. I smile as I pull away and two faces grin wryly back at me.
"Meet you back here soon…?" and they both nod. I walk away, my heart light and a grin on my face as I go back to my quarters to collect my things and prepare myself for the journey and the inevitable goodbyes.
END
5
