A/N: Good news, I'm back. Whew! This has been some year. I was so busy with work this summer that I didn't have time to write at all. After that, I discovered and became obsessed with the online series The Wandering Inn by Pirateaba. I honestly couldn't focus on anything else. It is the best fantasy series I have ever read. I highly recommend it to anyone that wants to read a truly epic fantasy. Anyway, now I'm back, and I will be posting new updates more regularly. Thank you, all my gentle readers who have stuck by me over the last months.

Chapter 36: Innuendo and Fleas

The first day and a half, they rode through the gentle hills of the Dalelands. The occasional farm along the road was well fortified with the farmer and his sons watching them warily as they rode past. Even announcing themselves as Harpers from the hall didn't improve their reception. The people of Shadowdale were a cautious lot with the mountains looming to their west. The farther south they traveled and the closer to the mountains, the fewer the farms they encountered.

The good weather and her good mood lasted through the first day, but well before they stopped for the night, she was sore from sitting in the saddle. Waking up to a cold drizzle the second morning only made things worse. Even Frost was plodding sedately along with her head down by the end of the day when the weather didn't improve.

After lunch the second day, the road left the dales to wind between sparsely covered foothills to the east and a dark forest to the west. When Violet asked why the mountains were to the east and not the west, Vorn explained that they were a spur of the Desertmouth mountains and that the forest to their right would give way to the mountains proper in another day of riding.

Grateful for the cover the forest offered from the constant drizzle, the company made camp that night under its canopy. Milya took the first watch.

Sometime during the night, Violet woke. Turning over, she stared at the fire. It had burned low and was little more than a bed of coals. Sitting up, she looked around for Milya and spotted her rolled up in her blanket nearby. So, who was on watch? She quickly counted the mounds that represented her companions and only counted four besides herself. Someone was missing. She wondered if she should wake someone or if she was just panicking for no reason.

Just as she made up her mind to wake Tamirell, a shape lumbered out of the shadows beyond the struggling fire. Tall and bulky, its torso appeared to have strange appendages. She opened her mouth to scream only to realize as it drew closer that it was just Tamival returning with an armload of firewood.

The elf crouched on the other side of the fire from her and lowered his burden. Glancing across at her crouched on her bedroll, he gave her a mocking smile. Swallowing back her embarrassment, she turned her back to him and lay back down, pulling her blanket up to her neck. She heard him chuckle as he fed the new wood to the fire.

Sleep alluded her. She was hyper aware of each movement he made, straining to hear even the smallest. She tried to stay still under her blanket so he would think she slept, but the very act of trying to be still made her want to fidget. All she could think about was what had happened in his room at the inn and how her heart had raced at his closeness. She had wanted nothing more in that moment than for him to kiss her and that thought sent pangs of desire through her entire body.

Realizing that trying to sleep was futile, she rolled over to face the fire again. Tamival sat across from her, the flames reflecting in his eyes as he watched her. They stayed that way for long minutes, just staring at each other with the fire between them, physically and metamorphically.

After a while, Tamival rose and came over to sit beside her.

"I can't sleep," she told him softly.

"I know," was his simple answer.

Violet sat up and wrapped her blanket around her, not daring to look at him.

"Why are you always so hateful to me?"

"I don't know."

He reached out and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her to his side.

"Go to sleep," he told her.

Sighing, she leaned against him, her head nestled between his arm and chest. Inhaling she smelled his woodsy scent and relaxed, enjoying the feeling of being in his embrace. She felt it when he also relaxed. When he reached up with his free hand and tucked an errant strand of her hair behind her ear, she smiled.

She woke up alone. The morning sun was just beginning to chase the darkness from the forest but wasn't strong enough to warm the air yet. Around her, the rest of her companions were in various stages of wakefulness. Tamirell stirred a pot over the fire as his brother skinned a small furry animal.

"Good morning," Tamirell greeted her. "Did you sleep well?"

She flushed at the simple question, looking down at her hands to keep from making eye contact.

"Yes. And you?"

Chancing a quick glance up, she caught his smile and his quick look at Tamival.

"Not as good as some, but well enough."

She blushed darker, the tops of her ears burning with heat.

"That's good to hear," she mumbled.

His grin grew wider at her discomfort.

"I don't think Tamival here slept very well at all. He's been complaining about his neck being stiff this morning."

"Shut up," Tamival told him. "Leave her be."

Her eyes darted to him, and she made a choking sound at the smile on his face. Getting up quickly she muttered something about nature's call and hurried away from the camp.

"Don't wander too far, or I'll sent Tamival after you!" Tamirell called after her then yelped as she heard a thud of something striking him.

Once out of sight of the camp, she stopped and leaned against a tree to get a grip on herself. She was acting like a blushing virgin, she berated herself. Nothing had even happened between her and Tamival, so what was she so flustered about?

Her eyes popped open at the sound of a twig snapping to see Tamival approaching. Knowing how stealthy he could be, she knew he did it on purpose.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm just being stupid," she admitted.

"You're not stupid," he frowned as he stopped within arm's reach of her.

"Since when?" she snorted. "I thought that was your favorite thing to point out?"

"When have I ever called you that?"

She pushed away from the tree to face him. Lifting her chin defiantly, she answered, "only every time you question whether I'm capable of taking care of myself. Every time you look at me and dismiss me. Every time you belittle me. That's when."

His brows drew down as his frown deepened, "is that how you see it?"

"Yes. And it hurts every time."

He looked down at the ground, considering her words.

"How do you see it?" she asked.

"I thought I was protecting you, but I guess I've been the stupid one," he admitted.

"Is that an apology?" she asked.

He nodded mutely and Violet supposed that was the best she was going to get from him.

"Look," she said, "this is ridiculous, don't you think? I'm 65 years old and you're even older. Why are we acting like inexperienced teenagers? There's an attraction between us, we both know it."

He looked up from his study of the ground, his eyes intent.

"So," she continued, plunging ahead before she lost her nerve, "we can either decide to act upon it or continue to ignore it. And I don't think ignoring it is working, do you?"

Her thoughts out in the open now, she waited for his response.

Instead of speaking, he closed the distance between her, leaning down to claim her lips. The feel of his firm, cool lips against hers and the smell of him swamped her senses. She automatically reached up and threaded her fingers through his hair, pulling him closer.

When he lifted her by the waist and pushed her back against the tree, pinning her between it and his body, she gasped slightly. Tamival immediately took advantage of her open mouth to taste her with his tongue. Her heart thundered in her ears as she returned the caress with one of her own, eliciting a moan from him.

Violet wrapped her legs around his waist for support and he pressed against her rubbing her core and sending stabs of exquisite pleasure through her. She whimpered into his mouth. Releasing her with one of his hands, he cupped her breast with it and squeezed gently, brushing his thumb across the taunt nipple through the cotton cloth. Her back arched to press her breast into his hand, and she caught his lip between her teeth, biting it teasingly.

A loud laugh from the campsite a few meters away made them draw back from their heated embrace. Both were breathing harder and flushed. Tamival leaned his forehead and against hers.

"This is not the place to do this."

She didn't want to agree, didn't want this to end, but he was right. Sighing, she nodded.

He gave her breast a last little squeeze, drawing a small moan from her, before releasing her and lowering her feet back to the ground.

"Later," he promised, his green eyes dark with desire.

"Later," she echoed.

Together they returned to the camp. When they stepped out of the forest, the others paused and looked at them knowingly. Violet could only imagine how she looked and blushed furiously before hurrying to her bedroll and starting to gather up her stuff.

Tamival went to crouch by his brother as he turned the squirrel on the fire.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Tamirell muttered to him just loud enough for Violet to overhear.

"Shut up," Tamival told him brusquely.

"I'm just saying I'd hate to have to stab you if you end up hurting her," Tamirell continued. "It would be a shame to become an only child."

"Why don't you worry about not burning the meat," Tamival growled.

"That's not this meat I'm worried about."

Tamival stood up abruptly and stalked away, leaving his brother chuckling at the fire. When he looked up and saw Violet staring at him, he gave her a smile and winked. Smiling back, she went back to packing up.

After their hearty breakfast of oats with honey and roasted squirrel, the group headed out. Frost was in good spirits since the drizzle had let up, tossing her head, and prancing with impatience at the group's pace. After fighting with her for a few minutes, Violet gave up and let her have her way and before long they were outpacing the others.

She expected to be called back to the group or chastised for riding ahead but was surprised when Tamival rode up beside her without comment. Smiling, she nudged Frost with her heels and the horse eagerly took off. Tamival kept pace with her and soon the rest of their companions were out of sight. Laughing at the simple joy of the ride, Violet couldn't help but enjoy the freedom of galloping headlong down the road.

Tamival spotted trouble before her as a man welding a sword stepped out onto the road in front of them. He grabbed Frost's reins and pulled both horses to a stop before they reached the man.

"Good Morn, travelers!" he called out to them in a deep, gravelly voice.

This close, Violet was startled to see that he wasn't human. Though the same height as the elf beside her, he was heavily muscled and probably weighed nearly twice as much. His skin had a strange gray tint, his nose was flattened and wide, and his ears long and pointed much like those of the horse under her. The most distinct feature, though, was his mouthful of long pointed teeth that protruded past his dark lips.

Beside her, Tamival drew his sword.

"Go back and get the others," he told her.

"Aw now," the creature said, feigning sadness, "don't be like that. I'm just being friendly."

Violet didn't want to leave Tamival alone, but she figured he could handle one opponent. Just as she thought that, though, two human men stepped out into the road on each side of the creature.

"My friends and I have a wager," he continued.

Violet started to turn Frost, but another human man and a female version of the creature blocked the road behind them.

"We're betting how much meat your little woman has on her bones and if it tastes as sweet as elf flesh," he finished with a vicious smile.

Without warning, his four companions rushed towards Violet and Tamival. One of the humans reached Tamival and swung his sword, but the elf maneuvered his horse to stay out of reach. Unfortunately, that put him within the reach of the leader of the gang and he took a nasty hit to his leg, parting the leather easily and leaving a long slash down the outside of Tamival's thigh.

Violet turned to face the oncoming female creature and successfully dodged her swing. She prayed to her goddess that the others would come quickly. They were badly outnumbered.

Blood flew as Tamival pivoted Belia to avoid a fumbling attempt at the other man to stab him. He followed the move with a chop of his sword to the man's neck, nearly severing his head. As the body dropped to the ground, he turned to face the leader with a snarl.

The thug from behind them swung at Violet, but Frost deftly sidestepped, taking her out of harm's way. Violet unleashed a new spell on him in return.

"Èist fleasgaichean!"

The man flinched and dodged backwards away from her, throwing his arms up to protect his face. When nothing apparently happened, he dropped his arms and laughed.

"Ha! You missed, Bitch!"

"Did I?" she asked.

The man took a step forward, then tilted his head and twitched. He raised a hand and scratched his groin area then twitched again. He scratched more frantically and used the other hand to scratch his neck. Within seconds, he was clawing at his body.

"Gah! What did you do to me?" he yelled.

"I just gave you what all vermin have," Violet smiled. "Fleas. Have fun with that!" she laughed.

Tamival laughed with her while fending off a thug. His horse delivered a nasty kick to the man's off shoulder. Then he had to direct all his attention to the leader of the gang. The creature swung his sword, barely missing the elf but cutting open the saddlebag on that side.

The female creature didn't fare much better when Nori appeared and latched onto her head with claws extended and bit her on the crown. She stumbled backward, tripping over the flea infested man who was rolling on the ground screaming.

While both creatures were off balance, both Violet and Tamival struck. Tamival got two good hits in on the leader before he regained his balance, leaving deep cuts across his shoulder and sword arm. Violet used her ring for the first time.

"Èist rionnag bhròg!"

A ball of crackling lightning over a meter across appeared between her and the female creature. With a mental command, Violet 'pushed' it until it touched her. The female screamed as the ball discharged itself into her. As she toppled to the ground, still alive, but smoking and charred, Violet kicked Frost into motion and galloped back down the road towards the rest of the group.

She didn't get far before they rode into view, weapons raised. Tamirell and Osvif had their bows ready and unleashed their arrows in quick succession. The remaining human thug crumpled with two arrows protruding from his chest.

The leader of the group threw himself at Tamival with a roar, landing another blow that drew blood. The female creature, recovered somewhat from her near electrocution, heaved herself off the ground and stepped forward to meet the group with a snarl on her burnt face.

Milya flung herself from her mount when she was close enough and clashed with the female with her swords flashing in the morning light. The creature was taller and stronger, but she was seriously injured and nowhere near as fast as the half-elf. Milya landed three blows before her opponent even swung her at her.

Vorn was right behind her, though his dismount wasn't nearly as graceful at Milya's. His target was Tamival's foe. Unlike the female, the leader moved as if he was unaffected by his wounds. He parried Vorn's axe with his sword, swatting it aside easily. Osvif and Tamirell circled the three, looking for an opening for their arrows.

Violet stayed on Frost but watched for her chance to aid Milya should the fighter require it. From the looks of it, though, Milya wouldn't need any help. The female was bleeding from multiple wounds and was struggling to stay upright. Milya darted inside her guard and scored a deep slash to her abdomen. The creature stopped, stunned, and dropped her sword. She stood for a moment staring down at the wound, then her eyes rolled back into the head, and she toppled forward.

The leader was holding his own against Tamival and Vorn and showed no sign of slowing down, though he sported three arrows in his back and shoulder as well as numerous wounds. Tamival used Belia to his advantage, keeping the leader off balance in his attempts to stay out of the way of the horse's hooves. Vorn stayed behind him, denying him the chance to recover completely. Together, the pair wore him down, inflicting more damage than they received.

Realizing that he was on the losing end of the fight, the creature roared his anger at the pair and barreled forward, slamming into Belia with his shoulder, knocking the horse off balance with his weight. As her feet went out from under her, she pitched forward to stay upright. Tamival managed to stay on her but was forced to drop his sword and hold on with both hands, leaving him defenseless. The creature raised his sword to deliver a killing blow.

Violet shrieked from her horse, but there was no spell at her disposal that would not hit both combatants. All she could do was watch in horror.

The blow never came. Two arrows pierced the creature's throat almost simultaneously, one from each side. He fell backwards into the road and lay still.

Violet slid off Frost and raced to Tamival as he dismounted. Flinging herself at him, she sobbed with relief.

"I thought you were going to die!"

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"Now you know how I feel," he said into her hair.

After a brief conference, they dragged the bodies off the road and into the forest a little way. Nearby, they found the group's campsite. There wasn't a lot of use, but they found two potions that they couldn't readily identify. Bundling them up, they joined the others in Violet's bag. The rest they left.

The flea infested bandit they left sobbing on the side of the road.

They traveled farther down the road before stopping again to tend to everyone's wounds. Tamival had gotten the worst of it, the gash on his thigh was deep, though not life-threatening. It still needed to be cleaned and closed to keep out infection. Milya had several minor cuts and bruises that she cleaned herself and Osvif helped her wrap. Belia had a long, shallow cut down her flank that Tamirell took care of while Violet tended to his brother.

After cleaning and wrapping the cut on his arm, Violet turned to his leg. The cut was as long as her hand and went all the way through the layers of skin and into the muscle underneath. Pouring clean water from a nearby creek and picking out bits and pieces of his leather leggings, she washed it out as best she could.

"There, I think that's as clean as it's going to get," Violet announced, sitting back on her heals.

Tamival had stripped off his leggings, leaving just his tunic for modesty – more for Violet than his. Kneeling beside him, she was acutely aware of how close she was to certain parts that were barely covered. She had to admit she was curious about what lay beneath.

The elf cleared his throat, startling her out of her musings with a wry smile. She blushed and reached for the sewing kit that lay next to her and busied herself preparing the needle and thread.

"Are you sure you don't just want to drink one of the potions instead?" she asked.

"We might need them later for worse injuries, so we need to conserve them as much as possible."

She shook her head, "I can't imagine what you would consider worse than this. It looks pretty bad to me. I know I wouldn't want to travel with it."

"I'm tougher than I look," he told her.

"No, I think you're just stubborn," she snorted.

"Then I'm the perfect match for you," he teased.

"I'm not stubborn!" she protested.

He raised an eyebrow at the statement, a gesture that lost much of its impact with him laying prone.

"Ready?" she asked, holding up the needle and thread. "Last chance to change your mind about the potion."

"Go ahead."

"I'll try to be as gentle as I can."

"Isn't that my line?"

She blushed again, "shut up."

He chuckled and closed his eyes, "do your worst."

After a few minutes, he was gritting his teeth and pale.

"Gods, woman!" he ground out between his clenched teeth. "What are you doing, embroidering flowers in my skin?"

"No," she replied calmly. "I thought butterflies were more fitting for you."

"Are you almost done?" he asked.

"Almost, just a couple more stitches," she promised.

Once she finished, she wrapped the wound snuggly, again trying not to ogle parts of him that were uncovered during the process. By the time she was through, though, any questions she might have had about his 'attributes' were thoroughly answered. As he pulled a clean pair of legging on, he grinned at her.

"Do you want one last look, or are you good?"

She didn't think she could blush any redder, but somehow, she managed to find a new shade bordering on purple.

Fully dressed once more he kissed her on the top of the head. "You can look all you want, you have only to ask," he told her in a low voice.

She peaked up at him, "I do have one question."

He moved closer and ran a hand down her back, making her shiver, "I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Do you shave?" she whispered. "I mean," she gestured, "down there?"

He busted out laughing. "No, that's completely natural. If you don't believe me, ask Tamirell."

"Ask Tamirell what?" the elf in question asked from behind Violet.

She glared at Tamival and muttered, "nothing," before stalking away.