"Too bad," he said. "They're the only kind I've got."
"I disagree," she said. "You have been nothing but pleasant since you joined us."
Pierce shrugged. "Makes things easier, doesn't it?"
"It does. Your demeanor, those bright eyes - they are... magnetic."
Ess kissed him. Her move surprised him. It was masterful, full of grace, sweeping away his mind and his emotions like the waters of Flood Day. The fulness of her lips completed his, and he received the kiss hungrily.
Ess pulled back, and Pierce saw only the faintest impression of her face in the dark. Her white-painted eyelids glistened with the orange light of her orb. Before anything else could happen, Pierce dove back into her, arms drawing her close, lost in her thick robes. He felt her embrace, but couldn't feel her touch through his armor. He knew it must be awkward, but he had no intention of letting the moment go.
He explored her lips, her tongue. His hands begged him to wander but he kept them pressed against her lower back. Losing himself, he broke contact and kissed her cheeks. He'd been staring at them for days, imagining this. He felt them tense with a smile. He moved to the corner of her eye, that dark portal he'd so often wished to inhabit. He brushed her brow with his lips and kissed her forehead like a precious thing.
Ess put two fingers under his chin and drew his mouth back down to hers for one final kiss, then pushed him away gently. Pierce's heart and mind raced with frantic desire. Had he done something wrong?
"I've never -" he started, but she put a finger to his lips.
"It was lovely," Ess said. "But small servings leave the sweetest of aftertastes."
He couldn't see her smile, but he heard it. Something in him almost whined as she stood and moved away. He retained enough of his manhood to keep himself from begging like a puppy.
Ess floated into the darkness, her form limned by faint orange light. Pierce melted to the dry ground in euphoria.
He didn't fall asleep again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Scythia of Chasmreach
Thoughts of Axebourne kept Pierce company once the rush of Ess had ebbed away.
In just this span of days, the Cleaver had proven a worthy mentor, a shining beacon of good humor and better character. Pierce hesitated to allow himself thoughts of father figures, because that would mean thinking of his own. But he couldn't deny the sensation was there. Axebourne was simply a good man.
Which made it all the more difficult to watch Scythia deal with his death. She'd settled into warrior mode, leading the rest of them along in Axebourne's stead, stolid and reasonable, but her yellow eyes were far too bright and communicative. Pierce saw the pain, the red veins and the dark circles underneath. She was devastated by this.
Pierce almost pitied the enemy who had chosen to poke this particular mother dogran.
Pierce recalled Axebourne's admiration for his wife. Their short time in the fallen Grondell seemed an age ago now, but a rare moment of quiet while marching through the middle of nowhere kept playing in his mind.
They hadn't seen town or traveler in days, and Pierce had grown bored as usual. So, he'd sidled up next to Axebourne and caught the big man's attention.
"So, sir, I was wondering," Pierce said.
"Yes?" Axebourne said as he scanned the empty horizon.
"Well everyone hears all the tales about Gorgonbane, and you figure they're mostly true..."
Axebourne pulled a deep frown that made Pierce smile.
"... or all true, but maybe missing some details? You've filled in some of the gaps for me, and I'm thankful, but, I wondered if you'd share something I might never have heard before."
"Ho!" Axebourne bellowed. "The boy requests a tale, dear wife! How about we extoll the greatness of Scythia of Chasmreach?"
"Please don't," she said, but there was a hint of a smile on her face.
"She says that but she loves hearing my voice," Axebourne chortled. "She'll humor us, at least."
Axebourne cracked his knuckles as if that would help to warm up his vocal cords.
"So, have you heard the one about the Battle of Westchasm?"
Pierce nodded. Scythia had single-handedly held a chokepoint on the approach to the big town, sparing it a surprise assault by a band of brigands.
"Hmm, okay. How about the Sacking of Gunte?"
Pierce nodded again. Scythia had somehow infiltrated a troll fort called Gunte. She'd blown apart the gatehouse locking mechanisms and let a small mercenary army in to avenge raids on the nearby towns.
Axebourne hmmmed. He pinched the bridge of his nose, then barked "Hah! I've got it."
"I was waiting for you to get around to that one," Scythia said.
"Heh, look out boy. You're together this long, they start reading your mind," Axebourne stage whispered. "Anyhow, I doubt you've heard of the time Scythia saved Chasmreach, when she was only nine!"
Pierce's eyes lit up. That was a new one.
"By your leave, love," Axebourne said.
Scythia waved a hand. "You enjoy yourself, Axie."
"Scythia's father was the mayor," Axebourne said. "Always busy managing the state of the place - comings and goings, trade, defense. Scythia had made a habit of sneaking out after him whenever he went to his office, to practice her stealth. She would track him from parallel streets or alleyways, guessing when he might consider a detour, trying to get close if he stopped to speak with someone. This was without the Amulet of Silence, mind you."
Scythia fingered the silver chain at her neck.
"Well, of course, she was only a child, and one day, she finally got caught. She'd guessed her father was taking a detour toward one of his favorite bakeries and hung right to follow him at the next street. Yet there he was as she rounded the corner, in all his hard, long fatherliness."
"'Scythia!' he yelled at me," Scythia jumped in.
"Heh," Axebourne chuckled. "She always has to join in."
"'It's not safe for you out here!' he said. He knelt
