Chapter 21

As she walked out of the temple, everything felt so surreal. The night seemed almost too bright. The air was cold, but she hardly noticed. She was aware Aron and the other guards had come close to them, but all Eleri could focus on was Conri as she walked by his side. Something had changed while they were in the temple. Her whole world felt like it had shifted in some way and left Conri in the center of it all.

“Is all well?” asked Aron as they came close to him.

Eleri blinked rapidly and looked at the man, trying to find her voice. How should she answer? In truth, everything was as it should be. They had gotten what they came for. Their prince had been blessed with the moon crown, but she couldn’t say all was well. Not with the feelings that tumbled around inside of her.

“Everything went according to plan, Aron,” said Caerwyn. “Our prince was crowned just as we all knew he would be.”

“Should we head back then?”

Conri looked down at Eleri. She still held onto his arm and could tell his breathing was heavy and fast. He shook his head. “No. We are in a safe area, are we not? Let us rest here for the night and continue in the morning. I think I need some time to work through my feelings.”

He pulled Eleri slightly towards him, and her body rested against his. She felt a shock of desire and longing flow through her, making her give a small gasp.

“Caerwyn?” asked Aron.

“You heard your prince. I believe he has made a wise choice. Let us set up a short way from the temple. I think we all could use some time. We will leave just after first light.”

Aron nodded and turned to walk back to his guards to give them instructions. Eleri reluctantly let go of Conri so she could make her shelter. He stared at her for a moment before she turned from him. She stumbled slightly, walking away, feeling the loss of his presence. She moved to the edge of a line of trees to find all she needed to work. She raised her hand and felt her magic ignite within her. It was as strong as she had ever felt it. It swirled around her, making her feel powerful.

She quickly put together a good-sized shelter as sticks and stones formed together to make the walls and floor. Brightly covered leaves flew down from the trees and covered the top. It took no time at all to put up the shelter. Usually, it took her much longer to make everything come together, but that night her power seemed almost doubled.

She looked over her shoulder to see Caerwyn and Conri helping the guards to set up the tents. She moved her fingers around, feeling power pulsing through them. Turning, she walked over to the men and held up one of her hands.

“Stand back for a moment, all of you, please,” said Eleri in a loud voice.

They all stopped what they were doing and looked at her.

“Eleri, what are you going…,” started Caerwyn, but she cut him off by waving her hand.

The tents moved by themselves, the wooden poles sticking in the ground and the canvas laying perfectly on top.

They all looked at her as she smiled at them before turning away. She walked into the gathering of trees to be by herself. She was too full of everything at the moment. Her power pulsed through her making her feel as though she could not stand still. Her desire for Conri was shockingly strong, though she supposed if the opportunity presented itself, she wouldn’t mind having Caerwyn either. They were dangerous thoughts that ran through her head, and she needed to forget them.

She looked around and saw that she was very much alone. Moving behind a grouping of three large trees, she reached behind her and waved her hand, causing the ties on her dress to come undone. She stepped out of it and hung it on a low branch of the tree. She leaned down, untied the lacings on her boots, and pulled them off, leaving them by the tree. She checked over the bite marks on her leg. She could see where blood had run freely for a while, but it had stopped. There was some bruising, but it would all heal nicely. Later, she decided she would put something on it to help it along.

She stood up fully and looked up at the full moon. She turned in its light for a moment, feeling its power before reaching down and pulling the simple shift she still wore over her head. She stood naked for a moment in the moonlight before she closed her eyes and let her wolf have her way.

She shook out her russet color fur and twitched her tail as she looked up at the light of the moon. She let out a howl at the feeling of freedom that enveloped her. She took off on her small paws running in between the trees, circling around the temple, and trying to keep within the wards she sat up earlier. It felt so good to think of nothing but the cool air that ran over her, the moonlight above her, and the hard ground under her.

She ran until she came to a steep hill behind the temple. She bounded up it, climbing until she reached the top to see it looked out over another valley and to the mountains beyond. She stood still and let the slight breeze that blew ruffle her fur. She sniffed the air taking in the scents of dying leaves, evergreen trees, and the river that ran nearby. As she turned, she picked up a new scent. One that made her slightly shiver in anticipation. She watched as a large gray wolf came up the hill, his tail held high.

They stared at each other before a moment before Eleri did the closest thing a wolf could do to smiling and took off past him. She flew down the hill and back into the trees. She could hear the gray wolf behind her that was the prince running after her. She weaved in between trees, running one way and then another to try to keep him well behind her. Once she got back close to her clothes, she circled around to the grouping of three trees. She looked around and sniffed. She could not see him, and his scent was very faint.

Quickly she shifted before picking up her white shift. She threw it over her head and shimmied it on. She reached for her dress when two hands grabbed her waist from behind. She glanced over her shoulder to see Conri move up behind her as he pulled her to him. He was wearing only his pants and seemed unaffected by the cool air of the night.

She leaned back against him, liking the feeling of his warm body against hers. He bent down and kissed her bare shoulder as one of his hands moved up her body over the thin material of her shift. She sighed in approval and leaned further into him. His kisses went from her shoulder to her neck. She bent her head over to give him access as she felt his tongue dart out against her skin, making her moan.

As he continued to kiss her neck, one of his hands crept up until it caressed her breast. She arched up slightly against him and could almost feel the smile on his lips against her skin. She reached back and placed her hand on the back of his upper leg, pulling him flush against her. As he continued to caress her breast, she slid her hand from the back of his leg to the front until she could feel his manhood under the material.

He groaned her name quietly in response as she rubbed against the pants, feeling him grow larger. His hand, which had stayed on her hip, moved slightly lower, gathering up the material of her shift. She felt the night air hit her upper legs as his hand slipped under the thin material brushing against her sex up to her lower stomach. Her hand on him stopped for a moment as she shuddered from his touch.

She turned her head, and he captured her lips. He kissed her ardently as his hand moved back down her stomach to touch her. She gasped against his lips, but he did not relinquish them. He deepened their kiss as his touch circled her center. She let go of him as he pulled her completely against him, and she could feel his large member press on her.

His touch was light and skilled, and she moaned against his mouth as her pleasure built. He moved his hand on her breast up to the shoulder of her shift, slipping it off her shoulder so he could touch her with no barrier. He gently grabbed her breast, letting her hard nipple rest between two of his fingers. She writhed against him as he finally moved from her lips back down to her neck.

He increased the pressure on her center as he let his teeth graze her neck. She wished he would just take her there. She was in a state of such pleasure and agony. She wanted release, but she also wanted to be filled by him. She reached back and held on to him as he continued to raise her desire. He kissed a long line up her neck to her ear.

“Eleri,” he whispered. “You are so lovely.”

She tried to say his name, but he shifted his fingers slightly, and it caused her to reach her peak. She shuddered against him as she cried out, seeing her breath in the still, cold night air. He drew out her pleasure, gently circling his fingers around as she trembled against him.

He finally let her go, and she turned to face him. She leaned up and kissed him, placing her hands on his bare chest. She wanted him. It was more than that; she needed him. Her hands went down his chest to the waist of his pants. She worked to undo the tie on them when they both turned at the sound of a howl in the distance.

Eleri knew the howl, and it seemed Conri did as well. He closed his eyes and groaned in frustration. The howl echoed again, and Conri stepped back as Eleri put her hands to her side.

“We have to go,” said Conri. “Dress quickly, and we will walk together.”

She nodded as he walked away. She put on her dress, using a bit of magic to lace up the back. Once her boots were on, she walked out of the trees to find a fully dressed Conri waiting for her. They journeyed quickly together, Conri knocking low branches out of the way. Once they reached the temple grounds, they hurried over to where Aron and the guards were gathered.

As they came near the group, Eleri looked over to her right to see a large black wolf lying on the ground dead. There was a bite mark on its neck, and blood still poured from it. She ran forward, suddenly fearful that something had happened to Caerwyn. Pushing through the guards, she got to the front to stand next to Aron. There she saw Caerwyn in his white wolf form, standing over a smaller brown wolf. Caerwyn’s teeth were bared as his head bowed down low to the throat of the brown wolf.

As Conri and Eleri walked forward, he looked up. Seeing them, he back off of the brown wolf, sitting back and looking at Aron.

Aron placed his sword at the brown wolf’s throat. “Don’t be shy. Go on and shift unless you wish us to force it out of you.” He glanced at Eleri, and she understood his meaning. She put a hand forward, ready to perform the necessary spell.

The brown wolf shook his head before bowing it. He shifted quickly into a thin naked man with tousled brown hair. Caerwyn walked over to his tent as Eleri watched the man on the ground with her hand out.

“Who are you?” asked Aron.

“Does it matter? I am a dead man, and my name will not change it.”

“Perhaps not your name, but your story might,” said Eleri. “How did you get past my wards?”

The man laughed. “I cannot tell you that, my lady. If I did, I would be just as dead by someone else’s hand than yours.”

Eleri and Aron exchanged looks. “What can you tell us then? Surely you have something to say in exchange for your life?”

The man was silent.

“Very well,” said Aron as Caerwyn walked to them, pulling on a shirt. “Would you like the honor of finishing him off, Caerwyn? Perhaps we should let the prince do it.”

Eleri looked at Conri, who was standing next to her. He merely stared at the naked man on the ground.

“There are more people than you know on the side of Lord Fellen,” said the man. “Perhaps I could give you a few names.”

“How could we trust you were telling the truth?” asked Caerwyn.

“I am sure Lady Eleri can do something to see if I am telling the truth. Unless we have been misinformed of her powers.”

“Tell us some names then,” said Eleri as she held up her hand to see what she could pick up in his mind. She was never much of a mind reader, but she was decent at seeing falsehoods from those with weak wills. “If I believe you are lying, I will kill you myself.”

“Lord and Lady Vass have visited the silver palace many times. I believe they have even passed some information about Lord Cadwin.”

Caerwyn looked at Eleri, and she gave a small nod. She wondered what had been said about her father. She worried about him, hoping he was staying safe at home. “Is that all you have to say?”

“Collin MacGill and his new wife have pledged their loyalty to Lord Fellen. They have been trying to befriend several ordinaries, believing the prince is staying with one of their families. They hope to find out who and receive an invitation. I believe they are at a house party right now trying to get information.”

“Do you know what house party?” asked Eleri.

“I think I heard the name Flint,” said the man.

Eleri gasped slightly and looked at Caerwyn. Lady Havens had been a Flint. They were visiting some of her family at the moment. Could it be the same house party?

“Is that enough to buy my life?”

Caerwyn gave a harsh laugh and started to speak before Conri raised his hand. “Has he told us good information?”

Eleri glanced at Caerwyn before answering. “I believe he has, your highness. He has given us names of several families we thought were on our side.”

“First Advisor, in your opinion, is it enough to grant him his life for tonight?”

“It is hard to say, your highness. How can we release him without knowing if perhaps others are around.”

“They aren’t,” said the man from the ground. “It was just Jer and me over there.” He nodded toward the dead wolf. “We weren’t supposed to come so close. It was stupid. We were just supposed to see what we could about what went on in the temple. We were supposed to report back to….”

“To whom?” asked Caerwyn. “If you really want to secure your life, tell us who sent you here. Was it Lord Fellen himself?”

“I have never spoken to Lord Fellen,” said the man.

“Then tell us who sent you,” said Aron.

“I cannot,” said the man in obvious pain. “I have been cursed. If I speak the name, I will die right here. I promise.”

“Eleri, is there a way you could confuse him? Could you send him away from here, forgetting where he saw us?” asked Conri.

“I believe I can. He will still remember that he saw us, but he will not know where.”

Conri nodded. “We will let him go then.”

“Prince Conri, I am not sure this is a good idea,” argued Caerwyn.

“We asked him to give us good information in exchange for his life. He has done that. If we do not keep our word, what does that say about us? We wish to make a better way than Lord Fellen offers. We must follow that way.”

Eleri looked at the prince with a little wonder. He seemed so different since gaining the blessing from the goddess. “I believe he is right, Caerwyn, and he is truly our prince. We must listen to his commands when he gives them.”

“Make sure you do what you can to confuse, Eleri,” said Caerwyn with irritation.

She nodded and held out her hand. “You will shift and run back to your master, whoever it is, and you will not know where you have come from or what happened to your friend.”

“Whoever your master is, make sure they know he or Lord Fellen will not lay one finger on our prince,” said Caerwyn.

The man sat up as Aron took his sword away. He smiled. “Whoever said Lord Fellen wants anything to do with the prince?” The man looked Eleri up and down before shifting and running away through the trees. She watched him go before turning to the three men next to her. Every one of them was looking at her with the same look of worry.