Starry Nights
(A vignette from the Battle Lord Saga.)
They were half a day's journey from reaching Alta Novis.
Lying on her back, Atty could hear her husband caring for the small cooking
fire they'd made, keeping it fed to prevent them from becoming chilled before
sunrise. A smile curved her lips. Fat chance of that happening. The first thing
Yulen would do when he joined her in the bedroll would be to gather her in his
arms and spoon himself around her.
It wasn't
long before the battle lord made his way to where she lay. Removing his weapons
belt, he placed it on the ground, next to the bedroll, where he could easily
reach it if something threatened them. Ditching his boots, he crawled inside.
Strong arms slid around her waist, and slowly she was pulled into his embrace.
A mouth nuzzled behind her ear. "You're unusually quiet tonight," he
murmured, then placed a kiss on her earlobe.
"I'm
watching the sky," Atty whispered.
"Oh?"
Lifting an
arm, she pointed toward a cluster of bright spots almost directly overhead.
"It's hard to believe those are suns."
"That's
what I was taught, as well. We can't feel their warmth because they're too far
away, but we can still see their light."
"I
know that," she teasingly admonished him. "But I would rather think
of them as the souls of those who have died, the way some ancient cultures used
to believe."
"Hmm.
Haven't heard that one. So, everyone who dies becomes a star?"
"Yeah.
The story says when you die, your soul enters the heavens, and that's why
there's so many stars."
"Does
it also explain why some stars are brighter than others?"
One hand
was creeping across her waist, and fingers dipped between her belly and pants.
Already he was playfully attacking the soft nest between her legs. Atty smiled
again to herself. "You're making it difficult to think," she accused.
"Want
me to stop?"
She gave a
slight shake of her head. "No. And your other answer is yes."
"Yes,
what? I'm sorry. I'm having difficulty concentrating on what you're talking
about."
The fingers
dipped lower, lightly scratching her skin with his blunt nails as he neared the
juncture between her legs. In addition, his other hand had found one breast,
and was slowly massaging it while gently pinching the nipple. Atty could feel
the warmth of his body warming her in ways that would soon drive them both into
a frenzy.
"I
said yes, there is a reason why some stars are brighter than others. It has to
do with your deeds. How you behaved during your life here on earth."
"Mmm,
so the better the deed, the brighter the star?" His lips brushed her
shoulder as he adjusted himself behind her, until Atty could feel his erection
nudging between her thighs.
"Yeah.
Something like that."
She was on
the verge of turning over and pulling him on top of her when his caresses
suddenly stopped. With the fire a few feet behind him, she couldn't make out
his facial expression, but she could tell he was gazing upward.
"What?"
she prodded softly.
"Oh,
nothing."
"Yulen,
what are you thinking?"
After
another moment of silence, he lowered his face to kiss her. "I'm thinking
that maybe, perhaps maybe, might it be possible our stars will be close
together when we die? It would be a great comfort to me if I knew you were
there beside me for all of eternity."
Rolling
onto her hip so that she face him, Atty placed a hand on his scarred cheek.
Yulen dropped his gaze to the shadow that was his wife.
"Yulen,
I have no doubt whatsoever that not only will we be placed close together in
the heavens when we die, but that we may be two of the brightest stars up
there."
His chuckle
rumbled in his chest. "You think?"
"We
can only hope," Atty commented.
"As long as we can be together, or within sight of each other, spending eternity in the heavens does not frighten me."
Taking one
last glimpse of the night sky, Yulen moved over her, blocking her sight as he
sought her lips. "Neither does it frighten me, Atrilan. And I would not be
surprised if your star had a slightly blue-ish tint to it."
The remark
took her by surprise, and she started to laugh, but Yulen had already begun his
assault on her senses.
Let us be the stars in the heavens. Let us be
together forever, she silently prayed, and surrendered to her husband's
desires.
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