All the characters involved in sexual activity in this story are over eighteen. Trigger warning: there's a little bit of reluctance involved. This is my first, so please try to be gentle. Don't be too soft though, I like things a little hard.
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"Someone help me."
The desperate cry pierced the night. I had been pulling back my coverlet, about to climb into bed. Now I stopped and listened.
"Is there anyone in there?"
I realized the person calling could see my house and would eventually find their way here. I was dressed in only light sleeping clothes, but they would have to do.
I felt for the lock in the dim light. I could see through the window that my summoner bore a torch, and the desperation I'd heard in the person's voice told me I had no time to light one. Finally, I found the lock, and turned the key, thanking Tosàn I'd left the key in the lock. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out into the night.
It was a cold and breezy one. The chill was worsened by the insubstantal clothes I wore. The moon was full and shining brightly. Now that I was outside, it provided enough light for me to see the path that led to the person calling. The winds carried the clay-and-smoke taste of the Harmattan. The chirping of crickets filled the air, and dry leaves crunched underfoot as I walked. The sparse forest that surrounded my house seemed slightly foreboding, and I walked quickly towards the light in the distance.
The call came again, low and desperate.
"Hurry, please."
It meant the person could see me and knew I was coming.
I couldn't tell the sex of the speaker. Something in the voice made me break into a run, the leaves complaining loudly beneath me. I came to a stop within the circle of light, then bent over, gasping slightly. After a few seconds, I looked up and registered that the caller carried not a torch, but a ball of light. I stepped closer to take a closer look at the person, then noticed the man on the floor.
All thoughts of the light forgotten, I dropped to my knees to take a closer look at him. Even though he was obviously hurt, he was breathtaking. His face was a study in light and shadow, with a strong jaw and sinfully long lashes. His eyes were warm chocolate and molten gold - Mage eyes, they were called. The Perceptive in me could feel the power pouring off him in waves, even as my Healer pegged that he'd been poisoned. His hair was straight and jet black, barely brushing the tips of his ears.He was big; tall with lean, hard, muscular arms.
"We need to get him to my house," I said urgently to his companion, who had been kneeling, bent over, beside him. The person stood, and even in the light from the ball that floated over our heads, I could not tell if the person was male or female. On closer inspection, I was certain the person was male.
He was almost as tall as his wounded friend, with pale, almost white hair that hung to the nape of his neck. His face was heart shaped and narrow jawed, his nose celestial. His skin was the colour of black ash; coal with gray undertones.
He nodded wearily, lips tightly pursed in a troubled face. His pale blue eyes were dull with exhaustion. He stood with an effort, then spread his arms out, palms up. He raised his arms slowly, and the unconscious man began to rise. I looked at the sphere of fire above us, obviously the work of a fire Elemental, then at the levitated man that was now floating at my chest level.
Only Elementals and mages could levitate people wordlessly, as he had just done. This man was a Dual Elemental, or Duo for short. It was common knowledge that people who controlled more than one element were to be mistrusted, and I wondered if I was doing the right thing by inviting these people into my house. I looked at the injured man again, and all hesitation fled.
"This way," I told him, and jogged ahead briskly. I got to the door first, though the man was not far behind. I had just enough time to pull the covers off my bed, which I'd been about to climb into before the call came. The ball of light floated in first, lighting up the house, closely followed by the unconscious man. The elemental strode in last. My house was slightly bigger than a cottage, but it looked better on the inside.
I had an affinity for pretty things, so I'd filled the house with paintings, pottery and needlework given to me by grateful villagers I had helped. I'd taken care not to make the house look too cluttered. The effect was nice and homely.
The stranger was not in the mood to appreciate his surroundings. He directed the levitated man over to the bed and set him down. He snapped his fingers and the ball of light broke up into a million fragments. They swirled around the house, lighting every lamp I possessed, then disappeared.
He turned to me and said desperately,
"Can you help him?"
"What poison was used?" I asked, striding around the room. I pulled tiny bottles and bags out of different cupboards and set them down on the table near the bed.
"I do not know. It came as shards of black ice that melted into his skin. There was no residue for me to examine."
I sighed inwardly. So this was one of those. Healing unidentifiable maladies was a very draining and personal process; one that I was not so sure I wanted to embark on. Poisons were even worse. The man looked almost too far gone. I would have to pull him back from the brink of death, a very tasking and risky process. The was no guarantee that I would be able to cure him. Most importantly, I needed to make my price clear.
"Listen," I said sharply, already making a mental list of the things I would need, "I don't know who you are, or what helping you is going to cost me. What you're asking me to do is not easy, and when I finish, I will demand payment. I will also want answers to the numerous questions I have."
I stared into the unreadable blue eyes, and said with more certainty than I felt.
