Raven

Part 3

The 24th century is primitive, but it has its charms. I push the thoughts about the future aside, since I really can’t do anything about it. Andrei intrigues me, more than any other human before. Time magic is possibly the rarest magic one can possess, and he’s quite impressive for one so young. I guess that’s what you call a prodigy. If I’m being honest, though, it’s not his magic that has my pulse racing.

That sickly old man Andrei ran into in Stonehenge seems to have unsettled him quite a bit. He wanders along beside me, brow furrowed. The silence is deafening in these old woods. I don’t know what to say. We’ve been looking for some sort of shelter for nearly half an hour before I spot a building through the sparse trees.

“Over there. Let’s see if anyone’s home.” I suggest. The poor guy is still shivering, and I’m not sure how much longer he can handle the cold.

His head turns, and he forces a smile, “Looks like an old hunting cabin. Look, it’s got a hole in the roof. Air conditioning.” His joke falls flat.

I roll my eyes, “That’s the last thing you need. Let’s just hope there’s some dry wood inside.”

As we approach the house, Andrei motions for me to wait. I decide to humor him. He knocks on the door, waits a moment, then pushes it open. He goes in, and reappears after a minute with a silly grin and thumbs up. I follow him into the front door. The cabin just one big room, but there’s a fireplace with a stack of old wood in the corner.

He sets up a few logs in the hearth and looks for some flint. “How are we going to start the fire?”

“Allow me,” I smile, “Grab those blankets off the bed before you freeze to death.”

He trudges across the room, “I wish I had my bag. It’s loaded with tricks and things…” He picks up a thick, ratty wool blanket and wraps it tightly around himself. “How are you going to start that anyway?”

I hold my hand over the wood, calling upon the energy I’d gathered earlier and channelling some of it through my arm. As I snap my fingers, sparks leap onto the wood and a fire springs to life. Some of the flames lick the air near my arm, almost catching onto the green fabric of the borrowed shirt. I lean back and sit on the fur rug that covers the dirty floor.

His eyes narrow as he crouches in front of the fireplace. “Are you a mage? How did you do that?”

I shrug, “You don’t have to be a mage to use magic. Live long enough and you pick up little tricks.”

“What are you then? I haven’t heard of a mage who can heal with a kiss. Sounds an awful lot like dark magic, or demonic arts.” He glances over me, “You’re too pretty to be a demon.”

I don’t answer at first. What do you say to that? Funny story, but actually, I am a demon. Surprise! No. Instead I stare into the growing fire. “It’s complicated.”

“We’ve got time.” He hints, as he shuffles closer to me on the carpet.

I flutter my eyes to distract him, “I’ve hardly known you long enough to tell you all of my secrets, wouldn’t you say?”

A mischievous grin spreads across the young man’s face, “Well, you know one of mine, don’t you? I time jump, and it takes about two hours to recharge. Shall we have a contest?” He wiggles his eyebrows, “You start. If you can take my wounds, how long until they heal?”

He’s dangerously clever. I consider how to answer, before simply shifting to roll up the vibrant green sleeve on my right arm. His eyes grow wide and his jaw drops. He grabs my arm to look at it closer in the light. His hands are still ice cold, causing goosebumps on my skin.

“What? Already? It’s only been…” He pauses, “Not more than two hours!” His head bobs and he frowns, “Pretty impressive.”

“Your turn.” I watch his expression closely. He waits, big brown eyes innocent and curious. “Why did you kiss me?”

“Easy, because you kissed me first.” He winks, then adds, “It was payback.” His face turns a shade pinker.

I narrow my eyes, with a playful grin, “Let me get this straight, I kissed you to keep you from dying, and you kissed me for payback?”

“Right.” He croaks, nervously. He leans back, turning his face away. I wait. He avoids my gaze until he cracks under the pressure of the silence. “Okay, fine… Your eyes were just so beautiful in the lighting of the library. I wanted to feel your lips again, just to be sure it was real the first time…” His whole face burns bright red, from neck to forehead.

I find it hard to breathe. I didn’t know it was possible for a succubus to get butterflies. A voice in the back of my mind says he’s only saying these things because he can’t resist the pull of what I am, but it feels different with him. I’m not even trying to charm him. I feel quite out of my element, and it’s jarring.

“What?” He fidgets, “What, you don’t want the truth? Your turn. Why did you come looking for me? You didn’t even know I was a time mage, so why did you need me?”

It’s a good question, one I’ve been asking this whole time. “I don’t know.” I mumble, thinking back to what Danae said. “I went to an Oracle, and she told me to find a familiar face in an old library in Florence. I don’t really put much stock in seers, but… She was so specific.” I drop my gaze to the carpet. Now that I think about it, she didn’t say anything about him helping me find the others. Just that I needed to find him.

“An Oracle? Familiar? I’m pretty sure we’d have recognized each other if we’d met before. It unsettles me to know someone can know where I am at any time.” He shivers, “My turn?”

I blink, “I don’t think she knew where you were, but where you would be. It’s not that hard to believe we may have met at some point.” I dismiss, though I’m sure I would remember him. I think carefully about my next question, “You said the information in those old books is important to you, specifically. Why?”

“I’m searching for something. An answer.” His mood shifts, and he turns his attention to the blanket as he fiddles with the edge anxiously, “I need to know more about my magic. How I got it, why I have it, and if I really am the only one.” He glances up at me through his lashes. “Your turn. How old are you, really?”

I lean back on my hands and stare up at the ceiling, “It’s hard to say. There wasn’t really a coherent sense of time when I… came into being. Hell, I’m not even sure they’ve figured that out yet at this point.” I muse, looking around the shabby cabin.

“You’re older than Stonehenge?!” He coughs a little. "How do you manage, with the revolutions and the free time? People gotta know what you look like! I bet I can find a cute painting of you from the 1500's in Renaissance attire." He chuckles at the thought.

I laugh, “I bet you could, but you wouldn’t recognize me. I think I was a blonde then, with a rounder face. They had different ideals of beauty back then.”

He squints at me, lips pursed in thought. “Still cute. I’d still kiss you.” He glances over me again and frowns, “Okay, there’s no way you’re not freezing without a coat.” He scoots right up next to me, wraps the blanket over my shoulder, and pulls me tight against his side. “Better?” I nod once. He beams, “My turn.”

“How many more questions could you possibly have?” I tease.

His eyes alight with a hunger I’m all too familiar with, his lips lift at one corner into a crooked smile. “I could go on all night, beautiful.”

“Is that so?” I move so that my back is to the fire, and I can look at him face to face. “What else do you want to know?”

He reaches out and brushes the hair behind my left ear, “How slow would you like to go?” He asks, almost at a whisper.

“Slow?” I giggle, tugging at the zipper on my jacket, which looks surprisingly good on him. “Are you afraid?”

“No, not afraid.” The blanket falls away, and he slides his arms out of the sleeves, “I just needed to ask first is all.” He leans in to kiss my cheek, gently nibbling my ear as his hand cups around the other side of my face.

I roll my head to the side, bearing my neck for him. “You certainly are something else, Andrei.” I muse, “Unlike anyone I’ve ever met.”

He pulls back, eyes wide. “Did you want me to stop? I can stop.”

“Shut up.” I grab the collar of his shirt and pull him down to kiss me. He falls forward, shocked for a second. His hesitation disappears as he kisses fiercely. His hands slide down my arms until they find mine, and his fingers intertwine with my own. Then they move to my hips, and slide under the edge of my shirt. I tear at the buttons on his leather jerkin, until it too is discarded on the floor.

The young mage breaks away to catch his breath. “What shall we do first, milady?” He asks playfully.

I trace my fingers along his exposed collarbone, “Less talking. Show me what you can do, mage.”

*

The hollow sound of logs banging together invades my dreamless slumber. I don’t remember ever being so exhausted by one man, in all my years. I also don’t remember ever sleeping with a man I didn’t kill at the climax. Who knew they could go more than once? I sit up on the fur rug, wiping the crust away from my eyes. The rough woolen blanket was draped over me, and I hold it against my chest to keep the cold air at bay.

“Oh, sorry, did I wake you?” His voice sends a shiver down my back. I glance over my shoulder to see him at the door, taking off snowy boots. He picks up some logs and brings them over to the fireplace. I shake my head, watching him with a sense of awe. Where does he get so much energy?

“How do you feel?” I ask, wearily.

“Me? Well, you were amazing! I don’t think I could have asked for anything more. And you?” He blushes with a goofy smile.

“I’m good. You’re not so bad yourself.” His good mood is contagious. “I’ve never been with a man quite like you, I’ll be honest.”

“Oh, well thanks, I guess.” He blushes redder, “I have nothing really to compare with.” He turns away and focuses on the fireplace. “Why can’t I get this fire lit?!”

“Nothing to…” The reality of his implication dawns on me. I can’t breathe, and I cover my mouth with one hand. He seemed so confident, it never occurred to me to ask. My face burns red hot, “Was that… Your first time?”

“Y-yes…” He stammers, “I’m sorry.” He rubs his hands together, though I can’t say if its nerves or the cold. “This fire, eh, really don’t want to light.”

I drop my gaze to the logs. With a flick of my wrist, bright red flames appear. A touch of hellfire will burn much longer and hotter than normal flames. He flinches away from the sudden blaze. I can’t believe I didn’t notice. We’re not supposed to sleep with virgins, and Chosen are technically forbidden. I’m going to be in a lot of trouble if anyone finds out. At the same time, I don’t regret a second of it.

He smiles, “Thank you, for the fire, and the wonderful night.” He sits next to me, picks up my shirt and holds it out for me to take. “So, what’s our plan?”

“Plan?” I blink. “Oh… Um… Are you able to make the jump yet?”

“I should be. It’s been all night.” He glances at the shirt in my hands, “But maybe you should get dressed first.”

I chuckle, “You’re probably right.” For the first time, I feel self conscious. He turns away, as though to give me privacy. I drop the blanket, and put on my bra. Then I find my underwear. Once I’ve got those, I stand up to pull on my jeans, but as I fasten the button I catch the boy watching me. I narrow my eyes and smile. His infatuation is both flattering and frightening.

“Sorry.” He looks away, embarrassed.

“I don’t mind.” I laugh, and turn to grab my shirt off the chair where I put it.

Arms slink around my waist, hot breath on my ear. “It’s hard to resist… Do we have to go back now?”

I let out a ragged breath, unable to resist the surge that courses through my body. “No, but we can’t stay here forever. You’ll need food, and water.”

“I’ve lived in the past before. I’m sure there’s a nearby settlement we could visit. But I understand…” He sighs, “I’ll wait for you outside.” He winks, collecting his belt and heading out the door.

I watch the old door swing closed and shake my head. “What have I gotten myself into?”

By Krystyna and Kayla

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