Next
Taking a chance, she looked down at the ground below.
Far below. Too far below. And there was absolutely nothing between her and the ground nearly a hundred feet below. She immediately closed her eyes, screwing them tightly shut. Her legs slowed their pedaling and then stopped completely.
Without the young Prime's powerful legs pedaling, the engine was producing no power. As the aircraft started to lose power --- and with it, precious altitude --- Velder yelled at Leysen to get her attention. When that produced no response, he reached over and tapped her on the shoulder. Still getting no response, he balled up his fist and struck her.
His feet and his other hand continued to work the controls, but the plane banked and continued to lose altitude.
Continuing to yell at her, he struck her harder and harder, until his hand was beginning to hurt from the impact against her shoulder. Finally, she turned her head and looked at him.
The world seemed to tilt around Leysen, and there was something striking her shoulders. At the same time, she realized that Velder was shouting at her. Opening her eyes, she turned her head to look at him.
"Keep pedaling!" he was shouting, his voice barely carrying to her through the slipstream.
Her legs took up the work even before she realized that she had stopped pedaling during her brief panic attack.
She turned her head back to the front. The sight of the fast approaching trees lent additional power to her legs. With the additional power, Velder was able to pull the nose up and skim over the treetops.
Barely. Now she was looking at nothing but sky.
They were flying! Really flying!
Guiltily, she remembered that she'd had her doubts about this entire project. It had taken several attempts to produce a mechanism strong enough to withstand her legs while being light enough to suit Velder.
It was nearly a minute before she dared to look down again. They were even higher than before; she estimated their altitude at nearly two hundred feet. And the ground was getting further away with each passing second.
Wrenching her gaze from the ground, she forced herself to focus on her hands clenching the handlebars in front of her. Taking a series of deep breaths, she continued to pedal.
Looking up from her hands, she focused on a distant cloud. She knew that it had to be her imagination, but the cloud seemed to be coming closer. Then the entire world spun around and she had to turn her head to keep the cloud in sight.
Below her, treetops seemed to whiz by, though she knew that they weren't actually going very fast. Then, going over a low ridge, they were approaching the river. She could see the fruits of Velder's other major project down below, the row of wooden waterwheels lining the riverside.
Most of them were used for grinding grain, sparing the females from hours of labor on their knees with round stones. Leysen had managed to avoid spending much time on that, first by working in the kitchen and then in the smithy.
Another waterwheel pumped fresh water directly to the village, saving additional labor. Though now, much of that water went to the expanded smithy, busily turning out new steel blades for the warriors as smiths from all over Turea came to learn the techniques from Leysen.
Then they were over the river. Fields of kif were ripening. Hurjas grazed in the pasture, unaware of the aircraft flying over them.
The herders were not so oblivious, looking up in alarm and pointing, some of the warriors even drawing their swords. Even though they had been told that Velder was working on a device that would allow him and Ley to soar through the air like a bird, they seemed to be unprepared for the actual sight.
A train of hurjas carried sacks of rocks from the iron mines. Thick smoke spiraled out of the new smokehouse beside the trail.
Up here, with nothing but blue sky, it was hard to think of warfare. Everything looked so peaceful from up here. She thought that she was beginning to understand why Velder loved flying so much.
Then she felt her stomach lurch again as the ground wheeled under her, Velder turning the craft around to return to his 'airfield.' Tillek hadn't needed to insist on keeping the initial flight short; Leysen wasn't sure how long she could keep pedaling, and Velder just wanted to prove the concept. Crossing the river again and then the ridge, Leysen saw the grassy field below.
In some respects, the landing was going to be the most difficult part of the flight. Velder had coached her on what she needed to do, but naturally they hadn't been able to actually practice it. Concentrating, she waited for his signal.
The ground rushed up at them. Much too fast. They were going to crash!
My second flight with him, the thought came unbidden, and we're going to crash just like the first time.
Just as she was about to tear herself away to shield him with her own body, the nose came up a little and he gave the signal. She stopped pedaling and moved forward in her seat, letting her legs hang down below the keel while her hands tightened on the handlebars.
The takeoff was completely up to Velder, since she had to provide the motive power. Much of the landing would be up to Leysen and her much stronger legs.
The nose came up a little more as Velder dumped airspeed. Then her feet touched the ground. She took a dozen running strides before bringing their forward progress to a halt and easing the craft to the ground. She then sagged back onto her seat.
They were finally back on the ground. Even though the flight had only lasted a few minutes, it took Leysen a few seconds to get accustomed to it again. It felt good to have Velder's strong hand on her arm helping to steady her as she climbed out.
"How did it handle?" Tillek had run up to them and was already asking questions, all but ignoring Leysen.
"It was okay, once I got used to it," Velder answered. "She doesn't handle like anything else I've ever flown. But then, I've never had an engine quite like her before, either." Both men laughed at that.
Leysen looked from one face to the other, then turned and started to walk away. She hadn't gone very far when she heard someone running up behind her.
"Ley! Are you all right?" Velder's voice came over her shoulder.
She kept on walking, her fists clenched at her sides. "Is that all I am to you? Just an engine for your little toy?"
"Ley! I didn't mean it like that." He put his hand on her arm. "You know you're more than that."
"I... I'm sorry. I guess I lost it for a minute up there." She turned to him and shook off his hand, embarrassed --- ashamed --- to have shown any signs of weakness in front of a Beta.
"It always gets everybody the first time."
"But this wasn't the first time. I've flown lots of times."
"But I'll bet you've never flown under your own power."
"Yes, but this is different." She looked down at her feet. "Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a flier."
"Don't say that, Ley. Nobody else can do what you do."
She looked up at his face. "You mean, being your engine?"
"Ley, I'm sorry. That was just a joke." He reached for her hand. "I want you up there with me. Do you think I'd take Tillek up with me, even if he could provide the power?"
She let him take her hand in his. "No, I suppose he weighs too much." She smiled.
He smiled back. "He definitely does." He then turned back to look at the airplane, and the half dozen warriors gathered around it. "Come on. Let's get it put away. I still don't completely trust Tillek's ground crew."
Tillek had offered to train a ground crew. He claimed that it would be a good way to mold a group into a team. Talisi warriors were good at individual acts, but their teamwork left much to be desired.
Leysen allowed Velder to lead her back to the airplane, where he and Tillek supervised the warriors carrying the craft back to its tent. Some of the Talisi seemed to be afraid to even touch the strange flying device, despite having seen Velder and Ley flying in it. However, with Tillek and Velder acting the part of drill sergeants, they finally got it stowed away.
Dismissing his ground crew, Tillek began in earnest to debrief Velder on his initial flight.
"It's not like I had a flight recorder aboard," Velder protested. He hadn't had any instruments at all, not even a magnetic compass. "You probably saw better from the ground than we did from up there."
A messenger was coming up the trail to the village as they returned, no doubt bearing some news from another village. The three Arions fell in behind him as he passed through the gate.
Gharrez and some of the elders were already gathered, waiting for the messenger. Leysen followed the two Betas toward the gathering, and then hung back at the outskirts. Despite her contributions she still was not accepted as a warrior, and never would be. No female ever would be.
The messenger dismounted his tired hurja, handing the reins to a young warrior. The warrior in turn handed them to a female, who led the tired animal to the stables as more people gathered around, eager to hear the news. Even the children gathered around. A female came through the crowd, pressing a cup of kifra into the messenger's hands.
Gharrez led the messenger and the warriors toward his house. The females and the youngsters followed at a discreet distance, still eager for the news even though they would only get it secondhand.
Leysen's sensitive hearing let her eavesdrop on the discussion from where she stood. The Poreans had raided another village. The raid had been beaten off but not without cost; some of the buildings had been set on fire and nearly a dozen warriors had been killed.
Not all of the Tureans had had the new steel blades, but those that did have them had acquitted themselves well. That bit of news led to renewed calls for increased production.
It took a while, but eventually Leysen and Velder were able to retire to their room for the night. "I'm still not sure I'm cut out to be a flier," she said as they were undressing.
"You'll get used to it," he told her, scooting over to make room for her.
"What if I don't?" She climbed in next to him, a gold chain around her throat.
"You will. Don't worry." He reached for a breast.
She playfully slapped at his hand. "Maybe I don't want to! Maybe I just want to stay on the ground!"
"Ley..."
"Or at least on something close to the ground." Pushing him down onto the bed, she moved over him, pressing her lips against his lips, her breasts against his chest.
Though she wasn't thinking such thoughts at the time, riding an airplane might be something to which she could get accustomed. Before crashing on Talis, who would have thought that she would ever be riding a Beta? Not only had she gotten accustomed to riding Velder, but she found it enjoyable --- very enjoyable.
Velder certainly never complained.
For once, Leysen was up first. Carefully unentangling herself from his arms, she rolled over and got out of bed. Trying to make as little noise as possible, she retrieved the garments from where she and Velder had dropped them on the floor the previous evening in their eagerness to get into bed. Separating out hers from his, she started to dress.
The soft rustle behind her told him that she hadn't been as quiet as she had hoped to be.
"What's this?"
She finished buttoning her garment before turning around. She saw Velder holding up a curved piece of steel that she had left beside the bed. "Oh, that? It's something I thought of while making the engine for your airplane."
"But what is it? A steel bow?"
"Exactly."
It was rather short for a bow, but quite thick. And it was quite a bit stiffer than a bow should be. It barely bent under his Beta strength when he tried to flex it. He grunted and it bent a bit further. "Only you could use it," he announced, letting go and taking a deep breath.
"But how about like this?" She turned and bent down, picked up something from under a blanket, straightened up, and held it out to him.
He put down the bow and took the object. It was crude, not much more than a metal bow mounted on an iron rod, but he immediately recognized the intent. "A crossbow!"
"With a cocking mechanism," she said, pointing out the cocking lever.
"How's it work?"
"Just pump it." She made some motions with her hands.
He worked the cocking lever. Half a dozen strokes cocked the bow and brought the bowstring to its firing position. Pointing the bow down, he found the trigger and pulled it. The string shot forward with a WHUFF.
"What range?" he asked.
"That depends on how thick I make the bow," she replied. "This one's at least as good as the Talisi hunting bow."
"That good?"
She smiled. "And almost as accurate. It'll be better once I work out a proper set of sights."
"And the cocking mechanism..."
"Working on your airplane taught me how to make all of the parts. It was a simple matter of putting them together differently."
He pumped the cocking lever again. "And it's so simple, anybody could..."
"Even a Talisi female could work it."
"You're not thinking of arming the females, are you?" The Talisi women didn't touch weapons, let alone use them in combat.
"That's up to the Council. But it's easier to train them on this than for a sword or a spear. And it would give us more firepower, if the Porean keep attacking us. The females wouldn't be completely defenseless."
"It gives us firepower, period." The Turean warriors had been resisting their efforts to form an archer corp.
She held out her hand for the crossbow, and he returned it. "Have you shown it to Tillek yet?" he asked.
"Not yet." She did something to it, and the bow came off. She then stuffed both parts into her carrying pack, which she then slung over her shoulder. "I'm going to surprise him with it. If we can't produce gunpowder and the guns to use with it, this might do as a substitute."
The crossbow did indeed go over well with Tillek. It also went over well with Gharrez and the Council of Warriors when Tillek demonstrated it for them.
They were not as impressed with Leysen's idea of arming the females with weapons of any kind, old or new.
"But we won't be taking the swords from the warriors," Tillek argued. "By arming some of the females, it would be like having more warriors. They can help defend the village when most of the warriors are elsewhere."
Chaddik stood up and walked forward. His leg had not healed properly after the attack of the santha; he no longer walked with the aid of a cane but the limp was still obvious. He held out his hand to Tillek. When Tillek handed him the crossbow, he turned it over in his hands and studied it. Following Tillek's instructions, he cocked it. He didn't put a bolt into it, but pointed it at the ground and pulled the trigger.
He then turned to face Gharrez. "With this, one does not need two sound legs to be a warrior." His eyes swept the older warriors behind the War Leader, the warriors who would stay behind as the last line of defense. "Nor does one need to be young. And perhaps, if enough of these could be made," here he looked at Velder, since Leysen could not attend the meeting, "and the females were trained and equipped, all of the able-bodies warriors could leave to fight, knowing that their village would still be defended."
Letting out a sigh, Leysen sat down on the grass and stretched her legs out in front of her. "That's the most exercise I've gotten in a long time. I'm beginning to feel a little stiff."
Velder came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, pressing in and down as hard as he could.
"Mmm, that feels good." She leaned back into him as he continued to massage her neck and shoulders. "But that's not where I'm getting stiff." Reaching behind her back, she got her hands on his waist and brought him over her head to her front, turning him around to face her as she set him down between her legs.
Velder and Leysen had just made the first real flight of his new airplane. Before, they'd only made short flights, as Velder continued to get a feel for how the craft handled. Leysen had gotten accustomed to being off the ground, though she still tended to avoid looking down unless absolutely necessary. Today they'd flown to the ruins of Ranture, the first village they had come to. By going north, away from Porea, they were confident that they wouldn't be running across and Poreans.
Kneeling down between her legs, he began massaging that powerplant, the legs of the young Prime who had provided the motive force for his airplane, turning the bicycle pedals that in turn turned the propeller.
Using both hands, he began massaging her left thigh. She relaxed her muscles as much as she could, allowing him to do more than simply push her skin around a little. Still, his fingers could barely dimple in the softest part of her thigh.
"Now the other one." She lifted him up and set him down astride her right leg as he began working on that one, digging his fingers in as deeply as he could.
"Try using your mouth," she suggested, bending her leg a little and lifting him up.
He began kissing and licking her thigh. It wasn't the same thing as his massage had been. This was better, much better. She lifted him off of her leg and toward her. "Now that we're here, isn't there something we can do to celebrate our first flight?" She reached down and pulled him closer, dragging him up her body until she could reach his lips with hers.
After a few seconds she felt his hands slipping under her clothes and going to her breasts. She allowed him to break off the kiss, and his mouth worked its way down her throat and fastened onto her left breast, suckling eagerly.
"Getting hungry?" she asked when he started to ease up.
He disengaged from her breast and looked up at her, resting his chin on her mound. "Only for you. Besides, I know you didn't pack a lunch for this flight."
"I always have something for you." She circled her right nipple with her forefinger, and then began pinching it between her thumb and forefinger. It wasn't long before the energy was ready to flow. With her left hand she lifted his chin and moved his face to her right breast to allow him to feed.
Even though he had often suckled at her breasts, she hadn't fed him that way since they had arrived at Panture. As he suckled eagerly, she slid her left hand to her now vacated left breast, stroking herself lightly. She savored the contrast between his soft caresses and her much harder ones. Without any gold around her throat, his caresses felt lighter than ever. Somewhat paradoxically, that just made it feel better.
Good enough to make her want even more. As soon as she felt the energy flow slow down, she pulled him back up to her, meeting his lips with hers. She then rolled them over, her hands moving down his body to divest him of his leather harness.
Making an effort, he managed to pull his mouth away from hers. "Ley... Your gold. You're not wearing any gold."
"We don't need any, do we?" Remaining on top of him, she continued removing his harness. His erection was obvious even before she finished. She stroked it lightly with her fingers. "See? You don't need any gold."
Her own clothes quickly followed.
She was very careful as she straddled and mounted him. His hands came to her hips to guide her down. Relaxing her inner muscles, she slowly lowered herself onto him.
If it had felt good to have him in her when she was wearing a single gold chain around her throat, that was nothing compared to the feeling now.
She continued to be careful as she began pumping with her legs, making sure that her hips didn't come down too hard on his with each downstroke. His hands came up to cup her breasts, squeezing them with all of his strength.
She captured his left wrist and moved his hand, putting both of them on her left breast. Her right hand cupped her right breast and lightly squeezed it, applying no more than a hundred times the pressure that he was applying to her left. Her legs seemed to be fully recovered from her flight as they kept up their rhythmic pumping without missing a beat.
"Have a good nap?" she asked, when he had woken up. Her thoughts turned from amusement to concern when he was slow in responding. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"I'm exhausted," he finally managed to answer. "You're quite a woman, Ley."
She smiled. It wasn't the first time that he'd told her that, but she never got tired of hearing it.
He managed to tear his gaze from her face and looked at the sun descending in the western sky. "We should think about getting home." He patted his stomach. "I'm famished."
"You want more?" She cupped her breasts and held them out toward him.
"Yes, but I think we really should be getting home. Tillek's probably worried about us."
"I'm sure Mai can take his mind off us." The two of them had become a pair, much as Leysen and Velder had. In fact, Tillek and Mai had even talked about formalizing the relationship.
Neither Leysen nor Velder was ready to go quite that far. There was still the stigma attached to any relationship between a Prime and a Beta. They most probably would never encounter any other Arions, but they would still know. And formalizing the relationship, at least in Velder's mind, would also mean that he had abandoned any hope --- however slim --- of ever being rescued.
Leysen stirred and straightened up, raising her arms over her head and stretching. The sight of her uplifted breasts was tempting, very tempting. But if he gave in to the temptation, they would be occupied until dark. Having no desire to try flying at night, he told her.
"Well, in that case, let's go home." Taking his hand, she stood up and pulled him up to his feet. Hand in hand, they returned to the airplane.
After a quick check to make sure that everything was fine, they were soon in the air again, heading south. Heading home to Panture.
The new smokehouse was in full operation. Mai, like everyone else in Panture, had been eating a lot of smoked meat and fish lately. Even more was being preserved, in the event of a prolonged war.
Tonight would be no different.
One of the better iron mines in Turea was situated not far from Panture, though she couldn't see it from here. That made Panture the natural center of the new steelmaking industry. Both warriors and females worked to extract the ore from the ground, taking up the lot of spare time that Velder's waterwheels had created. Both Tillek and Velder had helped to improve the production. Leysen had provided improved tools, and on occasion --- when the Talisi weren't watching --- muscle power.
Heading for the mine for a quick inspection, her nose told Leysen that she was approaching the smokehouse.
The new smokehouse had been built, to help accommodate the influx of smiths and their assistants from around Turea who had come to Panture to study the techniques for making steel. In addition, woodsmiths had come to study the new waterwheels, and many senior warriors were coming to learn some of the new concepts that Tillek was teaching.
The smithy had been greatly expanded. Under Leysen's tutelage smiths from neighboring villages were learning to make and work steel. The demand for steel items was far outstripping the supply, and with the Poreans continuing to raid across the border, weapons were a high priority.
Quality blades were not something that could be mass-produced. At least, not with what was currently available. Maybe in a few years, if she could figure out how to make proper forges and casts. But Stars! She had only done a little steelworking as a craft, not even a real hobby. Even now it was more an art than a science, guesswork more than knowledge.
The Talisi were not stupid, however. Once they learned the proper formulation for steel and the different ways to work it, their experience allowed them to take it from there. And the border situation meant that there was no shortage of people to do the work.
Though all of them were males. None of the Councils would allow any females --- except for Leysen --- to make weapons.
Despite being a warlike race, the Talisi art of warfare was a rather primitive one. They relied mainly on sneaking up on each other; raids and ambushes instead of set battles. With the Poreans increasing hostilities to the south, Tillek was trying to teach the Talisi to fight as an army, not as a group of individual warriors. To fight as Betas, not as Primes, she'd sometimes thought, though she'd never expressed that opinion to Tillek. But then, she was certain that he'd had the same thought, though he'd never dare to say that in the presence of a Prime. Especially not one whom he kept calling 'girl.'
Seeing a familiar face heading for the smokehouse, Leysen waved. Mai didn't see her, however, as she went inside, no doubt to check on how things were smoking in there.
Nobody on Talis had the eyes that Leysen did. With a shrug of her shoulders, she continued on her way to the mine.
If Leysen had bothered to look behind her, she might have seen Tillek following her.
Hearing the soft rustle of leaves behind him, Togren dripped his hand to the hilt of his sword and whirled around. There was nothing there to be seen.
He relaxed a little, his hand still on the hilt of his sword. A sword with a blade made of the new substance called steel, introduced from further north in Turea. It really was an improvement, harder and less likely to shatter in combat. It also took a better edge, and held it longer.
There was another rustle behind him. He whirled again, his hand tightening on the hilt. This time, there was something there.
Or rather, there was somebody there. He blinked at the sight of a beautiful female, her strange blue and red garment seeming to cover no more of her body than did her golden hair.
"Who... who are you?" he stammered out. At the same time, he relaxed a little, his hand leaving the hilt of his sword and falling to his side; a female could be no possible threat.
"Don't you recognize me?" she asked in a sweet musical voice, putting her hands on her hips and taking a step toward him.
He took an involuntary step back. "Who are you?" he asked again.
"Some call me the Golden Goddess," she announced.
"The... Golden Goddess... of Simpore..."
"Ah, you've heard of me. That simplifies things." Her smile widened and she took another step forward. "Come here."
His hand returned to the hilt of his sword. "Stay back!" he warned.
He didn't even see her move. One moment she was standing about ten feet away, the next moment she was right in front of him.
He tried to back away from her but immediately discovered that she had wrapped an arm around him. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he tried to push her back. His push had no effect on her. If anything, he felt himself being pulled toward her, his chest almost touching her breasts.
She pulled him closer.
He grunted as the air was forced out of his lungs. Her other hand moved up, coming to rest on his shoulder.
His legs gave way as she pushed down. He fell heavily on his knees.
"Worship me, male!" she commanded. "Worship your goddess!"
He tried to rise but the weight on his shoulders kept him down. If he had looked, he would have seen that she was only using the little finger of each hand. Instead, he stared straight ahead at the deep valley between her breasts that the blue upper portion of her garment did very little to hide.
His vision was obscured by a fall of golden hair, surrounding his head like a veil. His nostrils were filled with a sweet scent.
Suddenly, he knew that she was indeed a goddess. His goddess. He would do anything for her, he would die for her; all she had to do was to command him.
The command was not long in coming. "Worship me!" she repeated. At the same time, she leaned forward, almost trapping his head between her breasts.
He brought his hands up, caressing her breasts through the garment, which felt like nothing else that he had ever touched in his life. Neither the garment nor the breasts within it.
He was barely conscious of the weight being lifted from her shoulders as she scooped her breasts out of her garment. He bent his head forward, running his tongue over a large nipple before taking it in his mouth.
She truly was like no other female whom he'd ever encountered, this Golden Goddess. Instinctively knowing that he couldn't hurt her even if he tried, he squeezed her breasts as hard as he could as he suckled at the hardening nipple at the center of one.
Looking down at the Talisi warrior suckling at her breast, she smiled to herself. Porean or Turean, it didn't make any difference; males were so easy to control.
But she hadn't come here to be worshipped. She had come here for information.
As a Planetary Protector, Tani'a Veloor couldn't intentionally kill a human under her Protection. But there were other ways. Putting a hand on the back of his head, she pressed his face harder against her soft breast. He struggled briefly, the muscles bulging on his arms as he tried to push her away.
Letting the unconscious warrior fall to the ground at her feet, she reached down with her left hand and pulled his sword out of its scabbard. She ran her right thumb along the blade. So, the reports were true; the Tureans had come up with something new. It did seem to be sharper than were the usual native blades. It blade definitely was not made of iron. It felt like low-grade steel. She ran her thumb a little harder along the blade, dulling it.
Still holding the hilt in her left hand, she laid the edge across the top of her right breast. Her most feminine flesh creased slightly as she increased the pressure. Then it was the sword's turn to give, the steel edge dulling further from the contact against a much harder substance.
A sharp motion drew the blade across her breast. There was a faint squeal of protest as the edge of the blade bent from the force, chips of metal flaking off.
Tossing the sword into the air, her right hand flashed out and closed about the blade just above the hilt. A continuation of the motion brought the point of the sword against her left breast, directly over her heart.
She increased the pressure, her soft flesh dimpling in about an inch. Then the blade began to bend as she increased the pressure further. The blade bent nearly double before snapping in two.
Her left hand caught the end of the blade before it went spinning off into the brush. Laying the two halves together, she squeezed with her right hand and mangled the pieces together. A flick of her right wrist sent the mess flying over her shoulder and into the brush nearly two hundred feet away while her left hand brushed off a few flakes of metal from her breast.
She leaped up into the air. She would consider the implications after she returned to her temple in Simpore.