"The Maid of Silk."

"The Iron King names the Maid of Silk," Talaitha intones. "May the spirits reveal the destiny which awaits him!"

Talaitha steps close to you, her eyes locked on yours, and her hands begin to touch your body. It is a strange sensation... her touches are pleasurable by their very nature, but it is obvious that they are not truly intended as such. Rather than seek out sensitive and intimate places, her fingertips brush over your temples, then press gently into your neck to feel your pulse through the strong blood vessels there... then her breasts press into your chest, but it seems that she does this only to breathe in the same time as you do; so that she inhales as you breathe out, and then again in the opposite manner. It may be your imagination, but it seems to you that she even somehow manages to match the rhythm of her heartbeat with your own. It is a strange intimacy, unlike that of a lover, more as if she seeks to become one with you than to share her body.

Her eyes close, and beneath the lids you can see them dart rapidly back and forth, as if she were suddenly asleep and dreaming. Her hands find your own, palm to palm, not lacing the fingers but aligning them with yours. Her lips are so close now that it is all you can do not to lean in just a hair's breadth further and kiss them... but you remember that Talaitha warned you to take no action without her instruction. Even if she has no true power or connection with the spirits, it feels unwise to disturb her trance again.

"The Maid of Silk," she breathes, almost too quietly to be heard even so close. "Speak the name with me." With those words, Talaitha moves that tiniest bit closer so that your lips just barely touch, like a fresh dewdrop upon a blade of grass.

"The Maid of Silk," you whisper, and her lips move in perfect unison with yours. Then she pulls away, and her brow furrows just slightly, concentrating hard, listening to whatever voices she alone can hear. Then she shivers, just slightly... and it may be your imagination, but it almost seems as thought the slight breeze which wafts around you forms the subtlest of sounds, which if you could only hear them a tiny bit more clearly, might be strange words in a tongue you have never heard before...

"Yes," Talaitha says, in a soft, melodious tone that drowns out the mysterious almost-sound. "Yes, I see her before me now. The spirits have named her well, the silken maid... soft and delicate to the touch, her smile turns the honeybees from their flowers, and yet the softness belies a strength deep within. Long thread tie her to the lands of her ancestors; she is far from them, far from the rising Sun..."

When you named the Maid of Silk, it seemed likely that she might be one of the visitors from the far east; Talaitha's invocation of the "rising Sun" makes you sure. An image forms in your mind, only half-realized and dreamlike, of a lovely woman with glowing golden skin and the exotic eyes of the distant eastern empires. Only a few such women live in Elyssia, but it seems to you that the one you see in your mind's eye now is not one of them, nor is she anyone you have ever seen before.

Talaitha's hands begin to roam over your body, up your arms and down your back, pressing both firmly and lightly as she goes. A memory comes into your head, a time when you spoke to Elyssia's most learned healer of his arts; one Master Sanjay Bhandari... he showed you his charts of what he called the Energy Streams, and described a **** called the Chi which moved through all people. His charts indicated the places at which this energy could be redirected and controlled. It is hard to recall exactly, especially under the circumstances, but it seems to you that Talaitha's fingertips press those same points as her hands come to them.

"Show me the future," she sings, "what will come to pass..."

Suddenly, you feel moist lips against your fully-hardened manhood, and you realize that Talaitha is spreading her legs around you to take you inside her. It is all you can do not to respond and thrust forward, take her in your arms, kiss the lips which remain so close - but through an iron effort of will, you remain still and allow her to continue. Ever so slowly, she slides down upon you, her warm and wet passage opening and allowing you to penetrate. An involuntary shiver runs through you, but otherwise you are able to remain still. Talaitha rolls her head back, her eyes closed and still flickering with the signs of dreaming.

"Yes, the Maid of Silk is drawn to the King of Iron, a man as exotic to her as she is to him. And yet, her heart is torn... there is another, a man of great power, a man of honed steel, his blade polished to perfection. It must come to the choice, the choice of the maid to follow her heart, the choice of the Sword to claim his own, and the Iron King..."

Talaitha's brow furrows in concentration, and she unexpectedly leans forward to kiss you upon the lips... but it is no lover's kiss, it is more as though she is forming a closer connection to you, trying to listen through your ears as well as her own. Slowly, she pulls you downward to the blanket upon the ground, for which you are most grateful; it was becoming difficult to stand! Somehow, she is able to gracefully lower both herself and you together such that you remain tightly embraced as a man to a woman, your shaft thrust deeply into her.

"The Iron King will face Dishonor or ****... to surrender his heart's desire or see his lifeblood spilled upon the Earth..."

Talaitha turns her face up toward the sky, her eyes closed, her hands spread over each side of your face with the fingertips quivering and moving about, seemingly searching for something that she cannot find. She continues to lean back away from you until her arms are held straight and her breasts point straight up into the air. She seems not to breathe for the longest time, long enough that you begin to grow concerned for her.

"I... I cannot!" she gasps at last, falling back towards you and panting hard to catch her breath. "The future is hidden, I cannot see past the veil. I tried, King Xavier... I saw you face a blade so sharp as to cut a shaft of sunlight, its tip pointed at your heart, and in your hand a fallen star which could not turn it aside. But I did not see ****, though I strained with all my power to catch some glimpse of what lay beyond that thrust. I tried so very hard to see, to hear, but the knowledge of the future is denied me this time. I know that you will need to make a choice, a choice with your life in the balance. Unfortunately, the consequences of that choice are hidden in blackness."

"Perhaps there is nothing to see in my future, because I will indeed die?" you ask.

She shakes her head. "That is by no means certain. Of course we all must die in the fullness of time, but in this vision I saw only the thrust of a mighty sword; I did not see where or how the point touched you, or if it did at all. And, it may not even be that you will face such a literal danger. Sometimes the spirits use images to show what they mean to convey; a sword may be a symbol of **** which comes by some other means. In this case, I felt that the sword was a true sword, but the sword was also a man, and at the same time it seemed a representation of strength and honor. But the moment past the thrust of the sword, that I could not see. It seemed almost as though the spirits were not allowing me to see. There have been times when I could not understand them, or when they did not have the answers, or even when they have told me lies... but I have never known the spirits to so strongly conceal the truth from me. I do not think I will be able to tell you anything further, King Xavier, but I will meditate and seek the truth.

"For now, the spirits are silent. They have spoken and though I wish I could say more, I have given you their words as much as I am able. Heed them as you will."

Carefully, Talaitha pulls up and away from you, letting your manhood slide out of her; and perhaps it is your imagination, but it seems that she may do so with a certain ****, as if she wished that she might go further. It takes a moment for you to gather your composure. Her actions have left you aching for release, but that is something you must put aside. A few deep breaths help to clear your head, and this time you can tell that Talaitha is impressed with your strength of will; you have no doubt that if this is a performace she has done for others, she likely finds that not every man is able to steady himself so quickly, or hold back from trying to relieve his needs with her.

"I would ask another question, if I may," you say at last.

"The spirits have given all the answers they will give, for now; but of course, King Xavier, you may ask of Talaitha what you will."

"The Iron King... is that the name by which the spirits know me?"

"It is," she says. "They have spoken to me of you before, when I have meditated. Of course I know of your past, it is well-known in these parts that you were a worker of iron at the forge, but the name means more than that. Iron is the strongest of metals, and yet it also yields to become what it must be. It will bend to fire, but when it is quenched it becomes stronger still. It is the metal of the common people, in the form of a hammer or plow; it is also the metal of a knight's armor and shield, and the sword of a King like the one you carry at your side. The King of Iron is a king of all the people, both noble and common, a king who wields his power in service and not in domination. The spirits know you well, King Xavier."

"I thank you for your service, Talaitha," you say to her, as you both stand up and you begin to put your clothes back on. It feels somewhat awkward; normally, after you have made love to a woman, you would offer kisses and tender caresses and hold her in your arms, but it's hard to know exactly what you should do in this case.

"There is one other thing," she says as you prepare to take your leave. "Now that you have been connected to the Spirits, you may find that they visit you at some future time. Since you do not have my power, they will appear to you in the only way they can - in your dreams. The dreams will be vivid and potent in nature, but do not fear; these dreams can no more do you harm than any other dream. If the spirits speak to you in this manner, remember that they cannot always be trusted, and it is always best to use your own judgement rather than follow them blindly." She smiles slightly. "Consider them as you would your advisors; wise and helpful, but not always right."